ME ... YOU ... A PENCIL? HUH?

MOTHER TERESA once said, "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world."  Once we understand that, we might actually become useful to God.

A CALLING VERSUS A CAREER WHAT'S THE DIFF?

Pastor John Ortberg said, "American society does not talk much about calling anymore. It is more likely to think in terms of career. Yet, for many people a career becomes the altar on which they sacrifice their lives.

A calling, which is something I do for God, is replaced by a career, which threatens to become my god. A career is something I choose for myself; a calling is something I receive. A career is something I do for myself; a calling is something I do for God. A career promises status, money or power; a calling generally promises difficulty and even some suffering-and the opportunity to be used by God. A career is about upward mobility; a calling generally leads to downward mobility.

WHEN CONVENIENCE CREEPS INTO OUR LIVES

Definition of Convenience: anything that saves or simplifies work, adds to one's ease or comfort, etc.,

Pastor Gordon taught that when we allow CONVENIENCE to creep into our lives, there will be a high price to pay and we will suffer the consequences. 

The question is how does CONVENIENCE affect our relationships?  What's the effects? 

Pastor Gordon gave a wonderful analogy of driving to the convenient store.  You get to park right in front of the door.  Simply walk in and pick up your water bottle, back to register & in no time you've paid $1.10 or more, but you got your water.  Then he went to a larger store, had to walk all the way in the back to grab a case of bottled water, walk all the way to the register where there is a line.  Waiting patiently, he pays $3.99 + tax & had to walk all the way back to his car.  Definitely not very convenient.  But, each bottled water came out to .23 cents for inconvenience. 

So what's the big deal?

You meet a wonderful person & fall in love.  You get married and in no time there is a lack of communication, someone or both starts to do their own thing. 

Get the picture?

RELATIONSHIPS WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE CONVENIENT!

As weird as this may sound, the more inconvenient our relationships are the better our relationship will be.  Think about this...PAUSE....

AHA MOMENT?  DID THE LIGHT BULB GO ON?

Just like our relationship with the Lord:

• We need to have a daily presence with God
• Requires great commitment (willingness to grow)
• Changing our culture of our Spiritual life

Visualize this: There's a Bible on the table & you balance the bible on your thumb.  That's like most Christians that go to church & simply hears the word of God, which is easily snatch able.  Try holding the bible with your finger & thumb and this would be like us hearing and reading the word of God.  Still, someone can come & snatch the bible right out from us.  Third, imagine holding your bible with your thumb, finger & middle finger. That would be like the believers in Christ that go to church to hear the word, and opens up the bible to read and study the word of God.  Still, easily snatch able.  Forth, holding the bible with your thumb, finger, middle, & now with your ring finger.  Now we are memorizing the word of God but still snatch able.  Finally, we will hold the bible & including the pinkie finger.  Harder for anyone to snatch Gods Word from us.  Pinkie finger is applying the word of God. 

1. the Thumb is HEARING the word of God
2. the Finger is Reading the word of God
3. the Middle finger is studying the word of God
4. the Ring finger is memorizing the word of God
5. the Pinkie finger is applying the word of God

Thank you Pastor Gordon Wong of The Bridge Church!

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD (taught by Mel & Tim of The Bridge Church)

Thanks giving is to be as much a part of the believers life as breathing. 

2 Thessalonians 5:18 - "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Psalm 100:4 - "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless His name." 

GOOD MENTAL HEALTH begins with a thankful attitude of heart.  Proverbs 15:13 / 17:22 - "A merry heart does good like medicine...He that has a merry heart has a continual feast."

DEPRESSION is the inability to see the goodness of God around you.  David frequently expressed his depression, "I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living."
Psalm 27:13-The eyes of faith SEE the goodness of God even in the midst of adversity.  Gods purposes, plan, and provisions are always good! Romans 8:28 & Jeremiah 29:11

James 1:17 - "Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights, with who is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

What's holding you back?

There's a movie on Netflix, 'PEACEFUL WARRIOR' based on a true story.  The fellow that went through adversity has written inspirational books.

You ever wonder why we have that dream or passion for something, but reaching & accomplishing that journey simply came to a halt.  We would have every possible valid excuse for quitting.  Quitting is super easy; after all, who likes working hard and pressing through.  We've heard this saying many times, 'get addicted to the process and not the results'.  In this movie, he was told to not look at your destiny but work hard and enjoy the journey getting there. 

Go figure, "how are we going to see and do tomorrow"?  

A WARRIOR RESPONDS BUT A FOOL REACTS.    

Richard Stearns mentions in his book, 'The Hole in Our Gospel', "If your personal faith in Christ has no positive outward expression, then your faith-and mine-has a hole in it".

Richard Stearns book sure puts our walk with Jesus more than going to heaven and being with him.  He mentions that belief, worship, personal morality, Christian community, is not enough.  He reminds us that Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:20: We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  The question we need to ask ourselves, "Seriously, how am I representing Christ as His ambassador"?