Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Chapter One

I was raised in a very conservative Christian home. My dad was so strict that once when he caught me kicking a soccer ball on a Sunday afternoon he grounded me for a week and told me that my actions had ruined everything he had been teaching for the past two years. We were allowed to play board games on Sunday, but we could not play any physical games, such as tag, any sort of ball game, or even go horseback ridding for fun. We could go down to the river to cool off, but we could not jump or dive into the water. I remember Sunday’s as the most boring of all days. There was nothing to do except sit around and read a book. I couldn’t even go outside and play with my dog.

I grew up down in the jungles of Paraguay in a place which is now underwater due to the construction of the Itaipu dam on the Parana river between Paraguay and Brazil. Now when I use the word jungle you need to think big trees, dense jungle vines, and vegetation so thick you could not see three feet into it and animals could not run through it.

Our house had dirt floors, straw roof, and poles and mud for walls. When it rained the water ran into our house because the dirt floor had become packed and was lower than the ground outside the house. We had all sorts of bugs and spiders in the house, and we even killed two poisonous snakes in the house. At night we would often have bats fly into the house. We kids thought this was great because as the bats would dive down our dogs would jump up and try to catch them. We’d help the dogs by trying to hit the bats with brooms. It seems that the brooms were large enough for the bats to avoid most of the time. We later found that coat hangers or other thin whip-like rods worked much better as the bats could not avoid those whip-like devices and we could knock them out of the air for the dogs or cats to catch.

Behind our house was a beautiful arroyo called the Dos Hermanas, and in front of our house there was an arroyo called the Victoria. The Dos Hermanas was probably four times as large as the Victoria. We were only a short distance from the Parana river, into which both of these arroyos emptied into. Since the Parana was down in a deep gorge the Dos Hermanas had two beautiful waterfalls, one about 21 feet high followed by another 30 foot high. The water was crystal clear and we used to go swimming in the arroyo nearly every day. We would dive off the top of the larger waterfall into the 15 or 20 foot deep water below.

We had no running water, no electricity, no refrigeration, no paved roads, no telephones, no local radio, no television, no local store, and none of the other luxury items so many people take for granted today. The nearest gas station was 82 kilometers away, but those 82 kilometers often took a couple of days to navigate in bad weather. I spent quite a few nights stuck on that road, sleeping in the car with my dad and brother.

Dad would go to Asuncion, about 350 kilometers away, about every two months to get groceries such as salt, flower, sugar, rice, noodles, cooking oil, and other such things. On a good trip that 350 kilometers would take about eight hours. Most of it was over dirt roads which was nearly impossible to drive on when it rained. In front of our house we had rows of large OveƱa trees. When the trees had fruit on them we would have hundreds of big parrots come and land in these trees to eat the fruit. We would go out and shoot the parrots for food. They were very tasty! We also ate Toucans and doves, both of which were plentiful. We would go hunting and fishing to get other fresh meat for food. Eventually we raised pigs, got a cow so we would have fresh milk, and raised chickens for both meat and eggs. I learned to hunt with a 12 gauge shotgun when I was only nine years old.

Before we got a sawmill we had men using a two-man-saw cut logs into boards and timbers for building a house for a retired school teacher who went down and taught me and my brother and sisters. The roof was made of split shingles which were on a 45 degree slope. Even though you could see light through the roof it didn’t leak because the roof was so sloped. The retired teacher got me up to about a 5th grade reading level, and from that point on I read about everything I could get my hands on. My dad had a sister who was secretary to one of the vice presidents of Prentice Hall and she got a sample set of books sent down to us for our education. We also had all sorts of science and other books which my aunts sent us. Since books were one of the few items which could go into the country duty free we enjoyed a number of subscriptions to good reading materials such as Reader’s Digest and National Geographic. We also had a complete American People’s encyclopedia which I read nearly cover to cover over the years. I also received a set of books on electricity and electronics which I read and re-read, laying the foundation for me to go into aircraft electrical repair when I would join the U.S. Air Force years later.

