Crippled

Crippled

How many of us parents or grandparents would think of going to our kids or grandkids and breaking their legs causing them to become crippled? That's absurd, no one in their right mind who loves their children or grandchildren would ever think of doing such a horrible act.

Well, stick with me...We may not physically cripple our children, but if we are not careful we cripple them in many other ways. Here are some ways, that parents and grand-parents cripple their kids:
-Never Saying "NO"
-never allowing them to accept Responsibility for their actions/behavior
-letting them get by with disrespect, backtalk, etc....
-bailing them out when they get in trouble
-blaming others for things your kids do
-not teaching responsibility
-letting kids get by with lying, cheating, and dishonest behaviors
-Not being consistent in discipline
-punishments not fitting the crime(i.e.-small punishment for major wrong)
-never letting them fail
-giving them whatever they want
-enabling negative and bad behaviors

This is not an extensive list, I am sure we could add several more areas to this list. The point is, if we love our kids we will not purposely cripple them in life. No, we're not breaking their legs, but we are preparing them for a life of dissapointment. Because reality is when they get in the real world, they won't be able to function, because they won't be able to make it on their own. They won't have healthy relationships, because their expectations of others will be unrealistic.

When a child is raised spoiled, they enter into life expecting others to be at their beckon call. When children are raised with no discipline or boundaries they struggle in society because they lack structure. Why do you think there are so many dysfunctional people and so many ruined relationships out there?

If we love our kids, we will discipline them. If we love our kids we will tell them No. We will give them consequences, and we will do our best to be consistent, whether it's our children or grand-children. Children are a gift from God, and it's a big responsibility that God has given us. I also believe being a parent and a grandparent is a privilege not a right.

God disciplines those He loves(Hebrews 12:6) and He expects us to do the same with the children we are responsible for. We can make all the excuses in the world; we hate to see them upset, we hate to hurt their feelings, I want to be their best friend, or it's easier to just let things go. But, this is a life we are talking about. You only get one chance to raise a kid or grandkid.

God has high expectations for us. We should follow His model for how we parent. Do not cripple your children. Love them. Love them by telling them no, making them accept responsibility, by giving them consequences, by not tolerating negative or bad behavor, by not enabling them, and even when it's tough or inconvenient sticking with your guns. They will get over being mad, angry, and thinking your evil. Believe me at the time, I didn't like when my parents got onto me, but I am thankful they gave me guidance, rules, structure, consequences, and loved me enough to not cripple me for life.

Proverbs 19:18 (NIV)
"Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death."

GREEDY

GREEDY

When I hear this word, maybe you think of Ebeneezer Scrooge? I tend to think of a spoiled child, because children are greedy by nature. They don't like to share. Children aren't born with the nature to share, they have to be taught to share. You ever wonder why your kid just won't willingly share as a toddler? But you have to start young teaching them to share.

Our sinful nature is GREEDY. We want it all. We want what is ours and we really want what is yours too. The sinful human nature is in direct conflict with the nature that God desires for us.

God wants His children to share. Share their gifts, their time, they resources, including finances for His glory, not ours. That's a tough concept for many of us to grasp, even those of us who maybe have been raised in church or even been a christian for awhile.

It is not that God wants us to be poor or not have anything, or God is selfish and wants to have everything. It's that God is trying to teach us and establish in us the gift of giving. That we are more blessed when we give, and that giving really has to do with attitude more than it does anything. And most of all God DESIRES to use us for His Glory!

God wants to create in us a spirit of unselishness and a heart for giving to others. God wants us to enjoy our gifts and things in this life, but He doesn't want our life to consist of what we have and what we can obtain as much as He wants our life to consist or enjoying the things we have and sharing them.

If you look at it, ALL we have is from God. Whatever materials blessings we have in this world, are directly from God, He is simply letting us use them. Just like any good parent who gets their child a gift, God wants us to not be selfish, but to share that gift with others.

