Dealing with the Stress of Life

Talking with my wife about this week's activities, I was reminded of when I was a young boy. There was a game I liked to play, we would set up chairs and balls and brooms and all sorts of obstacles and we would see who could make it past all of them the fastest, without touching any of them. We called it an "obstacle course," you might be familiar with that game.
 
This week is particularly busy for us; that is what reminded me of the obstacle courses I would love going through as a child. When going through the different challenges, I never worried about what was coming up ahead, I just focused on the task at hand, enjoyed it, accomplished it, and moved on to the next until I had cleared all obstacles. Life is very much like this, some weeks more than others.
 
The interesting part about this game was that it was not a stressful game. I was not stressed or anxious or nervous about it, but it was fun and enjoyable. I think looking at life with that same approach can be very beneficial sometimes. Isn't that what life really is, an obstacle course that we are to go through?
 
Now, let me clarify, the activities that we have going on this week are of no great significance, they are just part of the business of life. We are busy preparing for an upcoming trip to visit some friends, getting ready and shopping for a dog that will be joining our family on Thursday evening, cooking and delivering two meals to a couple of new mothers at church, involved with the activities related with raising two children under two years old, dealing with some impending deadlines at work, as well as a day-trip to a nearby state on Thursday morning, and keeping up to date with ministry activities, including hosting a community group meeting on Wednesday night, and writing for this blog. Failure to accomplish most of the items in this list will not result in any kind of negative long-term consequence. I will not loose my job, go bankrupt, go hungry, or have my home foreclosed, those are different. As a matter of fact, if I play my cards correctly, I will not even miss my bedtime.
 
However, it is still easy to get stressed out and anxious over having a packed-out schedule for the week. To be honest, this week is so packed that, if I am not careful, I would start feeling suffocated and overwhelmed. That is why keeping the right perspective is so important, it will help you remove large amounts of stress that are related to simply being alive.
 
Today, I want to challenge you to look at the obstacles in your life as a challenge to be enjoyed, instead of a chore or nuisance to be dealt with. Take one day at a time, one obstacle at a time, and ENJOY WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!!
 
Look at the activities in which you are involved in an objective way. Judge them according to how important they are, focus on those things that have significant consequences, and don't worry about the others; they are just there to keep your life entertaining.
 
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:34, ESV
 
 
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." Philippians 4:4

A Godly Self-Esteem, Part 2

Let us reason together.

If you base your self-image and worth on what you do or how you behave, it will be damaged every time you make a mistake, sin, or fall short. However, if you base your self-worth on God's love, every act of repentance will be a reassurance of that love and help you understand how truly valuable you are. To do this, however, one must accept the fact that, as a human, anything other than sinful imperfection is impossible while on this earth, and everything we are and do that may be of worth is by His grace and power alone.

You are valuable enough for Him to sacrifice His beautiful, perfect, and infinite Son for your sake!!!

You are invaluable! Don't buy into the lie that you are not. That is called a lie and false humility. True humility comes from honesty and knowing the truth about who God is and who you are. Denying the worth that He has bestowed upon you is not an act of humility; it is an act of blatant disrespect towards God. It is an outright insult towards Him.

A closing thought: just as you are invaluable to Him, everyone else it too. Remember that Jesus came to save "whosoever" accepts Him. Likewise, you and I are able to do "good" only because of His grace. He uses other people to grow us, teach us, discipline us, and help us become of use for His kingdom. So, when you encounter someone in need that might seem undisciplined, sinful, disgusting, evil, "addicted," or "inferior," just remember that the only difference between you and that person is the influence that God chose to have on your life. Would you be that much different from that person if you had grown up in the same circumstances? No, you would not. If God had given you the same personality, upbringing, education, emotional disposition, etc., you probably would not be that different from this "inferior" individual.

It might very well be that He wants to use you to make that same difference on his or her life!!!

A Godly Self-Esteem, Part 1

The topic of self-esteem is sometimes shunned amongst Christians because of its seeming conflict with the concept of humility. However, self-esteem is very critical. A poor self-image can cripple you, robbing you of your ability to enjoy God, your relationships with others, your life, and your ability to fulfill God's will.

As a matter of fact, I would argue that a poor self-esteem is borderline blasphemy or sin. Why? For three reasons:

1. God made you in His image, and as such you are invaluable.
2. God clearly thinks that you are worth enough to sacrifice His Son for your sake.
3. If the spirit of God lives in you your worth in infinite because of His presence. If I filled a building with gold and sell it as a unit, its worth would be (at least) equal to its content. The same is true of everyone indwelled by the Holy Spirit.

Lets give credit to where credit is due. God said you are very valuable. You should recognize, accept, and agree with this. Otherwise, you would be disagreeing with God.

The difference between worldly and Godly self-esteem is where the self-esteem comes from and what it is based upon.

