Something You Will Never Regret…                                                                              

Years ago when I was 18 years old and a 1st year in college, I was challenged by my house church leader to read 4 chapters of the Bible a day.  He set me in an accountability group with two other guys to make sure we all kept up with the reading.  We started with the book of Isaiah and I barely understood anything as I read.  There were so many cities and tribes and countries I didn’t know and I had trouble going deep with it because of my lack of Bible knowledge.  I was discouraged at first, but then I felt it would be such a waste for me to read so much of the Bible and not get a single thing out of it.  So I began to take notes… just one short sentence for each chapter of something that stood out to me.  At first these notes were simple and very elementary.  But soon, as I learned to pray and ask God for wisdom and inspiration before I would read, the notes became longer with more and more insight in them. 

I’m now 30 years old and have read all of the Bible many times.  I have never regretted a single minute that I invested in reading the Word.  I have learned so much and can now teach from nearly every chapter in the Bible, but at the same time there is still so much for me to glean and receive from the Word.  The Bible is truly endless in wisdom and revelation! 

I want to encourage you to read all of the Bible in 2013.  Here is a great reading plan you can use that I have used many times:  http://www.navpress.com/uploadedFiles/BRP2.pdf.  Even if you start a few days late, the reading plan has “catch-up” days to help you out.  Do your best to keep up each day and try to never let yourself fall behind by more than three days.  Find accountability as well if you can, because doing it with someone can help a lot.  You will never regret this decision!

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:9 – How can a young man keep his way pure?  By living according to your word.

Psalm 119:11 – I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

John 8:32 – Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

God bless!

Christmas Secret Angel                                                                                                               

Since Christmas of 2007, every year Jubilee Church visits my children’s home to spend time with the kids and to give gifts to each and every one of them.  My kids look forward to their visit every year. 

This year I had the volunteers arrive at 11am to organize them, prepare them, and to pray together before starting the event with the kids at noon.  But when I arrived a little before 11am I was surprised to see some of my kids come out to greet me with a new child.  She had arrived the night before, Christmas Eve, a girl in third grade.  I went into the office and asked her dorm mom about her and her dorm mom responded, “Could you please provide some clothes for her?  She came last night with nothing and she is need of clothes.”  Likely social services had found her and brought her to the home.  On Christmas Eve.  

I got all the volunteers together in the cafeteria and briefly prepped them before leaving them with another ministry staff member to quickly go find the girl some clothes.  I drove into the town area but most of the places were closed for the holidays and I was told by other store owners I would have to go to large stores that were too far away.  I prayed in my mind as I was driving, knowing I was crunched for time, and then saw a small kids clothes store out of the corner of my eye.  It was one of the most random, tiny clothes stores, with no other stores around it.  I was able to purchase some good clothes from there and get back just in time for the event. 

The sponsors from Jubilee Church had all chipped in for a big lunch with the kids (fried chicken and pizza), and they happened to give just over the amount needed for the food.  And that amount happened to be just the amount of money needed to buy the new girl some clothes as her gift for Christmas.  I was blessed by how God provided.  There is always enough!  God knows.  =)

Pictures of the event are on our Jerusalem Ministry Facebook page.  You can see me giving her the bag of clothes among the photos. 

God is good! 

We Do a Good Job Here, John                                                                                                

In the summer of 2001 when I was 19 years old I worked as an electrician’s helper at a school being renovated.  Our work was 6am – 2pm and I did a lot of grunt work: setting up outlets/electric boxes, bending pipes, running wire through those pipes, drilling through cement walls, etc.  The work wasn’t easy and often just to get the work done I would do a “good enough” job… the pipes would be bent at just about 90 degrees, the wires weren’t arranged the tidiest but they were run across the ceilings and would work, etc.  But whenever the head electrician would inspect my work, even when it looked “decent,” he would immediately point out every flaw to even the smallest detail and tell me to correct it, and then he would never fail to say, “We do a good job here, John.” (I don’t know why the electricians never got my name right, but one thing you learn as a young, grunt construction worker is that you don’t correct your boss =))

That phrase, “We do a good job here” stuck with me.  In my immaturity and even laziness I had viewed the job as simply something to be done so that we could get a paycheck.  But the best electricians were always proud of their work and would remember the jobs/places they had a part in establishing.  Their work wasn’t so much about finishing jobs and getting paid, but was really about making places look great and work great.  My motives, along with most of the other young, immature helpers, were selfish and only for my good.  The motives of the best electricians were selfless and for the good of the community. 