You may be wealthy and have lots of money, God wants you to enjoy that blessing, but share it with others. You may have the gift of music or singing, God wants you to enjoy that gift, but use it for His glory as well. You may have the gift of compassion, or serving, or teaching, or whatever, no matter the gifts or blessings you have, do not keep them to yourself. Use them, enjoy them, but more importantly share them.

There is no room in Heaven for selfish people. Like most children who are stingy, greedy, and selfish, what happens? A good parent takes away the toy, disciplines the child, until they can learn to share. I think God works the same way, if we don't use our gifts for God and are selfish with them, I think God will take them.

Don't be a greedy, selfish, spoiled child with the gifts, talents, and resources God has blessed you with. Enjoy them, be thankful for them, but most of all share them!

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

2 Corinthians 9:7(NIV)

Ignoramus

Ignoramus

"An Ignorant person." Pretty self-explanatory. All these years, I thought that was a West Virginia word, turns out, it's real, or at least slang, to explain someone who is Igrorant.

Ignorant isn't always a negative word. I'm ignorant when it comes to rebuilding engines or doing plastic surgery, or any surgery for that matter, but sometimes Ignorance isn't so bliss.

Many times people should have no excuse for being an ignormaus, but for whatever reasons they refuse to change, learn, grow, or get educated.

Ignorance by defition is someone who is uninformed or has a lack of knowledge. But it's also someone who is uneducated. And sometimes our being uneducated or uniformed or not having knowledge is our own fault. Churches are dying, people are turned off to church, and God gets a bad rap because of people being christian and an ignoramus.

People preach, teach, and lead not out of wisdom, or maturity, or discernment, but ignorance. Instead of studying, investigating, researching, reading, and being open to the Holy Spirit, they base their faith and decisions on the way they were raised, the denomination they grew up in, the influences of other ignorant people, etc...I know that may sound harsh, but it's reality.

In my past I have been an ignoramus about certain issues and doctrines and beliefs because instead of learning, I believed what other people told me. Sometimes people are really good people, they are just misinformed themselves, and you can see how ignorance breeds ignorance.

However, if we seek the truth, God's will, and guidance from His holy spirit with effort on our parts, wisdom can breed wisdom, truth can breed truth, and common sense can breed common sense.

Being an ignoramus cannot be an excuse. We are responsible for our own faith and our own salvation. It's time we accept responsibility. In a world, where everyone blames others, or believes what they want to believe, or continues to breed ignorance. It's time for us to take responsibility for ourselves and learn, grow, read, study, pray, and seek, disover, and find real truth. Not legalism, not tradition, not the way i was raised, or what I like, or my preferences.

It's time we become educated, informed, knowledgeable, mature, wise, discerning, and truthful when it comes to God's word, His church, His will, and His plan and purpose for our lives. God can't use us, and we can't serve Him wholly when we are doing so out of ignorance. God deserves our best.

"Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. "

I Corinthians 15:34(NIV)

SIMPLE

SIMPLE

"You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it."

Proverbs 8:5(NIV)

We try to complicate things in life sometimes. Make them harder than they have to be. Christian faith is no different. People try to complicate things. Maybe it's pride? ignorance? I don't know the reason, but many christians, churches, and pastors try to make becoming a Christian and being a Christian a lot more difficult than it has to be.

Living and growing a Christian life is not easy. It takes effort, time, discipline, study,etc...to grow your faith. I'm not trying to suggest being faithful is easy, but what I am suggesting is that we make coming to Christ, and being a Christian alot harder than it has to be, do to our human ego, error, or agendas.

Jesus is the son of God. God sent Jesus to be sin for us. To be the sacrifice for our sins. Only through Jesus can we be saved. The salvation process and knowing what God did for us is not that complicated. God gives us His word to explain to us how much He loves us, why He created us, and what He has to offer us. It is up to us to accept or reject. That is simple.

