by chrisaiken | Feb 8, 2016 | Devotions, Uncategorized
Over the past four months or so, I have experienced an increased sense of urgency in my life. A sense of urgency for the Gospel. In me was rekindled an awareness that life is short, death is certain, and then comes the judgment of God for every man.
Now in case you want to write this off as a doomsday article, hear me out. An awareness of the transitory nature of life is not in itself bad or harmful. In fact, it may be the antidote to procrastination.
Every school project I “put off” growing up…was directly related to the belief that I had another day to do it. I have always worked well with deadlines. Saying “get it to me when you can” is like saying, “If you never get to it, it is okay.”
I wonder if one of the contributing factors to the anemia of the American church is a sense of self-sufficiency and no sense of urgency?
The Psalmist thanked God for placing in his heart a sense of his own transience:
“Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am.” Psalm 39:4, NASB.
Truthfully, I think we would all live a little differently if we believed we only had a few and fixed number of days to live. I think we would live better, love more, and seek eternal blessing rather than the temporal distractions of comfort. Frankly, this does not appear to be a new observation. Throughout the Scripture we find a call to urgency and an indictment against pursuing temporal pleasures that wear out, rust out, or are destroyed by the curses of this world.
Today, live like there is no tomorrow. Do it for the Glory of God.
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by chrisaiken | Feb 4, 2016 | Devotions, Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
This morning I was reading in the Scriptures and came across this “nugget” that became a point of meditation:
“When I was a son to my father…he taught me and said to me, ‘Let your heart hold fast to my words; keep my commandments and live.”
Proverbs 4:3-4
Solomon is writing here to his son about the lessons of King David to Solomon. There are several things about this that resonate with me:
- Fathers are, by design- teachers of their children. It is the father’s responsibility to teach his children, particularly in the area of relating to God. Honestly, by nature of the relationship, a father is always teaching…but it may not be the lesson he hoped to teach.
- Fathers can only confidently teach what they have learned themselves. The reason many dads don’t take a more active role is that they have not devoted themselves to the deep things of God. They know the range and trajectory of their favorite hunting gear. They know the best lure to use for a particular fish. They know the most effective manner to accomplishing their tasks at work. Our relationship and understanding of God deserves no less attention and mastery.
- A Father’s teaching extends to multiple generations. WHat you teach your sons and daughters will be taught to theirs.
- Teaching your children is important. It is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that God directed it.
- Many fathers feel inadequate to teach their children. As such, they desire to farm it out to experts like pastors and coaches and other leaders. We can farm out the task, but not the responsibility. Further, if we deal with our own inadequacy properly (but turning to our heavenly Father in utter dependence) then we will learn while teaching.
- Finally, dads need to lighten up sometimes. You can’t teach your kids to be perfect. You have no experience there. Teach them to relate to God perfectly…which means to learn to depend on Him. Model dependence, repentance, and personal devotion. Show them how to apologize for failure/sin by quickly apologizing. Teach them to be dependent by being dependent.
My dad taught me a lot. Probably more than he intended to. I am thankful for that. I am also aware that not every son has a dad like mine. If that’s you, then hear me: “This is no excuse for your continuation of that legacy.” Choose today to change the course and step up to the responsibility God has laid on you. You are accountable to it anyway…you might as well take it seriously and do it right.
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by chrisaiken | Feb 3, 2016 | culture, Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
There is much to be said for the oft quoted saying of Dale Carnegie, “If you want to be enthusiastic, act enthusiastic.” It stands as an example of motivational approaches of numerous people including Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, Tony Robbins, and the great Zig Ziglar. All of these motivators offered the advice (in their own way) that how you speak of yourself affects who you become. If you give yourself good “self-talk” then you will see yourself as good. If you want to become something, you can “fake it ’til you make it.”
Now I certainly have shifted a bit in my thinking through the years. From my early days in sales when I “ate, drank, and breathed” Ziglar and Carnegie…to the place where I am today as a follower of Christ with a growing base of understanding about a person’s worth, I have seen “truth” in the underlying premise of the great motivators.
Our understanding (the internalized and driving assessment within us) of our ability and worth has a “shaping” affect on who we become. This is true in both a positive and negative light. If we see ourselves as devalued, we often will become just that. If we think of ourselves as “capable,” we will often demonstrate capability in an area we were once uncertain of.
Now I disagree with statements like “fake it ’til you make it,” because the diction gives an air of deceptiveness. At the same time, our view of ourselves can become a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Furthermore, I believe the Bible itself speaks to this underlying principle in some degree.
