Friday Focus: Top Ten List 08/17/12

Below is a list of my favorite blog entries and posts from this last week.  If they made Top 10 List, they had an impact, challenged me, or stepped on my toes and ultimately stuck with me.

Enjoy!

Top Ten List - 08/17/12

• Till He Comes - "Redefining Church"
• Rookie Pastor - "The Pastor's Inner Circle"
• Dare 2 Share - Relational & Relentless - "Are You An Evangelism Or An Evangelism Church"
• JonathanPearson.net - "10 Scriptures That Reveal Our Real Identity"
• Live Intentionally - "30 Memorable Quotes from the 2012 Global Leadership Summit #wcagls"
• The Gospel Coalition - "Four Rules For Pastors"
• gregstier.org - "What Humpty Dumpty can teach us about sexual purity"
• Brandon A. Cox - "The Identity of a Pastor"
• Rookie Pastor - "30 in 30:  Plan One Big Thing"
• CatalystSpace - "Are You A Healthy Leader?"

We Need To Put God First!

Deuteronomy 6:1-23

1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God , who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the LORD'S sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the LORD said. 20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?”  21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  22 Before our eyes the LORD sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers.

Can I just tell ya something?  We need to put God first!  God promises that if we put Him first in our family, He will give us certain blessings.  We need to set apart Christ as Lord of all.  After all, if Christ is not Lord of all, He's not Lord at all.

Does that mean bad stuff will never happen?  Nope.  Jesus Himself said that "...in this world you will have trouble." Reality is, we’re going face sickness, loss, hardship and death in our lives.  That is a fact, in part, because we live in a fallen world.  BUT, what these promises in Deuteronomy 6 mean is this:  When bad things happen to us, God will be right there giving us the strength to face whatever this world can throw at us!  AND, if we strive to put God first in our family life, God promises these blessings:

Vs. 11 - We will eat AND be satisfied

Vs. 18 - It will go well with us

Vs. 19 - God will deal with our enemies

Vs. 24 - We will prosper

Vs. 25 - We will receive righteousness

So, how do we put God first?  

How do we structure our family life so that God comes in first in our priorities?

Take another look at Vs. 6-9.  In other words, don't make your faith a once a week event.  Our kids need to see how much we love God EVERY day.  Certainly, church is important.  Your pastor, deacons, elders, Sunday School teachers, other ministry leaders are all here to help and encourage us and to reinforce our efforts in our homes.  BUT, they can’t DO our faith for us.  

God is telling us here in Deuteronomy 6 that we cannot expect our families to catch our faith simply by osmosis.  Hey, can I just tell ya something?  We can’t expect them to just stand around us and absorb our belief just because we think Godly kinds of thoughts and wear Jesus t-shirts!

I like the way we’re told starting at Vs. 7 to share our faith with our families: 

IMPRESS your faith on your children

TALK about your faith at home, on the road, when you go to bed, and when you get up

TIE it to your hands

BIND it on your forehead

WRITE it on your door frame

By the way...those are ACTION words.  Here's what God is NOT talking about:  God is NOT calling for a mumbling, whispering faith.  He wants a SHOUTING faith!  And, can I just tell ya something?  If there's one thing I’ve learned about kids, it is this:  Don’t bother pretending if your faith is not real.  If it’s not real, your family will know it.  Kids can smell a hypocrite and a fake from a mile away!

This entry is taken from the sermon:  "Remember"  Click the link to listen to the entire sermon.  This is the third sermon in a series.  The entire sermon series audio is available here:  

BLINDERS, BLINKERS, & WINKERS SERMON SERIES

Our Children Need To Hear That God CAN BE Their Shepherd

Deuteronomy 6:1-23

1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God , who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the LORD'S sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the LORD said. 20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?”  21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  22 Before our eyes the LORD sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers.


I believe Satan wants to destroy the Christian home.  He wants to tear apart families and he’ll use every tool in his tool box to do it!  His game plan includes plenty of fiery darts to distract and confuse.  And we live in a world which wants to remove God from our government, from our schools, from our TV sets, and basically any part of the public arena.

Can I just tell ya something?  I believe it’s absolutely more important than ever before that we realize our children NEED to hear that God CAN BE their shepherd and ALL they will ever want or need in their lives.  They need to HEAR in their hearts that we sincerely believe that by watching us live it out.  God told Israel to teach their families that very concept.

He told them to remember some things:

"The Lord your God is One God"  

He won’t share with any other so-called "gods".

"God brought you out of slavery"

It was an actual physical slavery for the Israelites.  It is a slavery to sin for us.