However, satan has used many a person and church to make being a christian too complicated. When churches and christians are constantly bickering, fighting, gossiping, and pushing issues they make salvation and christianity complicated. Christianity becomes about a cause, an issue, an agenda and not about a relationship with Jesus.

Human beings with the devil's help complicates faith. We begin making christianity about other things. You musts listen to this type of music in this way, you must read this bible version only, you must have this spiritual gift, you must believe in this end of times way, you must not believe in this, you gotta do this, can't do that....yadayadayada.....Do you see why we have so many denominations and churches and beliefs? Do you see why so many are turned off by the church and christianity? it's not God, it's us.

We need to ask ourselves before any issue. Is this a salvation issue? What that means is if I do this or don't do that or if I believe this or practice that is it going to change my salvation? Or the better question to ask ourselves is, Is this kingdom bearing? Which means, does this issue really matter in the big scheme of things? The most important thing we can know is God and Jesus and be saved by His blood. We must believe the Bible is inspired Word of God. We make A LOT of issues salvation issues and they are not, or we make them Kingdom bearing and they are not!

Whether you sing new songs or old songs, use a KJV or NKJV, whether you believe in the rapture or none, whether you beleive in singing with music or without, whether you think we are predestined or not, whether you believe in the gift of tongues or not, there are lots and lots of issues we can debate and debate til Jesus comes back, but then again some faith's don't believe He's coming back, because he's just a profit.

My point is, we've got to stop complicating what God intended to be simple. When we complicate things with all our beliefs, practices, opinions, and preferences, and make them law or doctrine, we make God and salvation out to be complicated. I believe this is what the Pharisees did in the bible, which is what Jesus and Paul and others fought against them for. They tried making serving God complicated with legalistic rules, rituals, and laws. Sound familiar? We do it today with all our little agendas.

We spend our whole faith trying to prove others wrong, or pushing our beliefs on people, or carrying on and arguing about stuff that is only hurting the church. Stop it. We need to get back to basics, to simple truth. God loves us. God sent Jesus for us. He wants a relationship with us. He wants to give us freedom. Stop complicating christianity. Stop worrying what everyone else is doing that's not what you like or prefer or think is wrong. Start focusing on what is right, what God is doing, and what God has to offer.

How different would our churches be, our ministries be, our witness be, if we'd stop complicating things and just stop and enjoy God and keep it simple.

Changes?

Changes?

Or more of the same? Do we really want change or do we just like the idea of change? Churches claim they want to change and grow, yet when they hire a new Pastor, they seem to fight all the changes He wants to make, yet they hired Him to come in and help them grow and change.

We want changes in our physically, spirital, and mental lives, yet we are hardly willing to do what it takes to change. You can't just want to lose weight, you have to DO what it takes, exercise, lifestyle changes, better eating habits, etc...You can't just become a maturing growing christian, you have to DO what it takes, studying and reading God's word regularly, praying daily, attending church faithfully, and being involved in a sunday school, bible study, or small group where you can grow, and you have to serve.

Change is an action word, but it's just a word period if we don't allow it to do what it was born to do or we do not back up the word with OUR action. We must act if we truly want change. If you want change in your life, then do whatever it takes to bring it about. If you want to be a better parent, husband, child, father, mother, wife, student, christian, employee, man, woman, pastor, or boss then start coming up with areas you need to work on and then work on them so that you can CHANGE.

You've heard it said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. It's also been said that "nothing changes when nothing changes". If you want your church to change, you gotta let leaders lead and if you're a leader you got to be willing to lead, even when change is difficult. If you want change in your marriage, you can't wait for other partner to do all the work, you want your kids to change, then you gotta change as a parent. You want your work to change, then you change, or change jobs. Maybe you need to change jobs, change friends, or change your attitude in 2011?

I don't know what your life needs, but don't talk about change, unless you are willing to do what it takes to change, no matter what area of your life you are talking about. Change begins with you.

2 Corinthians 5:17(NIV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!