Imitators

Ephesians 5:1-2(NASB) ¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; ²and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

As a child I remember times that I attempted to imitate my father. Every move he made I copied. While walking through the field I stretched to make my foot land where his did. My desire was to be just like him. Now years later I am told that I do a number of things just like my dad. Years of love and observation showed me a great way to live.

The same should be true of our heavenly Father. To imitate Him we need to sharpen the skills we use in copying someone else. We need to study closely every move and attempt to make it our own. When we are intent on following someone else so closely, distractions are not a problem because our focus is fixed. Many times we are stretched as we imitate God. He moves us to a deeper faith, love, joy, skill, assurance, quality, and on and on the list can go.

One of the greatest joys for us is that someday, someone will say, "You look just like your Father." To be recognized as an imitator of God is a wonderful compliment.

Prayer: God help me to observe you well. Teach me the little things that make me like You.

Preparing a Personal Mission Statement

Proverbs 16:9(NASB) ⁹ The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

God has a plan for me and you. The question is, "How does that plan work itself out in our lives?" For me to be able to live out a plan, I must first understand how it applies to me. One instrument that helps me is writing a personal mission statement. The declaration helps me to mark boundaries in my life. Predetermining what I will, and what I will not do, eliminates many of the time wasters in my life because I do not have to stop and evaluate every decision.

My personal mission statement also serves as the foundation for my future planning. By allowing it to guide me, I will plan to do those things which make more of an impact.

The statement should be written in a positive way. It is designed to point out the things I am good at, helping me to see my strengths and understand how I am contributing to life. The document helps me think about specific actions, behaviors, habits and qualities that would have a significant positive impact on my life over the next 1 to 3 years.

My mission statement is personal but not permanent. As I grow, my desires and knowledge, as well as the challenges and opportunities in my life, will change. These changes can be reflected in a recasting my mission statement.

Here are some "Life Review" thoughts to go through before writing a Personal Mission Statement.
1.  I need to list my successes. These achievements are ones that make me feel energized and excited. Some are accomplishments that I have had to work hard to attain and felt good doing it. I need to identify 4 to 5 of these personal triumphs which have occurred in recent years.

2.  I need to list my core values/beliefs. I can make this list as long as necessary and then narrow it down to the top six beliefs that are most important to me. As a Christian the basis of my worldview is extremely important because it drives every decision. All of my future plans will be qualified through the filter of these beliefs. Proverbs 16:3(NASB) ³ Commit your works to the LORD And your plans will be established.

3.  I need to list ways that I contribute to life. How do I make things work more smoothly at home, school, work, etc.? What role do I find myself being fulfilled in most often? Am I the peacemaker, promoter, persuader, person that brings precision, etc.? I need to list at least five ways I make a positive difference, from this list, which one do I see as most important. This step reveals a lot about where my spiritual gifts lie. 1 Peter 4:10(NASB) ¹⁰As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Corinthians 7:7(NASB) ⁷. . . However, each man has his own gift from God, . . .
　

4.  I need to list ways I would like to make a difference. If I were allowed to make two significant and unrestricted changes in myself, my family, my friends, my faith, and the thing that brings me fulfillment, what would they be? How do I envision these changes making a positive impact?

　
5.  I need to list my personal goals. Short-term goals include things over the next two years and long-term objectives deal with three or more years. Who is it that I want to become? What habits do I wish to form? What actions and character traits do I desire to develop? Where do I want to be? All my goals in the process of being fulfilled and when finally attained need to bring glory to God. Philippians 2:13(NASB) ¹³for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

After doing this life review, I am now ready to begin writing or rewriting my personal mission statement. I need to remember that this is a positive personal account which will guide me in day-to-day actions and decisions. God has a plan for me and it is important for me to recognize that I have a personal involvement in understanding and applying that plan.


Psalms 25:4-5(NASB) ⁴ Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. ⁵ Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.

The Missing Element

If we wanted to jumpstart our life, wishing to improve each day, and desire to end the day feeling lighter, happier, and content, what would we need to do? From many sources (conferences, research, magazines, and books) I have seen a trend of information addressing the harshness of our society. Each case points out that gratitude is a missing element in our lives.

We have become people of entitlement. The accompanying attitude is one of ingratitude. We believe that we are owed something.

Let’s get this straight. The ONLY thing we are owed is an eternity separated from God. We are sinners, who willfully ignore God’s input the majority of the time. Then, when things go the way we designed and collapse, we blame the Lord, suggest He is powerless, and question His goodness. All we deserve is His wrath.