The Apostle Paul said:
Philippians 4:8 (NASB95)
8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
…and…
Ephesians 5:18–19 (NASB95)
18…be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
Colossians 3:16 (NASB95)
16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
In the command, we are told to direct our speech in a positive way based on our understanding of a higher truth (the Word of God) and meditate on these things. We are told that this is possible because of the Spirit of God in us.
How does this facilitate a self-fulfilling prophecy? How we speak to one another and how we think of ourselves sets a tempo within us and among us. If we think we are “losers,” then we are already halfway there…even before the contest begins. Every “set of downs” will either bear this out, or delay the inevitable consequence (of losing) in our minds. If we think a tax audit is terrible, it probably will be. What if, though, we saw it as an attempt to find an error in our favor? What if…when we meet a difficult client and we know that we are one of three salespeople vying for the assignment…instead of assuming we will not get the job, we CHOOSE to think of our capability and how tough it is going to be on the others? Might our demeanor in the interview shift? (I say yes.)
Here’s truth to stand on and to leave (this article) with:
- God gave you His Name after He sought you and adopted you. (1 John 3:1).
- He knew you and did not see you as a liability in His economy. He saw you as valuable (giving His own Son’s life in exchange for yours).
- He is in the process of doing a great work in your life for His own glory. (Romans 8:28)
- The outcome of God’s work in your life is ALREADY determined to be glorious! (Romans 8:29-30).
- It is impossible for God to fail or EVEN FOR YOU to thwart His plan (Romans 8:31-37).
Today, you can say, “I can’t help it. I am who I am” and see doom and gloom…or you can choose to understand and speak within yourself, “I can’t help it! I am who I am! I am a valuable, growing, work in progress committed to the hand of God who is working all things together for good in my life that I might reflect Christ to His own glory! God’s victory in my life is ASSURED!
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by chrisaiken | Jan 23, 2016 | Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
Three weeks into the new year. How are you doing on your resolutions? Are you achieving the goals that you set and are you pleased with your progress?
If you answered, “No,” The reason may not be related to your abilities or personality or even opportunity. The reason may be your plan.
Your employer has a plan. He or she has an enumerated and measurable goal. It is broken down into articulable steps and progress is measured daily.
The politician on television has a plan. He is working on a specific timetable of when to tell you what he wants you to know in order to provoke you to act in a desired way at an election.
Retailers have a plan. They know that President’s Day will soon be here and we can have a furniture sale and use some of that tax return to purchase a new sofa on an 18 month “same-as-cash” (2.5 times the normal retail price) plan…and while you’re there and you’ve spent so little money…you can upgrade that bedroom suit too (according to their plan).
The fact is… all of these entities have plans and planning is not bad. It is good. It is very good. The question is, “What’s YOUR Plan?”
WEIGHT LOSS:
What is your “dream” goal? How does that break down into daily activities? Which ones will you embrace today and schedule for tomorrow and the next day and the next?
SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT:
Where will you go to church services on Sunday? What are you reading today? Which strategy for Bible reading have you adopted and what is today’s passage? Who are you sharing the gospel with? Who do you need to meet and get to know to answer the question of where they are in the area of personal faith?
SELF EMPLOYMENT:
Just because there is not an employer demanding your “straight eight” (hours) today doesn’t mean you should not have a plan for them. What needs to be addressed? What defines success for you? How will you take steps today, tomorrow and the next day to move toward success?
HOUSEWORK:
What does the menu look like today? How about tomorrow? Can you set out a menu for the week and go to the supermarket only once (instead of three times) this week? Did you look to see if there was coupon for one of the items? How about laundry…what day is that scheduled?
Honestly…you may have just said (as many do) that you hate the rigidness of a “schedule” or the “demands” of a WRITTEN plan. With a big smile and my sweetest “Dr. Phil” voice, “How is that working for you?” See, you need a plan to accomplish the necessary tasks to get you to your goals. There is a plan for your life…and if you are not the master of the plan for your life, someone else will be.
“Go to the ant, O sluggard, consider her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, she prepares her food in the Summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8.
The ant EATS in the Winter because she planned and acted in the Summer and the early Fall. No one told her. She had a need/desire/goal and made a plan to get there. Now, she has achieved the goal and is set for the winter. (Consider also the example of the P31 Woman).
Lest you look about in May still weighing the same, still with no sales or prospects, still struggling with an empty spiritual feeling inside…answer the question, “What’s YOUR Plan?”
