Okay, well, this is my third attempt at blogging our youth group mission trip to Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, and it's not working! So I've decided that instead of trying to tell you about everything that we did on the trip, I'll tell you everything that God did on the trip.
First: He got our church van (that is trying desperately to fall apart) all the way to Austin, TX and back. That might seem unremarkable to you, but if you ride in it for about 10 seconds on the highway, you'll see why only God could make that happen. ;-)
Second: His Spirit was so alive and working in the 16 of us that were on that trip that we were able to spend 17 hours in an airport together without one conflict between us! If you've spent 17 straight hours with any one of us, you know how incredible that is when you put us all together in one place that we can't get out of! ;-)
Third: While all of the other passengers on our cancelled flight were angrily waiting in line at the main desk, a very kind airline worker and her supervisor took the adults of our group over to a side computer and booked us 16 tickets on the newly-rescheduled 7:00 a.m. flight the next day. They asked why we were going to Mexico, and seemed truly touched when we told them we were on a mission trip. After they got us our tickets, every one of us told them both thank you and gave them hugs. Tears streamed down their faces as we did so, and the supervisor told my mom, "You have no idea how much I needed those hugs today." Only our God could have coordinated those circumstances to bless us through them while blessing them through us.
Fourth: God gave our group the superpower of speed painting! After we arrived in Leon and rested up a bit, we went up to the Iglesia de Cristo (Church of Christ) and painted for two and a half hours on Saturday. When those two and a half hours were up, we were already halfway through with everything they had planned for us to do...and we still had two more full days of painting scheduled! By the end of the week, we had finished not only everything we had planned to do, but also most of what they had been planning to do after we left. Only God could do that through us!
Fifth: (Though in significance, this should definitely be listed first.) God enabled us to connect with the church there, regardless of the fact that we didn't speak the same language. The children were drawing pictures for us and playing games with us, the adults were hugging us and laughing with us. Connecting with them was the most challenging part of the week because it required us, as Bobby put it, "Not to be afraid to make fools of ourselves." We had to be willing to step outside of our comfort zone and step into their lives and their world. And when we did, God did amazing things! I would love to be able to put words to what He did, but I can't. It wasn't anything tangible. It transcends my understanding, but I know it was happening. It was what Bobby reminded us of all week long. 1 Corinthians 13:8, "Love never fails." It was love in action in our lives. Or to put it another way, since God is love (1 John 4:8): It was God in action in our lives. And what is more powerful than that?
Sixth: God was using us and the work we were doing in Leon to be a light to the people of the city that were still in darkness. One of the Leon AIMers told us that one day after we finished painting, two guys that he had never seen before came up to him and were asking him about us. He told us a bunch of different things that they asked about the work we were doing at the church and stuff, but the one question that stuck out to everyone was, "You guys are Christians, right?" Wow! All we were doing was painting a building, but God used that to shine His light to those two guys and perhaps to others that we don't even know about.
Seventh: God used us to show His unconditional love to children that had never experienced that before. We went to a children's home one day and spent 3 hours playing with 70 kids whose parents didn't care about them. Again, we didn't speak their language, but we loved them. We played with them, we hugged them, we made them lunch; and as we did, we prayed for them. Why did we do that? Because Christ's love compels us (2 Corinthians 5:14), and His love never fails. You could see it on their faces as they smiled and laughed at these crazy Americans that, for no reason that they could understand, had come into their world and shown them love that they had never known before.
Eighth: God used the compassionate hearts of our group to provide for some of those in need in Leon. There were people everywhere on the streets begging for money, but one of the guys in our group felt particularly drawn to a mother and her two children that we passed on our way back to our hotel one night. We all had lots of snacks that some of the parents had given us for the trip, and we hadn't eaten all of them yet. So, we took a big bag full of those snacks down to the woman and her children. I wasn't there, but they said that the woman just kept smiling and saying thank you and the oldest little boy looked inside the bag and started smiling and jumping up and down. Only our God could use something as simple as a bag of snacks and use it to touch hearts.
