Guard Your Heart

Your heart is important.

Healthy lifestyles that take care of your heart are all the rage. Limiting sodium, caffeine and fat intake as well as getting enough exercise and giving up dangerous practices such as smoking and excessive drinking are proven to reduce your risk of heart disease. These are important, no doubt; but something is missing.

Your heart is the circulatory center for your body, and taking care of that function is critical for your physical life. Your heart, according to the Bible, is also your emotional and spiritual center. What are you doing to care for that?

What you put in will come out.

In Luke 6:45, Jesus says this: The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks.

A friend of mine sums it up this way: Garbage in, garbage out.

Your heart is the wellspring of life

 By definition, a wellspring is the source or origin of a stream or a spring. It is the pool or reservoir from which the waters flow.


In Proverbs 4:23, Solomon tells us to guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life. What that means is whatever is in your heart is going to pour out into the rest of your life. Combine that with the words of Jesus above, and we see that if you put good things in your heart, good things come out. Conversely, if you put evil in, evil will surely flow. Pretty simple, really.

How do you guard your heart?

Just as we watch what we eat, take care to get enough exercise, and avoid habits detrimental to our health, so should we take care to not pollute the wellspring of our lives. What we see, hear, and experience affects us. Some things we cannot help but to be exposed to (been to WalMart lately?), but others we can. What do you read? What television shows or movies do you watch? How about the internet?

You have many choices as to what you store up in your heart. As you make those choices today, remember this: What goes in will come out.

You Can't Take It With You

It's not yours.

That's why you can't take it with you. It--this world and the things of this world--do not belong to you. Psalm 24:1 says that the earth, and everything in it, belongs to the Lord. Everything in it. Everything. None of it belongs to us. God owns it all.

We say we know this, and that we live by those words. But do we? How many of us clutch the riches of this world to our side as if they really belong to us? Look at it this way--is God's name on your bank account? Not literally, I'm sure; but even figuratively? It should be. It's His.

What are we supposed to do with God's money?

I'm going to give you some verses to read from a few of Paul's letters. Get your Bible, and look these up. If you want to know what God expects you to do, His instructions are right there in His Word.

I Corinthians 16:1, 2

II Corinthians 8:1-15

Philippians 4:10-20

I Timothy 6:6-10; 17-19

Titus 3:13, 14

What are we supposed to do with God's money?

Use it for His kingdom, His work. We are supposed to give it away. How much? As much as He says. How much is that? You have to ask Him. Ask God what you are supposed to give--He'll tell you. The only question is whether or not you will listen.

What do we get in return?

Not that we deserve anything; after all, we are giving away what doesn't belong to us. But God does promise us much if we are faithful with what we are given. The Bible does say if you give, it will be given back to you, pressed down and running over (Luke 6:38). That's a good reward, for sure.

What Paul says in I Timothy 6, however, speaks to me even more. In verses 6-8 he says we will be given contentment. Then in verses 17-19 he says that those who give generously and willingly will be given life that is truly life.

I like that. I like that a lot. Contentment, and life.

You can't take it with you.

Give up trying.

I know I would much rather be poor, alive and content than rich, dead, and unhappy.


Wouldn't you?
 

People Suck--And Here's Why!

And that goes for me too!

Everything I am about to say has applied to me as much as anyone else at one time or another. We are all people, myself included, and I have reached this conclusion:

People suck!

People are arrogant, impatient, and selfish. We are ignorant (not all are stupid, but some are), ignorant of our ignorance, and have no wish to be informed. People are spiteful, hateful, and prideful; or, if you prefer, heartless, loveless, and couldn't care less. In short, we, the people, suck.

Don't believe me? Have you ever looked down on someone and wished they would just go away? That's arrogance, impatience and selfishness all wrapped up in one. Or did you say, "No, I have never!" Really, you're too good for that? You can't believe I would even ask you, of all people, such a question? Unless you are as sinless as Jesus Himself, read the second line of this paragraph again. We all do it.

