You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ category.
If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. Matthew 24:46 (NLT)
Who are your heroes in life? Chances are your response to the question brings up the names of athletes, powerful preachers, award winning authors or political figures. Those that are not likely to be on your list? The barista at the local coffee shop (because she makes great latte’s, the guy who changes the oil in your car, the garbage man, the people who service your hotel room, the person in bankruptcy court or the people cleaning up the mess you made at the ball park.
A few years back the Chicago Bulls played the Minnesota Timberwolves inMinneapolis.Chicagowas at the top of their game behind the play of Michael Jordan (and others). The ‘Wolves were brand new to the league. Everyone knew there was no way the home town team would win. However, the arena was full to capacity. Why? To see Michael Jordan. The score didn’t matter. The competition level was low. They came to see one person perform. A local paper covering the game gave this headline, “We all want to be like Mike.”
In this Kingdom awards and accolades are given out to those who are the best or to those who have succeeded in life. Only those who are at the top of their game get the award. Number two may try harder, but in reality they live in the shadows. Only champions are remembered.
In God’s Kingdom ALL who persevere are rewarded. These ‘champions’ are the ones who give of their time to help those in need. These champions realize that personal wealth here on earth is nothing to be sought after, that true wealth is laid up for them in heaven. These champions are the ones who live life with the understanding that they are no better and no worse than the person next to them. These champions realize that nothing they accomplish without Christ is of any value.
Jesus doesn’t demand that we BE best. He asks us to do our best. Then he sends his Holy Spirit into our lives to help us be the person he wants us to be. The greatest things we can accomplish here on earth will have eternal results and be largely unseen by others.
You may feel your labors for Christ are in vain because no one notices, but Jesus notices and your reward will be great. Don’t give up doing good. Don’t get sucked into the lie that what you have physically (wealth, status, career, etc) is the most important thing. In God’s kingdom the true champions are those who serve in the shadows.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I try so hard to serve you, but now I realize that I’m really trying to impress men and build my own wealth according to this kingdom and not your kingdom. Thank you for the opportunities I have to serve today. Help me do it with gladness so others can see you in me. Amen.
A king is pleased with a wise servant, but he will become angry with one who causes him shame. Proverbs 14:35 (NCV)
I’ve always wanted to play piano. My mom played piano. She read music…a little. But she also had the ability to hear a song and then sit down at the piano an in a few minutes be able to play a simple version of the song. God’s given me a love for music. He gave me a mom that was more than willing to teach me to play. I can’t play the piano. Never found the time to practice.
My inability to play the piano is a small example of something we all struggle with and that’s taking the time to do the small things that lead to greater achievement later on in life. When I was a boy, practicing the piano for a half hour a day seemed like a huge investment of time. But that small investment would have produced greater results later in life.
Sometimes neglecting the little things in life have relatively unimportant results. For example, I can’t play the piano, but I can enjoy the ability others have to do so. But sometimes neglecting the little things in life have life-changing effects.
My wife calls them the ‘I’m Gonna’s’. All those little things we say we are going to do…someday. “I’m gonna write a book”; “I’m gonna start to exercise”; “I’m gonna help more around the house”. You can add to that list.
Sometimes we may realize that our “I’m gonna’s’ are lofty dreams, such as the child-hood dream of “Someday I’m going to be president!” Other times the failure to do the “I’m gonna’s’ lead to disaster.
It’s sad to say, but there are many marriages that have failed because one or both (usually both) people in the relationship have overlooked the little things. Things like helping with housework or putting household duties aside to sit with the kids or spend time together. Relationships aren’t destroyed by the big things in life. Many families have worked through affairs and illness and financial disaster. I believe it’s because those families have done the little things that create a bond that nothing can sever.
The proverbs say, “A King is pleased with a wise servant.” Servant’s had a pretty menial existence. They were the ones that cleaned the palace and cooked the food. They built the buildings and tended to the gardens and the livestock. Their actions were small, but when done right, were noticed by the king.
God doesn’t expect us to accomplish huge results in life. He doesn’t ask for perfection. Your Heavenly Father is far more interested in what you are doing than what you hope to accomplish.
If you are a minister he’s far more excited about how your family is than he is how large your church is. If you are a business owner he’s far more pleased with how your customers are treated than he is the black ink in your ledger. As a husband he’s far more impressed with your attitude when your wife asks you to hold her purse in the mall, or your child asks you to sit with them and read when the big ball game is on.
What ‘I’m gonna’s’ are on your list? Choose one thing today to work on and DO IT! It’s the little things that make a big difference.
PRAYER: Lord, I’m so frustrated right now with my inability to do the small things in life. There is so much I want to accomplish, yet I struggle to do the little things. Help me to start today to tackle the ‘I’m gonna’s in my life. Amen.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and sing praises to Your name, O Most High. It is good to tell of Your loving-kindness in the morning, and of how faithful You are at night, with harps, and with music of praise. For You have made me glad by what You have done, O Lord. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands. Psalm 92:1-4 (NLV)
Over the river and thru the wood, to grandfather’s house we go;
Ah the trip to Grandfather’s house! I grew up in a family of five boys. The whole story of genetics was true. In some ways you could see we were all brothers, in other ways we were different as night and day. Music was a big part of my growing up. Five boys, each who could sing a different part, yet to my dismay didn’t sing nearly often enough because one of us didn’t really like to sing.
Our song came from Jesus, our motivation came from mom. Most of the churches Dad ministered to were small so a pastor’s wife who could play piano was truly an asset.
I used to love to watch mom’s fingers glide up and down the keyboard. I was especially painful to watch the last 25 years of her life as arthritis kept her from the one joy she had: music.
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh, thru the white and drifted snow, oh!