Ninth: Through our presence in Leon, God encouraged and uplifted the missionary family there; and He encouraged and uplifted us through them. Shawn, Barbara, Mason (9), Madison (7) and Kayson (3) Gary have each found a special place in every one of our hearts. We connected, especially with the kids, from day one. By the time the week was over, we were greeting them the same way we would greet the children at our church here at home. They spent all the time they could with us, and they were one of the brightest spots of our week. When it was time to say goodbye to them, Kayson climbed up into each of our laps and smiled her shy little smile as she hugged us bye. Madison bounced her way around the room, grinning from ear to ear, and told us all how much fun she'd had with us. Mason gave each of us note that he had written for us, and then he cried as he hugged us goodbye and made the rest of us cry, too. Only God could create that kind of a love between friends in less than a week's time.
Tenth: God gave me, and I think everyone else as well, a new appreciation for just how big His body is. When we were stuck in the Houston airport, we had friends in Perrin, TX (which is in the middle of nowhere) who were at a rodeo and trying to reach people in Houston that we could stay with if we couldn't make it to Leon. We also had an email being sent through our church prayer chain back in Tulsa for God to work everything out according to His plan. My brothers and sisters were in Arkansas with my grandmother, and they were all praying for our trip. Then we got to Leon and we witnessed the body of Christ at work there in powerful ways. And if all that wasn't enough, one of the guys on the Leon AIM team was from Alaska! Through all of those things, God showed us that His body is not limited by borders or languages or countries. We all have one common thing that unites us, and that is Jesus Christ.
As long as this post has been and as many things as I have listed, I have not even come close to sharing all of the things that I saw God doing while we were there...and that doesn't even count the things that He did that I couldn't see! He is truly amazing, and He confirmed again and again our theme for the week: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ; and, with Him at work within us, nothing can stop us from sharing that love with others. God has really been convicting me since we got back that my mission work doesn't stop now that I'm back from our "mission trip." My whole life is a mission trip to the world. Wherever I go, whatever I do, I should be sharing His message and showing His love to all those around me.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Complacency
Last Thursday, our church prayer list sent out an email entitled "A Soldier You Should Know." I don't know if any of you had a chance to read it, but the soldier who sent it said something about their situation in Iraq that I think also really applies to us as Christians. Here's what he said:
"The enemy is always looking for an opportunity to exploit complacency."
I think that is something that our enemy is looking for, too. If we become complacent, then we pose no threat to him. When we become content with where we are in life and in our relationship with Christ and we stop trying to learn and grow, we cease to be effective. I think that's why Jesus has such a distaste for lukewarm Christians, as He says in Revelation 3:15-16, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." I think complacency is the most dangerous trap that the church can fall into. Even when churches split, most of the time it's because someone feels that there's something wrong with the way things are and they're doing something about it. It's when we stop caring one way or the other that we are in serious trouble.
With that said, I think the comments that this soldier made surrounding the one above are of extreme importance for us as we fight complacency. Here is that comment, along with its context:
"We remain cautiously vigilant to be on watch. We recognize that the enemy is always looking for an opportunity to exploit complacency. We keep each other in check. We encourage one another."
There are a lot of things that jump out at me in that as far as it relates to us:
1) Remaining cautiously vigilant to be on watch--Jesus commands His disciples to do that very thing in Matthew 24:36-25:13, Mark 13:32-36 and Luke 12:35-48. Those passages can basically be summarized by Matthew 24:42, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."
2) Recognize--They know what their enemy is trying to do. In the same way, we must know what our enemy is trying to do. 2 Corinthians 2:11, "...in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."
3) Keep each other in check--We have to look out for one another! God gave us the church for a reason, and it's not so that we could have one more social event on our schedule for the week. Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." We're not supposed to sit around and let each other become dull, we are to sharpen one another! Ephesians 4:25, "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak plainly to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." We're all in this together, so tell it like it is! I like the way the Message translation puts Hebrews 3:13, "For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes." We can't let each other fall into the trap of complacency; we have to help each other stay alert and on our toes.
4) Encourage one another--That kind of goes with #3. In the NIV, Hebrews 3:13 says, "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." 1 Thessalonians 4:18 (after speaking about the coming of the Lord), "Therefore encourage one another with these words." Hebrews 10:23-25, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we my spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
So just as the soldiers of the U.S. Army are doing, let us (as soldiers in the army of Christ) not become complacent, but continue to encourage one another as we strive for a closer walk with our God!
"The enemy is always looking for an opportunity to exploit complacency."