Ever get in an argument and find out you didn't know as much as you thought you did? That's ignorance. And when you kept arguing, you ignored your ignorance. When you were proven wrong, threw up your hands and walked away, you had no wish to be informed.

Ever wished a bad outcome on someone? Spite. Ever held a grudge against someone? Hate. Ever thought of yourself higher than you should (oh no, I am perfect!)? Pride.

Heartless, loveless, and couldn't care less. All of us. Guilty. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Life would be great, if not for all the people.

Whether it be work, school, family, or church--people are the bane, the thorn-in-the-side of life. We will not, in this life, all just get along. We will rub each other wrong, get in each others' way, and, most certainly, someone--probably me--will step on your last nerve. I can't help it. I suck.

And so do you. Admit it. If you are a Christian, that should come naturally. Why? Because as a Christian you have to admit you are a sinner. If sin doesn't suck, what does?

Oh, but we don't like to look at it that way, do we? No, we certainly do not. We are forgiven, redeemed, sanctified (or in the process thereof). Yep, and sinners still. Did you make it through today without a single sin? Me neither. You know what that means . . .

And yet, life is people.

Therein lies the rub. For all our failings, we are life. Two things last forever: God (His presence and His Word);  and the souls of people. We, separate from all visible creation, were made to live eternally. If that's not life, what is?

The point is, people are our life. We are not perfect--not even one. But we're all we have. Someway, somehow, we have to figure out how to get along, work together, and look past the imperfections of ourselves and others. We have to practice kindness, patience, humility. We need to care. We need to love and, as hard as it is, like each other. I am no better than you, nor you any better than I. Those are hard to do. Why?

People suck.

Indeed we do. But when we admit it, and apply ourselves to change, maybe--just maybe--we can all suck a little bit less.

Life is Like Riding a Bike

Little Susie really, really wanted a new bike. Not just a new bike, but a big bike, a grownup bike, like her brother's.

"Daddy," said little Susie, "I really, really want a new bike. A big bike. A bike like Johnny's."

"But Sweetheart," Father replied, "You're not ready for such a big bike as that. You haven't even taken the training wheels off your bike." 

"I know Daddy, but I'm ready. I really, really want a new bike!"

Susie's Father peered down at her. He knew she was not ready. If He gave her the bike she wanted, she'd soon realize it wasn't what she really wanted after all. She wasn't ready for a big bike.

"Not today, Honey," He told her as he patted her blonde curls, "let's wait until you're ready."

But little Susie was nothing if not persistent. The very next day she sat on the porch watching Johnny ride his bike. It looked so easy; she just knew she could do it if she had a bike like that of her own. Putting on her most innocent, adorable face, she went to Father as He came home from work.

"Daddy, I'm bigger today. See--I'm almost as big as you," she said as she stretched her little frame to its utmost height.

"Oh yes," replied Father, "I can see that you've grown even since I've been gone. You are getting sooo big!"

"I know Daddy," Susie exclaimed, "and now I'm ready for my big bike!"

Father chuckled.  "Oh, I don't know about that. You're not quite that big yet."

Susie's face fell. She knew she was ready. Father just didn't want to get her a new bike. He didn't love her enough. All He thought about was what He wanted. He didn't care what she wanted.

Tears of frustration burst from her eyes, and the most horrible words gushed from her mouth.

"You just don't love me, Daddy. You don't care what I want. I don't love you any more either!"

Stomping her little shoes as loudly as she could, Susie stormed up to her room and slammed the door, leaving Father behind.

"Susie," Father called after her, "Susie . . . you know that's not true. I just want what's best for you. I DO love you . . . you know that. Susie? Susie . . ."

But it was no use. Susie refused to reply.

Father was hurt by her words. He knew what was right. He did love Susie. He loved her with all His heart. She just didn't understand. Maybe it was time to show her just how much He did love her.

The next morning, when Susie came to the breakfast table, she spoke not a word to Father. She refused to even look at Him. She was sooo mad! Finishing her toast, she placed her plate in the sink and without a word strode past Father and out the door to go play.

Father waited expectantly.