Yet, He loves us. How remarkable! He loves a sinner like me. Not only does He love us, He has provided a way to restore us and give us an abundance of real life.

We need to be grateful. Gratefulness understands that there is a gift involved and we are appreciative. Here are five practical suggestions to consider when being grateful to God (and others).

1. Be aware - Remember the benefits. Take time to notice the good.
2. Be honest - Be real, truly be thankful.
3. Be vocal - Tell someone, we recognize our blessing more as we share them.
4. Be natural - Praise God in a way that is natural for you.
5. Be consistent - Do it daily.

Psalms 103:1-5(NASB) ¹ Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. ² Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; ³ Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; ⁴ Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; ⁵ Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Step into Freedom

Recently someone commented, "God’s commandments are too restrictive. Every time I turn around I am finding out some new commandment that makes me give up something else and stops me from enjoying life."

Comments like these show a lack of understanding of God’s purpose and His love. The purpose of His commands are not to restrict us, they are there to set us free. They give us boundaries for our safety. His commands allow us to move freely through a much greater expanse of life.

In giving us boundaries, God is showing His love for us. Research has repeatedly shown that people who do not have well defined boundaries live in a much smaller and more confined area. Jesus came to set us free, but He does so by giving us an aim, a plan, and a control.

1 John 5:3 (NASB), states, ". . . For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. . ." Following God’s commands are not a grind. They are more like an eager child following the directions to build their amazing model and anticipating a wonderful final product.

God desires that we have an abundant life. That means that in our life we can understand our purpose and know His plan for us. We can experience the joy that comes with the boundaries which provide protection. Scriptures share that in Christ we have liberty.

2 Cor. 3:17 (NASB) ¹⁷. . . where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

James 1:25 (NASB) ²⁵But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Scripture shows us that the guidance and commandments of the Lord provide liberty, joy, and blessings. Our first step to understanding the commands of God is to adjust our attitude about His laws. Instead of being influenced to believe they are stopping our fun, let’s choose to see the liberty they bring. All of God’s guidance comes from His heart of love.

Captured by Joy and Desiring Purity

Titus 2:11-14(NASB) ¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, ¹²instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, ¹³looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, ¹⁴who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Purity is produced by the work and Word of God being continually processed through our lives. Just as fresh waters squeeze through a limestone rock and produce a pure white rock, the Word of God purifies us.

Failures bring us to the edge of disaster. As we fail, we are keenly aware of our sins. Our minds are corrupted and unclean. We are driven to defeat with guilt. But don’t stop there! Remember that Jesus gave Himself for us. His blood covers all our sins and He desires to give us a fresh start (Titus 2:14).

Follow the process outlined in James chapter four to move back to God.

Humble yourself before God in recognition of His holiness. (6)

Submit to His authority. (7)

Personally resist and say no to the devil. (7)

Intentionally and consistently draw near to God in Bible study and prayer. (8)

Clean up your actions pursue righteousness. (8)

Become singularly focused on God’s world view. (8)

Let God determine how your life is to be used. (10)

God clearly promises us forgiveness for the sins we confess. He also desires to cleanse us from the pollution that sin leaves in our lives.

Hebrews 9: 14 reveals that purification by Christ brings us into the position of growth and life. When Jesus implants Himself into our lives, we are immediately inhabited by the Holy Spirit. God holds us in His hands forever.

The process of salvation now turns to the development of a complete disciple. The Holy Spirit instructs us in a new way of life. He empowers us to deny ungodliness and irreverent desires. He leads us to use God’s Word to make effective decisions to say no to temptations.

Denying ungodliness is a personal choice where we resolve to live in the fullness of God and experience the freedom brought by intentionally walking in obedience. The more decisions we make to live right the more we are attracted to the freshness of the vibrant life we find in Jesus.

Choosing to live sensibly, righteously, and godly right now effectively focuses our lives on the positiveness of Christ living through us. We are less tempted by food when we are already filled. The same principle works in the spiritual areas of our lives. Dishonorable desires are much less attractive when we are eagerly involved in a satisfying and growing relationship with Christ.

Jesus is excited to have us sold out to relationship with Himself. He defeated death so that we could experience a wondrously abundant life in Him. Once we are captured by the joy of the Christian life we are eager to pursue it consistently.

