There are four major ways I maintain my rest, energy, joy and encouragement.
First, I make sure I obey God’s commandment by taking a Sabbath day during the week. Exodus 20:8-11 says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, (10) but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, (11) For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
If God needed a rest after creating the world, how much more do we need rest from our weekly work? I use the Sabbath to rest and draw close to God. Sunday is a great day to do this for most people. That is why you should guard this day from activities that would cause you to miss your weekly Sabbath and church attendance.
Second, I ask God to fill me with his Spirit every day. Acts 1:8 says, “We will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us.” Also, the second fruit of God’s spirit mentioned in the Bible is joy (Galatians 5:22). Joy is an external manifestation of living life by the Spirit of God.
Third, I edify myself by praying with my spirit and mind (1 Corinthians 14:4, 15) and reading the Bible. Psalm 1:2-3 says, “Blessed is the person who delights in the law of the Lord (the Bible), and on his law he meditates day and night. (3) He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
Fourth, I feed on the abundant life, living water and food that Jesus offers. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” While his disciples are tired and taking a food break from a long day of ministry, Jesus continues ministering to a dysfunctional woman. His disciples plead with Him to eat something, and Jesus tells them he ingests the food that comes from God the Father. This food empowered him with supernatural endurance to finish his mission (John 4).
Hey, don’t get me wrong. There is nothing sinful about drinking a cup of coffee. Coffee is a refreshing and stimulating drink for many Americans when sipped with savvy. The danger is when we rely on it to vitalize us instead of God. Why not make your first cup in the morning a drink of God’s Spirit?
Try it—I guarantee people will look at you and wonder what you have been drinking!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
Jesus and Starbucks—A Better Way to Start Your Day
From triple-shot lattes to Red Bull to Ritalin, Americans are more wired than ever according to a recent U.S. News and World Report cover story titled “Over the Limit.” Americans are catching a buzz and taking a risk with their health. According to the article by Nancy Shute, overworked and sleep-deprived Americans are increasingly wired, as they turn to coffee, colas, energy drinks, and other stimulants to fuel their frazzled lifestyle. The health effects, especially among the young, have doctors worried.
After finishing my cardio workout the other day in the gym, which includes 30 minutes of Bible reading and prayer, I walked up to a gentlemen I frequently see working out and began to say some encouraging words to him as he exercised. He looked at me with a surprising look, shocked by my good mood early in the morning, and said, “Wow, you must have had a big cup of coffee this morning.” Why would he associate my high energy, joyful greeting and words of encouragement with a cup of coffee?
Yes it is true that I possess high energy, a joyful disposition and a desire to encourage people I come in contact with throughout the week. Remember, I pastor a church with over 400 attendees, father three young boys and serve as the Vice President of Champions for Christ while traveling frequently with ministry responsibilities. So, it is not like I sit around twiddling my thumbs with nothing to do, and sprint to the gym like my kids on the playground finally relieved to burn up all my pent up vigor. In fact, right now, I am typing this sentence of the blog you are reading at 11:56pm at night.
What is not true is that my energy, joy and encouragement are produced from any substance that contains caffeine. Where do I get these distinctive attributes? They come from the Spirit of God. I don’t rely on the coffee bean to stimulate me. Instead, I rely on the Maker of the coffee bean to fill me with His presence.
Stay tuned for part 2 of Jesus and Starbucks—A Better Way to Start Your Day.
After finishing my cardio workout the other day in the gym, which includes 30 minutes of Bible reading and prayer, I walked up to a gentlemen I frequently see working out and began to say some encouraging words to him as he exercised. He looked at me with a surprising look, shocked by my good mood early in the morning, and said, “Wow, you must have had a big cup of coffee this morning.” Why would he associate my high energy, joyful greeting and words of encouragement with a cup of coffee?
Yes it is true that I possess high energy, a joyful disposition and a desire to encourage people I come in contact with throughout the week. Remember, I pastor a church with over 400 attendees, father three young boys and serve as the Vice President of Champions for Christ while traveling frequently with ministry responsibilities. So, it is not like I sit around twiddling my thumbs with nothing to do, and sprint to the gym like my kids on the playground finally relieved to burn up all my pent up vigor. In fact, right now, I am typing this sentence of the blog you are reading at 11:56pm at night.