"God gave you blessings you did not deserve" 

Wells they hadn’t dug, houses they hadn’t built, and fields they hadn’t planted.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength"

Obey all His commands, decrees and laws.  

Hey, can I just tell ya something?  God expects obedience!  When we don’t expect obedience from our kids, we’re just teaching them to sin!

"Never take Him lightly"

God is a merciful God and He loved His people AND us very much.  But, He expects to be put first in every area.  That’s what He was telling His people.  God was asking them to put Him first in every area:

In their public and private lives

In their school and at work

In their past, present, & future

AND the result would be, they were told, they would have advantages no other nation had.  By the way, that promise is true for us today.  

By contrast, if we don’t make God our priority, we can actually set our family up for failure.

Karl Marx, founder of the communist movement, drove this point home to the extreme.  He single handledly and significantly perverted the history of the 20th century for most of our planet.  He described his "religion" as the "opiate for the masses" and committed his followers to live their lives without God.  His new world view, conceived and designed to change the world, was hatched in part as a result of years of disappointment, bitterness and anger with his father.  His father sold out the family's Jewish heritage in order to benefit the family business leaving Marx bewildered and confused.  Those feelings festered and grew into hate.

When we sell our faith to the highest bidder, we set our families up for discouragement and failure.

This entry is taken from the sermon:  "Remember"  Click the link to listen to the entire sermon.  This is the third sermon in a series.  The entire sermon series audio is available here:  

BLINDERS, BLINKERS, & WINKERS SERMON SERIES

Dil-i-gence: Careful And Persistent Work Or Effort

Deuteronomy 6:1-23

1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God , who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the LORD'S sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the LORD said. 20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?”  21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  22 Before our eyes the LORD sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers.


God’s people were about to enter the promised land.  They were less than a month out from the death of Moses.  Joshua was about to lead them across the Jordan river.  There were giants and there were more than forty other people groups living in the place where God had promised His people “a land flowing with milk and honey”.

Hey, can I just tell ya something?  The immediate future certainly included many battles and plenty of reason for anxiety.  

So...  What was God’s big plan? What was the first item on the agenda to prepare His chosen people for this most difficult time?  Did He say increase defense spending?  Did He recommend they stockpile weapons? Did He order them to quickly roll over their 401K plans?  Did He suggest they take out a savings account or a CD to prepare for a possible economic depression?

Nope.  God says:  "Diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God AND teach them diligently to your kids!"

And what was His reason?  

"That it may be well with you."

"In order that you may go in and possess the good land."

"Oh, and by the way...BECAUSE THE LORD YOUR GOD SAID SO!"

Can I just tell ya something?  This promise is a promise for a nation AND it’s a CONDITIONAL promise!  It is predicated on parents diligently instructing their children in the Word of God, seeing to it that God’s Word stays at the forefront of their hearts.

Listen, it doesn’t matter what they teach in school.  It doesn't matter how corrupt the government gets.  If we aren’t fortifying our families with God’s Word AND Godly living… I can tell ya right now, we’re just trying to pass off the same snake oil this crazy world is selling!

Can I just tell ya something?  I know we have an election coming up.  And yes, it’s important.  We certainly ALL need to register to vote AND vote!  BUT, I believe the biggest problems we have in this nation Will NOT be fixed by who is living in the White House.  They must be fixed by the parents in our homes!

It's pretty simply actually.  God is telling us, if we want to protect our families from this messed up world we live in, then we need to remember and diligently keep His commands ANDaA teach our children to do the same.

This entry is taken from the sermon:  "Remember"  Click the link to listen to the entire sermon.  This is the third sermon in a series.  The entire sermon series audio is available here:  

BLINDERS, BLINKERS, & WINKERS SERMON SERIES

Friday Focus: Top Ten List 08/10/12

Friday Focus

Here's my list of some of my favorite blog entries and posts from this last week.  If they made this list, they had an impact, challenged me, or stepped on my toes and ultimately stuck with me.

Enjoy!

Top Ten List - 08/10/12

• Pastors.com - "4 Spiritual Questions From Olympic Games"
• Jon Acuff - Stuff Christian's Like - "The Prayer Trick..."
• Mission Network News - "Olympians and Fans Hear About Jesus"
• Pastors.com - "The Number One Failure of 90% of Pastors"
• Chip Kirk - Soul Food - "Jesus Olympics"
• Rookie Pastor - "Non-Creepy Evangelism"
• My World - "Who Are You Accountable To?"
• Brandon A. Cox - "What To Do When Your Church Has Stopped Moving"
• Mars Hill Church - "7 Tips for Talking With Your Neighbors About Jesus"
• Thom S. Rainer - "Pastors and Time in Sermon Prep:  Some Good News"

Stick It Out...It's Worth It!

