Public Service Announcement

I have been committed to getting out a new blog entry every week. However, as I am preparing a sermon on faith, I am going to have to dedicate the time I usually spend on writing my blog to writing the sermon.  When that is accomplished, I will post my outline as well as a few other tidbits of excitement.

 I will be coming back strong next month on the subject of moral excellence.  I'm sure that this topic is going to be really challenging to me, as well as anyone who reads it. So I look forward to that.

But for now, watch this...

Faith in Giving

I struggle with giving. I'm talking big time struggle. It's more of a wrestle or a brawl, and I'm the one with two black eyes, a bloody nose, and my two front teeth missing.  Even when I have given in the past, up until a month or two ago, it wasn't out of faith. Money and I just don't get along well. I separate myself from it at every given opportunity except, it seems, when it comes to giving my money to God. So if you are like me, and suck at this whole giving thing, then I want you to understand that I share your perspective. If you don't struggle with giving, then you're going to look at some of what I say, nod, smile, and go, "duh!?!" Hold on, though, before you tab back to facebook, or put your mind on auto-pilot as you skim through this, because I believe that we all have something to learn about this subject.  Giving in the way that God desires is more than just writing a check and dropping it in the box.  Giving is about more than just giving.

What is our part in giving?  Giving is one of those areas of faith where the spiritual rubber hits the road of life. I was talking to my pastor about this, and Dave made an interesting point. He asked me this question, "Can you give without faith?"  Obviously it's possible. After stating that, he asked me another question, "Can you have faith without giving?"  That made me think. Faith in the greatness and ability of God requires us to give. More than just give though, give in the faith that the God who handles our future and our salvation, can also handle our finances.

If we give in faith, then we give not only when it's easy, but also when it's hard, when it's a sacrifice. It doesn't take much faith to give when it's easy.

There is an interesting story in the Gospels of Jesus teaching his disciples about this subject while observing people give in the temple.  Have you ever just watched people? For more information on people watching and how to do it, go here. Jesus was people watching on this particular occasion.  Mark tells us that Jesus sat down and just started watching people put money into the treasury. Apparently it was a high profile place to give, because rich people were coming in and giving huge sums of money. Now, in that day, they didn't have checks, so you could determine how much money they were putting in by watching them, and, knowing the church culture of that day, they made a big show of it.  If we saw it, we would probably be impressed.  Jesus, however, was not phased. What made Him stop in his tracks and call His disciples over to Him, was an old lady giving two small coins which amounted to a cent. Coming over his disciples must have been excited as they came over.  'Yeah, Jesus, we know. We just saw that rich guy put three thousand dollars in there also. Wow, that guy must have been really dedicated!' You can just imagine Jesus turning to them and shaking his head and pointing to the old lady hobbling up, and saying, 'Those rich guys have millions of dollars, their giving doesn't hurt them at all.' As the old lady dropped the two small, tarnished coins in the box, He tells his disciples, 'This lady just gave all she had to live on. She gave more than everybody that has given today combine!.'  That kind of sacrificial giving in faith is what made Jesus stop in his tracks!  To read this story go here. Giving is about more than just how many zeros you put after the number on your check.


//I looked through my wallet with a sinking feeling. Where did all my money go? As I checked my wallet for any holes or other means of escape for my ever-disappearing bills, I started running numbers in my head. Dave was talking about faith and money, and it had got me thinking.  I had one lonely 20 dollar bill in my wallet. Where was I going to get the money to pay rent next week? And then there's the matter of eating. If I missed a meal at home in the next week, I was going to want to eat out. As I began to think of excuses like I usually do when confronted with the issue, I really began to think about faith. At that moment, I made the decision and leaped out into, what seemed for me, a deep, dark chasm as I dropped my bill into the box.//

To sum up so far, our part in giving is giving in faith and giving when it hurts, sacrificial giving. That's our part, but what is God's part?  A key principle of faith is this, when we step out if faith, God always responds.

//One week later, as I was sitting in church looking in my wallet, my faith began to grow. In my wallet was a 20 dollar bill, and I had a substantial check on the way from working 50 hours last week. I had been expecting to work about 20-25 hours.  God had provided. What boggled my mind about all this though, more than the extra hours God provided, was the 20 dollar bill.  As I checked my wallet for any holes or other ways for money to sneakily get back in my wallet, I remembered how someone had given me 20 dollars for a debt I had written off weeks ago. I didn't think much about it then, but it struck me sitting there in that lovely pew-chair hybrid that Sunday morning. I had a 20, gave a 20, and then God gave it back. It was there, staring me right in the face. The coolest thing about all this though, was that I had put my faith in God, and God responded.  I didn't give because of guilt, or because I thought it was the "right thing to do."  I gave because I had faith that if I turned control of my finances over to God, he would take care of me.//  

When you give in faith, God will take care of you. David says this, "I have been young, and now I am old, but I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread."  More than God providing, however, the Bible promises us that God will "open up the windows of heaven and pour out His blessings."  Now, I don't know about you, but I think that that might be kind of cool to see.  Now about the old lady that we talked about earlier, (let's call her Agatha), we don't know what happened to her. But let me say this. God provided for her. I'm not going to say probably.  I know God took care of her, because that's the kind of God that we serve.  I don't know how or when, but I know that she didn't go hungry.  

