Torn up? Built up?

  
Sarah, a little girl in our church (she grew up and got married last week!) got a nickname from me:  "Eyes."   She had the most expressive, big, dark eyes.  I’ve nicknamed another friend “Sunshine” because in the dark times of illness that have come to the Scott’s house, she always brings joy that is like sunshine breaking through the clouds.  My Dad called me "Sidekick." When I was 5 years of age, I loved to be introduced to his adult friends with these words - "Meet my sidekick!" It made me feel 10 feet tall! It implied that my Dad considered me his helper.  Got any nicknames for people?

In Acts, there is a man whose nickname replaced his given name even in the Scripture text.  Luke wrote "there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means "Son of Encouragement"). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus." (Acts 4:36, NLT) Joseph of Cyprus was so loving, so concerned about needs of others, that nobody called him "Joe" anymore. Instead, they called him - "Barney" - Mr. Encourager!  Every time I read that it makes me smile and breathe a prayer – “Oh, Lord, make me a Barnabas!”

Critics abound, don’t they?  Turn on the cable news channels and you will hear a dozen opinions about how some public policy could be improved.  You seldom, if ever, hear one of those highly paid talkers say something like, “There are no simple answers and it appears that the President is working hard at a solution.”  Or, “Let’s work together to create unity around this new policy and give it a chance to work.”  Instead, they criticism, complain, and sow dissent making our nation even more divided by the day!  Churches fail when a few critics start launching verbal grenades at the leaders. They thrive when encouragers work hard to build each other up.  There can be authentic disagreement where there is unity, by the way. Encouragers do not have to lie or pretend or only say nice things.  Some of the best encouragement in my life has come from people who love me enough to tell me, “I know you can do better than that!”

Here is what the Spirit says - "Encourage one another and build each other up." (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV)  Christians cannot encourage from afar, or at convenient moments. They make gathering a priority. The Word directs us to "not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the Day of his return is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:25, NLT) God considers giving encouragement so important that He even made it a spiritual gift. Some people are created by the Spirit to be the coaches in the Church that  breathe life, strength, and hope into others.  "If (your gift) is encouraging, then encourage ..." (Romans 12:8, NIV)

President Theodore Roosevelt said, "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Are you an encourager that lifts those who walk with you? Or are one of the legions of critics who whine about every situation and circumstance that is not exactly to your liking?

Here’s the word from the Word - "Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out. " (1 Thessalonians 5:13-15, The Message)

On Sunday, in our series from Acts, I will be talking more about Barnabas and how we can encourage one another. I hope to see you at Faith Discovery Church! (www.FaithDiscovery.com)

______________

We Will Stand

Sometimes it's hard for me to understand

Why we pull away from each other so easily

Even though we're all walking the same road?

Yet we build dividing walls

Between our brothers and ourselves.

But, I don't care what label you may wear,

If you believe in Jesus you belong with me!

The bond we share is all I care to see,

And we'll change the world forever,

If you will join with me,

Join and sing, sing.

You're my brother, you're my sister,

So take me by the hand.

Together we will work until He comes.

There's no foe that can defeat us,

When we're walking side by side,

As long as there is love,

We will stand!

The day will come when we will be as one

And with a mighty voice

Together we will proclaim that

Jesus, Jesus is King.

It will echo through the earth.

It will shake the nations.

And the world will see, see that;

You're my brother, you're my sister,

So take me by the hand.

Together we will work until He comes.

There's no foe that can defeat us,

When we're walking side by side,

As long as there is love,

We will stand!

James Hollihan | Russ Taff | Tori Taff

© 1983 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

What is your goal? ... your strategy?

Weeds grow among the flowers with no watering, fertilizer, or attention.  “Stuff” piles up in the corners of places where people live, appearing almost magically!  Chaos, disorder, decay …  are the results of an unintended life. Frequently people who are up to their neck in some crisis ask me, “How did my life get to this state?” Often it is the result of one small act of neglect following another, piling up until there is a mountain of dysfunction!  Ordering your world requires that you pay attention to the details, that you mind the little things.   A few details left undone will destroy the entire project. Keeping the big picture in sight is also important, but it is very unlikely that we will accomplish the BIG dreams of our lives if we live in constant chaos produced by our inattention to day to day management. Let me illustrate my point practically--

Most married people want a harmonious, intimate relationship, don’t they?  Did you know that it is the daily choices about life that make that a reality?  A spouse feels loved and cherished when you care enough to pick up your socks, clean up the kitchen, or call when you're delayed in traffic. Two dozen roses offered up once a month cannot overcome 28 days of thoughtlessness.  An intimate marriage cannot be sustained on a yearly vacation and a weekend get-a-way now and then. Love is sustained by the morning kiss, the evening hug, the little things that say, "You are important to me, in this moment."

Want to enjoy financial freedom?  The key factor is not the size of your monthly contribution to your 401 (k) account, though that is a good idea!  One author warns about the 'coffee shop' factor that ruins many a household budget. His point? You can make a cup of coffee to take for your commute to work that will cost you a few cents, or you can stop every morning at Dunkin' Donuts™ and spend $2.50.  5 cups of coffee a week add up to $12.50, times 50 weeks, equals an expense of $625 – real money! $2 here, 50 cents there quickly turn into real budget busters!

What to stop living on a treadmill of frantic activity that keeps you from doing what you dream about? Buy a schedule book and learn to use it! IF you take charge of daily life, refusing to be driven by urgency all the time, you will discover time really is available to do what you really need to do. One hour of planning at the beginning of the week eliminates duplication and wasted time that will consume hours of the rest of the days in that week. Ever see a person who shows up at every meeting trailing papers, breathless from trying to make copies at the last moment, and still shuffling through folders trying to get ready? Imagine the reduction in stress if that same individual took a hour's focused time the day before to put all the stuff together needed for the meeting.

Great Christians tend the little things. Lives disintegrate, one little lapse at a time. On the positive side, real accomplishment occurs where there is a long-term investment of time in preparation and the follow up of daily discipline.  Make a priority decision to do the 'little things' that are needed- not to prove anything to God, not to comfort yourself with attention to meaningless detail, but to open your heart and mind to the flow of the Spirit.  What are some of those little things for the Christian life?

• Put going to church high on your weekly schedule.
• Pick up your Bible every day and meditate on the Word for 15 minutes.
• Give to God from the top of your paycheck, not the left-overs.
• Make time for prayer before you watch TV, not after.
• Commit to regular serving ministry that comes before pleasure.

“Jerry, that sounds like a lot of duty.”  The same act can be dutiful or devoted, depending on the attitude of the person.  We do not glorify the disciplines for their own sake. They are, indeed, worthless – UNLESS they are part of a plan to discover God's presence and purpose in life. John Ortberg, pastor and author, writes, "Spiritual disciplines are to Christian life, what warm-ups are to a basketball game! A player’s vigorous performance in warm-ups indicates nothing about his skills to play, but if he fails to do warm-ups, the level of his play will certainly be affected."

Here's a word from the Word. Soak in it for a moment, praying for the Spirit’s wisdom to live it.
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly;
I do not fight like a man beating the air." (1 Corinthians 9:24-26, NIV)