"Daddy!" Susie's shrill voice cut through the still morning. "Daddy! Daddy! Come see. Come see Daddy!"

Father smiled as He rose and folded His napkin neatly beside His plate before stepping out the door.

"Daddy," Susie wrapped her little arms around His waist. "You did it! You got me a new bike!"

Father knelt down and embraced the quivering little body in front of Him.

"Yes Honey, I sure did. But are you sure you're ready for it? It's pretty big. Much bigger than your old one."

"Oh yes, Daddy! I'm sure. I'm so sure! I'm going to ride it right now!"

"OK Honey. But before you do, just remember that I wanted you to wait."

Susie said nothing in reply. She was too excited. This was going to be so awesome! Her own big bike. Now everyone would see just how big she really was!

Climbing up on the bike, she struggled to get it turned around. For a moment, doubt crept into her mind. This sure was a big bike . . . was she really ready for this? She smiled broadly. Of course she was! This was exactly what she wanted, right?

Putting her right foot on the pedal, she gave a hard shove and hurled herself up towards the seat. She couldn't reach it! Fear clouded her face as she fought for control. Oh no! She was going to fall!

"Daddy!" she screamed.

It was too late. Little Susie, and her big bike, tumbled to the ground.

"Susie. Susie, are you OK?" Father asked as he knelt in the grass beside her.

"Yes," Susie sniffled. "I fell down."

"I know Honey. I saw. Did you get hurt?"

"Just a little," she sniffled again.

"I'm sorry that you got hurt," Father said softly, "that's why I wanted you to wait."

* * * 

Sometimes in life we want what someone else has, even if we're not ready for it. But life really is like riding a bike. You have to master the little ones before you can move on to something bigger. Remember that the next time you ask God for something bigger, better, newer. Are you really ready if He says yes? 

 

How To Find Balance

You have it, then it's gone.

Without it you will fall, but once you fall, you find it. Sounds like a riddle, doesn't it? In many ways, it is. The struggle for balance in our lives is very much a puzzle, one with which we constantly contend. If everything would just hold still, balance would be so much easier. But that's not life. Life is dynamic, active, moving. As soon as you think you have everything under control, something changes, and your balance is gone.

At that point, you have two choices. Either you adjust to keep your balance, or you fall. Either way, you are going to move. Remaining static is not an option.

Balance is a constant process.

I am a physical therapist, and in my job, I work with balance every day. One day in a seminar I heard the lecturer say that walking is an ongoing process of throwing ourselves off balance and working to regain it. That stuck with me, because I see the metaphor for life. Living is much like walking. As soon as you start to move, everything changes.

By one definition, balance means keeping your center of gravity within your base of support. In the human body, your center of gravity when standing is roughly at your pelvis and your base of support is your feet. If one moves and the other doesn't, you lose your balance. Simple enough when standing still. Put one foot in front of the other, though, and everything changes. Try it. See what I mean? What once was so simple now is much harder. Why? Because something moved. And that is the story of life and balance. Both are ongoing processes.

The secret is to keep moving.

As I said before, balance has to do with your center and your base, or foundation. The two must be aligned correctly in order for you to stay balanced. Don't want to fall? Keep your center of gravity over your base of support and you are golden. But let one move independently of the other and you become a house of cards. The slightest tap will send you tumbling.


The secret is to keep moving. Just the slightest shifting of your weight, or movement of your feet is often all it takes to stay balanced. Stand on one foot. You don't hold still, do you? Even though you may not go anywhere, you are not still. You weave, you wobble, you wave your arms. All of these help you keep your center over your base. Try to hold perfectly still, and you will fail. That's because none of us, no matter how good our balance or strong our core, are ever truly still. We are alive, and life means movement.

My point?

It's pretty simple. Life is like walking. If you want to stay balanced, you have to work at it. A good foundation and strong core are important, and we we may talk about those one day. Today what I want us to realize is that no matter how strong you are, sometimes you have to move.  Life is dynamic. If we want to stay on our feet, remaining perfectly still is not an option.

