Me, Holy?

1 Peter 1:15, "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do." I know you have heard this a million times just as I have. I know it is there, but because it sounds so lofty, so unattainable I can't imagine how I would "be holy".

So it occurred to me this morning that it may be a good idea to know what the word means. I mean, it is possible that I don't even know what Holy is and therefor I can't know if I am able to attain it. I know what you are thinking, God would not ask us to be something that we can not be. I agree! However, if I can't get my mind wrapped around it I will never be able to be it. So I need to know what it means.

If you are like me, when you hear holy in the context of God and His Word your mind goes to perfection, Jesus, loving always, things I can't be. So I need help.

I went to the old dictionary online and found holy, below are the definitions given:

1: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness
2: divine holy — Psalms 99:9(Authorized Version)>
3: devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity

I don't think God is telling us to be exalted or divine, those are His and His alone so the first two are out. Think about number 3. I believe this is what being holy is for us. Devoted entirely to Him and His work. Now what does "devoted" mean. I am glad you asked. Check this out.

1 : to commit by a solemn act <devoted herself to serving God>
2 : to give over or direct (as time, money, or effort) to a cause, enterprise, or activity

I believe we need to apply both of these definitions. First of all, we should commit ourselves to God and His work. Another word is consecrate (set yourself apart). Secondly, we must give over (time, money & effort) to THE cause.

Now before you start throwing rocks at me, I do believe that being Holy involves removing yourself from sin, striving for righteousness, and loving others. I just think that BEING holy involves more than NOT doing something, it is DOING something. It is giving time to reach out to others, giving money to meet needs and giving your talent to make the church body whole.

In short, being holy is giving our time, talent and treasure entirely to the work of God.

Now, that is something I can aspire to.

Which Dog do I Feed Most?

A few days ago, I wrote here about "My Battle", and received a comment? Yes I know, I was suprised. Really, I write here as an outlet for my thoughts and because it really helps me to think through and apply what God shows me. I receive very, very few comments and am not surprised. I assumed that anything I got from my study was probably common knowledge for the average high schooler.

Anyway, I received this comment about "My Battle":

Jamie, my pastor says there are two dogs fighting inside of every man. The one that wins is the one you feed the most. It looks like you are feeding the right one.

I read this and honestly I thought, wow someone is really bored to be reading this. However, I truly appreciate the feedback and it made me think. First of all, this is a great way to explain the concept to people. Obviously, it is memorable. Secondly, his line I have highlighted above is interesting. Immediately my mind went to Romans 12:2.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...

The two dogs inside us require food to survive and thrive. It is easy to feed the dog that leads to selfish gains, all I have to do is be myself. However, if I want to feed the dog that leads to being Christlike, I have to "renew my mind."

I don't know about you, but I have thought about this as a daily renewing. I should get up and study and pray. Ask God for strength, courage and protection. The problem for me is that once I have done this I am stronger than ever, until someone does something. I mean, I am pulling out of the driveway and no one lets me out. Someone ate the last waffle or took the last drink of Tea. Honestly, it doesn't take long and I am back to ME.

So, for me this renewing, this trying to have my mind in the right place, takes constant work. I have to always be focused. I have to find a verse that applies. I have to think constantly about God's direction. I have to memorize His Word. I have to surround myself with Godly people who will tell me the truth.

Because, I am either feeding the dog that leads to destructive behavior or the one the leads to loving others.

And love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10

Thanks for the comment Terry.

Judge or Attorney?

For some time now, I have talked to our Crown groups about how the Bible is to be used. For me, the easiest thing to do is apply what I read to others. When I read, someone comes to mind for every verse. Except of course, me.

Amazingly, I have to consciously apply God's word to me. It doesn't automatically occur. I believe I have stumbled upon the problem.

In James 4:11-12, he is speaking about judging your brothers and sisters. Of course, he is talking about our spiritual brothers and sisters. He says if we speak against them and judge them we are speaking against and judging the law. That's interesting. Never thought of that.

He goes on to say, "When you judge the law, you are not keeping it but, sitting in judgement on it."

So, if I speak against and judge my brothers and sisters I am speaking against and judging the law and therefor I am not keeping the law but sitting in judgement on it. WOW!

When you sit back and contemplate this thought it makes perfect sense. I wonder if I took this time with other verses if I would learn something? Anyway, when I am judging others I am not loving them! (see Matt 19:19 & John 13:34) And isn't love the fulfillment of the law?