For some reason my dad favored my older brother. I knew that all my life, but only later in life did it really hit home. As a consequence of that, I was always working to gain my dad’s approval. Yet no mater how hard I tried I could never do anything good enough to earn my dad’s praise. I remember my brother set a record of getting 16 logs out of the jungle and to the sawmill in one single day. I nearly killed myself breaking my brother’s record over and over, eventually delivering 32 logs in one day. My dad never gave me one word of praise. I finally figured out I was never going to be good enough for my dad and gave up trying. That led to some real bitterness and hard feeling between my dad and me. From about the age of 16 until I got my draft notice at age 21 our relationship was almost that of a boss to his foreman. Dad gave order and I carried them out. When dad was gone I ran the mission farm. When he returned I gave him a report and got new orders. Those were some very difficult years in my life.

When I was 12 we got a sawmill and dad built a two story wood house with a wood floor and tin roof. We were living in pure luxury. My dad build the new house near another river and we had to move about 20 kilometers. Now we were only 30 kilometers from Hernandarias which was the nearest town, instead of 50. Also, the town was growing and now had a single telephone. We were also getting some modern luxuries. We built a stand at the back of the house and put a 380 liter aluminum aircraft fuel tank up on it. We then installed a hand pump down at the river and I would then pump the tank full so that we would have running water in the house. We also had a kerosene refrigerator so we could keep food cold.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Something to Ponder

"The man who has been taught by the Holy Spirit will be a seer rather than a scholar. The difference is that the scholar sees and the seer sees through; and that is a mighty difference indeed." Tozer

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Why Should We Believe the Bible?

Ok folks. Here’s the warning. I’m going to get up on my soap box today.

Yesterday I posted an article which says that many children of Christian parents walk away from their faith when they enter college. That is not only sad, it is tragic. We have failed them! We have failed to help them recognize the truth. They leave for college with a faith that is based solely on what someone has told them, and when that faith is challenged they fall apart.

Years ago I attended a conference where a well known author and lecturer was speaking on the subject of psychology. During his speech he made the statement that an atheist has just as much reason to believe that there is not a God as we Christians do for believing there is a God. At the end of the conference I approached him and asked if I had understood him correctly. He replied that I had, so I proceeded to tell him that I disagreed with him. He cut me off and asked if I could put God in a laboratory and measure Him. I replied that of course I could not. He then replied, “There you have it.” turned his back and walked away. I have never again read one of his books. If his faith is that shallow I don’t want to waste my time reading what he has to say.

Now you probably need to understand that for years I sat under the teaching of one of the most brilliant minds in the country. Dr. Graff grew up an atheist but came to know Jesus as his Savior while earning his masters degree in engineering. When he attempted to understand theology from a scientific view point he was told not to try to mix theology with science because that was like trying to mix oil and water. Dr. Graff knew God had created both so he continued to study both, eventually coming to where he could explain many of the subjects that theologians avoid. Dr. Graff was one of the few men I have ever heard who could explain both theology and science to where both meshed and made good sense. Thank you, Dr. Graff!

I believe it is fair to say that most theologians are afraid of science, and because they fear the subject they avoid it rather than plunging in and dealing with their fears. As Josh McDowell states in the article I posted yesterday, most Christians can’t give a valid reason for why they believe the Bible. Most Christians I have spoken to understand faith to be a leap in the dark. That’s tragic! If our faith has no rational basis, no solid foundation, then is it any wonder our youth walk away? Why shouldn’t they? If we are basing our eternal souls on something someone wrote, and we believe those writings simply because we choose to believe them, then we are fools! We might just as well believe in Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and Peter Pan!

Why am I so adamant about this? Because there are many people today who believe they are right, and yet they are following the devil. There are many who will give their lives to kill others because they believe they will go to heaven and be rewarded for dying a martyrs death. They believe! They may even believe in their cause as much as you believe in yours! Unless you have a solid basis for your beliefs your believe mean nothing whatsoever! And when someone stands up and tells people “I believe…”, yet gives no solid basis for those beliefs, they are merely spouting their ignorance.

Suicide bombers die believing a lie because they are brainwashed from the time they were little kids. Christian young people walk away from their faith believing they have been taught nothing more than fairy tales by those who wished to brainwash them so they would become good law abiding citizens.

