Press On!

Brothers, 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,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:13-14)

Every New Year I think and pray on these two verses…

2011 is about done; 2012 dawns tomorrow, it’s a natural time to decide to move on from the past and press on toward the goal in Christ Jesus.

Like Paul, none of us has yet attained a full measure of Christ-likeness.  We certainly will not obtain a greater measure by dwelling on the fact that we haven’t reached all of our goals, that we haven’t been able to “measure up”.  Instead, the only thing to be done is to forget all of that and continue to follow Jesus heavenward.  This is only natural and fitting when you stop to consider the fact that God Himself has called us in that direction; what are we waiting for?

May 2012 be the year when all of us finally drop the earthly life and dedicate ourselves fully to His service!

May the New Year be the very best that you and yours have yet experienced, and may it be the year when all of us fully realize all that we have in Christ Jesus!

Related articles

• Are we on the Right Track… (lifereference.wordpress.com)
• Urgent or Important? (lifereference.wordpress.com)

Time for a new beginning

With Christmas past and the new year looming, all of us have the opportunity to make a new start.  Most of us have areas of our lives that we aren’t entirely satisfied with, why keep doing the same things?

I’m not really talking about the traditional “New Year’s Resolutions” here, because as most of us have discovered, they really don’t work all that well.  I think the reason for that is that they are an attempt to deal with a symptom of something, rather than dealing with the underlying problem.

Now I guess that is a big statement to make; what ‘underlying problem’?

Here’s a theory:  Most of us have a problem with focus.  Here’s what I mean:

Are you focused on good things?  Are you focused on others, on your relationships, family, job…?  Are you focused on your relationship with Jesus Christ?

You see, most of us are focused on a lot of things at once; so many in fact that we really aren’t focused on anything.  ‘Focus” tends to be exclusionary, that is to say that if we are focused on one thing, the others slip…

There’s one exception to this rule; our focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ.  If we are focused on our relationship with Jesus Christ, the other necessary areas of focus will not slip, but rather we will be motivated to do all of them better.  If we focus on our relationship with Christ, our relationships with other people will improve, our job performance will improve and our entire outlook on life will improve.  The only area of focus that will slip is in being focus on self… that will begin to wither, and maybe that’s the part that will allow us to live a better life.

I don’t know about you, but my strategy for being a better human being in the new year will be to focus on Jesus Christ!

As White as Snow

There’s something about fresh snow that’s sort of comforting, although it also seems a little dangerous at the same time.  Yes, it is cold, and it can be uncomfortable physically, and heaven knows I’m not all that crazy about shovelling it; in spite of all that there is a comfort in seeing it.

It does have a nice way of covering the brown of winter… not to mention the left-over fall leaves, and it all looks so very clean.

The clean look of fresh snow is more than just in covering up the ground with a fresh white covering, it is representative of something much more profound… and a little scary.

Fresh white snow is mentioned several times in the Bible in connection with the righteousness of God and the purity of His Word, and I don’t know about you, but to me there is something slightly intimidating about that since I am so acutely aware of the fact that I just can’t measure up to His standard.

The comfort, however is greater than the danger, for in Christ we too can be made to “measure up”.  Not, of course, by our own work but instead by His.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”  (Isaiah 1:18)

Our sinfulness and imperfection, our unholy thoughts and motivations, our inadequacies and unfaithfulness are made white as snow by the blood of Jesus Christ.  It doesn’t matter than I am my own worst critic, it doesn’t matter than somebody might not like me or that I might stumble and fail.  What matters is that our Lord has taken care of all of that ‘stuff’ and in God’s sight, by His great mercy and love we are as white as snow in His sight by and through Jesus Christ.

Since Jesus has done this for us, doesn’t it motivate you to redouble your efforts to live a life pleasing in His sight?

Are we on the Right Track…

…sometimes it’s hard to tell; it all depends on where you are standing.