What is not true is that my energy, joy and encouragement are produced from any substance that contains caffeine. Where do I get these distinctive attributes? They come from the Spirit of God. I don’t rely on the coffee bean to stimulate me. Instead, I rely on the Maker of the coffee bean to fill me with His presence.
Stay tuned for part 2 of Jesus and Starbucks—A Better Way to Start Your Day.
Monday, May 07, 2007
The Miller High Life
Everybody has a story to tell and now it’s Miller Time. I want to explain to you how I have learned to live the real Miller High Life. This “high life” comes from knowing the One True Living God. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
My first life was lived on earth for twenty-one years as a sinner. I have been living my second life for seventeen years as a Christian. My life before and after Christ can best be summed up by the scriptures in 1st Timothy 1:15-16. It says, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. (16) But for that reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”
In case you are wondering, I never thought about being in full time ministry growing up in Tallahassee. In fact, as a younger man, I would not have been able to define the word pastor. If my high school would have had a selection in the 1987 yearbook for the “least likely to get saved”, my picture would have filled the space. The majority of my college years would confirm the reality that I was destined for anything but a place behind the pulpit.
Everything in my life changed when somebody finally witnessed to me about Jesus Christ. Today, I possess a great confidence to minister because I know for certain that I did not choose my profession. God’s mercy and grace put me in my position. Every time I preach, I witness a miracle: it is Christ Jesus’ unlimited patience allowing me to be an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
I love the life I live serving Jesus and ministering to people. It is truly rewarding going to bed every night satisfied in my soul, because I know I am pleasing God and doing what he has called me to do. Like Apostle Paul, I want to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. In Acts 20:24 Paul says, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
If you are a Christian, God has saved you to be a witness. God has a story for you to tell and he wants you to share it with everyone in your sphere of influence. Isaiah 43:10-1310 says, "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. 12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.”
Who knows, you might just reach the next “least likely to be saved” person and turn him into a full-time minister.
This Sunday at ENT we start our family series called "Heroes". My wife Cindy will be speaking on Mother’s Day. She always has such a great message to share with everyone. I just hope she does not preach me out of a job. All of my coaching and fitness certifications are expired and I have nothing else to do with my life. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday. God bless!
My first life was lived on earth for twenty-one years as a sinner. I have been living my second life for seventeen years as a Christian. My life before and after Christ can best be summed up by the scriptures in 1st Timothy 1:15-16. It says, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. (16) But for that reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”
In case you are wondering, I never thought about being in full time ministry growing up in Tallahassee. In fact, as a younger man, I would not have been able to define the word pastor. If my high school would have had a selection in the 1987 yearbook for the “least likely to get saved”, my picture would have filled the space. The majority of my college years would confirm the reality that I was destined for anything but a place behind the pulpit.
Everything in my life changed when somebody finally witnessed to me about Jesus Christ. Today, I possess a great confidence to minister because I know for certain that I did not choose my profession. God’s mercy and grace put me in my position. Every time I preach, I witness a miracle: it is Christ Jesus’ unlimited patience allowing me to be an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
I love the life I live serving Jesus and ministering to people. It is truly rewarding going to bed every night satisfied in my soul, because I know I am pleasing God and doing what he has called me to do. Like Apostle Paul, I want to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. In Acts 20:24 Paul says, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
If you are a Christian, God has saved you to be a witness. God has a story for you to tell and he wants you to share it with everyone in your sphere of influence. Isaiah 43:10-1310 says, "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. 12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.”
Who knows, you might just reach the next “least likely to be saved” person and turn him into a full-time minister.
This Sunday at ENT we start our family series called "Heroes". My wife Cindy will be speaking on Mother’s Day. She always has such a great message to share with everyone. I just hope she does not preach me out of a job. All of my coaching and fitness certifications are expired and I have nothing else to do with my life. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday. God bless!
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