It was full 90 minute drive to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house. Early in our journey we drove across the St. Croix River and almost as on cue would start to sing this song. There were years we drove that road on glare ice or drifted snow, other years when the weather was warm and pleasant (by northern Wisconsin/Minnesota standards that is).
Over the river and thru the wood, Oh, how the wind does blow!
This was in the years before Black Friday. No respecting store owner or gas station attendant would think of making workers come to work on Thanksgiving Day! So the trip had to be planned out to make sure bathroom breaks and gas stops weren’t necessary. Snacks? Maybe some cereal in a container of some sort. Hand-held video games? DVD players? Sorry. Not even a decent radio station. We were ‘forced’ to spend that entire time singing, talking or enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.
Ah, the things technology and free enterprise have stolen from us…
It stings the toes, and bites the nose, as over the ground we go.
Grandma could never figure out why we always asked to change the channel on the small black and white TV in the corner. She’d be irritated when we’d insist on watching “A bunch of grown men pushing a little ball up and down a field (football) when we could watch real sports (World Wide Wrestling). This in the days of Vern Gagne, The Crusher and the like.
Over the river and thru the wood, to have a first-rate play;
Then there were the football games we played ourselves. Everyone played. Young and old. The driveway was one goal. The lilac bushes the other. The house was out of bounds (as was the outhouse and yes it was ‘in working order’) on one side, Grandpa’s field was the other.
Oh, hear the bell ring, “Ting-a-ling-ling!”
The round oak table in the dining room seemed enormous when I was very young, but seemed to shrink as we grew older and the family grew larger. More and more of the older cousins would be relegated to the living room to eat (no you can’t turn on the TV. This is meal time). But we never took a bite until Grandpa gave thanks.
Grandpa. An old Swedish immigrant who worked hard to build his farmstead along the RumRiver. In his early years he’d go into town and drink too much. His children knew not to cross Grandpa when he’d been drinkin’. Then, he found Jesus. I can still hear his voice tearfully praise his Jesus for all the blessings bestowed upon him as he was surrounded by his legacy.
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day-ay!
The food eaten. The dishes cleaned. The trip to the river taken when weather permitted. This, of course, was reserved for the ‘older cousins’ and any of us young ones they’d choose to take with us. And finally the good-bye’s, smiles by the kids (it’s been a fun day); Tears by the parents (It’s been way too long). Now, as a parent I realize the most tears were probably shed by Grandma and Grandpa when the house grew silent.
Over the river and thru the wood, Trot fast my dapple gray! Spring over the ground, like a hunting hound! For this is Thanksgiving Day.
The first part of the trip home was full of chatter. But one by one we fell asleep and the car grew silent. It had been a good day. Funny how it’s not until years later I realize how good those days really were. Oh, had I cherished the memories more, but even now they are sweet.
Down in the valley with my Savior I would go, Where the flowers are blooming and the sweet waters flow; Everywhere He leads me I would follow, follow on, Walking in His footsteps till the crown be won.
As you crest the hill going down into the small hamlet ofTaylorsFalls, MN you catch a glimpse of theSt. Croix RiverValleygoing to the south for miles. Again, as on cue, we would break out in song, singing the words of this hymn. Now days I prefer mountaintops to valleys, but I can’t drive this road without hearing our voices sing this song.
Happy Thanksgiving. May you cherish the memories of past celebrations as you build memories for the future. Cherish every second for our time here is short. Most of all, don’t forget to thank the One who made all these memories possible.
Then Jesus said, “I am the bread that gives life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35 (NCV)
Contentment defined: The quality or state of being contented. (I love when they do that! Tell you a definition by telling you a different word you don’t know.)
Contented defined: Feeling or showing satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation.
Do a search of images that define contentment. You’ll find cute pictures of animals sleeping in odd positions, people smiling while walking with loved ones, or various pictures of people, clouds, the sun and water. Even the word conjures up peaceful surroundings, happiness and joy.
Contentment means that even though there may be things I’d change, few of those changes would be major. The things I see around me are good. My life is good. I’m content.
The picture of contentment that comes to my mind is far from the ones I found on the search engine. The picture of contentment I see is one of a bird snuggled down into her nest. A violent storm is tossing the branches of her tree back and forth. Lightning is flashing, thunder is crashing and the world around her is taking a thrashing. Still, there she sits, riding out the storm, satisfied with where she is at that given moment.
That’s the kind of contentment that Jesus talks about. The feelings of hunger affect every aspect of your being. You look at people differently; situations you encounter seem larger and harder to conquer. Hunger makes you weak and ineffective. Add thirst to hunger and the problems magnify. A person can live a few weeks without food and water, but their health is affected in just a matter of days.
Spiritually hunger has the same effect. There is, within each of us a desire for contentment. A longing to be satisfied with where we are and who we are and what we have. The only way you will find true contentment in life is to look beyond the external pleasures of life. True contentment begins in the heart. When you are satisfied on the inside nothing on the outside can take away the contentment you seek.
A crowd gathered around Jesus one day. They’d just witnessed an amazing miracle. Jesus had just made over 5,000 men content with a few loaves of bread and a couple small fish. Jesus said, “You’re still here with me because I gave you contentment with the externals of life. But I have so much more to give you. I can give you comfort in the wilderness, encouragement in the midst of the storm, courage in the face of danger.”
You won’t find contentment in relationships, or money, or status. Contentment isn’t measured by the size of your bank account, the number of friends you have on your social networking site, or the victories in your win column. Contentment can only come as you grow in relationship with the one who makes us content in the midst of the storm.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, right now I’m going through a storm in life. Some of it’s due to my own poor choices. Some is at the hands of evil people. No matter what I’m going through, I ask that you would help me be content because of your presence, love and protection. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 