Monday, June 29, 2015

IT’S NOT IF, BUT WHEN

“When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”  Isaiah 43:2-3 (NLT)

Sometimes you feel like you’re in over your head, but God will keep you from being overwhelmed and overpowered.  And this is how we grow in our faith.

“If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” – T. S. Eliot

Thursday, June 25, 2015

GET SALTY

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth” (Mat. 5:13).  Here are the implications for us:

Salt doesn’t exist for its own sake.
Salt doesn’t call attention to itself.
Salt’s calling is to lose itself.
Salt must get out of the shaker.

Jesus says that God’s plan to protect the world from decay and corruption, to purify it and bring to it whatever flavor and zest it’s going to have, is YOU.

Monday, June 22, 2015

WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE QUITTING

"There's only one thing that can guarantee our failure, and that's if we quit.” - Craig Breedlove, American professional race car driver and five-time world land speed record holder.

To borrow from Eric Copeland (For the Creative Soul), maybe you’ve decided that since nothing is happening the way you want it to, the way you expected it to, that you should hang it up.  Just quit.  This is how you sometimes feel as you serve the Lord and work at building a productive life with your particular talents and opportunities.  Maybe you’re trying to build a business or develop a stream of income which brings results that are rewarding to you.  You doggedly invest your time, money, energy, and abilities in worthy pursuits.  But nothing happens.

And you come to the conclusion that God is trying to tell you to quit doing whatever you’re trying to accomplish. But let’s be realistic.  Is that how God works?  Is that how He worked in the Bible?

Abraham knew he was really really old to have children, and that Sarah couldn't physically. But God didn't say, "You know, forget it you old geezers.  You really are too old for kids."  Instead God said to Abraham, "Look up at the sky and count the stars – if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Or when the Apostle Paul was in a boat during a terrible storm and the men thought all was lost, God didn't send an angel to Paul saying "You better jump in the lifeboats!"  Instead God told Paul to hold on.

God does not even suggest quitting.  If anything, He tells us to endure, and for quite an interesting reason.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." - Hebrews 12:1

We are surrounded by people watching us and watching what we will do.  If you’ve set an example to those around you that you are working to use the talents God has given you, and then give up, what kind of precedent are you setting?  And not just for family or friends, but what about total strangers and acquaintances that are watching what a "Christian" does to see if they want to emulate that life?

When you think about it, Abraham and Paul were showing an example of faith by not giving up. We have to as well.

“I'm interested in that thing that happens where there's a breaking point for some people and not for others.  You go through such hardship, things that are almost impossibly difficult, and there's no sign that it's going to get any better, and that's the point when people quit.  But some don't.” - Robert Redford

If you’ve heard a little voice in your ear saying it’s time to quit, that’s not God telling you to quit.  God does not whisper and tell us to quit, but to endure and run the race.

Monday, June 8, 2015

MEASURED MULTI-TASKING AND MUSIC

“…thinking two different things at the same time …they cannot decide about anything they do.” James 1:8 (NCV)

“If you’re trying to accomplish many things at the same time, you’ll get more done by focusing on one task at a time, not by switching constantly from one task to another.” – Journal of Experimental Psychology

In an age when we’re pressed upon to constantly multi-task, we must put more effort into making wise choices.  Light dispersed is not as powerful as light that is concentrated into a laser beam.  We must take care that our energies are not so widely dispersed that we accomplish little of eternal value.

To that end I’ve been focused recently on completing my 2nd album.  It’s finally completed and uploaded online.  CD’s are also available.  No charge.  The title is “Unfailing Love”.  You can either Google “Unfailing Love David C Thomasson” or go to YouTube and type “David C Thomasson”.  The songs from both my albums will be listed (Worthy to Be and Unfailing Love).  You can also go to the playlists for both.  They’re yours for your encouragement and to share with others.

Monday, June 1, 2015

STRENGTHENING YOUR HEART

When it comes to following Jesus, living everyday with His presence, growing spiritually, and transforming to become more like Him, one element is always necessary – “surrender”.  Submitting to the leadership of God is vital to the believer’s life.  It’s vital to a healthy relationship with God.  And what’s necessary in terms of surrender is that it requires a “decision”.

A personal relationship with God involves decisions.  You make a decision to respond to Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross for the forgiveness of your sin and for eternal life.  You make a decision to respond to His life-purpose for you.  You make a decision to follow Jesus, to be “all in” for Him and what He says to do.  You make a decision to commit your way of living to Him. 

You decide to surrender your life to Him so that your life belongs to Him and His management.  You make a decision to entrust your family to His care.  You make a decision to entrust your future to Him, your eternity to Him.  You make a decision to surrender your abilities, health, job, and money to Him.

Why is the decision to surrender to God so incredibly important?  Here’s why:  “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT).  God wants to strengthen your heart.

The word “strengthen” in this verse means:  to prevail.  Is there something in your life, maybe a habit or a pattern or an attitude or a worry that you want to prevail over, to conquer?  God will make it happen as you commit to be all in for Him.

The word “strengthen” also means:  to be courageous.  Do you need courage to obey what God says, or to say what you need to say in that relationship, or press forward even though it’s tough?  God will give you the courage if you commit to be all in for Him.

The word “strengthen” also means:  to be resolute, to be secure.

God will give you these things and work them into your heart and mind if you make the decision to surrender everything to Him.  Jesus said:  “You cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own” (Luke 14:33 (NLT).