Making Time to Make a Difference

Romans 5:8(NASB) ⁸But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Several years ago I was preaching a revival on Long Island in New York. The meetings were unusual in that they began the night after Christmas and continued through New Year’s Eve. As everyone knows, New Year’s Eve in New York is an amazing event. However, instead of spending our time at Times Square, we were at a small church in the midst of millions of people.

After the service that New Year’s Eve, we spent the rest of the time talking and praying until just after midnight. Shortly after the new year began, we made our way to eat breakfast in a local restaurant. During our meal, a fight among two rival groups broke out in the streets right outside of where we were eating. Very few people in the restaurant even seemed to notice.

From where I was sitting I could see that there were police nearby sitting in cars. I was stunned. Why didn’t they stop the violence? The minister I was with assured me that it was safer for the police to pick up the pieces than to break up the fight.

Later that morning, as I prepared to go to bed, my mind was still racing. The pieces left behind in the fight were people - broken, battered, and bruised. They were created in the image of God. And Jesus had died for them. Most of these were young men who had lost a sense of purpose and were grasping for something that would redefine them. That night I wondered how many hundreds and thousands of other people were lost in the struggle of discovery having never heard of the love, forgiveness, and abundant life offered by Jesus.

Every soul is important to Jesus Christ. He came for the purpose of revolutionizing the lives of each individual. Luke 19:10(NASB) ¹⁰"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Jesus left us with the mission of sharing the eternal hope that can be found in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:20(NASB) ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

That night I asked the question. How many of us are making the time to appeal to others and beg them to be reconciled to God so that their lives may be morphed by His wonderful mercy and love? Or how many of us just wait to pick up the pieces, making time for everything else in our lives without giving a thought to sharing Hope with someone else? With those questions in mind, I penned this poem.

ALONE IN THE SOLITUDE OF TIME

Alone in the solitude of time

watching the busy day go by,

Through the alley and the streets

the children run unnoticed

and untouched by a loving hand.

Searching and seeking to find answers

to the fairytales of life

only to find reality too soon.

Never young and never happy,

too busy to be a person

yet too afraid to stop and try.

But to find that time moves on

and the time of youth vanishes

without knowing the meaning of life.

Grown to be against us,

Yet, God chose them to be for us.

But which of us has shown him love?

And which of us has shown him life?

The life of truth and good,

The life of light and love,

Or which of us have stayed,

Alone in the solitude of time

watching the busy day passing by?

God loved us so much that He demonstrated it on the cross. Today, let’s choose to love Him so much that we will demonstrate it by sharing the Hope of the world with others. The world is depending on it.

Replacing Habits

We seem to be creatures of habit. I have often heard the phrase, "Practice makes Perfect." In reality practice only makes the action, whether correct or incorrect, a consistent part of our life. The practices become automatic. They become so reflexive that we become unaware that they are a part of our daily actions.

Many people, when they hear the word habit immediately think of ones that are bad. The context of the words "bad habit" denotes a wide range of negative behavior. A negative habit is anything that inhibits Christian growth. Usually omitting growth leads us to offend others, but most definitely puts us in the position as an offender of God. Bad habits rob us of positive energy for negative results. As we surrender all to Jesus, we must conclude that our habits are a part of that.

The Scripture calls on us to "walk in newness of life." (Rom.6:4) The newness incorporates a change in us, which moves us from anything which is negative to those things that are positive. Changes are sometimes difficult but possible. God will work through us to bring our lives into line with what pleases Him, and benefits us.

When we’re thinking about changing to good habits, we need to remember these eight things.

1. We need to commit our life to Jesus Christ or reexamine our commitment to Jesus Christ. (Rom. 13:14)

2. We need to understand that we can change because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)

3. We need to be specific and identify the non-glorifying habit(s) that needs to be changed. Remember the cures are neither instantaneous nor easy. (Rom. 7:24)

4. We need to confess our bad habit(s) to the Lord as sin and ask for His forgiveness. (1 John 1:9)

5. We need to choose to take a stand with God. (Josh.24:15)

6. We need to replace bad habits with good principles. (Eph. 4:20-32)

7. We need to make it a daily habit to read the Bible, memorize Scripture, and pray. (2 Tim. 2:15)

8. We need to develop a buddy system or accountability group to help us stay focused. (Prov. 21:17, Eccl. 4:12)

We are told that it takes 21 days to instill a good habit into our lives. Let’s do an inventory and begin to replace those habits in our lives which don’t bring God the highest glory to ones which will bring Him the glory. We already know that whatever brings God the greatest glory in and through our lives, brings us the highest good.

Striving to do better because I want to give Him Glory!