Jesus' Blended Family - A message that reminds us about our commitment to the spiritual family

What comes to your mind when you think of a spiritual family? Your thoughts could be anything from simple words like good, love, or hate, or your thoughts could go to "I don't believe in a 'spiritual' family," "They are a bunch of hypocrites," "We are not close, we are not any kind of a family," or some other elaborated answer.

If you were to define what family, in this sense means, it would probably come from this definition, "a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation." One's spiritual family would be connected by their belief in certain religious convictions. They may not be the exact same, but most would agree the "core" of the beliefs are similar.

Jesus was told that His family was wanting to visit with Him in Matthew 12:46-50. He then replies with a question that can be summed up with this question, "Who is my family?" When it comes to the type of family Jesus answers with, He is basically describing a blended family of different genders, races, cultures, and beliefs. That all together makes up Jesus' family! Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Understanding ~ When Jesus answers this question, in the text, He uses the word "whoever." This world will be an umbrella term for everyone. For some, that may have really strong biases or prejudices, this word may challenge your thinking. To think about someone who has a lower education, children out of wedlock, drinks too much, cusses like a sailor, dresses different than you deem "normal," likes the same gender, has a different color skin, wears a turban, and the list could continue, that any of these could be welcome to receive the grace that Jesus offers and have their sins forgiven may seem preposterous. Some of these are lifestyle sins and some of these are simply differences. The ones that are lifestyle would need to change their lifestyle in order to continue to enjoy that grace. For the ones that are simply "differences" then we may need to just "accept" and not judge them. Let us be understand of who the "whoever" is when it comes to Jesus' invitation.
• Just at Your Church? ~ As I mentioned a definition of family, think about how that applies to you spiritually. I am focusing on those who have a religious affiliation. Are you seeing those who are "within" your church building's walls as they only "Christians?" Are they the only one's you foresee joining up with you in heaven some day? What do you think would be your reaction if you were wrong in your thinking and there was someone else...maybe me...there as well? I think it would be surprising to some to find out who is going to be there. I have to say that I may be surprised as well. May we try to find the main point of our beliefs and be open to others who may share in that same set of beliefs.
• Love Less ~ Remember that whether we are talking about our own biological family or our spiritual family, we are still to love Jesus more. However, because Christ is the head of the spiritual body, would we say we should love our spiritual family moreso than our biological family? I think they may rank a bit higher. When they are one-in-the-same, then that is a totally different variable. Let us love Him most!a group of people united by certain convictions or a common

Though we may be able to trace our family trees so far back and find out exactly who is on our tree, one thing we will never know is how many we have in our spiritual family until we make it to heaven. As you go through your week, ask God to open doors to lead you to people that need to hear about Jesus. They may be related!

Now it's your turn...what is it that you like best and least about having a spiritual familie?

The Goodness of Where We Are

What is a better time to celebrate than the present? When you start to add up all the blessings you have, you tend to appreciate life more and more.

The past has already happened, so to bring it to the future is only carrying unneeded baggage. This is usually easier said than done, especially when some of the past baggage is emotionally attached. I have negative memories of my childhood that I can remember pretty vividly. What I have found is that those memories may come with me, but how it affects my future depends on me. I can decide if it will permeate into other areas of my life or try to release it and go on with life.

This has been a struggle at times, but it helps to leave the baggage in the past and move on with the future, appreciating the present. That brings us to this week's quote...

Life is indeed grander than ever, when we take the time to understand every bit of the goodness that exists right where we are. ~ Gigi Galluzzo

Have you ever been in search of something and it be right in front of you, literally? I have and it kind of makes you feel like a fool, momentarily.

That is similar to how we should react to life when we are caught looking backward and forward and not appreciating the present. Time is something you cannot take back. It is here for the moment but then it is gone. Moments add up to be minutes which add up to be hours. Hours add up to be days which add up to be weeks. Weeks add up to months which add up to years. To drift from one to the next can create losses in life.

May you take the time to enjoy the present. This made me think of losing a friend recently to a fatal motorcycle crash. He and his wife (or anyone) did not have the opportunity to have "final words" together. They didn't know that hours after they said goodbye that he would be gone.