Jesus never condemned the religious leaders for not believing His words by themselves. Jesus told them they were doomed because they rejected the evidence! Faith is not about taking leap in the dark! Faith is about acting on truth. Faith is based on fact! Read John 5. The reason Jesus told the religious leaders they were doomed is because they were rejecting the evidence, and then He listed the evidence for them. The Old Testament Law, the Old Testament prophets, the witness of John the Baptist, the evidence of the works He did, and the witness of His Father. Jesus never asked anyone to take a leap in the dark. We read in John 2:11 that the very first miracle Jesus did was to show His disciples who He was, and the result is that the disciples believed in Him.

We believe the Bible because it is proven to be true! And because it is true it stand the test that it is the word of God. And because of that I can base my eternal destiny on what it says.

So, do you know what you believe? Can you back up what you believe? Is your faith based on evidence, or did you just decide to believe something someone told you?

Know what you believe!

If you’d like help on this subject please drop me a line. I’d love to help you come to grips with the truth.

May God’s Spirit guide you into all truth,

Pastor Jim

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Do you know WHY you believe WHAT you believe?

Most Christians Cannot Explain their Faith, Says Apologist

The faith of most Christians, even that of many pastors, will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, according to renowned apologist Josh McDowell.

Thu, Jun. 03, 2010 Posted: 05:43 PM EDT


The faith of most Christians, even that of many pastors, will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, according to renowned apologist Josh McDowell.

This is a concern because pastors’ inability to present biblical truth comprehensibly and relevantly has led to children from Christian families leaving the church, research has shown.

In the United States, the age at which nearly all such children leave church has decreased to 18 years.

Not even the children of many successful ministers are spared.

McDowell made his comments at a recent networking dinner among various men’s ministries organized recently by Men-in-Covenant. MiC is the men’s ministry of Covenant Evangelical Free Church.

He recalled speaking with the pastor of one of the largest U.S. churches, a man known for his expository preaching. Confiding in him, the pastor said their church was losing its youth right after high school graduation.

In his 50 years of ministry, McDowell has asked several thousand pastors and leaders how they could be certain Jesus Christ said “I am the truth” and not one of many truths or a truth.

“Not one person has ever given me an intelligent, biblically-based answer,” said the author of The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict.

During the past six years, he asked hundreds of Christians and leaders why they see themselves as Christians. Again no one gave him an "intelligent" answer.

In the past 17 years, he has asked over 4,000 pastors, leaders and parents why they believe the Bible is true.

A mere six “came close to giving an intelligent answer,” McDowell noted.

“If anything is based upon truth, it’s the Christian faith,” he said. “Christians who do not know why they have faith or believe have a very difficult time expressing themselves to others.

"The saddest thing is people come to me and say, ‘What’s the answer?’"

“I say, ‘There’s no answer… There are hundreds of answers.’"

Most Christians, even some pastors, don’t even know one. On the other hand, the apologist said he could give 50 reasons for his belief that the Bible is true.

Ninety-five percent of Christians gave disappointing responses when asked why they believe Jesus is the Son of God.

Asked why the Bible is true and historically reliable, Christians replied that it was what they had been taught by their church or parents.

A common response that most Christians gave to both questions was that it is “what I believe.”

McDowell responded: “That’s voodoo thinking. Where did we ever get that crazy idea that something is true just because we believe it?

“If that is true, then there will never be heresy. Everybody would be right.”

On one occasion, 13 youth pastors at a large convention were unable to reasonably answer the apologist’s question.

Finally one young person stood up, walked toward him and told him he knew the answer.

The young man promptly held up his Bible and said, “Because I believe it.”

And to McDowell’s dismay, all the youth pastors applauded him.

McDowell said, “Young man, do you know the difference between you, me and the majority of Christians in the world?

“To you, it is true because you believe it. For me, I believe it because it is true.”

Another response the apologist received was: Because I have faith.

He commented, “Where did we ever get the crazy idea that faith makes something true? That’s idiotic. That’s so unbiblical you can call it heresy.

“God doesn’t use faith to create truth. He uses truth through the Holy Spirit to create faith.”

Christians, the apologist stressed, are called to explain their faith when asked. They are set free by the faith in the truth, he expressed, referring to John 8:32.

Yet others say Christianity is true because Jesus changed their lives.

Even this will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, McDowell argued.

