Thinking Christianly

About our Mayor

It should come as no surprise to us when people sin and behave badly.   We are all there.    It is part of human nature.   However to see one man's fight with his personal demons played out in the media day in and day out is difficult for us here in Toronto.   

 

Of course I'm talking about City of Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford who's association with the criminal elements of our city and his excessive use of alcohol and crack has now become an international story.    

Media outlets around the globe latched on to Mayor Rob Ford’s bombshell in which the civic leader admitted Tuesday (November 5) that he had used crack cocaine while in a drunken stupor.     CNN splashed the quote, "Yes, I have smoked crack" all over its website's homepage.     The BBC featured the admission as its top news story.   The Washington Post reminded Americans of its own 1990 scandal of crack smoking Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.    Indeed international media such as Le Monde in France and O Globo in Brazil have picked up the story.    Not surprising the late night comics are having a field day.    One  reporting that Mayor Ford at least had an excuse for smoking crack,  "He was in a drunken stupor."

 

As a follower of Jesus,  I could never condone Mayor Ford's bad behaviour.    It is unbecoming a civic leader to behave so poorly and break our laws so flagrantly.    However, I must remember that he is a human being and my heart goes out to him as he wrestles with these personal demons, and I am reminded that "save by the grace of God, there go I."    And that raises the question:    How are Christians to respond to such failure by our elected officials?     Shouldn't our response be different than that of the world?     Shouldn't we react in a more Christianly manner?

 

My good friend,  Werner Peters is Pastor of the Toronto Chinese Gospel Church English Congregation, and a long time Toronto resident, addresses the issue of "Thinking Christianly About Our Mayor" as today's guest blogger.     His insights speak not only to the present situation in Toronto,  but to how we as followers of Jesus should respond to the failure of all public figures and certainly even those failures within our own circles.     We must not be pressed into the world's mold in our reactions but be dispensers of truth and grace. 

 

Thinking Christianly About Our Mayor

Rev. Werner Peters 

In the last few months, our city has been beleaguered by news about our Mayor that has given talk show hosts and journalists plenty of fodder.    Twitter is all a-flutter and one can't avoid the topic on FaceBook.     Every time we turn on the news, we see another depiction of a grown man who is either enraged, drunk out of his gourd or making sad excuses for his behaviour.

Christians have reacted in different ways.    Those with an over developed sense of compassion cannot abide any criticism of him. I saw one person responding to a Charles Adler column about our mayor in which he had misspelled a word.     She criticized him for the misspelling and suggested that he learn how to spell before criticizing others, as if a spelling mistake was morally equivalent to drunkenness, lying, morbid obesity and smoking crack.      Many of those Christians in my city who help make up Ford Nation are standing by their man because they are conservative and helped vote him into office and are trying hard to overlook everything else.     Talk about an elephant in the room!

Others are reacting almost in glee at the revelation of yet another embarrassing episode of this broken man and provide us with links to news articles, in case we have missed it.

What are we as Christians to make of this whole affair?     How do we respond in a Christ-like manner?

We are, and always have been, obligated to pray for Rob Ford.

To pray for a man in office does not mean we endorse his politics, so whether you are Conservative, Liberal or NDP, your first loyalty is to Christ, and Him we must obey who commanded us in His word to pray for those in leadership.      Pray that God would have mercy on this man and his family and would lead him to a place of profound repentance and conversion to Christ.     If ever we had a living example of a fallen man who is in need of transformation, this is it.

We must learn that civic leadership is about more than the money.

It is about exemplary character.     Perhaps because it has been a long time since we have seen exemplary character in the mayoral office that we have forgotten this salient point, but it becomes a stark point that is brought home to us powerfully when there is an abject failure of character in that office.      We cannot simply repeat the mantra that Ford has "stopped the gravy train" or that he is saving us tax dollars, as if money is our ultimate value.     Wealth retention is NOT the Christian's ultimate value.     Righteousness is.

How many drug addicts today have sunk even lower in their self-justified rationalizations because of the example of our mayor?     How many have even less respect for the law, after seeing the leader of our city treat our laws with such flagrant disregard?     What kind of impact does an example like this do to the countless number of adolescents whose values are not yet formed and who have no strong examples at home?      The potential for damage done to these young lives cannot be measured.      Character still matters.     If the mayor's office is just about reigning in expenses, we could have simply appointed an accountant to the office.      Why didn't we? because that office is about far more than saving the taxpayer dollars.

To call on him to step aside in order to get help is not an unchristian thing to do.