Appreciate the present, you never know how much future you will have in this world and/or with someone!

Now it's your turn...What do you most appreciate about the present?

"I Give Up: All Else is Worthless"

I know a family that experienced two house fires within 5 years (in fact, they are a reader).  One pretty much destroyed everything they had, the other, only partial.  Most people that experience house fires only get to go through that once in their lifetime.  I have not experienced it yet, and hope that I never do!  However, could you imagine how you would react to this type of tragedy and loss?  Imagine your belongings no longer being around because of a fire that destroyed everything.  I've often wondered what inanimate object(s) I would want to take out of my house, if I ever experienced a house fire?  Have you thought about it or made a list/plan?

Whatever you took out of your house would only be a fraction of what would be left to burn.  All those tangible memories would be gone.  All the heirlooms, gone.  All the toys, gone.  All the clothes, gone. Not a pleasant thought.  That is why there are a few things that are more important than things.  One, being family - biological and spiritual, and, two, your faith.

Giving up things can be difficult, but it may make you appreciate more.  Yesterday, we continued with our "I Give Up" series where we are trying to think about what we can give up so that we can maybe understand what it took for Christ to give up for us.  Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

1. Examine Yourself ~ Paul, the Apostle, made mention in this text, of all the different things he had done in his life, but considered them not even close to as important as what he had found in Christ.  Think about things that you may put on a resume to cause other people to be impressed.  Then, humbly consider them all as unimportant compared to your faith.  Press on toward Jesus, not things!
2. Lose Something ~ There are all kinds of things one could give up for this short period of time (3 more weeks) that would cause you to miss it, so that you get a hint of the sacrifice that Jesus went through for you and me.
3. Gain Something ~ When you lose you also gain.  Losing weight may cause you to gain confidence, for example.  Losing a habit or time you normally spend, may cause you to gain appreciation or take advantage of the time spent, which you never realized you had.  You may gain a new perspective on life.

Giving something up is simply about discipline.  In this particular lesson it is about realizing that nothing is more important than "gaining Christ".  Paul testified that he had given up all these good things because they weren't even closely as important as what he had found "in Christ".

How about you?  What have you thought about giving up for the sake of gaining Christ?  For some, this is not having Christ for the first time (aka becoming a Christian), but I want you to gain Christ in a way that draws you a bit closer as you seek to experience giving up something of yourself, like He did for you, me, and everyone.  Just give it up...for Him!

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Don't Be a Turkey, Give Thanks!

Thanksgiving is one of the holidays that we tend to use it for its purpose. Our family has a tradition of saying something we’re thankful for before we eat our dinner. Generally, the thankfulness is directed toward the other person. It is a fun time to hear what the other person is appreciative of you for and it gives me a boost to hear it said.

In Luke 19, Jesus cures ten people who first beg and beg for their healing. Jesus then heals them, but only one comes back. It seems that once they got what they want they forgot about thanking the one who cured them. The one who comes back shows how appreciative he is of this miracle that Jesus performed on him. The other nine were just a bunch of turkeys – they forgot to give thanks!

Are you in the 90% or in the 10%? When things happen to you are you giving thanks or being a turkey? This story from Luke 19 probably reflects how most people would respond. When was the last time you told your boss thanks for your job? When was the last time you told your teacher thanks for being your teacher? When was the last time you told your parents or children thanks for something that was particular to them? When was the last time you said thanks to your minister for the work they do? Or, when was the last time you said thanks to God when it wasn’t a “church” time or the outcome wasn’t a “yes”? I would tend to think that we probably haven’t said thanks in these listed situations.

God has blessed us physically, materially, and spiritually. Use this week to say thanks to God for allowing you to be rescued from your sins, something different each day. A few examples are: your family, your senses, your job, your school, your teachers, your principal, your sins forgiven, your house, your church, your talents, your friends,

One goal in the Luke 19 parable was to get us to understand how important it is say thanks. This week the concept of being thankful is on our minds, may we use it the way it was intended and not be a turkey!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Praying With Thanks - Daniel 6:10-11

What were some of the basic phrases in the last prayer you said? "Be with me..." "Guide, guard, and direct us...", "Give him (the minister) a ready recollection of the things he's studied...", "Forgive us of our sins...", "Heal those on the prayer list...", "May we take this in a manner pleasing to you/thee..."??? Any of those phrases did you say or hear at your church assembly on Sunday? Did you hear many "thanks" in the prayers? How often were the "thanks" phrases outnumbered by the "help us" phrases?

