Goal Setting

I’m not an administrative person.  One thing you need to know about guys like me who are not administrative; we don’t like lists.  My wife on the other hand; she’s a list person.  She has a list for almost every area of her life and I would not be surprised if she had a list of her lists somewhere.  She’s is administrative.  It’s a gift she has learned how to use very well.  Me, I’ve learned to trust her lists.

On the other side however, I have found the need for lists.  As someone that doesn’t come by this gift naturally, I have to make myself think administratively.  I have to make myself begin each day with a list of things to do, then I go back over that list and prioritize them.  For me the going back over them is important because if I didn’t then my day would start off with (1.) Go to lunch, (2.) Read, (3.) Get afternoon snack and drink, (4.) Go get candy out of Scott’s office.

It doesn’t seem wise to me to start my day with lunch, so I have to prioritize.  (I know many of you are asking, “He puts lunch and snacks on his to do list each day?”  Yes!  I do!)  Prioritizing my day allows me to be effective.  If I don’t, things get out of sync and I am not as productive as I could have been.  As a result, I go home feeling like I failed or didn’t get anything accomplished.  While I don’t always like lists, I have learned the benefits of them.

The other type of list I have found a great benefit for is in goal setting.  I routinely set six month goals in two categories, work and personal.  While there are great benefits in setting work goals, I really want to challenge you today to set personal goals.  Not just any type of random personal though, I want you to begin thinking about personal goals that will strengthen your relationship with God.  If you are not in the habit of working toward goals, I would not advise you to set six month goals.  Instead start with a 30-day or 60-day goal.

One of the first things you need to do in setting this goal is to ask yourself, “What’s my purpose of setting this goal?”  Are you wanting to strengthen your knowledge of the Bible?  Do you want to strengthen your faith?  Do you want to become more bold in your faith?  It’s important to set the purpose because then you have built in motivation.  And goals are important because if you don’t have a plan to strengthen your faith, how do expect it to grow?  You must be intentional about your process of growth.

For example, if your goal is to strengthen your knowledge of the Bible; pick a chapter and spend the summer studying that passage.  Read it at least once a week in entirety.  Read several verses or sections of it every day.  Try to memorize the chapter.  Break it into different categories you set up.  Use commentaries from to learn more about.  Find a good resource and look at the original language.  (A good online resource with commentaries and helpful in understanding original language is www.blueletterbible.org.)

It is important to have a goal.  Here is the one thing I am positive of; if you don’t have a plan; you have a real good possibility of being in the exact same place with your relationship in 60 days as you are now.  As a believer, you can’t be satisfied with that!

Be blessed,

craig

The Lord Will Provide

In the past few weeks we have examined the life of Abraham.  As you have figured out it is difficult to talk about Abraham without talking about his faith. Several times I have reminded you of the passages that praise his faith in Hebrews 11.  If you have not read them yet, check this out.

⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. ¹¹ By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. ¹² Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

This Sunday we are going to examine the passage of scripture that inspired the author of Hebrews 11 to write this passage about Abraham’s faith:

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, ¹⁸ of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ¹⁹ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Abraham was tested by God.  He was commanded to take his only son and offer him to God as a sacrifice on the top of Mount Moriah (This was the same mountain that God would appear to David in 2 Sam 24:16 and the temple of Solomon was built, 2 Chron. 3:1).   Abraham, “the father of a multitude,” was now asked to give up his greatest treasure and only hope to fulfill God’s promise. But remember, this was a test.  After God saved Isaac we are told that Abraham took the ram caught in the bushes and placed him on the altar he had built for his son (Imagine that!  Abraham built another altar.)  Upon sacrificing the ram on the altar we are told that Abraham named the place, hwhy hary or Yahweh Yireh.  Today we know it best by Jehovah Jireh and it means, The Lord will provide.  This was the setting that God revealed Himself to Abraham as The Great Provider.  This is the foundational setting that we as believers base our faith that God will provide for all of our needs.  God provides!

Abraham completely trusted in God to provide even though he had no idea how God was going to do it.  He simply trusted God.  If that would have been me, I don’t think I could have taken my son to the top of that mountain knowing God demanded a sacrifice.  Even if I found enough faith; I probably would have taken a sheep or some other animal in case God changed His mind at the last minute.  That is what we do to God.  We say we trust Him but we take our backup plan in case things get to difficult.  Abraham’s faith had no backup plan.  His plan was, God will provide.  That is what he said to Isaac when his son asked him where the offering was.  He said, “God will provide.”  God has a unique and special plan for your life.  Your Father wants you to trust Him.  Trust Him enough to leave room in your life for Him to work.  Give God the room He needs to provide for you.