If you’re near a curve like this one, you’re never really sure what’s around the corner; are we even looking in the right direction?  Maybe we should go the other way!

2012 is likely to be a pivital year; some even think it’s the year the world will end.  Personally, I’m not one of those, but in truth it could end for any one of us…

In politics, 2012 is shaping up as a desperate struggle between opposing philosophies, at least in the US, culture is being stretched to the max with a profound effect upon family life as a generation seems to hang in the balance.  Technology is zooming for the sky and in some ways it has put a strain on mere humans who are trying to figure out how to react to its pervasiveness.

It doesn’t seem to matter who you ask, everybody seems to be thinking that something has to give here: which way should we go?

As a Nation (in America at least) the polls seem to indicate that almost everybody thinks we’re on thhe wrong track… but do we need to shift farther to the left… or back toward the center?  As a culture we also see this disconnect; do we just go and let it all hang out… or is there too much hanging out already?  I don’t even want to think about economics, but we seem to have the same confusion in economics…

Are we on the right track?

None of us can control the larger issues; we can cast a vote and take our little stand, but alone we really aren’t likely to make much difference: I hate that helpless feeling!

We can however see to it that we are personally on the right track, and we might be able to influence those around us, and this is where our biggest hope lies.  But what about that curve just ahead?

This is where we can fall back on the first reference ever discussed in this blog: What is Truth?

 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

(John 14:6-7)

Jesus Christ is the Way to go, Jesus Christ is the Truth, and Jesus Christ is the Life.

If we are walking through life with Jesus Christ we are on the right track, no matter what else goes on.  It isn’t always the easiest way, and it definately isn’t the most popular road… but it is without question the only way worth going in this or any other moment in history.  Follow this track; it leads home!

Image via Wikipedia

Related articles

• What is Truth? (lifereference.wordpress.com)
• Will We Follow Jesus? (lifereference.wordpress.com)
• The Way (lifereference.wordpress.com)

Quote of the Week

Image via Wikipedia

“Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.”

- James Madison,

“Father of the Constitution”

Urgent or Important?

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”

(1Peter 1:3)

Here is the point of beginning for a fresh start in life: Praise be to God!

Just think of all of the riches you have in Christ; a new life, a living hope and a better way.  What else could anybody ask for?  Any reasonable person who honestly thinks about it would likely conclude that this is about as good as life can be…

But… we all have our problems, our challenges, our past and distractions galore.  We all have plenty of times when we need to give our attention to the urgent, rather than to give attention to that which is truly important.  Of course in management, this is considered a great time waster!  We deal with the things that come up and demand attention, and as a result we have little time or energy left to deal with matters that are important for more than a few minutes or hours… and we suffer in the long run.

What is really important in life is our relationship with Christ; we need to develop the ability to separate that from the chaos of the day so that we can keep it in focus.  Of course, this will also make dealing with all of the other things a lot easier.

In 2012, let’s stay focused on the important rather than things which seem urgent, but not really as crucial as they seem at first: Everything will turn out better if we do!

To be great

… is to be humble:

“The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

(Matthew 23:11-12)

We usually don’t think of the greatest in our midst as being our servants, but this is what Jesus taught:

Culture teaches otherwise…

In this passage, Jesus was teaching the crowd that they should follow the lead of their religious leaders and to do whatever the leaders said, but to never do as their leaders did.  This was because their leaders taught all of the right things, but lived entirely differently.  They loved their lofty positions and all of the perks that came along with them.

Following Jesus is not about perks.

Following Jesus means that we are the humble servants of others to promote God’s purpose.  Following Jesus means that we are willing to sacrifice for His cause; to give our all and even to suffer for His name’s sake.  If we are into self-satisfaction and self-actualization, we are not following Jesus.

Following Jesus means that we get over ourselves.

Following Jesus means that it is all about Him.

Let’s Fix the Super Bowl!