If as a pastor I were guilty of a gross moral failure, stepping aside if not completely stepping down while working on the essentials of restoration is the only right thing to do.     A desire to hang on to power and control is only further evidence of the dysfunction that leads to moral failure anyway.

Pity the man, but if you voted against him, let's stop the Schadenfreude (enjoying someone else's demise).

One day God will have the last word and He is the ultimate Judge who does everything right.     One of the most oft misappropriated verses in the Bible is that verse where the Lord tells us not to judge, lest we be judged with the same measuring stick that we ourselves have used.     This is NOT a prohibition against speaking out against public drunkenness or getting stoned on illegal substances.     In fact the children of our city need to hear this message loud and clear as they watch the videos and read the news - No - this behaviour is NOT okay.

Recognize with humility that we are all made of the same stuff.

We tend to demonize those who are caught in gross sin.     We do this to assure ourselves that we are very unlike them.     But this is a deception.     Quite the opposite is true.    We are all made out of clay. We all have the same capacity to sin and wickedness.

Move on

The news channels, talk show hosts and the comedy circuits will continue to show the same news clips and videos time and time again.     There is an episode in the Bible where the sons of Noah walked into their father's tent backwards with a blanket to cover their father's shame.     Whatever else was going on there, it was the right thing to do.     Let's not be party to the ongoing embarrassment and shame of another human being.    I am not saying that we ought to cover up sin, but we should not contribute to the shame of the man.    He has plenty of that by his own doing.     He doesn't need our help.    Let's look away.    and let's look up to where our real help and leadership comes from.

Pope To Atheists:
See You Upstairs

The headline leaped of the front page off the newspaper as I opened it early Thursday morning. "Pope To Atheist: See You Upstairs" it said over a picture of Pope Francis pointing to the sky.    The by-line said, "Pope Francis, ... has opened the door to salvation for atheist, saying God will forgive them if they obey their consciences."

There’s much about Roman Catholic theology with which I have problems and find to be less than biblical, but this I thought was unbelievable.    Not only was such a thought contrary to good conservative evangelical theology, it was contrary to official Roman Catholic theology.    Could it be that the Pope could be saying that you don’t even have to believe in God to go to heaven?

Immediately I thought, ‘what about all those crosses on the walls of all those Catholic churches, convents, hospitals, schools, and seminaries’.    Has the Pope just thrown away the cross.     I immediately thought I’d write a blog post called, "The Pope Declares The Cross Unimportant."     After all, it anyone can be saved just by obeying their consciences, why did Jesus die?      The cross would be totally unnecessary.

Sure enough, as I began reading, it certainly looked like the Pope had declared that atheist didn’t have to believe in God to go to heaven.     The article quoted the Pope as saying, "God will forgive them as long as they behave morally and live according to their consciences." and "God forgives those who obey their conscience".     I felt my temperature rise.     This isn’t even good Catholic theology.      How could he just throw away the Cross of Christ?      How could he just negate the Divine Sacrifice?      This was heresy.      What would be the point of preaching the gospel if everyone was going to make it even if they not only didn’t receive the sacrifice of Jesus, they didn’t even have to believe God existed.

Knowing the pagan media is almost totally incapable of properly reporting theological issues I thought I’d poke around the internet a bit before I blogged about this latest heresy. Sure enough the secular news media was all over this suggesting that this new Pope was going to modernize (read liberalize) the church, and shift the direction of the church by doing away with the divisive theology of the Cross.

To get to the bottom of this issue, I decided to find the letter in which Pope Francis had said these things. 1      The report was based on a Pastoral letter response to a series of questions posed to him by atheist Italian publisher Eugenio Scalfari.     The response of the Pope is really quite good and warmly pastoral as he responds to a hostile atheist, and in which the Pope gives a rather clear testimony of his own personal relationship with God through Jesus.     Much of the discussion involves the idea of Christians having better dialogue with unbelievers. 