“Lies change lives; cults change lives,” he said.

To make such an appeal is “not the essence of Christianity,” the author emphasized.

McDowell said: “We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our children, we owe it to our neighbors, we owe it to the lost, to tell them not just what we believe but why do we believe it.”

Edmond Chua
Christian Post Correspondent

This article first appeared in the June 3, 2010 issue of The Christian Post. Used with permission. To retrieve this article online please go to http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100603/most-christians-cannot-explain-their-faith-says-apologist/index.html

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Tuesday’s Thoughts

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)

It seems so obvious. Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. Do we get so caught up in planting churches that we miss the point? I recently heard a speaker preaching on this and he reminded us that Jesus never told us to plant churches, only to make disciples. Hmmm. Good point!

As I’ve been thinking about this questions I asked myself 1) what we get when we plant a church without first making disciples, versus 2) what we get when we make disciples without first planting a church?

1) When we plant a church without first making disciples we have a group of people meeting and trying to become something they don’t understand. These immature people may have good intentions, but they are like children who are left in charge of what to eat and what to do. Their food is pizza, ice cream, and sodas, they play all day instead of doing the work that needs to be done, and they continually squabble over who is going to call the shots. The result is chaos and disorder, so that those who could help them can’t stand to be around them and leave to go be with others. Sadly, some immature church groups are so self-focused that they drive people away from Jesus instead of attracting people to the greatest message mankind has ever heard.

2) When we make disciples without first planting a church you get disciples meeting in homes, restaurants, and even under shade trees. They become a close-knit group of people who love Jesus, study His word, learn to apply it to their lives, learn to let the Holy Spirit lead and direct them, and then share Jesus’ love with others. In effect they become a church family. And when people see this group of Christ-followers living a meaningful life with purpose, they recognize this is what they are missing and they want it.

Let’s not get it backwards. Let’s just do what Jesus said and make disciples. Then those disciples can make other disciples, and those disciples can make other disciples, and the chain can keep right on going. If we focus on this process we see a lot more lives changed, and those disciples will plant churches that are attractive instead of repulsive. But even more importantly, when we stand before Jesus He’s not going to ask us how many churches we planted, but He will ask if we obeyed His command and made disciples.

So what is is we are commanded to do? “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations”

Until next time,

Pastor Jim

Saturday, June 5, 2010

A Wake Up Call!

I almost feel that today’s posting needs to carry the warning, “For mature audiences only!” Not because there is any sexually explicit or vulgar, but because immature people will take offense rather than see the real point. So if you are already feeling somewhat defeated in your Christian walk today, perhaps you might want to leave reading this until another time.

Some of us men need to slow down from our busy schedule. As you read that you say to yourself, “He’s right. I need to slow down. I’m too busy. I’m trying to do more than my day allows and I’m often missing deadlines, having to reschedule things, or missing commitments altogether.”

Please hear me carefully. I only tell you this because I want to help you. My dear friend, what you are failing to recognize is that your your busy schedule has become your master. Forgive my bluntness, but God is no longer first in your life, your schedule is first in your life. God does not call the shots, your busy schedule calls the shots. And you are so busy you don’t have time to slow down and see that you are living a life of idolatry. Your schedule is your idol. It has gotten between you and God.

When we allow anything, anything at all, to come into our lives that keeps us from focusing our attention on God first, then that item has become an idol. That item now has first place in our attention, and therefore in our life. It doesn’t have to be something we intentionally worship, in fact I doubt you would ever intentionally allow anything to come between you and God. I know that about you, and so does Satan. So what that scheming enemy does is he comes at you with things you love, things that are good, and he gets you so busy you don’t ever see it coming, and before you know it your attention has shifted. The things that are actually good now dominate our life and we fall into the trap of letting those good things take first place in our lives. And Satan has won once again in the life of one more well intentioned person.

Wake up! It’s not yet too late, yet! But time is ticking by and before you know it there will be no more time.

The Apostle Paul recognized this danger and wrote “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…” (Philippians 3:13). Paul focused on one thing so that he could become effective at what was most important. In the book of James we read that a man with many priorities is unfocused and unreliable (James 1:8), and it goes on to say that such men should not expect their prayers to be answered. Why? Why would God not answer the prayers of a man simply because his schedule is all out of whack? It goes right back to that point about his schedule has come between him and God. His schedule has become the boss of his life, not God.

