Living a Worthy Life

"[1] I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, [2] with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, [3] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit inthe bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. [7] But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift." Ephesians 4:1-7 (ESV)

Worthy is defined as having adequate or great merit, character, or value. We are called to live a life that is worthy of Christ. That is, to live a life that has merit as it relates to representing Jesus to the world. So, the question is, how do we go about living a life worthy of Christ. Paul gives us a guideline to follow in Ephesians 4. Paul gives us 6 building blocks or benchmarks with which to judge a worthy life.

Be Completely Humble
Very simply, humility is not being proud or arrogant. Humility is the result of our personal submission to God through Jesus Christ. When we are humble, we no longer seek glory for ourselves, rather, we seek to bring glory to God. Humility is the first step of becoming a follower of Christ just as brining glory to God is the first part of God's will for the life of the follower. We are to humble ourselves in every area of our lives. We must come to the realization that there is nothing I can take credit for. Everything that I have and am comes from God. It is all directly attributable to God's grace and mercy. We must change the way we view things. Apart from God, I am nothing. It was not until He came into my life that I can be used for His glory.

Be Completely Gentle

It here that we are called to kindness. Kindness goes a long way in the world in which we live today. It has been my experience that most people may reject our kindness, but they can't reject it until it has been extended to them. Gentleness is the result of humility. When we submit ourselves to God, we find that we desire the best for others. Up unto this point we have only been concerned for ourselves. When Christ enters our lives, our perspective on ourself and others changes drastically. Our charge for live is to serve and not be served. Our kindness is the result of Christ's work in our life and has a magnetic pull on the lives of others. Our expressions of kindness draw others to Christ. We msut also understand that gentleness is not a sign of weakness. Jesus was gently but you would be hard pressed to call Him weak. There are times that the most gentle thing we can do is speak the honest truth to someone.

Be Patient

Patience is an expression of calm without complaint. Patience results from humility and gentleness. We are so time-bound. Stepen Covey talks about us being "slaves to the tyranny of the urgent." What we must understand is that when we surrender our lives to Christ, we have not timetable. It ceases to be about us and becomes about others. We seek God's best in God's time. That may come in minutes or it may take months, either way we are content (Phil. 4:11). Here is what we need to get: The circumstances may not be ideal, but we know tht God is in control and has a plan. We must NEVER FORGET this!

Be Forbearing

Notice this says forbearing and not overbearing. We are to bear up with others. A better way of looking at this is to bear up with difficult people or circumstances. This the personal side of patience. This is being patient with other people. It also is being calm in the midst of the storms of life. Remember what God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient." When we rest in the sufficiency of God's grace we discover patience. What makes patience so difficult is our clash of personality with people. God has uniquely made each one of us with a unique personality that may not always mesh well with others, in the flesh. God has also put His Spirit within us to bear up with people. We find patience when we rely on the Spirit of God within us.

Loving Others

Love is the glue that holds these things together and moves them forward. I Corinthians 13 gives a description of love but also speaks to its attributes. If we have not love then we are nothing and can truly accomplish nothing. If we are going to walk in the Spirit, it is because of love. If we are going to live in obedience to God, it is because of God. It is impossible for us to do anything in the Spirit apartfrom a love for the Father and His people.

Be Unifiers not Dividers

Paul exhorts us to make every effort to build and maintain unity among the body. If we are united as a body under the banner of Christ, how much can we accomplish for the Kingdom? So often we are united so long as it lines up with our own personal agendas. When we have a personal agenda, we can be sure that we are not on God's agenda. We have become too focused on our part of the body as opposed to the Body as a whole. We must remember that we are ONE. Unity is the culmination of all of these things mentioned thus far working together.

Grace that is Given

It is love that binds us together but it is grace that draws us together. We it not for the grace of God, we would never acheive anything for His Kingdom. The reason is that apart from God's grace we would be too busy building our own kingdoms instead of His. Grace is completely undeserved but absolutely needed. Man longs for grace, for it it there that he truly finds his purpose and belonging.

Looking Back

I've been intending to follow up on my last post of a few weeks ago and then realized today that it was few months ago. Time has flown by this Fall. I've been working on getting my notes together on the series that I had taught on over the summer on Radical Discipleship. My plan is to take a little time from now to the end of the year writing more extensively about this subject. I feel it is the key that is missing to many of our churches today. For those of you who have been patiently waiting, thank you. Hopefully you will find this series refreshing and challenging all the same. My aim is to help you set some personal goals for your spiritual life for the coming year. Make 2011 the Year of the Disciple.

