Christ is pretty clear on what he thinks about unreconciled relationships.  Our natural reactions to conflict usually fall in one of two areas.  1.  We will stand and fight until our point of view dominates innocence, or we will flight to the point of avoiding all contact with those whom we have conflict.   Christ is specific about our need to reconcile with those that we have offended or those that have offended us.  The key to forgiveness is to remember the word…RECONCILIATION.  Reconciliation doesn’t always end with an apology from a guilty party.  Many times both parties involved truly feel that they are not at fault.  But, that does not mean that a situation cannot be resolved.  An apology isn’t always an admittance of guilt; many times it CAN just be a desire to reconcile.  Pride points fingers.  It assigns blame.  Pride exalts itself above the idea presented in Philippians 2:2-4. 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. Humbleness simply points to God.  Harboring hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness will affect your relationship with God. 

TRUTH:  You cannot be in a right relationship with God if you are not in a right relationship with those around you.  Whether you have offended someone or they have offended you, it’s in the best interest for your spiritual health that you resolve it.  Remember, forgiveness is a choice not a feeling.

Lately, everything I have read or listened to has to do with Attitude, Leadership, and Humbleness. According to John Maxwell, “leadership is influence”. The key to influential leadership is a humble servant’s heart. Most great leaders are more concerned with building up those around them than with ensuring their own agenda/advancement. Over the past years I have deceived myself into thinking that I was a leader because I held the title of “pastor”. What I have learned over the past couple of weeks is that leadership is not something that can be given, it has to be earned. Pretty sure Maxwell said that too. So I have had to ask myself “Has my level of service lived up to what I expected my influence to be?”

Here is another goal for the upcoming year. Seek to serve, influence, and lead. In that order. I must seek to serve people on a daily basis. I cannot and will not have any kind of influence on people if I am not willing to serve them. In order to serve I must increase my level of humbleness. Honestly, doing things for other people that are not going to have any kind of benefit for me and/or the church doesn’t excite me. PRIDE, the ministry buster, must be dealt with, confessed, repented of, and left at the altar. So I ask a favor of anyone reading this who actually knows me. Sometime in the next couple of days ask me what I have done to serve people this week. Hopefully I can give you a good answer. Following this formula I believe that I CAN become the leader I desire to be for my church.

Ephesians 6:7 NIV Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.

Matthew 20:28 NIV Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Luke 22:27 NIV For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

I came across a new parenting website on facebook the other day and I am REALLY impressed by it.  It  covers everything from parenting tips when disciplining your children to tips for mom and dad and their marriage.

I especially like the blog titled: Four promises to make when disciplining your kids.  Please check it out and let me know what you think. I know that it points out some things that I will consider next time I need to disipline one of my 3 kids.

http://www.epicparent.tv/4-promises-to-make-when-disciplining-your-kids/

Start reading again. Preferably 1 book a month. Right now I’m ready John Maxwell’s “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.” If I hope to better myself then I need to actually be doing things that lead me in that direction.

That brings me to my second goal. Get back to focusing on leadership. I have learned that without a great leader a church won’t go very far.

My goal in leadership is to see our church become such a vital part of the community that it would be worse off without us. This is not about bringing Radiant Life glory that says “the community needs us”. The idea is to live so much like the Acts church that RadLife becomes a necessary part of the community. What can we do that brings Him the most glory?

I hope to lose at least 40 pounds in 2011. I just turned 33. I’m still pretty young, but I can’t shake the fact that my father died at the age of 37. At times I feel like a ticking time bomb and October 9 of 2014 is my “D Day”.
I know that most of this post has been about me, but in order for me to serve God to my greatest potential I must change a few things.
Prayer: Father, I pray that you give me focus for this next year. Grant me the strength to repent from the things that hinder my relationship with you, and enable me to strive forward toward the things that will make the man of God you intend for me to be. Amen.