I don't want to insult your intelligence by going on and on. This seems pretty straight forward to me. So, the bottom line, as I see it, is this; Am I spending more time worrying about what others are doing or saying than I am loving them regardless of what they are doing or saying?

God is the ONLY judge. I want to leave that to Him.

Jesus is our Advocate, in a sense our attorney. He speaks on our behalf to the Father (The Judge). He does this because HE LOVES US.

I am to be like Jesus,

I want to be like Jesus,

LOVE NOT JUDGE!

My Battle

I read James 4 this morning. I think I am going to abandon this book. Everytime I read it I get kicked in the head. Now that I think about it, that would probably happen with any reading from the Bible.

Anyway, James asks an interesting question in verse 1. He asks, "What causes fights and quarrels among you?" If you are like me you probably thought something along the lines of, "I am dealing with nutbags." or "This person was mean to me." or whatever else.

But James tells us something totally different than what we think. He says, "Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" When I step out of myself, and for those that know me you know that is a big step, I can see this. When I don't get what I want or desire I get a bit ornery (sorry that took so long I had to figure out how to spell ORNERY). Isn't that true for you as well. I think if we are honest we struggle with this.

So what? There are two things to say about this and trust me I am saying this for me, you get to just read and pray for my struggles if they don't apply to y0u.

1) We are supposed to love one another. Fighting and quarreling with each other does not leave room for love. I must love others more than I want or desire anything. That is huge for me. I am not much of a people person to begin with. I really have to focus and allow God to love people through me.

2) If I have a desire I need to ask God. verse 2 says "you do not have because you do not ask." That sounds really good until you read verse 3. James says, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." NOTE: It is incredible to me that a book that was written and put together so long ago can look into my life and point out, in perfect clarity, where I come short. OK, so if I have a desire I need to ask for it. Easy enough. However, if that desire is for the wrong reasons, (ie. for me and my enjoyment), it will not be given.

To sum this up, I would say this. Inside of me, and if you read these passages it will talk to you, a battle is raging. The spirit within me wants to glorify God, but the self within me wants to glorify me. The question of who gets the glory is a matter of submission.

I must submit the wants and desires I have for my life to God's wants and desires for my life. If I do this I will receive what He knows is good for me and I will not battle my brothers and sisters.

Will you join me?

Side-by-side Shake??

Have you ever had a side-by-side shake from Steak-n-Shake?? The Banana/Strawberry is really good. I love Banana! Anyway, I wonder how they do that. I mean do they have some sort of machine that pours both flavors at once. Interesting.

It is interesting how the mind works sometimes. I was reading this morning in James (chapter 3:9-12) and what I read there made me think of food. Now you know!

James is talking about how we use our tongue in two ways (of course I am talking about what we say). In one moment, we will be praising God and in another we will curse humans. He then makes an interesting statement that brought me to what may be a crazy thought. He says, "can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" Interesting question. Have you every thought about it?? Not me.

Because a spring flows from a body of water (called an aquifer) it can only produce what it comes from. The spring itself does not produce anything it is an overflow of its source. Therefor, if the aquifer is fresh water the spring from that aquifer will be fresh water. The same is true for a salt water spring. That makes sense to me. So how do I apply it? I am glad you asked.

As I think about this, it seems to me that if I use my tongue to tear down, maim or destroy I need to consider the source of that spring. Something is not right.

Luke 6:45
Good people bring forth good things out of the good stored up in their heart, and evil people bring forth evil things out of the evil stored up in their heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Just as a spring is an overflow of an aquifer, our tongues (what we say) is an overflow of our hearts. So back to James, he says that we praise the lord and curse his created beings with the same tongue. And we do! He goes on to say, "My brothers and sisters, this should not be." And it shouldn't.

How does all this fit together?

I believe that I MUST take a very close, difficult look into what I say. If I am praising God in one sentence and destroying others the next. I should really really consider that I am making something up. I am faking something. And for me, it would be much easier to fake the praising of God than the tearing down of His created beings. Because of this, if I hear bitterness, deceit, slander and other bad things coming out of my mouth, it is coming from a heart that is filled with that stuff. It needs be drained and refilled with Him.

I pray that I would not make a side-by-side mess of what He intended to be flavored by Him alone.

Can you see my faith in God?

I read James chapter 2 this morning and a couple of things jumped out at me.