Ephesians 5:21-33

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body.  31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”  32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.  33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.


A few years ago, authors Linda Waite and Maggie Gallager wrote a book, "The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially".  In the book, they shared a load of statistics to illustrate and support some of the practical reasons folks should not get divorced.

Can I just tell ya something?  Guess what they discovered?  Among couples who originally reported their marriage was VERY unhappy, when interviewed again, 5 years later:

77% of previously very unhappily married couples who stuck it out and stayed married, 5 yrs later, called their marriage either:

"VERY HAPPY" or "QUITE HAPPY"

Well, would you look at that!

The good news for us today my friends is simply that our Father in heaven has ABSOLUTELY GIVEN US THE TOOLS to help us and equipped us to stick it out and we can see them here in Ephesians.

#1 - Wives submit to your husbands by respecting them
#2 - Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her

In study after study, the results show that when surveyed most men will say the number one thing they want from their marriage is respect from their wives.  Most men would confess, respect from their wives makes them feel capable and empowers them to carry on on the spiritual leaders of their home.  A lack of respect from the wife will obviously, have the opposite effect.  Hey wives, can I just tell ya something?  If you want a better husband, do what it takes to make him feel he has your respect!

Behind every successful man is a good woman.  Wives, you have considerable power over your husband.  A woman can make or break her husband.

"The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."
~Proverbs 14:1

Similar studies with women regarding their marriages, have shown that most women would say the number one thing they want from their marriage is affection from their husbands.  Hey husbands, can I just tell ya something?  We need to be courting our wives just like we did when we first met them!  Buy her things, take her to dinner, but above all:  Be affectionate...even when you don't feel like it!  You've heard "when mama ain't happy, nobody's happy!"?  You'll be amazed at the difference in your wife if you'll simply take your "affection" to a new level.

If that's not enough motivation men, try this one on for size: 

If you want God to hear your prayers...be a good husband!

"Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."
~1 Peter 3:7

Can I just tell ya something?  We make life much more complicated than it ought to be.  It’s really simple.  We need to commit ourselves to God and then follow through in obedience in our marriage vows.  In doing so, we will impact our marriage and our family.  That influence will carry on for generations to come not only in our own families but with the by-standers in our lives as well.

Stick it out...it's worth it!

This entry is taken from the sermon: "Til Death Do Us Part".  Click the link to listen to the entire sermon.  This is the second sermon in a series.  The entire sermon series audio is available here:  

BLINDERS, BLINKERS, & WINKERS SERMON SERIES

We Need To Patiently Wait Upon The Lord In Our Marriage

Ephesians 5:21-33

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body.  31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”  32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.  33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

God wants us as husbands OR wives, to submit ourselves to our spouse.  Hey, can I just tell ya something?  It is NOT because they deserve it and NOT because it will make you feel good.  Instead, it is because you are committed to Christ and because you love Jesus!  And, of course, there's that issue of:  because God said so!

"Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." 
~Psalm 37:4

It is one of my favorite verses.  But, look what comes next:  

4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.  5 Commit your way to the LORD, trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;  do not fret—it leads only to evil.  

~Psalm 37:4-8

We see a promise in verse 6.   It is based on a set of conditions from verse 5.  

Commit & Trust

And, how do I commit my ways to God and fully trust Him?  Verse 7 tells us the answer:  Be still and wait patiently and...do not fret.  Then in Verse 8, refrain from anger and wrath.  Then we are reminded once again:  Do not fret.

Hey, can I just tell ya something?  When Christian marriages fail, it is because one or both spouses have failed to trust and wait on the Lord.  AND since they’re unwilling to trust or wait on God, they let their anger and wrath get out of hand…Or they allow themselves to fret or worry, often taking matters into their own hands.

Look what verse 8 says about that: – “it leads only to evil.”

Now, by contrast, here’s what else God says:

14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 

~Psalm 91:14-15

Hey, can I just tell ya something?  If we’ll do things GOD’S way... If we’ll be still and patiently wait on the Lord - in faith...  Eventually, it WILL turn out OK.

