A Heavenly Perspective...

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV

Recent events in my life have caused me to stop & ponder exactly where my priorities stand. My wife & I both had a birthday recently, she had a stay in the hospital, and we're expecting our first grandbaby in a couple of months. Obviously, we're getting older...

Our earthly lives should reflect our heavenly perspective. Does it? I often find it easy to get caught up in the stress of family, finances, work, etc. Even church involvements can sometimes feel burdensome, although they shouldn't. Don't get me wrong--we have an obligation to our families, we must be financially responsible, work is a necessity of life, and we should be play a part in our local church. But, how do we balance it all? How do we tend to GOD's business without becoming overwhelmed by the busyness of life itself?

Matthew chapter 6 tells us we are to rely on GOD, to trust Him to meet our needs, and to not become a slave to riches (or the pursuit thereof). It further states that we are to be a charitable people, putting the needs of others before our own. The final verses (33-34) read, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble". So, I suppose that means I should seek GOD's Will first and foremost, and He'll take care of the rest...

My prayer today is that GOD will use my life to reflect His goodness and cause others to see Christ in me. My main priority should be to develop a heavenly perpective and not sweat the small stuff, to simply trust Him.

Yeah, I'm getting older but I'm not dead yet!

Blessings!
Tony

Forgiveness

Forgiveness--now there’s an issue that has destroyed friendships, torn families apart and split churches for years—actually, the lack of it is the problem. We walk through life carrying unforgiveness and hatred like chains that grow heavier and heavier as time passes. If we can learn to rid ourselves of this excess baggage, our lives can be used all the more to share GOD’s love.

Forgiveness is actually threefold—spiritual, relational and personal.

In the spiritual aspect, we must seek GOD’s forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” You won’t tell GOD anything that will catch Him by surprise—He already knows. Confessing it to Him releases you from its hold.

As for the relational aspect--in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus instructs us to pray in this way, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12). We cannot harbor malice in our hearts towards another person without it impacting our relationship with GOD. If GOD is able to look past the ugliness of our sin and forgive us, we should be able to move past petty hurts and differences to forgive one another. Therefore, it is important to forgive those who have offended you and to seek forgiveness from those you have offended.

Now for the personal aspect—this is the area where I myself struggle the most. Once we have sought GOD’s forgiveness and asked for and imparted forgiveness to others, we must then forgive ourselves. All too often, we confess our sin to have it cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus only to pick that suitcase up again and limp along allowing it to still weigh us down. There’s no reason for it--it’s forgiven, it’s done away with and GOD Himself remembers it no more. Why do we do it? Because guilt is one of Satan’s best tools, he is constantly throwing our past up in our faces in order to keep us from attaining what GOD has in store for us. Don’t let the devil fool you. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.” Satan has no hold on us if we truly are the children of GOD, purchased by the precious blood of Jesus. Move past self, turn it over to GOD and let go of it. We cannot change our past but we can look to GOD in the present and thereby impact the future.

The question now is, Is there anyone you need to forgive or seek forgiveness from today? Loose those chains, seek freedom and see how GOD can use you! He will, if you'll allow Him to...

Blessings,
Tony

Surrender--a poem by yours truly

I wrote this some time back, earlier this year anyway, and posted it on FaceBook. Regardless, I wanted to include it here as well...


Surrender


In the stillness of Your presence,

I humbly bow before You--

I give You honor, give You praise,

Know that I adore You--

I place my life in Your hands,

I know nothing else to do--

I pray for wisdom, ask for grace,

And mercy to see me through--



For my sin sent Jesus to the cross,

He went there in my place--

As He looked out across the ages of time,

I'm certain He saw my face--

Yet willingly He gave His life,

As a selfless act of love--

To show wretched sinners--such as me,

The way to GOD above--



Now take my life and use it--Lord,

Only for your glory--

Give me courage and opportunity,

To share the Gospel story--

Help me know when to act,

And when I should be still--

My heart's desire, my loving Savior,

Is to humbly do Your Will--

His Purpose...

August 28, 2010

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NKJV

OK, so today is my birthday--49 years ago, I made my appearance into this world. Birthdays have a way of making you think about what you have & have not accomplished in life, choices you've made, a past that one must live with and a future to live for...

Long ago, I adopted Romans 8:28 as my life verse. It speaks to me. I think of where I've been and what GOD has delivered me from, wrong turns I took on this road called life that GOD used for good still the same. Satan constantly reminds me of years of drinking, drugging, promiscuity--horrid things I allowed into my life, a failed marriage, damaged relationships, the list goes on & on. Looking back, I recall those things--but am forgiven and can also see where GOD used them ("all things") to shape me into the man I am today. I truly believe that the life experiences we have, whether good or bad, shape and mold us for the purpose GOD has for each of our lives. After all, our real purpose in life is to glorify Him and reach others with the gospel. Our experiences allow us to relate to and empathize with those going through difficult times, to show them love and acceptance and illuminate the pathway to GOD.

Today, I am thankful for a Christian upbringing that kept me grounded even when I was far away from GOD. I am grateful for Christian family & friends who loved me in spite of myself and continued in prayer for me. I am thankful for a loving wife, who supports me in all ways. Most of all, I am thankful for a GOD of second (third, tenth and hundredth in some cases!) chances who never gave up on me--who has secured my place in Heaven. I pray that those I come in contact with can see past me, with my human frailties and failures, and see The One I serve. My desire is to fulfill His Purpose for my life, whatever it may be and wherever it may lead...

Blessings!
Tony