Word up! - John 1:1

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. John 1:1 (NKJV)

It amazes me how many Christians don’t read the Bible on a regular basis.  I mean sure, it isn’t some important book or anything. It’s not like it gives us insight on who God is and what He has done for us and what we should do in return.  Oh wait, it does; the Bible gives us all that and much more. It is full of answers, examples, love, hope, etc. etc. etc.  It is a timeless book that is just as relevant today as it was a thousand years ago. 

I hear all kinds of reasons for why people aren’t reading it.  “I don’t have time”, “It’s boring”, “I just can’t get into it”, etc.  One excuse is as good as another I suppose.  Let’s think of it this way if there was a book about how you could be given a million dollars for free and it wasn’t a scam, would you read it? What if this book could help everyone you care about also obtain a million dollars?  I bet you would not only read it, you would know it by heart, quote it often and probably make sure all your friends had a copy! 

A relationship with God and an eternal home in Heaven is far more valuable than a million dollars; it is priceless.  The Bible teaches us about God and His gospel, HIS-story!  It is a map to guide us through life’s ups and downs, and it contains truths that will save men to the utmost.  Trust me it is worth the read; it is worth the time, it is worth the bother.

 You know I really have days when I just don’t want to get up and go to work, but I do anyway.  You may not want to pick up your Bible and read it, do it anyway; you won’t regret it!

Don’t give up when you mess up – 1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

I know several people who are smokers and they all hate the fact that they smoke.  Several have them have come to me and told me, “I quit smoking!” and I’m excited for them; after all I’m the one that aggravates them all the time about smoking and how they need to quit. However, smoking is a strong addiction and this is what I usually see happen; everything is going good for a while as they resist the urge to smoke.  Then something happens that stresses them out and they reach for a cigarette, and they’re back to smoking just like they were.   The problem is not that they can’t quit smoking, not that they don’t want to, and not even that one cigarette.  The problem is that when they mess up and smoke that one cigarette, they give up trying to quit. 

Now hopefully most of you reading this aren’t smokers, if you are quit now! But whether you smoke or not I can guarantee you have been through a similar ordeal. You have decided you were going to stop or start doing something.  You start off sailing along and doing great, sure there is temptation to give in but you are stronger then that so you just pick up the intensity. Then the unavoidable happens, you make a mistake, you put your guard down and WHAM! Your perfect plans have been smashed to bits, so you do the noble thing and bow out gracefully; when what you really should do is pick up the pieces, get back on track and keep trucking along toward the goal.

I promise you this; you will never be perfect on this side of Heaven.  So, when you mess up, and you will, give it to God and go on. Stop letting a little (or big) mistake stop you from doing what you should do.  Let God have your mistakes and He will not only forgive you of them, but completely and utterly cleanse you of them.  We all mess up, so the question is: Will you give up too?

Just do it – Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NLT)

It seems like to me that as a society we are turning more and more to the idea of only doing what we feel like doing. Marriages are ending in divorce like never before, parents are giving up their children (or neglecting them), our work ethic is non-existent; we just want things to be handed to us and we want them to be easy and all packaged up and tied with a pretty bow.  When we get tired of it we want to move on to something bigger and better; something that makes us feel good and makes us happy.

We are so consumed with ourselves and our own wants and desires that we have lost sight of true commitment.  We want to pseudo-commit: committing as long as it is convenient to us, otherwise count us out.  One of my favorite examples of this is a scene from Shrek 2.  Shrek has just finished robbing some men because he needs their cloths. He looks at the men standing there in their underwear and says, “Thank you, gentlemen! Someday, I will repay you. Unless, of course, I can't find you or if I forget.”. He has just freed himself from any obligation of ever fulfilling his pseudo-commitment. 

It is funny how we want to pseudo-commit to everything we do, yet we get upset when people fail to come through on their pseudo-commitments to us.  I think it is way past time that we suck it up and start sticking by our commitments.  If you are in a marriage and it is getting rocky, by golly fight for it with all you’ve got.  If someone needs you and it is inconvenient to you, stuff your selfish egocentric nature back in the closet and just go help them.  If you are at your job or school and there is something you have to do that you don’t want to, do it anyway. Life is too short and eternity is too long to be so selfish and uncaring. 

If we are going to claim to follow Jesus, maybe we should start acting like it. 

Are you selling yourself short? – Psalm 139:14

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Psalm 139:14 (NKJV)

Seems like more and more these days I hear people putting themselves down. “I can’t”, “I’m not good enough”, “I shouldn’t have even tried”, are phrases that have worked their way into our everyday vocabulary. We start to believe that if we were only smarter, prettier, skinnier, more talented, etc, that we would be happy. Our glass is always half, no two-thirds empty. We can’t see any hope of anything ever being any different; after all we are just useless and good for nothing: failures.

We look in the mirror and we notice all of our imperfections and we start to think about how much we have messed up.  We listen to the voices all around us that tell us we need to be perfect, that we just aren’t trying hard enough, and that we will never win. We try so hard to change who we are that we forget that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and we are special.

No one else, ever has been exactly like the unique and wonderful design called, you!  God very purposefully designed you to be who you are, so you need to embrace you. 

So what you aren’t a naturally gifted at some things, you are at others. Maybe you will never be a great _______ (fill in the blank), maybe God has other plans.  Find your niche, seek your purpose in God’s plan for your life; I assure you it is great!

So STOP, that’s right S-T-O-P, right now belittling yourself, beating yourself up for what you are not, what you have or haven’t done, or for what you never will be.  God has made you for greatness, not your greatness, His greatness, and He loves you.  You are unique, special, and important in the eyes of the creator God.  Sure you fail, and fail, and fail, but if you are Christ’s you will never be a failure. Satan will try to tear you down, and others will help him; don’t start believing their lies.

I’ll leave you with two quotes from two very intelligent women that help me through my day-to-day struggles of self-confidence and self-esteem.  Take these quotes to heart and they will help you as well!

“Never put yourself down; the whole world will do that for you.” My Mom

and

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” Eleanor Roosevelt