I think that is something that our enemy is looking for, too. If we become complacent, then we pose no threat to him. When we become content with where we are in life and in our relationship with Christ and we stop trying to learn and grow, we cease to be effective. I think that's why Jesus has such a distaste for lukewarm Christians, as He says in Revelation 3:15-16, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." I think complacency is the most dangerous trap that the church can fall into. Even when churches split, most of the time it's because someone feels that there's something wrong with the way things are and they're doing something about it. It's when we stop caring one way or the other that we are in serious trouble.
With that said, I think the comments that this soldier made surrounding the one above are of extreme importance for us as we fight complacency. Here is that comment, along with its context:
"We remain cautiously vigilant to be on watch. We recognize that the enemy is always looking for an opportunity to exploit complacency. We keep each other in check. We encourage one another."
There are a lot of things that jump out at me in that as far as it relates to us:
1) Remaining cautiously vigilant to be on watch--Jesus commands His disciples to do that very thing in Matthew 24:36-25:13, Mark 13:32-36 and Luke 12:35-48. Those passages can basically be summarized by Matthew 24:42, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."
2) Recognize--They know what their enemy is trying to do. In the same way, we must know what our enemy is trying to do. 2 Corinthians 2:11, "...in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."
3) Keep each other in check--We have to look out for one another! God gave us the church for a reason, and it's not so that we could have one more social event on our schedule for the week. Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." We're not supposed to sit around and let each other become dull, we are to sharpen one another! Ephesians 4:25, "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak plainly to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." We're all in this together, so tell it like it is! I like the way the Message translation puts Hebrews 3:13, "For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes." We can't let each other fall into the trap of complacency; we have to help each other stay alert and on our toes.
4) Encourage one another--That kind of goes with #3. In the NIV, Hebrews 3:13 says, "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." 1 Thessalonians 4:18 (after speaking about the coming of the Lord), "Therefore encourage one another with these words." Hebrews 10:23-25, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we my spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
So just as the soldiers of the U.S. Army are doing, let us (as soldiers in the army of Christ) not become complacent, but continue to encourage one another as we strive for a closer walk with our God!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Smiley Faces
I find it funny how many different ways there are to type a smiley face. I mean, really, think about it.
There's the colon, dash, close parentheses.
:-)
Or there's the colon, close parentheses with no dash.
:)
There's what I think of as the "winking" smiley face: the semicolon, dash, close parentheses.
;-)
Or there's the semicolon, close parentheses with no dash.
;)
There's the equals sign, capital D.
=D
Or there's the equals sign, close parentheses.
=)
There's the semicolon, lowercase O, close parentheses.
;o)
Or, if you want to put a shocked/surprised type spin on it, there's always the colon, dash, lowercase O.
:-o
And for an even more surprised, bigger mouth, there's the colon, dash, uppercase O.
:-O
And if you want to make it a frowny face, you can change any of those close parentheses to open parentheses and, viola!, your happy face is sad.
And anyway, who decided that smiley faces should be left to right, eyes-nose-mouth? Why couldn't they be mouth-nose-eyes? Like so (-: And how in the world is it possible for that smiley face (which happens to be just as sideways as its counterpart that is typed the other direction) to look upside down?!?
Okay, enough of my random ramblings. What's your favorite way to type a smiley face?
There's the colon, dash, close parentheses.
:-)
Or there's the colon, close parentheses with no dash.
:)
There's what I think of as the "winking" smiley face: the semicolon, dash, close parentheses.
;-)
Or there's the semicolon, close parentheses with no dash.
;)
There's the equals sign, capital D.
=D
Or there's the equals sign, close parentheses.
=)
There's the semicolon, lowercase O, close parentheses.
;o)
Or, if you want to put a shocked/surprised type spin on it, there's always the colon, dash, lowercase O.
:-o
And for an even more surprised, bigger mouth, there's the colon, dash, uppercase O.
:-O
And if you want to make it a frowny face, you can change any of those close parentheses to open parentheses and, viola!, your happy face is sad.
And anyway, who decided that smiley faces should be left to right, eyes-nose-mouth? Why couldn't they be mouth-nose-eyes? Like so (-: And how in the world is it possible for that smiley face (which happens to be just as sideways as its counterpart that is typed the other direction) to look upside down?!?
Okay, enough of my random ramblings. What's your favorite way to type a smiley face?
