God's Resources

Andy Stanley in his book VISIONEERING states: "If you feel overwhelmed, remember you are invited to tap into the inexhaustible resources of God."

Hopefully today you will realize that God’s resources are available to you.

Orchestration

Pastor Andy Stanley in his great book, VISIONEERING says, “What God originates, He orchestrates."

One definition of orchestrates is: to arrange by means of thorough planning or maneuvering. In the cycle of life, every living thing has stages that it must maneuver through. God originated life and He has a perfect plan to help us move from one stage to the next. How do I know this?


Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Think about it

Limitless

When working in a steel fabrication shop right out of high school I learned that stainless steel doesn’t mean the steel will never rust, it simply means it will rust less than regular steel.

So many times we devalue our compassion, careers, and contributions to society as useless. If the steel is placed in the right environment, treated properly and cared for it will not rust in a lifetime. The same goes with our seemingly useless attributes, when exposed to the right setting, the right people, the right circumstances, our life’s value is not useless but limitless.

Ask God to place and keep you in the place He wants you to be. There you will find lasting fulfillment.

I Am The Bible

Isaiah 32:3

3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.

I have heard it said that you and I might be the only Bible someone ever reads. My thoughts then are we need to be something worth reading.

Years ago when working a factory I worked with a bunch of guys that were Godless and spiritually lost. I never preached to them, I never badgered them about their sinful ways, I never criticized, talked down to, or mistreated them. I just did my best to live out my testimony. The truth was many ridiculed and mocked me for not partying with them and for upholding a Christian standard.

One day a guy I worked with came and talked to me, seriously talked to me. He was in trouble and he was one of the guys who always gave me a hard time. I listened to him, responded with some advice and prayed for him. Then I asked him, “Why did you come to me after always giving me a hard time?” He responded that what he saw of my actions, what he heard from my talk was a true testimony of Christ-likeness. In essence I was the Bible he was reading.

What an incredible blessing to know you are the instrument God used to bring a person into the Kingdom of God. Let me encourage you to be available to be that shelter for a non-believing friend. You may be who God uses to open the eyes of someone who has been blind and deaf to the Truth his whole life.

You're Shaped By Your Thoughts

Proverbs 4:23 (TEV)

Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

It is no accident that much of my time is spent thinking of things spiritual. In my occupation as a clergy I must study and read God’s Word. I find that even when I am not working I still try to follow the principles I have learned and remember.

Many times each week I find myself quoting scripture or singing a song based on a scripture especially when it comes to affirmation about me, about who I am. I have found that you will never find anything better to raise your confidence level than to start believing what God says about you.

Let me encourage you to read through the Bible, chapter by chapter, find a verse that speaks to you. And write it down on a card, memorize it, and then start affirming it back to God. "Father God, I thank you that I am valuable; I am significant; I am forgivable; I am capable and I am loved." Let God renew your mind through His Word today.

Remember, your life is shaped by your thoughts.

The Lord Delights

Psalm 37:23-24 NIV

23 If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

My brother and sister sing in a southern gospel group. This is something I did for about 18 years of my life as well. On a recent visit my sister and I wrote a song based on this scripture. I don’t know if anything will ever come of it or even if their group will sing and record it.

While I am not intentionally a people pleaser, I do like to see folks happy. I especially like seeing the words in this verse the Lord delights . . . . Flip through the scriptures this week and see what makes God happy, what delights Him. You will find you can delight him with your actions, thoughts and very being.

Choose to Care

Compassion produces miracles. Indifference is at work fulltime. We have to fight it everyday at every moment. Choose to care. Deeply Care and miracles will flow.

Borrowed from my friend Terry McCarthy.

FLOW

Our church had a plumbing problem. The drain from the janitor room that connected to the kitchen was clogged and the drain from the kitchen to the main trunk was also clogged. We had plumbers out on four occasions and finally we got the problem fixed.

As I was thinking about this I was reminded how well things work with there is flow and how poorly things work when there is a clog or something damming up the flow. What I am talking about here is not just plumbing or a river, it also applies to blessings.

God’s Words to Abram in Genesis 12:2

2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

Through God’s Spirit and grace flow spiritual fruit and blessings. Do these blessing flow freely to others or are they clogged by selfishness or indifference? Let me encourage you to ask the Lord to free you to be a blessing to those in your circle of influence today.

Our Journey

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord, lean not on your own understanding, acknowledge Him in all you do, and He shall direct your path.

I really prefer to know where I am going in life. Imagine my surprise when answering the call into ministry and God didn’t lay out for me exactly how my life was going to play out. I went to school for ministry and ended up with multiple degrees that in the natural didn’t make sense. Yet for what God has called me to, it was just what I needed. God's plans may not always seem to follow our natural inclination.

Remember that God is a creative God. More often than not when you start you will never know where you will end up. He rarely deals in straight lines. While you desire a straight line journey from point A to point B, He will take you on a much more interesting path that includes mountains and valleys, curves and detours, even times of dark and light.

Just remember the verse above and let Him direct your path. If you let Him, God will lead to His ultimate destination for you.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Several years ago I oversaw a small group called “Key Executives.” This group of corporate officers and business owners met once a month at our church to share their faith and encourage each other in their Christian walk. In this group of elite men and women of business I realized that God has called people into business to fulfill His purposes just as much as He has called people to be pastors or missionaries.

