UNFAILING- get it in your brain.

Over the last few months I have seen a great youtube channel that shows people's attempts to do things, only to fail. The person(s) behind this, shows attempts from newscasting fails to bike riding fails to criminal escape fails. There is literally a "FAIL" for almost anything. For the past month, I have been meditating, praying, and dwelling on one word each day. Today the word is UNFAILING. It's simple meaning is Reliable at all times - Never used up or exhausted. In scripture you read that God is unfailing- that is reliable at all times, never used up or exhausted. One can read that God is unfailing in leading the people He has redeemed, in His love for us, and compassionate. As I go through this week, I will fail at many things, I'm sure. However, I trust in one who will not fail me, according to His Word. As I put in to play this week, God's UNFAILING love, I will be reminded time and time again that He has brought me to the place in my life where I am as a husband, father, brother, friend, pastor, and coach. If I could be in the position to be unfailing, I would, but I know the reality is, that God is the only one who can be unfailing. Failure is a part of life. Each of us have failed at something. As I've seen quite comically in some of these youtube videos that failure comes at a cost. What I also know is that God's UNFAILING love for me also came at a cost. For that reason- it is on my brain-that God is UNFAILING. This day, and this week, I choose to move forward knowing that I find comfort in His Word: Psalm 13:5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Exodus 15:13
In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.

Psalm 6:4
Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.

Psalm 13:5
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Psalm 31:16
Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.

Psalm 90:14
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Life Lessons from a 2 year old!

In the past few weeks our youngest daughter, Audrey-who is 2, decided it was time to figure out how to get out of the crib. As I thought about this, the facts are that she can now escape her crib during naps, arise before us all and make her presence known, and get out of bed to declare to us that she is not ready at any time to take a break. It got me thinking from her perspective. Who in their right mind wants to be "caged" up, not free to experience life, or feel that abandonment of when we shut that door for her to sleep. It is part of the growing process, and as we move forward in our loves as adults, it is time for many of us to learn to crawl or climb out of the crib. The crib can come to represent the many things that hold us back in life, because frankly we haven't tried anything new. Maybe it is breaking out of your shell, or living out your faith, learning how to start a conversation, or even manage money. In her case all it took, was hooking her one foot over the top to discover something new and freeing. What is the crib that is holding you back from living a freeing life? We were not created to be held back in life by things that seem overwhelming or limiting. Instead we were created to pursue the things that hold us back and move forward. It is called a life with no limits! Maybe it is a relationship, a past, finances, a job, a feeling, whatever it is-we have to have the mentality that we too can find a way to be freed from a life that can become limiting if we let it. So, think about a situation that may make you feel like a baby sitting in a crib, and then find a solution to hook your foot over that first edge to get you moving toward living a freeing life. I guarantee you that when you find that your life can be one lived with freedom in every aspect of your life, you wish you would have taken the chance to climb out long ago. Audrey made it out and she has found that the unhappiness she found behind those crib's bars is no longer, because a big smile comes across her face when she realizes she is free at last. Now if we could only keep her in her room until the morning alarm went off. No complaints here because I'm constantly looking how to get out of the barriers that are put in front of me sometimes. So live your life, live your life with no limits, or crib bars that keep you from growing and limits your opportunity to get out and be YOU!

RIGHTEOUS DUDE

Righteous is a word that when you look at it, looks like it is spelled wrong. It is a word that has multiple meanings and has even been used as a slang word in the surfer scene. The word is derived from the Bible, and can be defined as "Living in accordance with God’s values and virtues." As a matter of fact, here are some key verses that speak to righteousness:
1 Samuel 26:23
The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness.

Psalm 1:6
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous…

Psalm 33:1
Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Psalm 68:3
But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

Galatians 3:11
"The righteous will live by faith."

James 5:16
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

The passage found in James, is one that I dwell on. I hope that based on this passage alone, that my prayers are powerful and effective. The verses above push me to be better in all areas of my life, with a goal of living in accordance to God's values and virtues. I challenge you today, to live out a "righteous" life in your pursuit of God and everything He can offer you. One of the biggest compliments I could get would be for someone to say, "Man, you are a righteous dude." I hope and I pray that as I move forward with my life, that it will be one that is viewed as righteous in the eyes of God. SO, for me I look forward to the areas of my life that I can continue to expand to be righteous.

FAVOR FLAVE

I love ice cream and remember from going to Baskin Robbins as a five year old kid was a trip that was worth it everytime. I had a whole 31 flavors to choose from. Sometimes it was bubblegum, mint, but most of the time it was chocolate peanut butter. Still to this day, that is a must every visit to the local BR. How fun is picking one ice cream flavor from a whole window of, what seemdd like all the ice cream in the world. All of us seek favor, whether we do so knowingly or not. Favor is defined as the state of being approved or held in regard. In our culture today, that is the goal of most people, sadly it is because they want recognition, kudos, and nototriety. As a matter of fact, we even have an over-played, attention seeking entertainer(if you can call him that, I don't) that uses the name Flavor Fave. The altar ego name is his craving to be the fave in the eyes of others. Favor is actually a word that we see all throughout the Bible. As you read of Samuel, Moses, David, and the likes of those whom this word is associated with, you will find that those who had favor with God, also had favor with men. I love the line in Nehemiah that simply states, "O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant… Give your servant success today by granting him favor..." When we seek the Lord's favor I believe that God will grant it. Today, I pray that favor will rest upon my life and that God will establish the work of my hands, just as the Psalmist prayed. Those in spiritual leadership should know that God's favor on your life is an expression of God’s love, affection and blessing. So, go ahead if you were to pick a flavor of the day, make it finding FAVOR in God's eyes, not man's.

JUST DO IT!

Just Do It! took the sporting world and marketing circles by storm in 1988, with a clever marketing scheme put together by the industry leader in sporting gear, Nike. Everyone waited for the next commercial, endorsement, and shirt. The idea stuck, and it was meant too. The same concept can be linked to those who sat in the audience of orators back in ancient Greek. This advertising tool can be traced back to the Bible in James 1:22, where it reads, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves, do what it says." This lone verse can be related to the people who would sit and listen to the great orators. As a matter of fact these people would follow great scholars & speakers from town to town, and listen to the same message over and over. However, they only wanted to listen and would not activate or do anything that was said. The writer of this passage comes along and encourages us. The Greek word kroates found in this passage describes those who would not take any action, or just do it. They would sit listen and get up and sit and listen. Too many times, we have people in the church, who do the same thing. They hear a great pastor get up and preach a message, and then sit back and do absolutley nothing to apply it to their every day life. The idea behind James 1:22 is to call people to action and apply the life principles and challenges they may hear weekly or read in God's Word to our everyday lives and "do it." As you pick up your WORD this year and dig into it, may you find new and creative ways that you can "do what it says." There are plenty of online sites that can offer assitant in finding reading plans, and I encourage you to do so this year. You will find it both rewarding and refreshing. Nike may have brought "JUST DO IT" to the public arena, but we are challenged in the same light by James 1:22 to get beyond reading and listening and applying the truth of scripture to our life. So, it's been said before and I'll say it again: When it comes to application of God's Word to your life- Just Do It!