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Here I am to Worship
I love that song! From the first time I heard it, it's had a huge impact on me. But the other day, as I was driving down the highway, it came on the radio and it hit me in a completely new and different way.
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're my God
I've always been able to live that as I stood in church and sang that song. It's easy to worship and bow down and say that He's my God when I'm surrounded by others who are doing the same. Those are not hard things to do when "here" is "church." But in the car that day, it was like God knocked on the door of my heart and said, "'Here' is 'earth'." Whoa!
Now, you may be saying, "duh!", and I kind of was too, because I already knew that and tried to live it as much as I could. But having that in front of me as a concrete, conscious thought was a strong and convicting realization. "Here" isn't just church. I'm not just here to worship and bow down and say that He is God when I'm in church. "Here" is earth. Wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, I am supposed to worship and bow down and say that He is God.
When I'm at home with my family, when I'm in the grocery store, when I'm doing school, when I'm dealing with someone that I really struggle to like, when I'm in the midst of a trial or when life is perfect-
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're my God
No matter what, as long as I am drawing breath on this earth, that is what I am supposed to be doing. Worshipping, bowing down and saying that He is my God. If every Christian lived that kind of a life, what kind of a world would this be?
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're my God
I've always been able to live that as I stood in church and sang that song. It's easy to worship and bow down and say that He's my God when I'm surrounded by others who are doing the same. Those are not hard things to do when "here" is "church." But in the car that day, it was like God knocked on the door of my heart and said, "'Here' is 'earth'." Whoa!
Now, you may be saying, "duh!", and I kind of was too, because I already knew that and tried to live it as much as I could. But having that in front of me as a concrete, conscious thought was a strong and convicting realization. "Here" isn't just church. I'm not just here to worship and bow down and say that He is God when I'm in church. "Here" is earth. Wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, I am supposed to worship and bow down and say that He is God.
When I'm at home with my family, when I'm in the grocery store, when I'm doing school, when I'm dealing with someone that I really struggle to like, when I'm in the midst of a trial or when life is perfect-
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're my God
No matter what, as long as I am drawing breath on this earth, that is what I am supposed to be doing. Worshipping, bowing down and saying that He is my God. If every Christian lived that kind of a life, what kind of a world would this be?
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Happy Mother's Day
For all of you moms that I love and adore so much, but especially for my mom: I love you!
My mom is a smiling face
When all I can do is frown
My mom is a warm embrace
When I’m feeling lonely and down
My mom is a comforting presence
When trials come my way
My mom is love, at its essence
When life is gloomy and grey
My mom is a wonderful teacher
She’s taught me all that I know
My mom is sometimes a preacher
But I know that helps me to grow
My mom is devoted to Jesus
And I want to be like her someday
My mom is faithful to teach us
To love God in every way
My mom will be there at the end
Still just as gentle and kind
My mom is my very best friend
And I’m glad God made her mine
When all I can do is frown
My mom is a warm embrace
When I’m feeling lonely and down
My mom is a comforting presence
When trials come my way
My mom is love, at its essence
When life is gloomy and grey
My mom is a wonderful teacher
She’s taught me all that I know
My mom is sometimes a preacher
But I know that helps me to grow
My mom is devoted to Jesus
And I want to be like her someday
My mom is faithful to teach us
To love God in every way
My mom will be there at the end
Still just as gentle and kind
My mom is my very best friend
And I’m glad God made her mine
Thanks for being who you are, Mom; you're the best! Happy Mother's Day!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Conversations with Andrea
(Okay, I just want you guys to know that I feel really cool now that I am part of the "Conversations with..." club. =D)
Background: Jonathan, Stephen and Andrea just got home from our grandparents' house this morning, and they were all watching Sleeping Beauty. I was not in a bad mood, but I wasn't in a good mood either. Consequently, I was not really wanting to do anything that might possibly be called fun. Andrea came up the stairs looking quite sweet and innocent...
Andrea: Do you want to color with me?
Me: Don't you want to watch your movie?
Andrea: Well...
Me: (in my most animated and excited voice) It's at the best part! Prince Phillip is about to fight the dragon! You don't want to miss that!
Andrea: Well, we can color and watch the movie at the same time.
Me: Are you sure?