At the heart of his reply that sparked the newspaper reports, the Pope says,

As for the three questions you asked me in the article of August 7th. It would seem to me that in the first two, what you are most interested in is understanding the Church's attitude towards those who do not share faith in Jesus. First of all, you ask if the God of the Christians forgives those who do not believe and do not seek faith. Given that - and this is fundamental - God's mercy has no limits if he who asks for mercy does so in contrition and with a sincere heart, the issue for those who do not believe in God is in obeying their own conscience. In fact, listening and obeying it, means deciding about what is perceived to be good or to be evil. The goodness or the wickedness of our behavior depends on this decision.
The Pope’s warm heart is evident as he seeks to build a loving dialogue with a hostile atheist with the hope that this dialogue will allow further discussion with others who have similar questions.      And "No", the Pope did not suggest that non-believing atheist go to heaven.     In fact, he shares his personal story of faith and how scriptures and the church confirm and inform that faith.     Nowhere, as the National Post headline suggest, did the Pope say to atheist, "see you upstairs."     Nowhere does he suggest that atheist will be in heaven as long as they obey their own conscience.      No where does he say anything that would negate the Divine Sacrifice on the Cross.

Please understand that I am usually fairly hard on what I see as significant errors in Roman Catholic dogma and practice but in all fairness, Pope Francis did not say what the secular media made him out to be saying.       Perhaps the pagan media, that does not even understand basic theology,  can only see a church being relevant if and when it joins them in their unbelief. blind tolerance and lacking all sense of absolute truth.

In fact, Pope Francis says, "God’s mercy has no limits if he who asks for mercy does so in contrition and with a sincere heart."     Yes, he does go on to talk about atheist obeying their own conscience but nowhere does he suggest that gains them entrance to heaven. 2     His reference to conscience, if you read the letter carefully, is meant as a touch point of conversation and dialogue with atheist.      Nowhere do you find a reference to that being the way of salvation

It is true that God’s mercy has no limits.      No matter the depth of ones sin or unbelief, or even hostility to the gospel, the depth of God’s mercy is deeper still.     There is no place you have been, nothing you have every done, said, or thought that is outside the reach of God’s mercy.      This mercy was displayed most graciously to us when God provided the way of forgiveness through the death of His own Son on the Cross.     If it were possible to be part of God’s Kingdom by our own merits or still in unbelief, then the cross would be totally unnecessary.    The fact is, that the problem of the human race is our rebellion against God.     This rebellion leaves us separated and alienated from God.     An atheist, and all those who have not come to the cross where mercy and grace are found, continue in their rebellion and thus do not receive the grace and mercy of God offered at the cross.

The world and the media have a hard time understanding the centrality of the Cross.    In fact to them it is foolishness and the sooner the Pope, and the rest of the church does away with the cross, according to them, the sooner the Church enters the 21^st century.     In fact, it is the centrality of the message of the cross that is at the heart of Christian teaching that makes us so relevant in a fallen, broken world.
　

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.   (1 Corinthians 1:18)
But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.(1 Corinthians 1:23-24)
　
　
1 Read the Pope’s entire letter:
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/09/full-text-of-popes-letter-to-atheist.html

2 My next blogpost will investigate a morning devotion delivered by Pope Francis to Vatican staff on August 22 in which he address this same issue of non-believers doing good as they obey their conscience. His point being that believers and non-believers can actually meet at the point we both seek to do good in the world

Even Saint Patrick Would Have Difficulty

The Doctrine of the Trinity, that is that there is only One God and yet three distinct persons;   the Father,  the Son, and the Holy Spirit;  is perhaps one of the most difficult concepts for us humans to get our head around.    Even though the word "trinity" is never used in the Bible,  the Doctrine of the Trinity is clearly taught in the Scriptures.    Imagine what it would have been like when Saint Patrick went to Ireland to preach the Gospel, when he tried to explain the Trinity.      

Here's a little Lutheran Satire for you.

 

 

 

 

My Statement of Faith On The Trinity

 

I believe that there is one and only one, living and true God; an infinite, perfect, personal Spirit who Is creator, sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent (1).

In the Godhead, there are three persons, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit (2); having precisely the same nature (3), and executing distinct and harmonious offices in the work of redemption (4).  

 

 

THE GREATEST DEMONSTRATION
OF YOUR FAITH

 

 

 

 How do you demonstrate that you are a follower of Jesus?    How will others know that you are a Christian?     In a fallen broken world, how do we best demonstrate our faith in the true and living God?     Certainly there are many ways. Some may say, "Sound Doctrine".    The way you demonstrate your faith is to hold to Sound Doctrine when everyone else is falling away."     Is Sound Doctrine important? Of course it is. Others may say, "Obedience".     The way you demonstrate your faith is to walk in obedience to Christ. Is Obedience important? Absolutely.

 

However, Jesus defined our greatest expression of faith, or at least the way the world will know we are His followers, not in terms of our doctrine or our obedience, but in terms of our love for others.

