SEEING WITH GODS EYES

In my prayer walk today God really spoke to me. Often we look at other people around us and judge them and form different kinds of prejudices. We look to the outside of what we see and begin to form different kinds of opinions to what lies on the outside. What if we could see them the way God seems them? Not in who they are but in who they can become in Christ. God is holy and must separate Himself from sin. It is because of what Christ has done for us that God even looks our way. It is because God sees Jesus life in us when He looks upon us. We were in Christ when Christ walked the earth and lived a perfect life. God seen us in Christ and now credits us with the works of Christ. But now the Father sees what Christ can do in us, Christ in us. What an amazing thought. Before we were even a thought we were in Christ before the foundations of the world. So when Christ was on the earth we were in Him. Now He sits at the right hand of God and is still at work on the earth while He is in us. We were in Christ and now Christ is in us. What an amazing God. The Father saw us in Christ and now sees Christ in us. I often get frustrated and upset with people and I lose love and compassion for them. It is because I am looking to what I see and not what God sees. I see the sin and shortcomings. God sees what they are in Christ and sees what Christ can become in them. If God was gracious enough to see me that way before I came to Christ and sees what I am becoming now that Christ is in me, shouldn't I be gracious enough to see with His eyes.  Oh Father let us have eyes to see the way you see.

A Touch of Love

It is always extremely exciting to see what the new year has in store. It brings a lot of excitement and energy.We are excited to start new ventures, to do better than we did last year. We set new goals, new ideas, new visions for the future.

We do pretty good out the gate but by the end of January we lose our excitement, we lose our motivation, our energy is gone. We go right back into the normal routine of life and we actually end up giving up and achieving nothing.

For example, health Clubs and fitness clubs memberships almost double during the new year, but after a few months, memberships decline to worst than when they started. Physical fitness has some value but how much more important is our spiritual fitness? We must stay motivated!

I believe the Christian Churches purpose, vision, and mission for 2013 must be focusing on developing spiritually fit disciples of Jesus Christ. I pray that you are excited and motivated to be apart of fulfilling Jesus vision and mission.

Yet, I am afraid. That after a month or two past our excitement will pass, our motivation fades, our energy lapses. Everything will just go back to normal. Our vision becomes a dream that will never be achieved. Someone else will do it, the pastor will do it! That may be true, but if someone else does it means you will lose your reward.

I want the church to have more rewards awaiting us in heaven when we get there. But everyone of us (everyone who is a part of the body of Christ has to play their part) to help complete the mission of Jesus. We cant lose our excitement; we cant lose our motivation; we cant lose our energy; we must not lose heart; we must keep fighting the good fight until the vision that God has for Church is achieved in 2013. Period! I am willing to give my all to see Jesus vision for His church achieved. I hope you will follow in 2013. Christ believed so much in the vision He had for the church that He gave His life for that vision.

Are you willing to commit to Jesus Church. When you commit your life to something that is worth dying for you find true meaning, true purpose in this life, everything changes. Lets change the world for Jesus in 2013.

So how do I keep us excited and motivated toward the vision and purpose Jesus has for us in2013? I realize all I have to do is point you to the cross, it is there you will experience the touch of Jesus and experience Gods love fully! When the love of God touches you,it changes you from the inside out. When you experience the love of the Father in sending His one and only Son; to live for you; to die for you; to rise again on the third day; you receive all the motivation you will ever need and it will last.

But, and this is a big but! Have you truly been touched by the love of God? It is this touch that changes you from the inside out. It is His touch that compels you to touch others with the love you have experienced in Christ. Are you being a touch of love to your family; to your neighbors; to your co-workers; to the worker at Starbucks; to the clerk at the grocery store; to the worker at Costco; to the world.

When the hand of Jesus touches you it changes you. Before we can be a touch of love we must be sure that we have truly been touched by His love.

MOTIVATED TO LOVE

MOTIVATED TO LOVE

Get Motivated!

            If everything where to end today would you have accomplished all your dreams? Would you have lived a life for the things that really mattered? Do you know the things that really matter? Would you be remembered? If you had one chance to go back and live a life that counts would you capture that moment? We only have one chance, only one life to live we must not let it slip away. We must find the Great Motivation in this life before it is too late! This book I am writing will be the one book that will help you capture that moment from this point on.

            If you had only one day left to live on this earth what would you do? What would you be motivated by on that last day? What’s your motivation? Everyone who lives is motivated by something. If you were lying on your death bed and looked backed at your life could you define what motivated your life? Life is a precious gift but if death came knocking right now how would you respond? What makes you live the way you live? Is it family? Is it money? Is it fame? What is your life motivation? And remember I have never seen a hearse on its way to the funeral towing a U-Haul trailer with all our possessions behind it.  Another question to ask is how will people remember you? What will your epitaph read? What will your legacy be? What really matters to you the most in this life? What will you take with you to the next life?

            Take a moment to reflect on that question. Take as much time as you need and reflect on what truly motivates your life right now? What motivates our lives determines our eternity.  Listen to some of the words of a very wise man:

^6:19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. ^6:20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ^6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.^[1]

            The biggest factor in determining how we live our lives can be found in what motivates us. To speak of death may sound gloomy because it is our greatest fear in this life but death also helps us to contemplate and find our true motivation.  The fact of the matter is that death is a reality that all of us will face someday. But death loses its power over our lives if we live a life motivated for what really matters. We all have only one life to live and when we live a life that really matters when we face our death bed we can utter the words of the Great Apostle Paul:

^4:7 I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith! ^4:8 Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day – and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on his appearing. ^[2]

            What will your epitaph say? What will be the legacy you leave behind for your family and friends? How will people remember you? Ponder those questions for a moment and write down how you want the world to remember you. Answering this question will give us a lot of insight to what stage of your life you are currently in. We will be starting a jounrey together to find our current life stage and in accessing our stage in life will be able to direct us to "What Really Matters."

 

 

---

^[1] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Mt 6:19–21). Biblical Studies Press.

^[2] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (2 Ti 4:7–8). Biblical Studies Press.