Andrea: (with that all-knowing 5-year-old look) Yes. Because, you know, anything is possible with God!
:-)
We colored...and watched the movie...and I was in a much better mood when we finished. I love that kid!
Background: Jonathan, Stephen and Andrea just got home from our grandparents' house this morning, and they were all watching Sleeping Beauty. I was not in a bad mood, but I wasn't in a good mood either. Consequently, I was not really wanting to do anything that might possibly be called fun. Andrea came up the stairs looking quite sweet and innocent...
Andrea: Do you want to color with me?
Me: Don't you want to watch your movie?
Andrea: Well...
Me: (in my most animated and excited voice) It's at the best part! Prince Phillip is about to fight the dragon! You don't want to miss that!
Andrea: Well, we can color and watch the movie at the same time.
Me: Are you sure?
Andrea: (with that all-knowing 5-year-old look) Yes. Because, you know, anything is possible with God!
:-)
We colored...and watched the movie...and I was in a much better mood when we finished. I love that kid!
Friday, April 11, 2008
RIGHT NOW
Wednesday night at church we had a really powerful night with the youth group. We started out discussing Proverbs 25 and 26; we just talked about any and every one of the Proverbs that stuck out to us in those two chapters. Then, one of the junior high guys mentioned 27:1, which says,
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth."
An amazing conversation ensued. One of the guys told us about someone at his school that had died in a car wreck the night before, and what a wake-up call it was to him to realize that that young man was never going to have another chance to do anything, be it homework or a test or eating a meal or spending time with his family, etc. Bobby really started to stress to us that "All we have is right now!" There may not be a tomorrow. There may not be an "in a minute." "Later" may never get here.
Then we got ready to sing and Bobby encouraged us to worship God like it was our last chance to do so. Not to worship Him like we did last Wednesday. Not to think about how we might could worship next Wednesday when we're feeling "more spiritual." But to worship Him as if all we have is right now, because right now is all we have. After a couple of moments of no one leading songs or saying anything, Bobby continued to urge us that all we have is right now, "What are you going to sing to God? What are you going to say to encourage each other?" After that, it was like everyone caught on to what he was saying, and there wasn't another moment of silence. When we finished one song, someone immediately began leading another. The praise was genuine and amazing.
I've been thinking about that a lot since Wednesday, and it has really changed the way I think and act. If this is the only moment I have, I'm not going to waste it on anger or selfishness or pride or jealousy or fear or...you get the idea. If I die one minute from now, I don't want to die doing something that I'd wish I hadn't wasted my time doing. If Jesus comes back in the next second, I don't want Him to come back and find me doing something that doesn't bring Him honor.
Procrastination is a struggle for me (I think it's probably a struggle for most of us in some way, because there's no way for us to get everything done.), but I think I'm going to start changing what I procrastinate on. If I don't have enough time in the day to do everything, then I'm going to start by doing the things that will last beyond this earth. If I don't get to the rest of it...well then, it wasn't really that important anyway, was it? I'm making it my goal to stop looking at my Bible and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow," to stop looking at opportunities to improve my relationships with my family and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow," to stop looking at chances to be a blessing to those that need it and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow," to stop looking at opportunities to encourage my dear friends and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow." The Bible is very clear: THERE MAY NOT BE A TOMORROW. James 4:14 says, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Then in verse 17 he says, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." I find it interesting that James puts that sentence here. I have known that verse for years, but never thought of it in this context. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow (or even if there will be one), so we can't put off the good that we know we should do today. If we do that, we are sinning. I had never thought of that before: by putting off until tomorrow the good things that I know I should do right now, I am sinning. "The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night," says 1 Thessalonians 5:2, and I don't want to wait until right now is all I have to live like right now is all I have.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start living my life to glorify my Father.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start praying more faithfully.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start considering others better than myself.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start working to build better relationships with my family.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start being more encouraging to my brothers and sisters in Christ.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to quit caring what other people think about me.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to quit worrying about my future, because tomorrow may not even come, and if it does, my Jesus says in Matthew 6:34 that it will worry about itself.
Now, I know I'm going to fail at doing most of the above things, probably all before lunch tomorrow, but that's what the blood of Jesus is for. Praise Him for that!
So here is my challenge to you, my friends:
RIGHT NOW IS ALL YOU HAVE, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?