The world bases self-esteem mostly on performance, discipline, ability, or a character trait. As a Christian, this is inappropriate. It is imperative to understand that our value as people does not come from what we can do. Whatever our abilities may be, they are not our own. They were given to us by God, so our skills, abilities, and character are not a valid source of self-worth, self-esteem, or confidence; they are a source of thanksgiving and praise towards Him. God's love for you, Jesus' sacrifice, and His presence within you are the only valid source of self-esteem and much more powerful ones.

Worldly self-esteem could lead to a "better-thou" attitude. Godly self-esteem will always lead you to understanding that all people are equally valuable, there is no such thing as a "better" or "superior" person.

Why to Forgive

Jesus gave some serious warnings about forgiveness, but I have heard people (some of them very influential) dismiss those warning solely based on the concept that salvation cannot be lost, which has not been irrefutably determined based on what the scripture says.

The Arminian-Calvinist conflict has been around for centuries, and, in my opinion, neither side presents a satisfactory argument. To put it in a probably overly simplistic way, the Arminians would say that salvation could be had and lost based on choice. According to the way they interpret the scriptures, God gives man the choice, therefore man can choose to accept salvation and later reject it. The Calvinists argue that this is not the case, that man cannot choose, but God moves their heart to accept salvation and, once accepted, it can never be lost. In my opinion, neither side is correct. I do not have an alternative view of this issue, but both of them can be argued from the scriptures and I have not been able to find a successful resolution to it. There are pros and cons to both sides of that coin.

I am not against Calvinism, but it is important to understand both sides of the argument because following the Calvinist thought could cause believers to ignore one of the most serious warnings that Jesus gave us during his earthly ministry.

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15, ESV

That is a very serious statement and warning, and that is not the only time Jesus mentions this concept. In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus tells the parable of the wicked servant who, being forgiven of his debt, refused to forgive those that owed him and was sent to jail until he could repay the entirety of his debt. The passage ends with the same warning.

"And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." Matthew 18:34,35, ESV

This might sound like works-based salvation, but, from the scripture quoted above, it could be argued that forgiving those that offend, hurt, and "owe" us is a requirement for our own salvation.

Regardless of whether your theology aligns with the Arminian or Calvinist view, I would encourage you to pay attention to the bitterness and un-forgiveness in your heart. Ask God to help you forgive those that owe you, so you may not be that wicked servant or end up like him!!!
 
Learn How To Forgive Here
 

Video - Ben Breedlove - Near Death Experience Testimony

Do you believe in Angels or God?

I DO!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Breedlove

This video went viral in December 2011 - January 2012. Right after this 18 year old posted this video, he moved on to be with the Lord. I still think it is relevant.

A senior manager at the place where I work passed on suddenly after having a heart attack. No one saw it coming. Videos and testimonies like this are a definite help when dealing with death.

The Practice of the presence of God - Brother Lawrence

Today, I wanted to share with you a book that inspired me greatly when I first became a follower of Christ. I do not remember who introduced me to this Christian Classic, but I am glad that they did.
 
The book is titled: The Practice of the Presence of God, Rules of Holy Life
 
Here is a link to the Wikipedia Article on the book, as well as one to the "Biographical" page of Brother Lawrence.
 
Since this book was written several hundred years ago, it is part of the public domain and can be obtained for free. I was glad to discover that Project Gutenberg, The Christian Classics Ethereal Library, and LibriVox have free copies of this work in written and audio formats.
 
So here are the links.
 
Free text Version at Project Gutenberg can be found here, Available in the following formats: Text, HTML, Epub, Kindle, and more
 
Free Audio version at LibriVox can be downloaded from here
 
Free and Paid copies of the text and audio versions at The Christian Classics Ethereal Library can be found here
 
I hope it blesses you in the same way it blessed me.

Is online ministry biblical?

In this article, I will set out to establish whether online ministries are an actual biblical concept, but in order to do that, we need to do a bit of time travel and take a trip to approximately 2000 years ago.

If we study the structure of the New Testament, we will find out that it is mostly comprised of letters written from different apostles to various audiences. In some cases, the writers were familiar with the church or individual to whom they were writing; in some other cases they were not.

Saying that this type of ministry is a long-distance ministry is a very valid statement. If we take into consideration that there was no such thing as electricity back then, we can conclude that the written word was actually break-through technology in the realm of information management. It was the fastest way available to transfer information through long distances. The internet, email, and online ministries serve the same function; they are just a new and improved version of the model the apostoles used back then. The only difference is that nowadays we are using the iPad instead of iPapyrus! (OK, I confess, that was a corny joke.)

It is worth mentioning that this was not the only mode of ministry that those receiving the instruction were exposed to. The churches back then were basically a network of small groups. The apostles were the senior ministers, but there were other mature christians discipling and helping the younger christians in their spiritual growth.

It is the same nowadays. Online ministries by themselves are very valid, but that cannot be the only source of ministry you are involved in. Get plugged into a church in your area. Find a small group to be a part of with which you can share your life. Every Christian needs instruction on the Word of God, but we also need an experienced mentor to show us how to apply it to our everyday lives and help us in the growing process!!