A reminder...

Psalm 46

    For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[b] A song.

 1 God is our refuge and strength, 

   an ever-present help in trouble. 

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way 

   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 

3 though its waters roar and foam 

   and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]

 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, 

   the holy place where the Most High dwells. 

5 God is within her, she will not fall; 

   God will help her at break of day. 

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; 

   he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; 

   the God of Jacob is our fortress.

 8 Come and see what the LORD has done, 

   the desolations he has brought on the earth. 

9 He makes wars cease 

   to the ends of the earth. 

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; 

   he burns the shields[d] with fire. 

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 

   I will be exalted among the nations, 

   I will be exalted in the earth.”

 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; 

   the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Say it like you mean it...

Remember when we were kids, and when we did something bad and our parents made us apologize?  Almost everyone would say "I'm sorry," but with little to no conviction.  Then came the sentence we know all too well. "Say it like you mean it."

Lately I've been very convicted about doing works for the right reasons.  When I look at situations like the widow and her mite, Ananias and Sapphira, or the Ephesian Church in Revelations, I start to see a pattern.  God cares about what you do, but it seems He cares even more about WHY you do what you do.

It isn't enough to go to church.  Why do you go to church?  It isn't enough to just read your Bible and pray.  Why do you read your Bible and pray?  The things you do for God----what is the motivation behind them?

In my experience, people can see through motivations.  They can tell whether we're talking with them because we care about them or because they're another number to add to our list, another notch on our belt.  When we invite them to church, they can tell whether its because we really enjoy seeing them or because we just want another warm body in the pew.  They can tell whether we're sharing the love of Christ with them because we care about them or because we feel obligated somehow.  They can tell, and for a lot of them that is the only representation of Christ they ever see.  Do we want them to think that Jesus loves them because He's forced to?

For those of us who are employed by a church, this is twice as dangerous.  It's too easy to go to church on Sunday morning to meet our responsibilities rather than to spend time with the Family of God.  May God forgive me for ever walking through those doors because I feel I HAVE to, and not because I WANT to.

So I would encourage you to join me is asking God for a change of heart.  Let us pray that God would change our hearts so that we don't grit our teeth and bare the spiritual disciplines.  Rather, we run towards them, joyfully embracing the chance to grow closer to our Lord and Savior.

There's my rant for the day.

Keep Soaring,

B

Random neurons passing in my mind...

Brayson is 70 days away and counting...assuming he arrives when he's scheduled to, which from what I hear rarely happens.  I actually am starting to get nervous.  Its one thing to talk about what you would do if you had a child.  Its something completely different to talk about what you do now that you have a child.  It makes me take a hard look at what is out in this world and what I'm willing to allow in.  Suffice it to say if my son takes an interest in my hobbies, we'll be ordering his comic books online.

Had a very encouraging talk with a friend yesterday.  Nice to know that I'm not as crazy as I think I am sometimes.

When I was in college, my friend Joey and I watched Ruroni Kenshen, an anime about an assassin who turns a new leaf and vows never to kill.  In that anime, there is a general with a wife, and it is said of her that she is his sheath.  I never really understood what that meant.  And then God put Mandy in my life.  Sometimes its better to put down your weapons and study war no more for a day.  And sometimes the only reason a war is worth fighting is because you're fighting for someone back home.

"Dogs are forever in the push-up position."  I don't know what that means.  Apparently neither does Mitch Hedburg.

Keep Soaring,

B