1) I am not supposed to show favoritism
2) I am supposed to show my faith

I will save the favoritism comments for another day. As I was reading today, I wondered if anyone could see my faith in God. Am I showing what I believe by what I do or do I have to tell people what I believe?

Honestly this question is not so big a deal if I just think about it to myself. However, if God were to ask me this question I would be very nervous. I would probably be even more nervous if He were to rewind and show me how I live.

Beginning in verse 14 of chapter 2 James begins to talk about faith and deeds. In verse 19 he says, "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." You may have already heard this discussion in many forms in your world. I know I had. But it hit me fresh today.

As I was thinking about that verse, it occurred to me that the word "show" here is very important to James' point. Read the definitions of "show" below.

to cause or permit to be seen : exhibit
to present as a public spectacle : perform
to reveal by one's condition, nature, or behavior

Now reread those definitions and think about how you can do that with your mouth. Of course you can show that you have changed by not saying some of the stuff you were saying before you believed but to truly "show" your faith you have to be DOING something.

This is applicable no matter what or who you have faith in. If you truly have faith in a sports team you wear the shirt, jersey or cap. You don't just tell people. If your faith is in your job you will work 12 hour days or wear an embroidered shirt. Those are things people can see that show your faith/allegiance.

So here is the question that I must consider, that you must consider, "What am I doing that shows my faith in God?" I could say, "well I work for the church." Please believe me when I tell you I could work for the church and go about my business here without any more consideration of God than you must show at your job. I hope I consider Him in all I do, but it would be easy not to.

We could ask why it matters. I mean after all God knows our hearts. But read what James says in verse 26, "As the body with the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." I believe James is dead on here. Of course, it is in the Bible so that helps me believe this but, I know for me that I never feel more alive than when I am doing something for someone in God's name. I believe this feeling comes from my spirit being awakened as it moves closer to being like Jesus.

So for me, I know that I must be doing something consistently that allows me to show my faith in God. Look back at the definitions above and think about it. I am permitting something to be seen, I am presenting a spectacle and I am revealing by my behavior.

But am I "showing" my faith in God or something else??

God, give me a desire to show you in EVERYTHING I do.

Who is MY Customer?

Last Wednesday our staff had the opportunity to make a road trip to the Sheraton Gateway in Atlanta and hear a presentation from its General Manager Kerry Ringham. Kerry and his team did a great job of hosting us and letting us see first hand what service looks like. Thanks to Kerry and his team, it was tremendous.

He spoke about several things; Exceptional Service, Everyone is a brand champion and Brand is an experience. But the most interesting to me was what he says that EVERY individual wants. They are as follows:
1) To Belong
2) To Feel Special
3) To Have Control
4) To Reach Their Potential
5) To be Understood

Obviously, his talk was about how they treat and deal with their customers at Sheraton Gateway Atlanta. Of course, we were there to learn and see how we can apply their world class service to our church.

The first thing to do was to decide who our customers are. The easy answer is the people who show up on Sunday mornings. Of course, they are our customers and it is very important that we remember the list above when we do things for them. But we all have customers in other areas of our lives that we need to apply these to as well. Here is a definition to work off of.

A customer, also client, buyer or purchaser is the buyer or user of the paid products of an individual or organization, mostly called the supplier or seller. This is typically through purchasing or renting goods or services.

The word derives from "custom," meaning "habit"; a customer was someone who frequented a particular shop, who made it a habit to purchase goods of the sort the shop sold there rather than elsewhere, and with whom the shopkeeper had to maintain a relationship to keep his or her "custom," meaning expected purchases in the future.

In the definition above, you see the word "user". Generally we don't see those people as our customers. For example, I have our congregation and community as my customers but I also have our staff as a customer. They use the services that I provide, (ie... payroll, benefits, conflict resolution, direction, praise, etc...). Everyone on our staff has multiple customer areas. Therefor it is important to remember, the 5 things people want, in our dealings with all people not just the congregation and community. Some times we lose this focus when dealing with those closest to us. We must regain that to be a GREAT TEAM.

Check out the definition of Customer Centricity that the Wharton School of Business uses:

Customer centricity refers to the orientation of a company to the needs and behaviors of its customers, rather than internal drivers (such as the quest for short term profit).

I want to be customer centric. I want to meet the needs of my customers. But I must know who they are first. Who are your customers?

Alluring or Terrifying: It's your choice.