Why do you think you have so many good things on your schedule? Please slow down for just a minute and think about this. It’s because you have so much potential! And because you have so much potential if you become focused the enemy has given you many things to get you unfocused to the point where you are 90% ineffective. And because you are 90% ineffective you are working harder and trying to do more in order to become more effective.

One of the first things to go when you become overly busy is your rest. When our rest goes our creativity goes. Now our creativity is one of the distinguishing character qualities we have from our Creator, having been made in His image. Think about that. When we become tired and lose our creativity we become less creative, less like our Creator, less like our Lord, less of what we are supposed to be, less of what we were designed for. But that’s not all. Now that our creativity is gone we have to work twice as hard to accomplish half as much, meaning that our effectiveness has gone. Now we get frustrated and our patience goes. Now that our patience is gone we stop postponing immediate gratification for future benefit, and that leads to all sorts of stupid actions. And losing our patience means we become once again less like our Creator.

Do you see the cycle Satan gets us into? And why? All because we got too busy.

So what’s the solution? 1) Recognize that you have allowed your schedule to become your boss. Don’t make excuses any longer! Face up to it and admit it! Your schedule has become your lord; it has gotten between you and God; it has become your idol. 2) Confess that sin to God and ask for His help to get your life in order. 3) Get with a trusted Christian friend who loves you enough to tell you the truth, someone who will tell you what I’m telling you here. 4) Have him (or her) help you discover what God has called you to do with your life. This is called prioritizing your life and focusing so that you can become effective at what God has called you to do. 5) Get rid of all the good things you are doing, but which are not what God has called you to do. 6) Recognize this weakness in your life and make sure you have an accountability partner who will help you avoid repeating this mistake.

I pray that you become so focused that Satan will cringe every day when your feet hit the floor, knowing that you are so effective God is going to use you to spread the message of Jesus and set captives free.

Your friend,

Pastor Jim

Friday, June 4, 2010

The Attributes of God

Definition: An attribute is a property intrinsic to its subject and by which the subject is distinguished or identified.

A few days ago I posted that we cannot love someone we don’t know. Here are some Bible passages that will help you begin to get to know God.

1. Simplicity: a. Meaning. God is uncompounded, incomplex, indivisible. b. Scripture. John 4:24.

2. Unity: a. Meaning. God is one. b. Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:39; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6; 45:5.

3. Infinity: a. Meaning. Without termination and finitude. b. Scripture. 1 Kings 8:27; Isaiah 66:1; Acts 17:28;

4. Eternity: a. Meaning. Free from succession of time. b. Scripture. Genesis 21:33; Psalm 90:2.

5. Immutability: a. Meaning. God is unchanging and unchangeable. b. Scripture. Malachi 3:6; James 1:17.

6. Omnipresence: a. Meaning. God is everywhere (not in everything; that is pantheism). b. Scripture. Psalm 139:7-12; Jeremiah 23:24.

7. Sovereignty: a. Meaning. God is the supreme ruler. b. Scripture. Ephesians 1:18-23; 1 Timothy 6:15.

8. Omniscience: a. Meaning. God knows all actual and possible things. b. Scripture. Job 38-39; Matthew 11:21; Luke 6:8; John 2:25; 18:4.

9. Omnipotence: a. Meaning. All power. b. Scripture. Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; 18:27; Revelation 19:6.

10. Justice: a. Meaning. Moral equity, "no respect of persons." b. Scripture. Psalms 9:8; 96:13; 98:9; Acts.10:42; 17:31.

11. Love: a. Meaning. God seeking the highest good of displaying His own will. b. Scripture. Psalms 136:7; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:4; 1 John 4:7, 8, 10, 16.

12. Truth: a. Meaning. Agreement to and consistency with all that is represented by God Himself. b. Scripture. John 1:14; 14:6.

13. Freedom: a. Meaning. Independence from His creatures. b. Scripture. Isaiah 40:13-14.

14. Holiness: a. Meaning. Righteous. b. Scripture. Isaiah 6:3, 1 John 1:5; Revelation 4:8.

 

Pondering 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (New International Version)

I’ve been thinking and pondering the last part of that verse. “the old has gone, the new has come!”