Where I've Been

I've taken a pretty serious break from writing over the past few months. Part of it was due to a busy summer schedule. Part of it was due to the fact that I was empty. I had nothing to say or anything worth saying. Over the summer, God has taught me some very meaningful lessons, the greatest of which is what a disciple truly is. That is not to say that God gave me any special knowledge. He did, however, open my eyes to the biblical description of a disciple. Over the summer and even now have been reading books dealing with discipleship. I began by reading David Platt's book Radical. Honestly, this is the best book that I have read in a long time. It challenged me to my core and has caused me to really reconsider the way that I live my life for Christ. Platt draws from Deitrich Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship. This book is a classic, so naturally, I read it (a second time). Bonhoeffer wrote during World War II in Nazi Germany, but it might as well have been written last week. It is rare that we look at what it costs us to follow Jesus. The truth of the matter may be that we have looked at the cost of following Jesus and have decided to leave well enough alone. Cost of Discipleship is worth the price of the book for the first chapter alone, in which Bonhoeffer talks about cheap and costly grace. However, the sections on the Sermon on the Mount will keep you engaged. These two books together have made such a deep impression upon me that I needed and wanted more. Currently I am reading Dallas Willard's The Great Omission, in which he discusses the lace of disciple-making in the modern, American church. We have done a good job at evangelism but have missed the mark on discipleship. Over the next several posts, I will be discussing what I call Radical Discipleship. These discussions come from a series of messages that I preached on Sunday evenings this summer. We will be looking at what a Radical Disciple is and what a Radical Disciple does. I hope that you will join me on this journey as we crash into the life of a disciple.

When God's People Pray

This past week I heard one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. It was not the first time I had ever heard this sound, but the first time that I recognized it anew. It was the sound of God's people praying. It was like a concert for the soul. To hear people expressing their faith in God and trusting Him for healing is an amazing and challenging thing. To hear this concert of prayer was like hearing the most talented symphony in concert. It was truly the sound of Heaven on earth. It is amazing what we can hear when we slow down to listen.

"I Will Be Your Server Today"

If you've been to a restaurant anytime in the past decade, this is how your server (formerly known as your waiter/waitress) addresses you. It is their job to make sure that you are served the things you order and make sure that your needs and wants are taken care of. They are in the "service" industry. Service is something that I take a hard look at, mostly because I come into contact with the service industry quite a bit. There is this elusive thing called "Customer Service". It is like the Loch Ness Monster of the service world. You are usually met on the customer service hot line with a recorded voice that instructs you to choose from several options. When you finally reach a "real" person, though, there is not much service of the customer going on. I usually hear nothing but the company line. The customer service person is not really there to help me but to help their company. This frustrates me a little. Can you tell? Jesus says in Matthew 20:28 that He came to serve and not be served. Now that's a novel concept and one that I thing the church would do well in adopting. This past Saturday, our church had 26 people doing community service projects around our town. We also had some folks from the Methodist church and another Baptist church helping too. You know, I never once heard someone complain about having to paint something, wash something, clean something or pick up something. There was a common goal to serve the people of our community in a visible and viable way. Most people of the community did not know who was doing the work, just that the work was getting done. Isn't that the true heart of service. Service is meeting the needs of people in a joyful way so as to improve and impact their lives. It is putting the needs of others above your own needs. It is helping others without the need of recognition. That is at the heart of service. So...whom will you serve today?

Everyone Communicates Few Connect by John Maxwell

John Maxwell’s book “Everyone Communicated Few Connect” focuses on the importance of communicators making connections with their audiences. His approach is applicable for one-on-one communication, small group communication or large audience communication. Maxwell gives very practical information on the importance and necessity of connecting with the audience. For me, the principles that he presented were things that I already know and practice. As a pastor, I speak to people all of the time and know and understand the importance of connection. This book would be really good for someone who is just getting into speaking or needs to build upon their speaking ability. One of the things that I found was that John has a tendency to share lots of personal experience. This is good, but there are times that it comes off a little arrogant and self-centered. Case in point is the book jacket. The largest print on the cover is his name. This is a little off-putting for me. There is also a bubble just off from his name that says, “The world’s most respected leadership expert.” Granted, Maxwell is very well known for his leadership abilities, but saying he is the “most respected” is a bit of a stretch for me. In the prologue he promises five principles and five practices. In true Maxwell style though, each of the principles and practices have anywhere from four to seven other things that you must do. So instead of ten simple principles and practices it’s more like 50. All of this is not to say that I did not gain any new knowledge, I did. More importantly, it reaffirmed the things I already knew.

