I came across a prayer today that has really got me thinking.  It’s nothing new, it’s nothing revolutionary, but it is really challenging me in my walk.

Faithfulness as a Steward…

• Of time
• Of talents
• Of treasure
• Of truth
• Of relationships

This got me thinking about myself as a steward of God’s things.  I started thinking about what I did today/tonight.  There were certainly some rewarding times and conversation.. but could I have done more?  It was also interesting to me that I read a blog on ChurchCrunch entitled “The End is Part of the Plan” where John talks about the most valuable thing he has, quantitatively, is time.

I waste so much time on unimportant things that add no value to God, to my family or to those around me — things that are ultimately a “time suck”.  I need to get more organized and intentional around my time committments, especially on days/nights where I don’t have a planned schedule/agenda (such as work days).  I need to get more intentional about who I am spending time with, how much time I am spending with them and what we are talking about.

From an encouragement perspective, today, I have several very good conversations.

1. I met with Johnathan Dodson from Austin City Life and discussed Fight Clubs.  Amazing guy with a vision for reaching people in the Austin central area.  I am definitely better off today having spent time interacting with him.
2. I spent time interacting with a Catholic at work about faith by works versus salvation through Christ alone.  It wasn’t a confrontational discussion, it was just some sharing.  It challenged me to be able to share the gospel in a way that didn’t respect his beliefs, but also demonstrated what I believe and why I believe it.  The Bible is a powerful thing and we can’t take it’s truths for granted.
3. I hung out with my oldest daughter for a few minutes as she laid down for bed and we talked about her day.  She had a tough day but didn’t want to orginally talk about it.  It was very cool that I was able to tell her that she can always tell me anything and I will just listen — not try to fix it.  I gave her a big hug and let it go.  She decided to share with me after a minute or two how her day didn’t go so well at school for a couple of various reasons.  By the time we ended the conversation, she was laughing and smiling as big as she could.  We even talked about how she is always “watching me” to see what I do in every situation.  She told me “you are cool and I want to be just like you.”  There are probably never going to be words coming out of her mouth that are that powerful and impactful to me. That is what it is all about with children.

I am incredibly blessed.  Now, what I need to do is use the talents and giftings God has given me to have a greater impact.  Not an impact on myself but on my family, on my church, on my community, on my co-workers.  All of these people are gifts to me from God.  To view any one of them as something other than that just lessens the real value of the possibilities God has laid before me to have a greater impact for His kingdom.

I appreciated the music so much I just went and bought his other album “Don’t Get Comfortable“.

When I read this Scripture, it convicts me of my sins even more.  It makes me think more about the work of Jesus Christ and how in my every day life, it is absolutely critical that I never take this for granted.  People in this world will spit on Jesus because they do not believe what He did for them.  “So then [God] has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” (Romans 9:18)  That doesn’t excuse me from being a light every single day.  My  typical week will consist of 40-50 hours of work, 5-10 hours of elder stuff, a busy Sunday in corporate worship and the rest either with my family or personal time.  When are the right people seeing Jesus in my life?  Is it during the 40-50 hours at work?  Is it during corporate worship?  There are lost people in this world who need to know what Jesus Christ did for  them.  This text makes it abundantly clear to me that God crushed Jesus Christ for His children.  He crushed Jesus Christ on the cross so that man’s sins will be washed away and accounted righteous.

What am I willing to do tomorrow in order to make sure that others know this truth?  Will I close in prayer and then forget this text until I talk to my other Christian friends or will I get in front of others who need to hear this truth and share with them the good news?  That is really the challenge to me from God today.  I wonder if He is saying the same to you…

HT: Christian Post

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

My goal isn’t to do an exegetical analysis of the “great commission” but to challenge people to pray about global missions.  How often do I sit in the comfort of my home and not consider the persecution and turmoil other people are experiencing around the global for the cause of Christ.  God’s Word tells us that we should expect to meet persecution.  In fact, we should even rejoice in it!

I have heard some (including John Piper) say that there are “go’ers” and “send’ers” — not everyone is called to be a missionary.  However, we are all called to obedience to God’s Word and His word says that we are to make disciples of all nations.  I would encourage and challenge anyone who reads this to prayerfully consider what impact you personally are being called by God to have with respect to global missions.

In the interest of spurring on your research, I offer a couple of links (this is not even close to an exhaustive list) that might help you get plugged into reliable and Christ-center organizations focused on reaching the nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

East West Ministries

Samaritan’s Purse

I also watched an interview with Lacrae and Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church.  The interview covered Lecrae’s background and testimony as well as the reason he and 116 Clique are doing what they are doing.  It is an amazing ministry and great to see them accomplishing the work of God…  check it out!

God will not forsake His people. He has made a covenant with them and He will honor that covenant. Our God keeps His promises. He does not say one thing and then do another (like man). He will not leave His chosen family — the believers and saved souls. God provides blessings for those whom He disciplines.

Verses 11 through 13 are incredibly interesting to ponder…

For He will command His angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
    the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

God loves me so much that He has put me a step above the angels. He has them working to protect me. He will work on their hands to protect me and provide for me. That is an extremely humbling thought. Angels are the heavenly hosts and yet they working for the Lord to provide for me. God is so gracious and forgiving. He does all of this even though I sin against Him countless times every single day. I am amazed by His grace and His love. I have so much to learn and so much growing to do in order to truly serve the Lord with all of my heart, with all of your mind and with all of my soul.

The end of this Psalm is the part that really peaks my interest, however… “Because He holds fast to me in love…”

1. He will deliver me.
2. He will protect me.
3. He will answer me when I call.
4. He will be with me.
5. He will rescue me.
6. He will honor me.
7. He will satisfy me.
8. He will show me His salvation.

Thank you, Father God, for doing all of this for me when I have done nothing to deserve you. Thank you for your great love and compassion. I pray that I can live my life every single day in a way that is closer and closer to the way You call me to live. I pray that the light I can shine into people’s lives would be Your light instead of a worldly light. I thank you, Father, for Your great Word that motivates and inspires me beyond my imagination. You are amazing! Thank you, Father.

“My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD…” This is a very powerful image. As I think about what it means to long for something so bad that it would almost drive me to faint. Love is a lot like that. We long so much to be with someone — sometimes so much that it almost hurts! To long for the LORD can be so overwhelming that it will cause someone to faint. Do I desire God that much? Does my life show that or is it the exact opposite? If God is my greatest desire, just to be in His courts would be supremely better than anything else. As the Scripture says at the end of this Psalm: “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” A single day versus a thousand days. One day versus 3 years. I would rather spend one day with God than three years in the most beautiful place on the entire earth. That really makes me think about my desires.

What does it mean for my heart and flesh to sing for joy? We all know what it means for our flesh to crave something. We know what it means when our flesh sings for joy — as from an intimate moment with a loved one. I think of how it feels when you first kiss the person that you love for your entire life — your heart simply sings a song of joy. David is saying that he feels this way all of the time for God. His heart and his flesh are singing to God. Of course, it isn’t just any god — it is the living God. Our God is, was and always will be. David knew that. He lived his life in a way that demonstrated that. Again, do I live my life in a way that shows that my greatest desire is God?