There are other good results of giving in faith besides God taking care of our needs, which he promised to do over and over again.  When we turn our finances, essentially bringing God into our financial huddle, good things happen.  We've all seen the commercials for the investment firms that want us to trust them, and the people they pay to go on their commercials and say, "The best financial decision that I ever made was turning my investments over to... (name of an investment firm here)."  I want to state emphatically that the best decision you can make with your finances, is turning them over to God! He is the best financial investment firm there is!  How does that look?  It starts with your giving in faith. 

I have seen the results clearly over the past few month or two since I started giving in faith, and the changes in my life have been dramatic. Now, I don't have a lot of experience in this area, but I can see the change in my thinking about money.  I am starting to see money as a blessing from God to be used as a tool.  My parents, being the concerned, amazing parents that they are, knew that I had a problem with money, so they gave me advice, tried to do things to help me, and even gave me me books like, "What to do when money is funny."  They gave me the tools, but giving control of my finances to God by giving in faith is what really made the difference for me.  I'm starting to live on a budget, I'm starting to get out of debt, and I am no longer constantly stressed out about money.  

Giving in faith results in a changed view of money, more control in our finances (because God is in control), and the blessing of God in our life.  I want to repeat this statement again, "when we step out if faith, God always responds."   

Listen for GOD's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. 

Run to GOD! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor GOD with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. 

(Pro 3:6-10)

Faith in God's Future

(Watch this video first)

What if you won the lottery? What would you do with the money. I spent much time considering this conundrum, as I'm sure you have too. It's an important question, after all, assuming you actually play the lottery, your chances would be 1 in 14,000,000 to 1 in 140,000,000 depending on what lottery you are playing. For more information on this subject go here: http://www.lottery-syndicate-world.com/chances-of-winning-the-lottery.html. I personally have never played the lottery, other than buying a few one or two dollar scratch-its, but I have a very good idea of how and where I would spend my millions when I get them. Here is a question that I have not considered, however. When made to choose between the option of being a man of great wisdom or winning 100 million dollars, which would I choose? 

There was a man who lived long ago who was given this choice. It was like the whole "genie" scenario, except for the fact that it was real, and it was one wish given by God. Here's what happened. 

1 Ki 3:5  In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, "Ask what you wish me to give you." 

1Ki 3:6  Then Solomon said, "You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 

1Ki 3:7  "Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 

1Ki 3:8  "Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 

1Ki 3:9  "So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" 

1Ki 3:10  It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 

1Ki 3:11  God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 

1Ki 3:12  behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. 

1Ki 3:13  "I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 

1Ki 3:14  "If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days." 

What do people value?  To answer this question, take a look at the people that we idolize.  Those who have it all. The "all" would be the millions of dollars, fame, and power.  The world has defined what we should pursue in our future. Most of us, including myself, at some point have bought into this. When we look at our future we try to make plans that will put us in the position to obtain some or all of these things. 

I want to tackle the idea of faith and how it relates to our future. I have been learning a lot about this in my life recently. If you are like me, a young adult trying to determine the course of his life and future, this is a huge issue for you. You are dealing with this right now.  If you are on either side of this point in your life, whether you are younger and still have some more time until you have to tackle this head on, or if you have dealt with this already, this still applies to you.  You are going to have to deal with this, or you will have to continue to deal with this in the future. 

I used the words "deal with this issue" a lot. Why?  The reason is because the future can be a very scary place. And having the pressure of deciding where your life is going to go is immense!  Faith has to be key to you in this time! You can choose to strike out on your own and do your best, or you can have faith in the God that is neither bound by time nor constrained by human inabilities. God has no future; He is outside of time. As a Christian, this is very comforting to me! 

So what does choosing option "B", following and having faith in God with regard to your future, look like? The first thing I want to point out is that God's view of success is different than the world's view of success. God's "wealth" is different than the world's "wealth".  God's future is different than the world's future. This is where faith steps into the picture. As followers of Christ, we have to buy into the concept that God's future will make you happier, leave you more fulfilled, and work out much better in the long run than the world's future. All that the world values will end up leaving you empty and looking for more, for a deeper meaning to life.  You have experienced this!  I know that you have felt the emptiness inside when following the world's ideals. You have never experienced this when following God and in a close relationship with Him. If you look honestly into your life, you find that this is true. Think back and remember.  