Shalom.
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by chrisaiken | Jan 3, 2016 | Devotions, Uncategorized
In the world we live in, there are a number of ways we can choose to respond to any given situation. It seems that our culture today actually (if not secretly) desires a harsh tone in interaction. Take a “brash” character like the Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, who is lauded for his “straight talk” and adamant decision-making. His nemesis on the other side of the political spectrum, Bernie Sanders, is also extoled for the same reason.
I struggle believing that our culture REALLY wants this type of harsh and pointed discussion. I personally think people are just frustrated over the political calculating of office holders today…and this attraction to brashness is a bit of an overreaction. After all, do you really want someone who says to you: “Hey, don’t be stupid. You’re getting fat and that is costly to all of your neighbors!” Or… “Stop having babies. Use your brain! You can’t afford to support what you have and I shouldn’t have to pay for them for you!” Or finally, “What are you, ignorant? You need a wall to keep bad guys out. Stop coddling people who use ‘anchor babies’ to secure a right to free stuff!” (Do you really want people speaking of children as anchor babies? Seriously? Why not reintroduce other slurs into the discourse as well!)
Even if there were an element of truth to any part of these statements (which I am arguing neither FOR or AGAINST), the tone is rhetoric. You do not persuade people to change actions with this tone. You may shame some, but you cannot persuade a person to choose change by telling them they are stupid.
On the other end of the spectrum is a person who chooses to say only positive things. They follow the advise, “If you cannot say something nice, then do not say anything at all.” This is softer and sweeter, but equally as destructive. Failing to help people see their failed viewpoints, to help them change their outlook when they are in error is not kind. It may be nice…but it is certainly not kind. For example…You have a friend who moves from failed marriage to failed mariage. She approaches you on the third experience and says she thinks this is the “one.” You KNOW she has an issue with trust. It has been the downfall in all of the previous relationships but you choose to be nice. “Just pray for her,” you say. Is this nice? Perhaps…but it is certainly not kind. Not to her and not to her next husband. Instead, lovingingly and gently help her to see that she needs to get healing for the issues regarding trust. If she will not see, then the KIND thing to do is to present TRUTH with kindness. Present truth in a gentle way.
Here is the instruction Solomon gives pertaining to this:
“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.” Proverbs 3:3-4.
To default to one and exclude the other is to fall into disrepute with either God, man, or both.
So, Default Mode: Kindness and Truth. Marching orders for the day.
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by chrisaiken | Jan 1, 2016 | Devotions, Uncategorized
“The Lord is in His holy t
emple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence, His soul hates.” Psalm 11:4-5, NASB).
If the speed limit on a certain road is 55mph and you drive down that road at 65mph for 4 out of 5 days without getting a ticket…does that make your speed limt 65? Do your actions invalidate the posted limit? What if you drove past a State Trooper and he did not pull you over…does this change the law?
Certainly not…but this is precisely the view man takes with God at times. We engage in a sin or a pattern of sins. At first…alarms go off in our heads telling us of our wrongdoing. We sense guilt and shame and even a sense of dread at our potential judgment. However, when we continue in sin and are not judged…it seems that we may assess this to mean that we have misunderstood the Law or, perhaps, God has given us a special measure of grace. These conclusions are baseless but they do speak to the enemy’s actions. Satan loves to polute the pure Word of God. He convinces us to dwell on certain passages that make us feel good or give us a misappropriated hope of gaining health, wealth, and prosperity. However, there are countless reminders and warnings throughout God’s Word of the consequences of our unrepentant lives.
Now we would smirk at the very thought of the example I used about speed limits…but we appropriate that subtle logic in our own spiritual discipleship.
The Psalmist reminds us that God sees everything. He reminds us that when God closes His eyes (His eyelids test us), He is not unaware of our actions; rather, God is examining our character. He is exposing who we are when we think no one is looking. But GOD IS LOOKING and GOD NEVER OVERLOOKS our sin.
What if we paused before every action and asked if God is pleased in what He sees? I know that when I am driving, if I see a police officer I unconsciously lift my foot from the accelerator and look at the speedometer…even if I KNOW I am within the limits. I don’t want to be seen breaking the law.
Remember, God sees all. He judges righteously. He helps those who wrestle against the temptation to sin but He stores up wrath for those who refuse to repent (which means to seek forgiveness and turn from choosing sin). Those who trust Him experience the blessing of His power and presence for He is an ever-present help in times of need.
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