The Map: The Way of All Great Men by David Murrow

David Murrow follows up Why Men Hate Going to Church with The Map: The Way of All Great Men. The Map answers all of the questions that were left in the minds of readers after reading Why Men Hate Going to Church. Murrow sucks you in with the “story” of how he discovered the map that leads to manhood. Globetrotting and adventure lead to the secret of what it means to be a great man. The answer lies in Matthew’s gospel and the account that he gives on the life of Jesus. Matthew writes and Murrow “discovers” the three journeys that are apparent from Jesus life. Consequently, these are the same three journeys that are necessary for men to take to achieve not only godliness but manliness as well. I have found myself seeing the three journeys as I read the Bible. It has also become a major theme of my teaching and preaching. The key is for men to see that you can be a man and a Christ follower at the same time. There is no need to check your “man card” at the front door of the church. Murrow hits on very practical applications not just for men but for churches as well. The challenge is to help men see that it’s okay for them to be men and have a heart for Christ. Churches must also see that they are to lead men on these three journeys. The problem is that most churches are stuck on the first journey and; therefore, men check out. I have found many applications for the principles that Murrow teaches. The Map has also given me a fresh look at how to reach men and what is necessary to keep them and grow them within the church. I highly recommend this book and strongly encourage you to put it into practice before it is too late.

A Snow Day Reflection

I've been able to sit and watch the snow fall all day, so far, through by office window. It's been relaxing to say the least. As the minutes have passed by, I've seen the snow get deeper and deeper in my backyard (which is right outside of my office window). There was a magnificient white blanket spread over our yard. It was perfect, undisturbed, flawless, even picturesque. After lunch, the three little boys from down the street came over since they got out of school early for the snow day. Needless to say...when five little boys start playing with their toys the picturesque, flawless blanket of snow goes away...and fast. They run and scream, throw snowballs, make snow angels all in the name of fun. Some would make them go somewhere else to have their fun so that the beauty is undisturbed. Not so with me. I love to hear them as they play outside, not a care in the world. They are enjoying themselves. When did we get so old that we don't enjoy ourselves anymore? How often does it do this in here, snow that is. I had a blast over the lunch hour building a snowman with my boys in the front yard. Fun! Say it with me...FUN! It is probably the one thing that lacks in many of our lives. Are we so dignified that we can no longer enjoy ourselves? Are we so mature that we can't go out and make snow angels too? This is the only today that we have. A couple of years ago I made this statement: Today's a new day, make the most of it. I'm not sure if I came up with that or if I heard it somewhere, but I'm taking credit for it. How are you going to make the most of today? Is it enough to just enjoy the picturesque scenery of a fresh snow? For some of you the answer is yes, and that's okay. But what does your inner child say? SNOW!! It's time to start enjoying life and living it to the fullest. Isnt' that what Jesus said when He said He gives us life abundantly? The short answer is YES! Get out there and play in the snow. Enjoy it! You never know when it's gonna snow this way again.

A Century Turns: New Hopes, New Fears by William J. Bennet

William Bennett takes a look at the past 20 years of history form 1988-2008. He contends that this is a vital part of American history and one that saw some of the greatest changes in our history. The sub title, new hopes and new fears, captures that sentiment. While some would not consider this a complete or exhaustive history of the past 20 years, Bennett captures the events that most greatly affected the U. S. From the end of the Reagan era, the fall of Bush I, the Clinton years, Rodney King, even OJ and the election of Barack Obama, Bennett looks at the ins and outs of these significant historical events. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, even more than I first thought. It was during these years that I came of age. I remember where I was when some of the events were detailed. Bennett’s writing style is more than just sharing information and is more of storytelling. Of course, Bennett found himself in the middle of some of these historical events as well. While he has a tendency to lean to the right, Bennett shoots the history pretty much down the middle. I appreciated that he did not editorialize in the main text and left that mostly for the foot notes. This could almost read as Bennett’s memoirs. After reading this work, I am intrigued to read his previous two works on American history as well. A very well written book and quick read. I highly recommend it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Where is God? by Dr. John Townsend