Have you ever been to an event or on a crowded street corner and heard someone screaming at the crowd with a sign saying something like "Turn or Burn" or "Repent for you are a wicked people." Strictly speaking I suppose these are true statements however the method is a terrible and ineffective way to influence those around us.

In chapter 12 verse 19 of his Gospel, Matthew quotes Isaiah saying, "He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets." Obviously Jesus spoke, after all we have the sermon on the mount, parables and numerous answers to questions He was asked. So why would Isaiah say something like this and why would Matthew quote it?

Remember now that, Matthew is writing after Jesus' death and resurrection. I can't help but wonder if he was a bit angry with this part of Jesus when they were traveling together. After all, the disciples were expecting a king for this world not eternity (a story for another day).

Anyway, both of these Godly writers are giving us a picture of how Jesus let people know about Him, His Father and Their Kingdom. Jesus lived a life and spoke loving words to draw people to Himself and His Father. So how does that compare to us? Do we stand in crowded locations and scream from the top of our lungs, threatening people with certain hell if they don't listen? Or do we live quiet, God fearing and Jesus following lives that draw people to us so that we can give them Him.

Read this excerpt from Matthew Henry's Commentary:
His voice was not heard in the streets; "Lo, here is Christ;’’ or, "Lo, he is there:’’ he spake in a still small voice, which was alluring to all, but terrifying to none; he did not affect to make a noise, but came down silently like the dew. What he spake and did was with the greatest possible humility and self-denial.

I pray that I will speak in humility and draw people to Him.

I am Searching

I was having lunch with a friend yesterday and we were talking about the comment Jesus made about the Narrow and Wide gates. It was an interesting dialogue and as I was reading this morning I stumbled on the verses that Jesus spoke about the gates.

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus starts out by saying, "enter through the narrow gate." To that I say, thanks for the info, but the GPS doesn't have it listed could you give me the address please. Because one thing I do know is if that gate exists I want in that gate. Then Jesus says, "but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." At least I know what it looks like.

I think we can take a couple of points to help us with the gate deal. First, I believe while looking for the gate it doesn't make sense to follow the crowd. Jesus said, "only a few find it." If that is true then following the crowd will only lead me to the WIDE gate (read verse 13 again). I am looking for a small group of people that are going against the grain, headed in a totally different direction than the masses. I believe I will hang out with them.

Second, when I find the gate I will choose it. There are many that see the gate, they gaze at it, maybe even touch it but, they choose to move on.

Read Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Gate:
The gate being so strait and the way so narrow, it is not strange that there are but few that find it, and choose it. Many pass it by, through carelessness; they will not be at the pains to find it; they are well as they are, and see no need to change their way. Others look upon it, but shun it; they like not to be so limited and restrained...

So, how do we travel this path that leads to this gate?

THAT IS WHAT THE ENTIRE BIBLE IS ABOUT!

We should read it.

I know that's right!

I don't pretend to know much about God or His word but, today in reading Matthew 6:19-34 I saw something that made me say "I know that's right!" The last sentence in chapter 6 is in RED letters (you know what that means) and it says this, "Each day has enough trouble of its own." All together now, "I know that's right!!"

In these verses, Jesus is trying to get us to take our minds off of the everyday worries that each of us have. What will I eat, drink and wear. Now some of us worry more about what we are going to wear. If you know me, you know that I am more concerned about what I am going to eat than wear. We all have our problems I suppose. Jesus asks us this question in verse 27, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" I don't think he expected an answer, He really wants us to consider this question. We can not accomplish a thing through worry.

I know that we need food, drink and clothing. The great news is that Jesus knows this as well. So in vers 31, He tells us "DO NOT WORRY..." Verse 32 says, "Your heavenly Father knows that you need them..." If you are like me you already know and even believe this is true but it is totally different to live like you believe it.

For those of us who find ourselves wondering what to do. I believe God says He will provide and I believe He can provide but I can not stop worrying about His provision and when it will come. Jesus tells us this in verse 33, "but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

So if I see God's kingdom and his righteousness, he will provide my needs? That what Jesus said. It seems plain, not a parable, just Jesus teaching in His first sermon. So how do I do this seeking? A great place to start is turn it all over to Him. You can then begin reading what Jesus says about how we should live in Matthew (chapters 5-7). Of course all of God's word, will lead us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness.

I pray that I will seek His kingdom and righteousness in all that I do. I pray that for you as well.