I know a few people whose faces come to mind when I think about that verse. Had you known these people before they came to know Jesus as their Savior you would think you were speaking to a different person today. They are not the same. The old life has been replaced with a new life. Exactly what this verse describes has taken place in these people’s lives.

But there are other faces that also come to mind, and these people have not changed. In fact, if you saw these other people today you would likely find them doing the same things you saw them doing last year, or even five years ago.

What’s the difference? Why do some people embrace their new life in Jesus while others continue to embrace their old life? Did the latter group simply say some words and never really meant it when they asked Jesus to be their Savior? As a pastor, I nearly always wonder if their is something more I should have done to help them. Should I have explained something differently? Was I unclear in some important area?

God’s beautiful and marvelous creation gives us magnificent examples of what God tells us in His word. God has given us the caterpillar to help us understand what it means to have a new life. This prickly and plump little creature crawls around on trees eating leaves, until one day he wraps himself up for a long nap. When he awakens from that long nap he manages to wiggle his way out of his cocoon, but everything is new. His short bumps for legs have been replaced with long slender legs. His prickly and plump body has been replaced with a slender smooth body. And where did those beautiful wings come from? And where did he learn how to flap those wings and fly? But there is still something else. Instead of going from leaf to leaf and eating his fill, his appetite has changed so that now he goes from flower to flower eating nectar. What happened? What happened is that caterpillar is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.

When a person asks God to forgive them from all those things that displeased a perfect God, when they ask Jesus to be their Savior and to take over control of their life, when they ask God to make them a part of His family, at that point a change takes place. God’s word tells us that His Spirit enters their life and they are no longer the same person.

As I read what the Apostle Paul’s wrote I’m convinced that he recognized the same problem. Notice what he wrote: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5) Paul wanted these people to make sure they really were part of God’s family and weren’t being deceived by Satan into just thinking they were different.

Can you point to a time in your life when you became a new creation? Has their been a change in your life like the caterpillar that changed into a butterfly? I sure hope so! But if not then I hope you’ll ask Jesus to make that change in you. Not sure how? Drop me a note. It would be my privilege to show you from God’s word, the Bible, how God wants to give you a new life. You can contact me at JimSteenland@gmail.com.

Until next time,

Pastor Jim

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Growth

Not too long ago someone asked me how we become the people God designed us to be, reaching our fullest potential, discovering our purpose, and living life to the fullest.

It seemed to me that I kind of rambled along and never really gave him an answer he could understand, grasp, and follow. That bothered me so much that it’s been rattling around in my head seeking a better response. As I’ve prayed and asked God to help me clarify this, here is what I’ve come up with.

In Mark 12:30 Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. How do we learn to do that? How do we learn to genuinely love God with all of our being? The answer lies in our getting to genuinely know Him. We can never genuinely love someone until we genuinely know them. The first step is for us to get to know God’s character so that we can understand His purpose and His plan.

In Hebrews 11:6 God tells us that we cannot please Him unless we become people of faith. Now you must understand, the context is not saving faith, but faith that moves one to action. This passage is all about people who already had a relationship with God, but then took that next step of moving from their comfort zone to obeying God and accomplishing huge things for His glory. The second step is for us to make the choice to move out of our comfort zone to obeying God’s plan to become a person of faith.

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus told us to seek God’s kingdom above anything else, and that the results would be a fulfilled life. We really like the part about a fulfilled life, but we tend to skim over the part about putting God’s kingdom first. In order for us to be fulfilled we must first discover God’s plan for our lives, and the only way to discover God’s plan for our lives is to live life under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit. The third step is for us to come into a close relationship with God so that we surrender our will to Him.

Keep in mind that these steps each involve a decision and then a growing process. They are each something like marriage: there was the day when the wedding took place and you became a husband or wife, but then you began the process of learning what that meant and how to become better at becoming a husband or wife, or a father or mother. In much the same way each of these steps involves decision and growth.

I’d love to hear from you about this. Why don’t you drop me a line?

May our Lord help you to make the choices to become His man or woman, growing to become all He designed you to be.

Jim