I just finished Dr. John Townsend's new book Where is God? This book asks the questions that so many people ask when they are going trough times of difficulty, struggle or personal tragedy. It is written to those who are hurting or struggling. It is also a great read for those who have a desire to help others overcome their hurt and find God in the midst of the pain. For me, the book was worth Chapter 5, entitled: The God You Must Not Seek. In this chapter alone, Dr. Townsend frankly discusses the four "Gods" that many people encounter in the midst of their struggle. What I found is that regardless if you are in a difficult time or not, we find that we are trying to serve these other "Gods" and not the one true God of Scripture. There is also one of the greatest definitions and discussions of God's love that I have every read. I also think that this book is a great resource because it does not just talk about theory, but also practicality. Dr. Townsend give practical exercises for the reader to go through to evaluate themselves as well as practical suggestions on what to do next. This is definitely not a book just for those that are suffering. In reality it is a book for those who have suffered, which encompasses all of us. While I didn't think I would benefit much from it when I started reading it, I have found it to become a wonderful resource when counseling and comforting the hurting. It is a must read to gain a better understanding of where God is in the midst of suffering.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://booksneeze.com/> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Leaders are Learners

Yesterday, I talked about how leaders are listeners. So what do you do with all the stuff that you glean from all of that listening. Hopefully you learn something from it. I have always heard it said that teachers make the best students. In fact, if you have ever taught anything, you know that you learn more than those you are teaching. We can never reach the point as leaders that we stop learning. The information base is doubling at an alarming rate these days. It's not lack of information that we suffer from, that's for sure. I think that as leaders we need to invest our time in the right information. There are things that we need to learn to make us stronger in our strength areas. Any athlete or body builder will tell you that you lose muscle tone and mass quicker than you build it. Many time we neglect our strengths for the simple reason that they are our strengths. It is important to take time to further develop you strengths. It is also important to take time to develop your growth areas. Some people will call these weaknesses, but calling them growth areas makes them into positive potentials as opposed to negatives. Where we err on the side of under developing our strengths, we tend to over correct to the side of our growth areas. Face it! You are not going to be strong in every area. As much as you'd like to, it is just not going to happen. That is not to say that you neglect your growth areas all together, but you must realize that growth areas will never become strengths. You are just not wired that way. And while you can grow and develop your growth areas, they will not become your dominant characteristics. All of the development is done through learning. So how do I learn? That's a great question. You need to find the way that you learn best. It may be through formal training, reading, seminars/webinars, or any other way of gaining information. An area of learning that has become popular recently is coaching. For the sake of this entry we will say that coaching and mentoring are the same thing even though there are some subtle differences. Coaching takes the teaching/instruction aspect of learning and marries is with modeling and performance in an instructive environment. It is usually one-on-one relationship with someone who has experience and wisdom in the area you are trying to learn. I think this is one of, if not the most effective way that we learn. Find the expert and learn from them. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes sacrifice. It takes investment, but the dividend is well worth it. Lead on!

Leaders are Listeners

Most of the time when you think of a leader, you probably think of a great speaker. And while this may be the case, I would be willing to bet that those same leaders, if they are truly leaders at all, spend more time listening than they do speaking. Those who excel in the area of leadership did not get there by chance. They showed a unique skill set that thrust them into the leadership limelight. Those who fail usually do so because they have a superiority complex, that is to say that they think they are better or smarter than those they are over. Any leader who is worth his or her salt will tell you that the greatest skill they have is listening. How will you ever be able to lead people or know how to lead people if you don't listen to the people you are trying to lead. That is not to say that you have to do everything they say, but you might get some great ideas by listening to those you are leading. It is important to define what listening really is. Most of us are good hearers but horrible listeners. You hear noise, you listen to people. Listening is active. You must engage your mind and process what is being said or communicated. Listening is more than just gathering information. When we listen we are able to discern information and emotion or passion. If a group of people are passionate about something that will lead to the greater good, it would behoove the leader to listen to those he is leading and capitalize on that passion. As leaders, we must see that the greatest asset we have is people. When we combine a listening ear with a passionate people we have a recipe for success regardless of the context.

Master Leaders

I just finished reading George Barna's new book Master Leaders. In my opinion this is the best and most comprehensive book on leadership I have ever read. I am not a critic, nor am I on Barna's payroll. I have a desire to become a better leader and found this book earlier in the week. What I soon discovered is that Barna hit on every major area for leadership development. The best thing about this book is that it is not your "typical" leadership book. You don't get 25 chapters on how to be a better leader or 55 things that you need to do to be a better leader. Very simply, this is a "behind the scenes" conversation with some of the greatest leaders of our time. If you are a leader, administrator, pastor, teacher, coach or some one who has influence over people, this book is a must read for you.

