Value Living

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.  John 12:26

Value living, that is precisely what we as believers should be doing each and every day.  Companies have value statements that guide the direction and actions taken by the company as a whole.  So why don't we have a value statement that guides our actions as members of the body of Christ?

As believers we have the word to guide our action which we should adapt into our daily living.  During one of my former leadership roles, I developed a set of guiding principles for the organization.  I used the acronym H.E.A.R.T. because I believed if they were to become the values of the organization people would have to believe in them with a heart felt sincerity.  I have adopted those principles as a method to ensure I am "Value Living", here they are:

H-honor-everything I do should be honorable to my Lord and Savior.  If it doesn't honor him then I shouldn't be doing it.

E-excellence-strive to do everything to a level of excellence that is pleasing to the father and I mean everything.  

A-accountable-always remember that everything you do, you are accountable for.  Our father will forgive us, but others will hold us accountable.   

R-respectful-be respectful of all human beings.  I often find myself reminding others that while we may hate the sin, we are not to hate the sinner but to overcome sin through mercy, grace and forgiveness. 

T-team-I believe that as believers we must be part of a team of believers.  There is a reason that God's word tells us that where there are two or more, there am I in the midst of them.  There is greater power in a team approach to serving the Lord.  

So there you have it, my guiding principles which I strive to live by each and every day to ensure that I am "Value Living".  Just a little advice to go! 

A Prayer About Ultimate Romance

The following is a devotional that speaks to how often I over demand from my spouse and the correlation between those demands and my lack of intimacy with the Lord.  Often I try to substitute for God's intimacy by demanding more of those around me and that often leads to failure.  Perhaps when you feel that way you may want to think of the prayer written by Scotty Smith, Pastor at Christ Community Church, Just a little advice to go!

    “I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me.” –Song of Solomon 7:10

Dear Lord Jesus, it’s the weekend in our culture in which red hearts, overpriced cards, dark chocolates and cut flowers abound — Valentine’s Day is upon us. For some, it’s a day of incredible kindness, sweetness and gratitude. For others, it’s a day in which brokenness, loneliness and emptiness are magnified. For all of us, it should be a day in which are deepest longings for intimacy and connection find their way home to you, Jesus, the consummate lover.

I praise you for how generous you’ve been to me, in giving me rich tastes, tangible expressions, and a sensate celebration of genuine love in my marriage. There have been times when I have wondered how heaven itself could hold more joy than what I have known with my spouse…

But I equally praise you for showing me, time and time again, that no one human being (or any number of them)… no human romance story… no torrid love affair can possibly fill the vacuum in my soul that’s uniquely Jesus-shaped. Even the best marriage is two broken people, two redeemed sinners who will ultimately not be enough for the other.

Grant me, no, grace me with a deeper and richer experience of belonging to you, Jesus. You’re the ultimate Spouse. I know this, but I want to know it. One moment I believe you truly desire me, and in the next I am filled with disconcerting unbelief. It’s in those times when I am not alive to your pursuit of me, love for me and delight in me that I place unrealistic demands on other relationships. Instead of a steward, I become a user of others. Instead of a servant, I take up a scorecard to measure them by my expectations. Forgive me and free me from all such nonsense.

Let me love as you love me, until the day my betrothal becomes the day of great banqueting — the Day I long for more than any other… the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. So very Amen, I pray, in your tender and tenacious name.

No Condemnation In Christ

No Condemnation in Christ  Romans 8

1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded isdeath; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

No condemnation in Christ: what part of God's word are we not getting when as believers we are so quick to condemn each other instead of loving as God commanded us to do.  Today it is not enough that we condemn each other, too many of us are caught up in condemning those we identify as sinners. Yes, we need to recognize that sin is sin, but while we hate the sin we must still love the sinner; praying for them, caring for them when they are hurting, and sharing God's word with them.  