The story of Daniel in the Lion's Den has an important part that I usually looked past this part of the text from verse 10..."Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God,... (NIV). Daniel was praying with thanksgiving. Daniel didn't ask for God to rescue, but to be appreciative! As we think about that concept from the lesson, here are some applications to choose from to use...

1. Thanksgiving traditions tend to be very deep. We tend to make the same foods and eat with the same people each year. Our family has a tradition of saying something that we appreciate about each other...try saying something you appreciate about each other and making that a new tradition. If your family meal is really big, have each person say something about someone else not in their own household.
   
2. Take time this week to say a prayer of thanks...just of thanks...nothing else. Say it, no matter how short or long. Focusing on "thanks" takes our mind off of other things.
3. Tell someone "thanks" for something they have done to make an impact in your life.
4. Use Thanksgiving to be thankful for the things you have in Christ!

May we never forget the fact that we are able to have our sins forgiven, which should make us eternally thankful!

What are some of your family's traditions...I'd love to hear them.

Grateful to God...

Praising God - I Peter 1:3-9

Have you ever experienced a trip to the store and realized, after you came home, that you forgot to buy something you needed? The flaw in the situation was because you didn't put the item you needed, which you forgot, as a priority. To make sure you don't forget requires one of two things: putting the item on a list or establishing a habit of buying the important things.

The same principle works with praising God. Have you ever ended a prayer and realized you forgot to say much of anything that would be considered praise? You may have forgot to put it on your list, became so busy wanting to ask God other things you forgot to praise, or you didn't make it a priority. As we looked yesterday, Peter shows us that praising should be a priority in our lives. We have a merciful God, an undefiled inheritance, and serve an invisible, awesome God! These are reasons to praise. Here are some additional applications:

1. Use one opportunity a day to say nothing but praises. It doesn't have to be an actual prayer, just a time when you praise. What all has God done for you today that you can reflect on to praise Him for?
2. Thank God for your weaknesses...which allow you to "improve" on in the future and they keep you humble in the meantime.
3. Think of an adjective to describe God and use it either to "shout out" to God or to describe God when you pray next.
4. Reflect to what you appreciate about being a Christian...What makes that so appreciative? Tell God "Thanks" for it.

As much as we are allowed to ask God for things, we also should be remembering to praise Him for the different things He has done in our life and/or the lives of others.

May you have a week filled with praise!

God is Good...

Monday Mentionings: Appreciating 2007

The day before Christmas – what are you up to? Working, spending time with family, wrapping presents, finishing up baking/preparing for tomorrow’s dinner(s), etc. Each family has different traditions regarding presents, Santa, etc. Both of our families opened gifts on Christmas Eve, so when we got married, it was an easy transition. Santa came on Christmas – in my house it was unwrapped gifts and some candy in the stocking and in Aubrey’s house it was wrapped stocking stuffers (they didn’t have to fit in the stocking). We have adopted Aubrey’s tradition for what Santa brings, which has always led to just as much fun as anything I ever experienced! Our “Christmas” will be after the 25th this year due to awaiting the arrival of family for the eagerly anticipated baby!

Christmas is about appreciating, more than anticipating. It is easy to get wrapped up in the anticipation of “what you will receive”. As I reflect over the year, it has been one of the greatest years to be appreciative. Here’s a small list…

1. My wife’s safe and healthy pregnancy
2. My marriage
3. Great church family
4. The Vision Team
5. The “Love and Respect” group
6. Installing shepherds
7. Open doors for outreach
8. Deepened relationships to those in the community

What does your list look like? I am also appreciative of many other things, but these are some things that pertain to the church family.

Yesterday, we looked at the “wise men” following the star – finding Jesus. As you go to the star, which is Jesus (the light and morning star), may you find comfort, reassurance, hope, and joy to guide you through life, specifically this holiday season.

May God bless you with a safe and joyous holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

Being Appreciative ~