Image via Wikipedia

I am a football fan, and I particularly enjoy College football, that is until we get around to the championship game; that’s when I start to wonder about things.  This year is different!

After listening to the commentators on the four-letter network for the past couple of months discuss how the BCS nearly always get’s it right, and also after hearing them explain what a “champion” really is, I have come around to understanding why the BCS works so well.  I am posting this to help you understand as well.

In order for you to fully understand why this is true, I must insist that you read this very carefully, or you will miss the reality of what I am saying!

 Ready?

The critical point is this:  A true champion is the “best team”.  Got it?

To be the best team, you need to have the best program, the best tradition and the best players… It does not mean that you just win on the field; anybody can do that!  So you see, the BCS always has the “best” two teams in the big game; it’s as simple as that!

The NFL on the other hand has an out-dated and vulgar playoff system that does not recognize the “best”.  Here’s how we can tell…

In last year’s Super Bowl, Green Bay beat Pittsburgh: What a joke!  At the beginning or the playoffs, nobody would say that Green Bay was the best, they just got hot at the right time, barely squeaked into the playoffs and got lucky because they were hot.  This is no way to recognize the “best” team!!!

So, here’s how we can fix this stupid playoff system:  (You might want to take notes)

Step 1:  The week after the NFL regular season ends, the winner of the AFC South plays the winner of the NFC South.  The winner goes to the Super Bowl.

Step 2:  Sports writers choose their favorite team off of the “eligible list”  The “eligible” teams are: Patriots, Steelers, Dolphins, Giants, Eagles, and Packers.

Step 3:  If none of the eligible teams is good enough, then the sports writers and commentators choose the second-best team from the AFC/NFC South and they go to the Super Bowl.

Step 4:  All of the other teams with at least an 8-8 record are paired up with another team at random, and they play a game on someone else’s field for a nice trophy.

Now that you see this set out in a logical and practical way, can’t you see that this is the best way to select a true “champion”?  No more lucky teams, no more dumb and ridiculous matchups in the Super Bowl, only the two “best” teams!  As soon as the NFL gets straightened out, I think we need to fix the other sports too.  In fact, can’t you see that we can use this method to fix all of the country’s problems?

Write to the NFL, call their offices, email them, maybe we can get an occupy group together to make them see that they have it all wrong!

Finally the Lombardi Trophy will mean something!

My Christmas Wish

My wish this Christmas is that you and yours will find and secure all of the blessings of our Lord.  I hope that you will grow in your walk with Christ in the coming year, that your loved ones will be well, prosper and know Jesus.  I hope and pray that this will be the best Christmas that you and your family, friends and associates ever have, and that 2012 will be the best year of your life so far.

A very merry Christmas, and may God bless us, every one!

Image by paparutzi via Flickr

twas the night before Christmas

Well here we are, December 24… the day before Christmas… or as some call it illogically “Christmas Eve Day”.  (I can’t figure out how it could be “Eve” and “Day” at the same rime, but I digress…)

Image via Wikipedia

When I was a little kid, I always wanted to keep very busy on the 24th of December.  I thought that if I was very busy the time would pass quickly… and to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t wait for old Santa Claus to visit, and then to find out what he left under the tree!

Image via Wikipedia

As a young man, the 24th was hectic.  I had to keep the kids away from the goodies under the tree, secretly put toys together, make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything… and hope that everything came out all right.  The eager anticipation of trying to be busy had turned into the haste and anxiety of actually being busy!

Now that the kids are grown, they have those Christmas problems and I can just relax!; much better!

Image via Wikipedia

I sure hope that in the last-minute rush and crunch people don’t lose sight of what Christmas is supposed to be about; the arrival of a babe who would change everything, and who would set us free from death itself.

Image via Wikipedia

Please try to take a minute today to reflect on that.  Doing so always helped me to be a little more grounded on this day… that is if I remembered to do it!

May God richly bless you and yours this Christmas!

Image via Wikipedia