Psalm 145:13-21

Saturday we talked about the goodness of God. God’s goodness is infinitely unchangeably good.  His is an uncomprehensible goodness.  So, when we say that God is good we are saying that he is infinitely worthy of all that we are.  I challenged everyone to live an undignified life for Christ.  I pray that would happen today and every day that follows.  May you live today like God is infinitely worthy of all of you.  We talk about believing in the resurrection of Christ; but, it must be more than talk.  We should live our lives like we believe in the resurrection of Christ.  In the above Scripture I highlighted verse 18.  The Lord is near to all who call on him,  to all who call on him in truth. Call on him today.  Ask him to guide you in every choice that is made,  every direction you go, and every conversation you participate in.  Look for the opportunity that Christ will put in front of you today.  I fully believe that you will come across at least one person that is in desperate need of the savior.  The question is… “What will you do when you meet that person?”

God is good,

Hank

Psalms 63:3 says “God’s love is better than life.” My life is pretty good. I have many things. I don’t say this out of pride, but because I struggle with determining of which I am more thankful. Do I love all the things that I have more than God’s love? I go to church a couple times a week. I even preach at least once a week. But, I also go to Wal-Mart at least once a week. I read my Bible everyday, but I also watch hours of tv everyday. So which is really more important?

I can say that I love God more than anything, but the real answer to that question is evident in the way that I live. I once heard it said that God gives us money not so that we can enjoy it and do as we please, but so that we can spend it like we love God more than  it. God blesses me so that I can bless others. Likewise, my health is not for me to enjoy and take advantage of, but so that I can better serve God. Am I my master’s servant or just a friendly acquaintance that stops by for the occasional visit? I pray that I would live my life as if God was all I have.

Matthew 25:35-36 ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Mathew 25:45 He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

· Feed the hungry.

· Give drink to the thirsty.

· Make the stranger feel like family.

· If someone needs clothes give them clothes.

· Watch after the sick.

· Visit those that are in prison.

Christ actually says that those who don’t do for one of the least of these will go away to eternal punishment. We don’t hear this preached in our churches very often. We repeatedly hear how Christ loves everyone and if you will just accept him as your savior then you will spend eternity with him in heaven. Have we missed the mark on the message of the gospel? Have we sold an easy Christianity, one where you can add Christ like a new I-phone app? Going to him only when we think he has something to offer us, and then just living the rest of our lives however we want. It seems to me that being a follower of Christ comes with a price and I don’t mean in the way of a weekly fee that we put in the offering plate. If we read the gospel, and actually pay attention to it, it seems pretty clear that Christ has expectations for those who follow him.

Go to church, read your bible, pray… we have diminished being a disciple of Christ to 3 easy steps. All three of these ARE important and essential to a healthy relationship with Christ, but to be brutally honest that’s the easy part. It doesn’t require a lot of commitment, perhaps just one hour a week followed by 5 minutes a day. That sounds more like an easy work out plan than it does a life changing relationship with Christ. How about doing something for Christ that entails benefiting someone other than you?

In Matthew 25 Christ talks about the parable of the talents. Christ instructs them to throw the worthless servant, the servant who did not use the talents that the master gave him, outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I believe with all of my heart that salvation is a free gift; however, if we choose to accept that gift we must be willing to accept the responsibilities that come with it. Faith is not an emotion. It goes, it does, and it serves. Faith is an action. Faith and actions work together. Our faith is made complete by what we do. (James 2:22)

Sin doesn’t just happen.  I can’t count the amount of times that I have fallen only to think… “I didn’t see that coming.” Too many times we slip up and fall and act like our mistake was a sheet of black ice that we didn’t see as we walked over it.  Sin does not sneak up on you.  It does not catch you off guard and then attack when you are not looking.  James is very clear.  Sin happens when we allow evil desires to DRAG us away and entice us.  Drag us away from what?

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

When we are walking in step with the spirit, meaning we are intentional about waking up and committing to walk with Christ, we are abiding in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalms 91:1) Any time we take our focus off of Christ we allow our own evil desire to entice us and drag us away from the protection (shadow) of the Lord.  It is when we are exposed and no longer under His wing that we allow our desires to conceive giving birth to sin.

When we take our eyes off of Christ we place them on something else. So stay alert, be focused, and don’t take your eyes off of Christ.