I encourage you, my brothers and sisters, "as long as it is called Today" not to be "hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (Hebrews 3:13) when it comes to doing good right now. Go say a prayer; just talk to your God. Then go play with your kids, kiss your wife or tell you husband how much you love him. Honestly now, how many of you just had the conscious thought, "I'll do that later?" There may not be a later! And don't tell me you don't have time; if you have time to read my blog, you have time to do that. Think about it: it takes less than three seconds to say "I love you," we should all have time for that! So go do it RIGHT NOW! (All of you that do that win major brownie points with me; whatever that's worth! =D)
Right now is all we have; let's live it for Him!
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth."
An amazing conversation ensued. One of the guys told us about someone at his school that had died in a car wreck the night before, and what a wake-up call it was to him to realize that that young man was never going to have another chance to do anything, be it homework or a test or eating a meal or spending time with his family, etc. Bobby really started to stress to us that "All we have is right now!" There may not be a tomorrow. There may not be an "in a minute." "Later" may never get here.
Then we got ready to sing and Bobby encouraged us to worship God like it was our last chance to do so. Not to worship Him like we did last Wednesday. Not to think about how we might could worship next Wednesday when we're feeling "more spiritual." But to worship Him as if all we have is right now, because right now is all we have. After a couple of moments of no one leading songs or saying anything, Bobby continued to urge us that all we have is right now, "What are you going to sing to God? What are you going to say to encourage each other?" After that, it was like everyone caught on to what he was saying, and there wasn't another moment of silence. When we finished one song, someone immediately began leading another. The praise was genuine and amazing.
I've been thinking about that a lot since Wednesday, and it has really changed the way I think and act. If this is the only moment I have, I'm not going to waste it on anger or selfishness or pride or jealousy or fear or...you get the idea. If I die one minute from now, I don't want to die doing something that I'd wish I hadn't wasted my time doing. If Jesus comes back in the next second, I don't want Him to come back and find me doing something that doesn't bring Him honor.
Procrastination is a struggle for me (I think it's probably a struggle for most of us in some way, because there's no way for us to get everything done.), but I think I'm going to start changing what I procrastinate on. If I don't have enough time in the day to do everything, then I'm going to start by doing the things that will last beyond this earth. If I don't get to the rest of it...well then, it wasn't really that important anyway, was it? I'm making it my goal to stop looking at my Bible and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow," to stop looking at opportunities to improve my relationships with my family and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow," to stop looking at chances to be a blessing to those that need it and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow," to stop looking at opportunities to encourage my dear friends and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow." The Bible is very clear: THERE MAY NOT BE A TOMORROW. James 4:14 says, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Then in verse 17 he says, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." I find it interesting that James puts that sentence here. I have known that verse for years, but never thought of it in this context. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow (or even if there will be one), so we can't put off the good that we know we should do today. If we do that, we are sinning. I had never thought of that before: by putting off until tomorrow the good things that I know I should do right now, I am sinning. "The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night," says 1 Thessalonians 5:2, and I don't want to wait until right now is all I have to live like right now is all I have.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start living my life to glorify my Father.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start praying more faithfully.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start considering others better than myself.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start working to build better relationships with my family.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to start being more encouraging to my brothers and sisters in Christ.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to quit caring what other people think about me.
RIGHT NOW I'm going to quit worrying about my future, because tomorrow may not even come, and if it does, my Jesus says in Matthew 6:34 that it will worry about itself.
Now, I know I'm going to fail at doing most of the above things, probably all before lunch tomorrow, but that's what the blood of Jesus is for. Praise Him for that!
So here is my challenge to you, my friends:
RIGHT NOW IS ALL YOU HAVE, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?
I encourage you, my brothers and sisters, "as long as it is called Today" not to be "hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (Hebrews 3:13) when it comes to doing good right now. Go say a prayer; just talk to your God. Then go play with your kids, kiss your wife or tell you husband how much you love him. Honestly now, how many of you just had the conscious thought, "I'll do that later?" There may not be a later! And don't tell me you don't have time; if you have time to read my blog, you have time to do that. Think about it: it takes less than three seconds to say "I love you," we should all have time for that! So go do it RIGHT NOW! (All of you that do that win major brownie points with me; whatever that's worth! =D)
Right now is all we have; let's live it for Him!
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