I was blessed yesterday by the message, “The Value of Work” by Alex Lim (www.newphilly.cc –> Media).  It was a strong reminder to me that the work I do really isn’t about me, but is for the common good.  I can’t lose that vision.  I played a role in bringing electricity and light to that school that has been educating kids in that light for 11 years now.  A couple months of paychecks can’t compare to that impact.  And while some of our jobs may seem mundane, each in some way is impacting people.  They are worthy of a greater effort than a purely selfish one. 

Let’s do a good job while were here on earth!  I know the Lord delights in such a heart…

Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord…

It’s Always Worth the Struggle…                                                                                   

One of the most difficult things for the youngest kids at the children’s home to understand is when momentary pain is necessary.  Whenever doctors come to give the kids shots the little kids will scatter as if monsters had invaded.  In their young minds they can’t comprehend that the shots they will receive will protect them from far worse diseases and actually strengthen their bodies.  These kids are too young and immature to be able to value the future enough to choose to endure the momentary pain.  It’s only through the comfort and authority of the staff that they are able to go through with it. 

If we were confronted with either enduring momentary sharp pain (some shots) or enduring some nasty diseases for a prolonged amount of time, we would choose the momentary sharp pain.  But when the diseases aren’t in front of us, like the young, immature children it can be easy for us to “delay” the sharp pain and eventually try to avoid it altogether. 

Now make the same comparison between our lifetime and eternity: our lifetime is actually MUCH SHORTER in comparison to eternity than enduring a shot compared to a lifetime with a disease.  So if we are really wise and mature, then wouldn’t we choose to “eat our vegetables” and “take our shots” so that we can have an eternity of health and joy? 

Christian life isn’t meant to be continually painful or discouraging or miserable.  Not at all!  BUT, there are definitely struggles we are meant to endure to make us stronger and to bless us with treasures in heaven.  When God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt towards the Promised Land they rebelled in the desert against him and wanted to return.  They complained that the food in Egypt was better than what they were getting in the desert, DESPITE being promised that they were being led to a land of milk and honey.  Even though their past life was a life of slavery and difficulty, they longed for the “comfort” of having their own meals each day… rather than having to learn patience and learn how to rely on God for their provision.  They wanted to give up on their momentary struggles despite knowing the struggles would lead to enormous blessings.

In so many areas of our lives God is wanting to bring us out of the world’s ways and into His “Promised Land” for us, but for each area that we need deliverance we need to understand there is a wilderness attached to it.  Some of the wilderness periods are short and not that painful (a simple shot) while others are longer and really go deep (surgery)… but in the end we are always SO MUCH better than we were before.  We just need to know that it is always worth the struggle.  

2Corinthians 4:17-18 - For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 

God bless!

Contending Versus Straining                                                                                                                   

Learning the difference between “contending” and “straining” is very important. A core value of the church I attend (New Philadelphia) is “Contend For the Kingdom.” What that means is when we intercede for different topics we stand on God’s promises and the leadings of His Spirit and pray in faith. For some prayer requests we have to cover them for a long time. But never are we straining or begging in prayer, because straining always demonstrates a lack of faith/knowledge in God’s goodness and His promises. The only time Jesus “strained” in prayer was when He sweat drops of blood from the stress of the Cross, but even then I don’t think He was straining because Scripture says He only prayed for God to spare Him three times, and then He moved forward. Jesus was about to face the greatest task in all of humanity, so it was understandable for Him to be pressed.

Something you can do to help is listen to mature leaders when they pray, especially leaders of high authority. Listen to how they pray standing on God’s promises and on God’s goodness… even when they raise their voices and cry out, it is never out of doubt or fear but rather out of being stirred up for what they are praying for.

Know your authority. Know you are a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20). Know you are seated in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6) and that your prayers have power (James 5:16, Luke 10:18-19). And most of all, know God’s goodness. A good father never forces his children to beg or to strain for him to listen to them. Our God is truly a good Father who listens to us when we pray (Deuteronomy 4:7). Study the Scripture so that as you learn of His goodness and learn of your powerful identity in Christ, your authority can grow and you can pray prayers that move mountains.

God bless!