Reading and Leadership

I've always heard it said that "Leaders are readers." I have found this to be very true. Some would say that "Readers are leaders." I have not always found this to be the case. Just because someone reads does not mean that they are designed for leadership. I am reading George Barna's Master Leaders. It is a great read and I recommend it to those in leadership or those who aspiring to be leaders. When I talk about leadership in this context, I am speaking of those who lead groups, organizations or movements. I make the assertion that everyone is a leader. At the very heart a leader is someone who has someone following them. We are all leading someone somewhere, whether it is consciously or not. For those leading groups, organizations and movements, it is vital that you read continuously. There is a wealth of resources out there to help you become a better leader (and honestly we can all become better in the area of leadership). It takes sacrifice to invest in yourself to become a better leader, but remember that as you invest in yourself, you are also investing in others. What you pour into yourself will ultimately be poured into those that you lead. We always for our team to put forth their very best, but is our team getting the very best out of us? Are we giving our very best? Are we the best that we can be? Regardless of the area in which you serve and lead, you must always be willing to shape your craft. You must constantly be learning. Learning is the movement that takes you to where you want to be. Learning is the river that we raft to reach the destination we desire to achieve. Learn. Read. Succeed. Lead.

Blessing

Abraham was a man who knew the blessing of the Lord. Abraham was also the source of blessing for others. In Genesis 12:2-3, God lays out His plan for blessing. God blesses us for the sole purpose of us being a blessing to others. Take a look! While this is a promise to Abraham, because we have been in grafted into the line of Abraham, it is also a promise to us as followers of Christ. God promises to bless us with the expectation that we will be a blessing to others. Think, for just a moment, about the ways that God has blessed you in the past year. Did you think it was just for your benefit? The blessing was or is so that you can go and be used of God to be a blessing to someone else. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6 that you reap what you sow. If you sow blessing in the life of another, blessing will be returned to you. God tells Abraham that those who bless others will also be blessed. So often we wait for the blessing of God and it never comes. Have you ever thought that it was because you were not a wise steward of what God blessed you with last time? We are the direct result of Abraham's blessing; therefore, we should carry on the promise given to Abraham by being a blessing to others.

Brokenness

Brokenness is a beautifully difficult thing. When we witness it in others we sympathize with them, comfort them, support them. When it happens to us, we feel as if the rug has been pulled from beneath our feet, as if our very intestines have been ripped out of our insides. Brokenness is painful but so necessary to be pursuant of Christ. It is not until we have been broken that we fully understand the fullness of grace. We need brokenness. I have witnessed it many times and experienced it a few times myself. It's the times that we reach rock bottom, brokenness, when we have nowhere to go but up, that we are ready to go where God intends us to go. There is great reward in brokenness. It is in brokenness that we are made whole and complete.

Seeing 2010

As the new year dawned, how did you see it? Was it the same as it was yesterday, or did you see it entirely new? The key word fro me this year is vision. It will be a theme in my preaching this Sunday, but has also been a theme of things I have been reading lately. Vision is not just seeing what is, but what can be or will be. I tweeted earlier today that I see 2009 in the rear view and am slamming the gas into 2010. Vision is being able to leave the past in the past and push toward the future. Over the Christmas break I read Seth Godin's e-book What Matters Now. It is not a "Christian" book, but a book that needs to be read by every leader. It is thought provoking and challenging. There's some good stuff in there and there's some stuff that does not apply right now. The thing that I took away from it is that away is the need that everyone of us has for vision. What has happened to so many people is that they have lost their vision. There was a time, when we were young, and we thought we could conquer the world. Then as we grew older, we began to listen to the critics and we lost our desire and drive to be world conquerors. We became settled and we lost our fire. As the fire died in our soul it dimmed our vision for grandeur.

If we are going to crash into life, then we must be people of vision. We must spend time seeking the will of God so that we set our vision on the things that matter most. I hope that we enter the second decade of this millenium that you will begin the process of becoming a person of vision. I hope that you regain the fire of your youth and that you will begin to conquer the world. 2010 is a year of great promise, a year of great vision and a year of great accomplishment.