Just a reminder today, you are where you are for a reason. Be a blessing and bloom where you are planted.

Wisdom from God

Soloman asked God for wisdom. We should too. Human wisdom will let us down and even fail, but God always makes His wisdom available to us if we just ask.

Give Me Wisdom

I have spent over a decade of my life in higher education in the pursuit of knowledge. I believe in education but feel that acumen is a greater asset in life than education. You see there are many people that are full of book knowledge but have no sense. I think that is the reason the Bible instructs us to pray for the leaders of our country . . . but I digress.

My desire is that God gives me wisdom. As a parent, a husband, and a pastor I ask God to help me be wise in my decision making. I pray today that you too will make wise choices and good decisions.

An Offensive Weapon

Matt 4:10-11 NIV

10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

When I was a much younger man I decided to get into the martial arts. I took two karate lessons. What I learned is that a good defense many times becomes an offensive weapon. Of course I also learned that I was no good at karate.

In a recent class at our church one of the teachers walked us through the parallel temptations of Eve and the serpent in the Garden and Jesus and Satan in the Desert. As Satan threw out blow after blow Eve eventually succumbed to the temptation, however, Jesus used God’s Word in a defense posture and the end result was the Word of God became an offensive weapon that defeated Satan’s onslaught.

Do you want to defeat Satan in your life? You too can use God’s Word as an offensive weapon.

A Picture of God

How do you picture God? As you imagine God what does your mind’s eye see?

As I have thought about this today I guess I picture Him as royalty. My mind goes back to the words King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Let me encourage you today to recognize and respond to His royalty and worship Him.

You Are Loved

I gave my wife an anniversary card that told her how much I love her. I make it a practice to say, “I love you” to her every day, but I guess that is not enough. On the counter in her bathroom sits that card. I guess if she needs to be reassured of my love for her, she can just pick it up and read it.

Did you know that you can be reminded that Jesus loves you and died for you by simply picking up God’s word and reading it? Keep a Bible handy, read it often, and be reminded of how much you are loved!

Do It Correctly

My friend Bill and I are a lot alike. We will tackle projects that we really have no business trying to do. It always seems that we get into something it is always at least three times harder than it should be. The thing about us is that if we are going to do something, we want it to be right. More often than not a twenty minute job will end up taking four hours with multiple trips to the hardware store. As frustrating as that is, at the end of the project we usually step back and see that the project was done correctly.

So many times people will cut corners, believing that no one will ever know. I really struggle with that, because whether anyone else knows or not, I know. Oh, and God knows too. Remember this, God is looking down and sees everything you do. So, give Him your absolute best.

Divine Appointments

I pray that God gives me divine appointments during my week. You never know when you will rub shoulders with someone in need.

Last week I met a young couple parked in front of our church. I pulled up and asked them if I could help them. They shared their story of some hard times and how they were living with relatives and didn’t have any where they could just get away by themselves. So there they sat, in our church parking lot, together just talking.

This couple never asked for anything even though they were a classic benevolence case. All they wanted was to be alone as a family. I thanked them for letting me intrude into their quiet time and reminded them that God is always with them. In turn they thanked me for giving them a quiet, safe haven during a stormy time in their life.

Believe

Mark 9:23 (NKJ)

Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

Enough said!

Stand Still

Have you ever tried to dress a young child that is so energetic that they just can’t stand still?

God cannot work on our behalf if we are continually moving about try to solve our own problems. Standing still is sometimes the greatest action we can do, although it is the most difficult thing to do in the Christian walk.

He has instructed us to stand still so he can work on and in us. Let me encourage you to stand still and give Him a chance. You will be amazed at the outcome.

24 Hour Access to God

I was watching a show the other night on the Food Network called “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”

They were highlighting a diner in Chicago that had been open, literally for over 40 years; they never close. In fact the owner said he didn’t even get a key to the place when he bought the business from the previous owner. Imagine a place like that; s place that never closes, a place where you have constant access.

Did you know that access to God's throne is always open to you? Any time you want you can go to Him!

Faith - Risk Management

In the financial services industry, risk management involves assessing and quantifying business risks, then taking measures to control or reduce them. Risk management is necessary and a logical part of any business, church or even household finances.

As a pastor I am particularly cognizant that the business I manage is God’s and I must continually practice good stewardship of His property and resources. Ministry is unique to business in that many times we are required to take a step of faith . . . and in many cases that may not seem logical. In order to follow God’s will we take a step that may require risk. I have heard it said that Faith is sometimes spelled R-I-S-K.

Sometimes our impossibilities in life seem like a mountain too tall to climb. These are place there in order to build your faith in the one who can enable you to ascend to the peak. Faith requires action. Faith requires belief. Faith requires confidence that God is God and He specializes in the impossible. Faith in God is the best risk management I know.

A Helping Hand

Exodus 23:5 NLT

5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you struggling beneath a heavy load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and offer to help.

I love getting feedback about these daily thoughts. A friend sent me this after a devotional about carrying a brother’s load.

“A horse by itself can pull about 2500 lbs. But two horses together can pull 12000 lbs.”

It is so true that “many hands make light work.” See if you can lend a hand to someone today.

Overwhelmed

Andy Stanley in his book VISIONEERING states: "If you feel overwhelmed, remember you are invited to tap into the inexhaustible resources of God."

Hopefully today you will realize that God’s resources are available to you.