What If...

I have always believed that the second chapter of Acts holds the best recorded example of the actions that took place during the "beginning" of the church.With that historical evidence,one can say that there is no excuse for what God expects of the church in todays world.If you read the text you will find that the early church had all things in common...they had unity.Church (Christianity and the furtherment of it ) was their sole priority in life.They met daily with fellow believers.They sold their possesions and gave to "all who had a need". Wow that kind of clashes with Americas whole "shop til you drop" "keeping up with the Joneses" philosophy does it not? They had vision."Vision"? Yes. They saw the things of this world as temporary and perishing..like they are, and grasped the reality that eternity holds a much more rewarding retirement plan than this world could ever offer. They saw hope in the power of the cross and witnessed the power of God. Wow, what if the church today took their walk with the Lord as serious as they did. "What if " we drew near to God and allowed Him to funnel his love through us to those around us and made an eternal possitive impact in our world?" What if " WE sold our possessions to meet the needs of the less fortunate? Is that not what God expects of His church today just as then? Actually it is. He says in His word that if our actions for Him are "luke warm" He will "spew" us from His mouth.It also says that we are to "take up our cross and follow Him." It is a reality, not a suggestion, God wants100% of our lives.Contrary to popular belief we are not to fit Jesus in to our busy lives; our lives are to rotate around Him.

Beyond the National day of Prayer...

Today is when our nation annually sets aside a day to focus on prayer for our country and prayer in general. Students will meet around flag poles at their schools.Towns will meet at local court houses.Church congregations will meet and all come together to pray.This is a great thing! What if we took the whole day of  prayer thing and instead of once a year,what if we did it daily? I've always believed that the 2nd chapter of Acts,which describes the roll- out of the church,sets the best example for how the church should act now, just as then. They met daily,in their homes to pray and share the good news.the book of James tells us that if we "draw near" to God and He will "draw near" to us. I have witnessed this multiple times in my life when I have set aside time to go to a quiet place and "draw near" I would like to challenge you to set aside fifteen minutes a day to focus on prayer and just see if God does'nt pay you a visit...you'll know what I mean,if you've ever been there!

Time will tell...

Many people claim to be Christians but when you examine their social lives and activities they are no different from the rest of the world.The bible tells us to "Love the Lord with all your heart,soul,mind and strength." but when we examine our schedules theres everything in them but God.If you factor in travel time to and from work we have 9 to 10 hours invested there.We sleep 8 to 9 hours (19) So that leaves five hours in the day,some of which involves chores and housework. The rest is either spent in front of the tv or taking little Bobby to baseball practice and Susie to piano lessons.
    Simply put.If God was GOD of our lives It would be reflected by what we do with our time. Take a minute and evaluate your twenty-four hours. How much Time is God getting today?

A note on Easter:

 Contrary to popular belief, "manliness" is not defined by how big his truck is,how big its pipes are, how loud its pipes are,how many cars are in his garage or how much money is in his bank account.
Anybody can play follow the leader.Real "men" are not afraid to go against the current,( "He who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd"). It takes guts and courage to do the right thing as opposed to the popular thing.Over 2000 years ago a man gave His life showing us the ultimate example of "manliness". He sacrificed his time for His neighbors. He helped the outcasts and diseased.He loved and cherished children,as opposed to abusing or neglecting them.He humbled himslf instead of exalting himself ("A man all wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.") He was'nt afraid to cry. Ultimately He gave His life for others out of love.Yea,the definition of a man has kind of gotten distorted over the years but on this day,Easter lets not forget the example of He who for the love of His Neighbors stretched out His arms to show us how much He loved us and was nailed to a tree.