If we keep them hating each other and hating sinners then we lose sight of the truth and become inept believers.  Let's refocus on God's word, the truth that sets us free from confusion and from egoistic traps inhibiting our walk with Christ.  The bottom line is that Christ did not come to condemn the world but to rescue it from the traps of the flesh, not with threats and a spirit of fear but with power, love, and wisdom.   Living in Christ means living within the confines of His word; making every effort to love others so that the miracle of Christ will take place in their hearts.  Just a little advice to go!  

I Am With You Always!

In Matthew 28:20, Jesus tells us to remember, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Wow, what a promise!  In a world where division occurs within families as children and parents become estranged and countries divided by politics and religious beliefs, Christ reminds us that He is with us always.  

The only thing that can separate us from Christ is our sin; our disobedience.  He never leaves us or forsakes us and understands our daily battle to resist doing the things that contradict our beliefs.  Knowing that He is there always should remind us it is in His strength we overcome the daily challenges; he is there right by our side ready to come to our aid if we simply acknowledge him and ask for His help.  For we know that if Christ be for us, who can be against us.  In Him, we can proclaim that nothing will separate us from the love of God!  Just a little advice to go!

Guiltless But Guilty!

Luke 23: 1-5
Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.

Have you ever been there, judged as guilty even though you are guiltless.  It is a strange and lonely feeling when you find yourself condemned for something you are not guilty of.  Jesus was accused of blasphemy for proclaiming he was the son of God, it was a truth that many could not accept and thus they found him guilty even though he was guiltless.

We too will encounter times where we are condemned for simply speaking the truth or for doing what we know to be right even though others may call it wrong.  In Christ we have no choice but to do as he did, proclaim the truth and/or do right accepting the consequences whatever they may be.

The challenge for us as believers is to overcome the fear of consequence often used by the enemy to dissuade us from doing what our spirit confirms to be right.  This fear can only be overcome through God's word; the knowledge and power promised by his words.  He did not give us a spirit of fear and there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.  In Christ we are left to stand up for His truth, a truth that sets us free from guilt even when others would find us guilty.   Whatever you may face, stand in Christ's truth and when others find you guilty, know that in him your are guiltless.  Just a litlle advice to go!

The Joy of the Lord Heals Your Pain!

Celebrating Jesus' birth always reminds me of his resurrection, the fact that he died but then rose from the grave.  He was alive and walking on planet earth as if he never died and had the scars to prove it.  Jesus had the scars on his hands and the wound on his side evidencing the devastation he endured and overcame so that we could be set green from the pain of our sins. (John 20:27)

As believers we often forget that as long as we are in this world we too bear the scars of the sins and suffering we have endured.  Whether physical or emotional, the scars bear witness not only of the suffering but of the miracle of Christ's healing.  The scars and memories remain, but the pain is alleviated by the joy of his salvation.  The bible tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength, we need only to receive him, believe in him, and live in him to receive that joy.  That joy illuminates the greatness of God in our lives, overcoming the darkness and pain of this world.  Yes, trials and weeping may come in the nighttime but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalms 30:5)

Let your scars serve not as reminders of the pain and suffering you have endured, but as reminders of  your rebirth in Christ, your deliverance from the evil of this world, your victory over the pain of the past, and your new found joy in the Lord!  Just a little advice to go!

A2G: Blessings in 2014

Blessings to each of you as your start 2014!  God's word offers us the following promise in Deuteronomy 1:11

11May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!

I claim that word for each of you, praying that your relationship with Christ, your family, loved ones, and friends would would be increased a thousand times.  I also pray that your finances would increase a thousand times allowing you to receive much so that you may bless others with much!

Debbie and I find ourselves blessed in this new year as our parents who have struggled with health challenges begin the new year with us, our children are doing well, and we continue in our service to our heavenly father.  Debbie began a new job this year working at Seton Homes serving single teen moms and I continue to work at Haven for Hope serving homeless men, women, and families.  We are blessed to be able to live our ministry every day both at home and work.

My commitment to God's service includes sharing my weekly devotional, Advice to go,  which can be challenging at times due to my commitment to work, school, volunteering at Bexar County, and much more.  But I will do my best to share the messages that God brings to my life in the hope they will bless you as they have blessed me!  Happy New Year!  Just a little advice to go!