Be blessed,

Bro. Craig

Fallen Faith

This week we are looking at how Abram dealt with trials in his life. No one in Hebrews 11 is hailed for their faith as much as Abraham. Hebrews praises him for his faith. Abraham “obeyed going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out not knowing where he was going,” (Heb 11:8). He “lived as an alien in the land of promise,” (Heb. 11:9). In verse 10 we have that great proclamation that he “was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” In verse 16 it says that Abraham’s faith was not a waste because “God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

After Abram got to Canaan Genesis 12:7 tells us that Yahweh came to Abram. In Ur Yahweh called Abram to a place that He would show him. Now in the story, The Lord shows up and presents himself to Abram. Abram’s display of faith is an example of the faith all believes should have and should strive to exemplify.

Then famine hit Canaan!

Abram may have thought God would take him to the Promised Land and roll the red carpet out for him. He may have thought once he got to the Promised Land all his worries would go away. He may reasoned in his own heart that since he showed such great faith in leaving, maybe, just maybe God owed him.

Do you ever get to a place where you feel like God owes you? “God I did this for you, where is my blessing?” It is easy to think our relationship with God is give and take. Most of our relationships are. So, when we do something for God and He doesn’t respond with the appropriate blessing; we feel cheated and we begin to question God’s love for us.

Abram left everything and walked into a land that was experiencing a famine. So he did the obvious, he went to where there was food – Egypt! The problem was he didn’t ask God what he needed to do. He just assumed God “had his back” and did the reasonable thing. He didn’t deny God, he just chose to forget about Him.

God will always test our faith with trials. It is a guarantee. Even Jesus was tested, why should we different? Abram was tested and this great man of faith; showed none! He did not trust God and he missed out on what God had for him. We will never know how God wanted to deliver Abram from the famine because Abram did not show enough faith in God to simply call out to Him.

How about you? How many blessings are you missing because you have not trusted God for His deliverance? Prior to this Abram’s life was defined by the altars he built for God and faithful calling on the name of Yahweh.

Trials are going to come, when they do… learn from Abram’s mistake and remember your call. Build altars and worship the only Savior who has the power to save. Faith only happens when it is lived!

Be blessed,

Craig

How do we respond?

Since the events of Sunday Night, May 1, there have been many discussions about the appropriate response as a believer in the death of a man like Osama Bin Laden.  I have read the twitter feeds, the Facebook posts and several blogs indicating everything from the The New York Daily News’ headlines to the Facebook postings criticizing anyone for finding any joy in this act.

My sermon yesterday was over the call of Abram from Genesis 12.  In verse 3 God says to Abram, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.”  This promise to Abram became a covenant promise to all believers.  God’s covenant to us as believers is the same (2 Thess. 1:5-11).  Osama Bin Laden was an evil man.  He was evil because of his actions and decisions but also because he chose not to accept Jesus Christ as his savior.  He chose at some point in his life to make enemies of everyone who opposed him and his views.  Bin Laden was evil and his death is justified.  But this is not about justifying his death.  It is about celebrating his death?  Do we have to feel sad because he will spend eternity in hell?  I read a blog today that drew this conclusion, “If heaven celebrates when one soul is saved from eternal separation from God, doesn’t it also weep at one soul is lost to hell?”  The purpose for this blog today is to let you know what the Bible teaches.

For many of us we want God to judge evildoers quickly and righteously.  Until we remember that all of us fall into that category and then we rejoice over the promises of Exodus 34:6-7 that the Lord is “slow to anger” and “abounding in love and faithfulness.”  We know that in Ezekiel 18 God declares that He has no joy in the death of the wicked but would prefer they turn from their sin and live.  At the same time we know James 5:1-6 tells us that as believers we can find comfort in hell, knowing that God’s righteous wrath will be poured out on those who oppose God.  I believe we forget that Bin Laden sinned against mankind and he has paid for those sins with his life.  It is not wrong to rejoice in this type of punishment.  The punishment of the wicked is the theme of the Psalmist in Psalm 58.  However, that is all Bin Laden can offer us.  From this point on he can only repay God for the sins he has committed against Him.  It is this righteous judgment that will send Bin Laden to hell.  It is God’s righteous wrath that will prove God’s ultimate victory over evil.  In this we can rejoice!  We can rejoice that God has won the day and evil will be thrown down.  We can rejoice that God’s justice will prevail for all mankind.  Does this mean we can rejoice because someone will spend in eternity in hell?  NO!  We don’t rejoice because Osama Bin Laden is in hell, we rejoice because of God’s justice.  His justice is righteous and holy and on those grounds we can rejoice.  Let us be careful to not make a martyr out of Bin Laden by guilting believers into thinking it is wrong to rejoice in justice or it is wrong to rejoice in the promises of God.

(As a side note:  I found myself somewhat embarrassed by those in the streets last night that chose to make this into a party for the celebration of death.  Life, all life, is sacred