The fact is that the greatest expression of your faith is to love people.    The way people can tell you are a Christian, a follower of Jesus, is not by your solid doctrine as important as that may be, not by your clean lifestyle as important as that is, but by the way you love others.


The Greatest Expression Of Your Faith Is To Love People
Jesus said:
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31)
Another thing Jesus said was:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)


God Commands Us To Love People

One of the distinguishing marks of a follower of Jesus is that we love people. Jesus loved people and gave Himself for people.     We are expressing our faith as His followers when we reflect the love of God for People.

This loving people is not an option for His followers, its an expression of our faith in Him.     He has told us that loving people is second only to loving Him.     He demonstrated His faith in the Father by loving and sacrificing Himself for the fallen unworthy humanity that the Father wanted to redeem and He expects the same of His followers.

Perhaps you’ve heard it said, "you can’t command someone to love."     Well, Jesus did just that and we all know how hard it is to obey that command at times. It wouldn’t be so bad except it involves people and let’s face it, some people are just hard to love.     It’s like the Peanuts cartoon where Lucy says to Charlie Brown "I hate everything.    I hate everybody. I hate the whole wide world!" Charlie Brown responds, "But I thought you had inner peace." To which Lucy replies, "I do have inner peace.    But I still have outer obnoxiousness"     It’s the people with outer obnoxiousness that are the hardest to love isn’t it?

So, how is it that we will demonstrate our faith in the living Christ and show sacrificial love to people when we know that we have little or no capacity to do so within ourselves, especially for certain people?

The fact is that the ability to love others comes from the heart of God Himself.


If You Walk With Christ, You Will Love

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus describes the life and values of the Kingdom.     These are not values or lifestyles that one seeks to live in order to gain entrance into the Kingdom, these are values and lifestyles that are expressions of the Kingdom.     They are the outward manifestations that the Kingdom is a reality in our hearts.     Loving your enemy is not a normal human response, it is a Kingdom response. It rises up from a heart surrendered under the rule of the King.
  

Indeed the Apostle Paul pointed to the same thing when he talked about love being the fruit of the Spirit.     You don’t say to yourself, "Well, I better be more loving."     No, love grows within you as you learn to walk in the Spirit.     As you walk in the Spirit, as you walk in close communion with your King, love automatically demonstrates itself and thus you demonstrate that you are a follower of Jesus.

 

Being close to Jesus He will produce in you love for others - even your enemies and those who have hurt you.

In other words, when you walk close to Christ, love will automatically be the result. It really is very telling. 
 

Now remember, we are learning to walk as Kingdom people.     We will not be perfect. We will not love perfectly, We are learning to walk with our King.     It is a growing experience that lasts a lifetime until we see Him face to face and are like Him.     But, this Kingdom quality ought to be increasingly demonstrated in our lives not because we are trying to be more loving people, but because we are cultivating our intimacy with Christ our King. 
 

The fact is we can claim to be followers of Jesus, but people want to see the real thing. They want to see our faith in Christ clearly demonstrated and Christ says the way we do that is by loving people.

People Don’t Care How Much You Know Until They Know How Much You Care

Now here is the crunch. Am I, are you, demonstrating the love of Christ?    People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. 1     Of course this is easier with the people we like, but Jesus indicated that Kingdom people are to love their enemies and suggested that anyone can love their friends.      The thing that ought to set us apart is our love for even our enemies and those who have hurt us and even those who disagree with us and despitefully use us.

 

So, I’ve often thought about this.     What if I were flying somewhere and notorious abortion doctor Henry Morgentaler 2  was seated beside me,  what would I say, how would I act?       I abhor the fact that millions of babies have been aborted largely because of his influence.     I think abortion is a despicable act and one of the greatest moral plights upon the western world and for which we will give an account. 3     What would I do if I were seated on an airplane beside Morgentaler?   Believe me, I have rehearsed this many times in my mind, especially just before I travelled anywhere.     I am a Kingdom person, I want to reflect Kingdom living.     Only in submission to my King, and only with His love flowing through me would I be able to demonstrate my faith in his presence.     I have rehearsed what I would say and how I would say it.     I have rehearsed how I would seek to know him as a person, to understand his thinking and how I might demonstrate the love of Christ to a man who represents something I absolutely detest.     This is the challenge of Kingdom people.     These are the situations in which we find ourselves and in which we must clearly demonstrate that we are followers of Jesus.     For you it may be other issues, perhaps how you will react to a radical Muslim or a gay rights activist or the person who sexually abused you as a child.


Being close to Jesus,   He will produce in you love for others - even your enemies and those who have hurt you.