Faith also comes into play in our planning.  We have to have faith that God will handle the details.  For some of you, that may not be hard, but for others, like myself, it can be extremely difficult.  This is what caused me to start buying into the world's future.  God was showing me a destination in the future, but He was not showing me how I would get there, and that was scary for me!  It's just like the story of Abraham in the Bible. God told Abraham to leave his plush life and start walking into the sunset. God did not provide him with a road map, only told him where to start, and told him to have Faith.  Abraham did, and as a result He was called the Father of the Faithful, he became the first in the lineage of Jesus, and he was ultimately the father of the Jewish nation. All of Christendom are now his descendants through faith.  Have Faith that God is big enough, that God is powerful enough, and that God is willing enough to handle the details of your future. Set out to follow Him in Faith, and you will be amazed at the result! 

Faith always demands that we surrender something we value for something of greater value.  Faith in God's future demands that we give up the security we find in personal control, and replaces it with the security that we find when God is in control.  It also demands that we give up our lust for power, wealth, and fame, and replaces it with joy and a peace that is out of this world! 

"Are you with me or against me?
Noticed you're sitting on the fence.
We wondered why you're not cut and dry.
You got to choose our side and live, or their side and die.
Which hand holds your soul?
Do you want to guess one?
If it scares you to death, may that be your lesson.
It's your decision, make it the best one." 

- Relient K

Introducing Discipline

As I slammed the digging bar in the unyielding ground again and again, my mind couldn't help but wander.  As the sun beat down on me, I could picture myself floating in a pool or playing video games in an air conditioned room.  That would be optimal at this point.  But instead I was here, digging 4 foot by 4 foot holes in a hard packed dirt parking lot that was soon to be a paved parking garage at the Sparks maintenance yard. As I wiped the sweat of my face and took a look around, I realized that I hadn't seen anyone in hours.  If not floating in a pool, I could easily be sitting in the shade of the block wall a few feet away and relax for a few minutes. Yes, I had already had my last break an hour ago, but at this point I couldn't help but look longingly at the shade. As I got back to work and pushed those thoughts aside, someone from the maintenance yard came over who had been watching unseen and remarked at my diligence.  He then offered me a job on the spot at the City of Sparks. Why? Because diligence combined with discipline is rare!

The question I would pose is this, are the results of being a disciplined man worth the work and effort necessary?  Most of the world may agree in their words, but they show the truth of their real beliefs in their lazy lives.  I believe that the work, the lack of comfort, and the depriving of self is worth the result. Nothing great is ever accomplished without the combination of diligence and discipline, and, as a result, the sense of accomplishment is lost when we choose the easy road.  Freedom is another thing we choose to abandon when we lack self-discipline.  Our appetites and desires begin to enslave us when we sacrifice discipline on the altar of laziness and indifference.  The last thing I would touch on, besides the benefit of whatever great thing we accomplish because of our discipline, is my belief that we are made to be people of discipline. Something clicks within us when we can grab a hold of this principle and apply it. 

I speak as someone who has partially seen both sides of this.  I have been at times in my life a disciplined man who diligently works, and denies himself when necessary.  I have also been out of work and on unemployment with nothing going in my life. I found myself hating the man I had become. When you start toe become disciplined in one area it spills over to another, but the reverse is also true. When you let yourself go in one area, you start to do the same in every aspect of your life. When presented with the option of choosing the easy road or choosing the right road, always choose the harder, yet right, choice. You will be much happier in the long run with the result and the man you have become.

What is discipline and diligence?  Diligence is defined as the "persevering of determination to perform a task." It's being a hard worker, someone who doesn't give up no matter the obstacles. Discipline, when applied to yourself (self discipline), is "self-denial: the act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses." When these two qualities are applied together they complement each other perfectly and achieve the desired result.  

So why am I talking about this?  It's not exactly a pleasant subject. Both of these words, but especially discipline, have very negative connotations. That is, they bring unpleasant thoughts and are to be avoided as much as possible. The reason I am broaching this less than fun and overall fluffy subject is because I see the necessity in my life. I am not writing this as someone who has been there and done that, as someone who is instructing those lesser than myself in how to become as awesome as I am.  I am writing this from the standpoint of someone who sees the necessity and the problem. Someone who is starting a journey and inviting others to embark with me. 

As a young man aspiring to the ministry, I decided to embrace the goal of being a disciplined man. I am starting an eight month journey to become spiritually disciplined.  The basis for this lies in the verse you see at the top of this page. Starting with faith, I am focusing on each spiritual quality above for a month. I am very excited about this, although somewhat apprehensive because I know it is going to be difficult and I will be easily distracted, but with God's help, I hope to achieve the goal and become a disciplined man.  That is the purpose behind this blog.  I hope that you will be benefited and challenged by what you read here. Feel free to join my battle and my journey, becoming a disciplined man that does not take what this world gives, does not settle for what the world accepts, and will not be distracted or lured away from the joy of being a man of discipline.