It always comes back to that big 'O' word and it's not Oprah:  

Obedience

This entry is taken from the sermon: "Til Death Do Us Part".  Click the link to listen to the entire sermon.  This is the second sermon in a series.  The entire sermon series audio is available here:  

BLINDERS, BLINKERS, & WINKERS SERMON SERIES

God's View of Marriage

Ephesians 5:21-33

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.  25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body.  31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”  32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.  33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

One thing we ought to keep in mind is that much of what we have come to believe about marriage has come from the world's R-rated point of view.  

Can I just tell ya something?  God's view of marriage is a far cry different than the world's view!  

One of the most significant cornerstones of a strong marriage and resulting strong family is two people who have decided to make their marriage last... til death do they part!  I'm talking about a husband and wife who make some choices in their lives:

• to honor their commitment to each other and their family
• to purpose in their hearts to strive to make their marriage strong and lasting
• to honor the covenant they made before God when He joined them together as one flesh

I have often said, taught, and preached that strong marriages begin with a husband and wife who are committed to each other.  It sounds reasonable... like a good place to start.  I know right?

One glaring problem is you won't find much about that in the Bible.  In fact, the word commitment isn't even in the Bible.  Not in the OT.  Not in the NT.  I do however, find the word commit in a few verses.

Here are a couple of examples:  

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." 

~Proverbs 16:3

"Commit your way to the LORD, trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." 
~Psalm 37:5-6

Notice who the object of the "commit" is here in these two verses?  Yeah, me too.

Can I just tell ya something?  That, my friends, is in fact, the best place to start for building a strong marriage and resulting strong family.  Consider the strength and power of two equally yoked oxen.  They do not face each other but face ahead.  Therein the lies the success of a strong marriage.  It is two people facing the Father together, committing their ways to the Lord, trusting in Him.  God will honor that commitment making their righteousness shine like the dawn.

Hey, can I just tell ya something?  A strong Christian marriage IS BUILT on the commitment a husband AND wife have to God the Father.

This entry is taken from the sermon: "Til Death Do Us Part".  Click the link to listen to the entire sermon.  This is the second sermon in a series.  The entire sermon series audio is available here:  

BLINDERS, BLINKERS, & WINKERS SERMON SERIES

Friday Focus: Top Ten List 08/03/12

Friday Focus

One of my favorite past-times is reading and following blogs.  I use the FeeddlerRSS Reader app to track them and Buffer app to share the links to Twitter and/or Facebook.  Below is a list of some of my favorite posts from this last week.  If they made this list, they had an impact, challenged me, or stepped on my toes and ultimately stuck with me.

Enjoy!

Top Ten List - 08/03/12

• My World - "When A Calling Get's Hard (You know it's real)"
• ChurchMarketing - For Churches On Mission - "The Problem With Being An 'Average' Church"
• Jesus Loves You - "Christian Standup, Mark Lowry, is a Crackup!" (video) 
• BTYLERELLIS - "The Heart God's Looking For"
• gregstier.org - "Just a thought...about sin"
• jonathanpeason.net - "Ten Top Twitter Tweetin Tips"
• Till He Comes - "Satan's Greatest Lie"
• Boone Electric Coop's Digital Extra - Check Out Page C - "Prayed In Full" (Full page article about our family ministry)
• Devoted Conversations - "Are We Playing Hide and Seek With God?"
• Till He Comes - "Are You Doing God's Work?"

We Don't Belong Here!

1 Peter 1:17-19

17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

We don't belong here!

You know, we can get caught up in all sorts of things in this world.  We get ourselves caught up in sports or politics....music, hobbies, our jobs, American Idol...  They are interesting distractions, but also lead to emptiness.  Peter says this world is not my home.

We may live here.  We may own a home here.  We may raise our children here.  We may taxes here.  But, hey, can I just tell ya something?  As the old song says, "This world is not my home... I'm just passing through.  My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue."


Hey!  Can I just tell ya something?  As Christians, WE DON'T BELONG HERE!  This world has different priorities.  This world has a different morality.  This world has a destination and I don't want to go there!  Do you?


"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives." - 2 Peter 3:10-11


Why would I want to invest myself so heavily in something that is not going to last?  Why would I want to build my family's ideals and priorities on the things of this world?


I love that Jesus didn't beat around the bush.  "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" - Mark 8:36


We have a responsibility to teach our families these principals:

• This world is not our home
• This world ultimately has nothing to offer us
• The blood of Jesus is our ONLY Hope

This entry is taken from the sermon:  "Blinders, Blinkers, & Winkers".  Click the link to listen to the entire sermon.  This is the first sermon in a series by the same name.  The entire series is available here:  

BLINDERS, BLINKERS, & WINKERS SERMON SERIES