Saturday, February 19, 2011

No Risk No Reward


"Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It is a ghost!' And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.' And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' So He said, 'Come.'" Matthew 14:25-29, NKJV

They were in the middle of the lake in the middle of the night, and they came face to face with a choice. They could either respond to this situation in fear, or by faith. I wish I could tell you that the life of faith carries no risk to it. But that would be wrong; because frankly, living a life of faith is a huge risk. The Apostle Paul said if Jesus didn’t really rise from the dead, then we as believers are living a miserable lie. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19, NLT) But here’s the good news: Jesus did rise from the dead! Which means we get to live this wonderful life of faith. But, it is important to note that it is a life that includes taking a risk from time to time.

You see it would have been much easier for them to not take a risk and stay in the boat, letting fear determine their next move. But Peter did something that separated him from the other disciples. He chose to responded by faith rather than fear, and said, Jesus if that’s really You then I’m willing to do the impossible. I mean really, when was the last time you saw someone walking on water, other than to go ice fishing?

But there is an important ingredient to this story. It is what’s necessary to receive the reward for taking a risk – and that is, to have a word from God. Did you notice that Peter didn’t move until he had a word from Jesus? I’m confident that if Jesus hadn’t answered Peter that he wouldn’t have stepped out of that boat. You see Peter did more than just walk on water – he was actually walking on the word of Jesus. Think about it. It wasn’t a paragraph, or even a sentence – just one word, “come.” Peter believed that word, mixed it with his faith, and then took a risk leaving the safety of the boat. His super-sized risk was rewarded by a super-sized reward – He actually walked on water.

What about you? What has God been saying to you lately? Has Jesus been walking around the boat of your life, waiting for you to call out to Him? What reward is out there for you to risk it all for? Remember, without a risk there is no reward.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Set Your Sights


3 John 2 “Beloved I pray that you may prospers in all things and be in health, just as your souls prospers.”

When I was pretty young, my dad had a little fishing boat with one of those small motors with a control handle on it that powered us out to our favorite fishing hole. I’ll never forget the day when my dad told me that it was time to learn how to handle that big boy myself. So he got up front, and once I pulled the engine to life he taught me a principle that would serve me for the rest of my life. He said, “Son, I want you to pick a point out there on the horizon, and keep your sights on it. Because the winds and current will always fight against your ability to get to where you want go. So set your sight, and steer toward it.” It’s the nautical version of the old principle of, you hit what you are aiming at.

So what have you been setting your sights on? What are you aiming at? Because chances are, that if you can’t answer that question, either you’ve got your sights set on the wrong thing. Or if you don’t have it set on anything, and if that’s the case, then there is a good chance that your life may be adrift.

Ever wonder what God wants you to set your sights on? He wants us to set our sights on being prosperous. Now before you think I’m just talking about financial prosperity you’ve got to keep reading. The word “prospers” here is a compound word that paints the picture of having a successful journey. Who doesn’t want to have a successful journey, no matter where they are going, or what they are doing? We all do, we all want to reach our goals in life, both big and small. But what I like about this verse is that it gives us permission to have a well-balanced journey. Notice John’s prayer for us, is that we would prosper, that our health would be good, just as our soul prospered. Sounds to me like he is talking about having a prosperous journey through life—spirit, soul and body.

In other words, you don’t have to work yourself to death to be a success. You don’t have to sacrifice your marriage or your kids to prosper in you work. You truly can have it all, God’s way. So, the million-dollar question is where are we to set our sights. Well the answer to that is found in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” The answer is simple; we’re to keep our eyes on Jesus. When our eyes are on Him we can face the biggest storms and the strongest currents, and we can have a prosperous journey. A journey that’s focused on Him and not on things.

Beth and I are taking a couple of days to really seek God’s direction and pray, think, and talk about the next 20 years of our lives. We’re asking the Lord for what HE want us to focus on, not what we want, but what does HE want. It’s fun, it’s challenging, and in the meantime it’s super exciting to know that when we push off the shore that, with God’s help that we can successfully reaching our goals. Would you join us, take some time and really seek after the Lord and ask Him to help you to see where you should set your sights? Then keep your eyes on your target, and with God’s help you’ll get there!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Make Today Count!


“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Ephesians 5:15-16 NLT

Did you know that today is a gift from God? Think about it, yesterday could have been your last day here on earth. But you made it to another day, so what are you going to do with it? See it like it’s no big deal, just another day—or how about seeing today with a fresh pair of eyes? We rarely see things that we aren’t looking for. So, I vote that we choose to see today as God sees it, a day that is full of opportunity and potential. Because what we do with our days, and our time defines who we are.

Days are measured by time, 24 hours to be exact, and the clock is always ticking. And whether we like it or not, there is nothing we can do to stop it. Benjamin Franklin said that “time is the stuff life is made of.” I love that quote, because time is our most valuable possession, and what we do with it is indeed, the stuff life is made of. Abraham Lincoln said, “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” But isn’t it true that our years are just a collection of days? So, the only way to make our years count is to make sure that we make each and every day count by living with a real sense of purpose, and use our time wisely.

Yesterday ended last night, so we’ve got a fresh start, it’s called today. So, keep your eyes looking ahead, not behind. Learn from the mistakes of yesterday, and move on. Briefly celebrate yesterday’s victories, but don’t stay there. With the help of the Holy Spirit look for the opportunities that today presents. You see too many people are either trapped by their pasts, or they are looking too far into the future and they forget the importance of living for today. So, Carpe Diem, seize the day and live it, really live it. Look at the things that are important to you, and then build your day around them. Focus on what’s important, on what will ultimately define you.

What project do you need to finish? What phone call do you need to make? What meeting do you need to schedule? What risk do you need to take? What opportunity is out there for you? Don’t waste another day; make the most of this one, make today count.