I love Facebook. Now its not because I want to see what people had for dinner last night. It’s because in between in the “I’m Bored” and the “I just had the best vacation in the world, eat it sucker!” posts, you can find the heart of people. Last night, one of my college friends posted a link to a video, that I highly recommend that you watch:
This guy Nick Vujicic was born with no arms and no legs, but yet has a love for life that’s absolutely incredible. I found myself last night and this morning watching his talks on You Tube in amazement. How could someone with that bad of life get back up? Well, as he tells in his video’s and on his website, it wasn’t easy. But once we realized that God had a plan for him and that God was going to use his brokenness to reach people for Him, his life turned around.
God is using his brokenness to reach others that are broken and to turn them around, and to provide hope. What’s amazing is that’s how He seems to work. He brings messages of hope and peace from the lowliest places.
Mr Vujicic sells a shirt on his site with this quote from St. Francis of Assisi
“Let me sow LOVE where there is HATRED.”
“Let me be HOPE where there is DESPAIR.”
So today, let this man with a broken body inspire you. Let him remind you that God will use you, when you let him. Let him take your brokenness and turn it into a mighty work! Reach out and impact those around you today.
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37
Hey, I think this is the 2ooth daily post today. That’s pretty incredible! I hope you are still finding as much encouragement reading this, as I am writing it. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts and encouraging words back to me!
To get this week started off correctly maybe we should remember that our Savior and leader, the Son of God, Jesus Christ prayed for us before he left this world. And he didn’t just say I’ll pray for you, or “Lord, remember them”. He was very explicit in his words and they show his love for us and the desire of this hearts for us.
20-23I’m praying not only for them But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they’ll be mature in this oneness, And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them
In the same way you’ve loved me. (John 17, MSG)
And what is so cool is that earlier in the prayer as he is prayer for his disciples, he added this:
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life…
and this
I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing
So my people can experience
My joy completed in them.
and this
I’m not asking that you take them out of the world
But that you guard them from the Evil One.
They are no more defined by the world
Than I am defined by the world.
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;
Wow, What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31 (New International Version)) Live boldly for him today, and let others experience the love that you have experienced.
“finally Friday, free again, got my motor running for a wild weekend”. Nothing like starting off the morning with a little George Jones, and yes it Friday! The rest of the song does leave a little to be desired! But yes its Friday, the end of the week, and for a lot of people, a seemingly lighter work load. ( not me – con calls 8-4 straight!)
Since its Friday, and since my mind is still sort of stuck in Philippians 3–today is garbage day at my house, so I have been thinking about the whole concept of a spiritual garbage day, and what needs to go go go! (Man that sentence got away from me). Anyway, since its Friday, here is a little lighter thought, from just a page over in Philippians to help set your mind up as you head off in the weekend ( by the may, if Saturday is the end of the week, and Sunday is the start of the week, why is it not called the weekends, like bookends.) And to represent the two days of the weekend here are two versions
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.Philippians 4:8 (New International Version)
8-9Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (Philippians 4:8, The Message)
Think on those things, and see how that changes your day!
I am sure you could guess that yesterday’s post was only half a thought, because I don’t think that when Jesus says “sell all” and “give” that he is only referring to material things. I think he is referring to our complete selves. This is the thought that I have been struggling with all week, because its such hard thing to do. Even this morning as I prepare for the work day and recount activities from yesterday, I find myself frustrated about events, when upon closer examination that frustration is more about my point of view or the may I felt I was treated. If I have sold out to the Christ, then my take on that situation is so totally different. Yeah, sure, maybe somethings are not the way they should be, and maybe some people are not being completely open and truthful, but hey, my sold out response will be much kinder, and full of mercy, because I will be focused on what truly matters.
So what I am really taking about. Well, its in found in Philippians 3:8:
8Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ (CEV)
Paul says he considers everything else as garbage! Some translation say rubbish, dung, or worthless. WOW! I read that verse and I say “yeah, but what about my…..”. It’s tough. It’s one of those stumper verses. HOW?
Now you see where my mind has been this week. It’s not really about T-shirts, although that’s a symptom. It’s about knowing Christ and understanding how much better that is then anything else in the world, and then living that way.
You should read the whole of Philippians 3, but take a look at this broader context:
7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
I am just like Paul, I have not taken hold of this yet, however this thought has captivated my mind. And since I am pretty visual this little mini-movie brings this home as well. Take a moment some time today to view this video:
Ponder this today. What do you own, what do you do, what do you think about that is better the knowing Christ. Can you count it as garbage? Will you help me to?
Earlier this week I carried some clean t-shirts to my chest of drawers and stuffed them into the drawer grunting as I struggled to close the drawer, and thinking to myself, how can it be that I have no room for the shirts that I wear? Whats in this drawer?
It had been a few days before that I had been stumbling around Matthew and I read this exchange between Jesus and potential follower. Its sort of goes like this.
57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Luke 9:57-59 (New International Version)
I have been thinking a lot about this exchange, and my t-shirts and the whole idea that Jesus calls us to live a radical crazy life that is different from the frustrations of this world. Yesterday, I mentioned that my mind is trying to work out a few thoughts, and I think that they will come out over the next few days.
So with all of that in mind, Monday night, I stumbled on this BBC article about a guy who has created a Cult of Less. Essentially, this guy has sold almost everything except a bare amount of clothing and his electronics and lives with his “digital possessions”. The sub title of the article is “living out of a hard drive”. He is not the first person to try this of course, but what I think is interesting is how he describes the freedom he has with minimal material things.
hm, this sounds awful familiar. Almost like some bible stories I have heard since I was an infant. Things like
20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20-22 (New International Version)
and this
33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:33-35 (New International Version)
I don’t know this guys motivation, nor will I question it. But I do know that as a follower of the Christ, I have been provided with a motivation, or maybe a command, er, non optional requirement, er strong suggestion?
So today, I am not completely suggesting that you sell everything and live out of a hard drive. I think there is some certain amount of reasonableness that needs to be checked. However, this is the beginning of at least a personal challenge to take a look at my view on material things. Why do I have them? why do I need them? What things should I be letting go? And what real attachment should I even have to any of it? And that might just be the key. Not the having, but the have to have or the attachment. Comments?
Use your stuff today as a tool to express where your treasure really is.