If you don’t love them,

how will they know Jesus loves them?

 

 1    I think I first head this phrase from John Maxwell

 

2    Henry Morgentaler  (March 19, 1923 – May 29, 2013), was a Polish-born Canadian physician and abortion advocate who fought numerous legal battles aimed at expanding abortion rights in Canada.    He opened his first abortion clinic in 1969 in Montreal, challenging Canadian laws that restricted abortion.    He was the first doctor in North America to use vacuum aspiration and went on to open twenty clinics and train more than one hundred doctors. Morgentaler challenged the constitutionality of the federal abortion law, winning R. v. Morgentaler in 1988.

3   My words here are not intended to inflict more pain upon women who have had an abortion, many times without having adequate explanation as to what abortion really is.    My point it, without entering a full discussion is that abortion is mark on our culture that I believe God will judge



WHEN IT IS HOPELESS

THERE IS HOPE

Tonight, R.A. Dickey, last years Cy Young winner as Major League Baseballs best pitcher is pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Houston Astros.    As baseball's best pitcher Dickey is at the top of his game.   It was not always so.    In fact, there was a time when he wanted to end it all and escape the pain that he felt inside.

 

Perhaps you too have had that feeling.   That there was no hope for your situation.   That you were not worthy or that the hurt inside was unbearable and perhaps even unexplainable.    Dickey's search for healing and redemption is a powerful story of the grace of God that brings hope when there is no hope.

 

R.A. Dickey debuted his knuckleball by breaking one of baseball’s worst pitching records, giving up an unbelievable six home runs in one game.    Sent to the minors and faced with the failure of his pitching dream, Dickey decided to end his life. He duct taped a hose to his car’s exhaust pipe, connected it to the driver’s side window, and placed his hand on the ignition.    It was about more than his dream failing.    It was about the babysitter who molested him as a child, about the man who raped him, his need for cleansing and purpose in life.     He had hoped  baseball would give him meaning and a way to escape the pain of his past, but all that seemed impossible now.    He couldn’t see how R.A. Dickey would one day find healing and redemption and success beyond his wildest dreams.

 

Click the link below to see an incredible video of R.A. Dickey's journey from hopelessness to hope.

 

http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/ra-dickey/

Please leave your comments in the section below  by clicking on "Comments" or if you are the first "No Comments" or on the little pencil."    Share your thoughts, your stories, your experiences.



30 YEARS

AND THE LOVE GOES ON

In our day of quick marriage and easy divorce, it's refreshing to see people who continue faithful to their marriage vows, not with reluctance but with excitement.

Recently a couple in our church celebrated 30 years of happy marriage.    Jim works for security at the Rogers Centre here in Toronto so he gets to see pretty much every Blue Jays baseball game.     Pat, his wife works in an office.   They are humble hard working people.


On the occasion of their 30th Anniversary,  Jim sat down to do some reflecting.   With his permission,  I've used it for todays blog.    It is a reminder of the ups and downs and the hard work of marriage.    It is also a reminder that good marriages take a lot of hard work, faith, and prayer.    I tip my hat to my friends  Jim and Pat Pezzack.

30^th Wedding Anniversary!

                                                                                  Of

 Patricia Ruth & Alan James 

What’s My Secret to My Marriage? …. Patricia Ruth!.....A Happy Wife =  A Happy Life! 

Well, it’s July 16^th once again….a time to remember that at 3:20 p.m. that Saturday Afternoon on July 16, 1983…..the hottest day of the Summer…..we got married! 

30 Years of Marriage …..the ups and downs …..the moves…..the friends…..the jobs…..the children…..the injuries…..the vacations…..it’s been the best of times…..it’s been the worst of times…..but, our love is here to stay! 

30 Years of Marriage…..the Game of Love…..wearing white was in style even before “Sensation”…..Pat’s Game developed …..especially when there was a strong wind….

.My Game…..1997 and 98 were two very good years!

30 Years of Marriage…..Parents…..the Carson’s side …..the sermons…..the handshakes…..the churches…..the gifts of love…..I cried…..when they were gone!

The Pezzack’s side…..the baby sitting……till illness …..but, the family motto lives on,  to “love one another”! 

30 Years of Marriage…..Parenthood….the work…..the pleasure…..the education…..the movies and TV……from the Elephant Show to Glee…..where did the time go! 

30 Years of Marriage…..Tara and Darryl……starting their careers…..one in Retail…..the other in Movies???.....still living at home…..showing their parents new ways…..new friends……a new baby for the family…..Thor (a dog????)…..and adding financial support to the nest! 