What Does it Mean to Worship God?

What is worship?

 According to Rick Warren's study, The Purpose Driven Life, our primary purpose and focus in life is to worship God. OK, but just what is worship anyway?

Is worship singing with upraised arms, heart open to God, unashamedly and unabashedly singing His praises? Is worship kneeling in prayer, tears flowing down our cheeks as we unreservedly reveal our deepest secrets, hopes, fears, dreams to Him? Is worship time spent alone with God, or time spent in fellowship with other Christians? Is worship giving our money, our time, our talents to God?

In a word, YES!

Worship can be any of these, or none. Worship isn't about what you do, but rather how, why, and for whom you do it. Worship can be, should be, everything we do. Worship is life, and life is worship.

Colossians 3:23 says, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men. Romans 12:1 says, in part, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.  Now that last one isn't about going out and offering ourselves on an altar somewhere! Both of these verses are talking about doing everything, whatever it is, to please God. When we do that, everything becomes a form of worship.

Everything?

Everything. Digging ditches, preaching sermons, changing diapers, mowing the lawn, even taking a nap--if done with the right attitude and done the best you can do it, anything and everything can be worship to God. You see, worship isn't about doing anything special, it's about doing everything special. Doing everything knowing that you do it not for your boss, your spouse, your children, your neighbor, yourself,  or anyone else, but for God.

When you live your life for God, understanding that everything you do is done for Him, then everything you do becomes pleasing to Him. That is worship.

How will you worship God this week?

What part of your life have you been living for yourself or someone else other than God? Your work? Your children? Your house, finances, relationships, school? Think about it . . . what have you been doing that you never considered God to be a part of? Put God in it, and that becomes worship. It really is that simple.

Make a commitment, right now, to offer that part of your life to God. Jesus said this in Mark 12:30: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. That's everything we have, friends.

Love God with all you have and all that you do. That is the meaning of true worship.

It's Not About You

This life isn't about you.

Our church has embarked on a six week study by Pastor Rick Warren entitled What on Earth am I Here For?, based on Pastor Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life. The first line in this book of 40 personal devotions sets the tone: It's not about you.

 At first take, this sounds like a negative statement. I mean, I am participating in this study to find out what my purpose is, and right out of the gate the first thing I read is It's not about you. Really? We're talking about my life here. My reason for living. My purpose. How could it not be about me?

If that's true . . .

In exploring the possibility that indeed my purpose may not be centered around me, I found a certain freedom and peace. I realized that if life isn't about me, then all that stuff I see as unfair isn't about me. The junk that the world throws at me isn't about me. The inequity, the decks stacked against me, the losses, the pain, the turmoil, the grief and all that other negative stuff--none of it is about me. Wow, what a relief!

I also had to explore the other side of that coin. Whatever success I've had, any gains I have made, all of my possessions, every one of my hopes and dreams--realized and yet to come--they're not about me either. All that I have, or want, or have lost. Every tear I have shed, every laugh I have shared, every smile and grimace, every pleasure and pain . . . none were about me.

If not me, then who?

It's about God, of course. Pastor Warren references Colossians 1:16 from the Biblical paraphrase The Message, which reads in part, "everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him." God created everything, and everything is about God. Everything. Including me and you.

Our lives are about God. Our successes and failures, our strengths and weaknesses, our joys and our sorrows are not about you and me. Everything that we are and do and experience is about God. We are part of His creation, and all of His creation finds its purpose in Him. It's not about me. It's not about you. It's about God.

So what?

So it doesn't matter what I do, because it's not about me, right? Ummm . . . no. Because my life purpose is found in God, it matters infinitely more what I do. If life was about me, I'm just one of about seven billion other people in this world today. I'm no big deal. But there is only one True God. And if my life is about Him--that changes everything.

Whether I do my best at whatever I do is not about me; it's about God. My attitude when life is hard is not about me; it's about God. Just as equally, my attitude when things go my way is not about me; that's about God, too.

All things find their purpose in God. If that doesn't make you pause, I don't know what will.