30 Years of Marriage…..New Careers…..Customer Services for Me at the Rogers Centre….

.Crossing Guard for Pat…..both loving the smiling faces of the children as they say, “thank you”!  

30 Years of Marriage…..well, let’s just make it another 30 Years of Marriage….and show the younger generation we still have it…..”A “S.M.I.L.E.” approach that everyone just loves!!! 

My Nightly Prayer…..”Thank you Lord, for Pat, my Wife …..for Life!!!” 

Well, it’s July 16^th once again……a Time the Pezzack’s Love to Remember!!! 

Thank You Lord ….for July 16^th!!!

(Please leave your comments and experiences by clicking on the little pencil found in the grey box at the bottom of this article)

THINGS GOD TAUGHT ME

ON MY VACATION 

(part 3)

 

It’s been several weeks now since my vacation but there are two more things that God taught me about myself that I want to share with you.    I do this, not because I am someone special in who’s life you should be enthralled, or that I have some special insight that others cannot have.    My purpose is that sharing my experience with God might encourage you that while on your own vacation you might be deliberately more sensitive to what God might be saying to you. Since many of us living busy lives face some of the same issues, perhaps God will use these to prime the pump of your own thinking.    The wonderful thing is that God is always willing and even anxious to spend intimate time with us and draw us even closer to Himself. 




I Need To Live A More Disciplined Life Because God Created Me For His Purposes

The business of life leaves us with little time for intimacy with God.     You wake up in the morning and rush off to work.     When you get home the family requires your time and the everyday business of running a home and keeping the car running and the yard looking good cry out for your time.      Add to that your involvement at the church and in the community and there is very little time to invest in time alone with God or for that matter, accomplishing His mission in the world.

The fact is that God is on Mission to redeem the world and our highest calling couples us  
together with that mission.     His mission is our mission, however these everyday life needs seem to leave little room for accomplishing God’s Mission.     Yet, this is exactly why God has redeemed us and there is no greater fulfillment we will ever experience than to know that we are in sync with God in fulfilling this ultimate mission.     Somehow we have to get our lives in sync with the Mission of God (missio dei) to reconcile lost humanity to Himself.

As I thought and prayed about this on my vacation, I came to the conclusion that I need to  live a more disciplined life. It’s not that I don’t work hard, I certainly do.     It’s just that sometimes I’m undisciplined.     For instance, I’ve been wanting to write a course on "How To Study The Bible For Yourself" for several years.      I’ve made some progress but this project is still incomplete.     If I were to develop a project time line with some completion dates and discipline myself to stick to the plan, I could finish that project before the end of the year.      I just need the discipline and the result would be greater honour to God and perhaps a tool that many others could use for their journey.

I know that being physically fit will enable me to serve God longer and better.     I know that I am getting really out of shape.     It does me no good to lament the fact that I’m getting out of shape.      I’ve got to do something about it.     It takes discipline of time and motivation to get to the gym on a regular basis.     I’ve got to discipline my time in order to make it to the gym on a regular basis so I have to schedule it into my week and then I’ve got to discipline myself to stop what I’m doing and go to the gym as scheduled.      No one is going to do it for me.     I have to discipline myself (I’m asking the Holy Spirit for help).

Discipline calls for a plan and the motivation to stick to the plan.      Perhaps you too have things you’d like to accomplish or ministries you’d like to be involved in and it seems you don’t have the time.      Discipline is the key.     It tough.      No one is going to make you do it.      Why not ask God to help you live a more disciplined life, set a target and get to it.

 

I Need To Learn To More Accurately Discern God’s Voice

This is a tough one. How do I know when it’s Rick’s idea and when it’s God’s idea?     I want to walk in God’s ways and accomplish His plan and His will in my life.     I want to tie into what God is up to. In order to do that I need to be able to discern His voice over all the other voices that call for my attention.      I know it involves knowing the Word of God and reliance upon the Holy Spirit.      I’m sure it also involves slowing down and being quiet so that when He whispers in my ear, I can hear. I’m going to be asking Him to help me listen more carefully.

God bless you as you enjoy your vacation this summer.     Remember, your vacation provides you with a great opportunity to slow down and listen to what God might be speaking into your life.     Sure, enjoy time with your family.     Enjoy the sights and sounds and attractions but in the quieter, slower pace of life that vacations provide, but make sure you take some precious time to be with God and listen for what He might want to teach you on your vacation.