It's A Great Day to Serve the Lord!

How can you ‘tell’ if someone is a Christian?Specifically, how can you ‘tell’ if someone is a Christian?To summarize: can I tell if someone is a Christian just by observing them?If I meet someone, I often notice the ‘tell’ signs such as: their face lights up as they talk with enthusiasm about their faith.  You can hear it in the way they talk and what they talk about. After all, everyone talks about those things (and people) that are the most important to them. 

What is your “of”? You are not “of” this world, but you are to be “in” the world. Confused? What “world” are you talking about?!  Your “of” in fact determines your “what.” Find out how…..

A Spiritual Kidney Stone: Pieces of EgoHow’s your battle with your ego going? We are told to “clothe ourselves with humility” (1 Peter 5:5)I believe it is a lifelong battle for the Christian. Some of the most humble people I’ve known, every once in awhile you see the face of pride pop out:         -pride of success and accomplishments         -pride of accolades         -pride of popularity         -pride of knowledge         -pride in your dug in stubborn positions         -pride of your own spirituality          -even pride of your own humility Ultimately, getting rid of prideful ego is like passing a kidney stone!Yet, this is a battle worth having. 

This promise allows you to walk into situations in which you know the outcome may not be what you hoped it would be. …. But you know it ultimately will be something God uses for the good.This is the ultimate verse of encouragement gives you at least three things…..

What’s your motivation? Why do you do what you do? What is your chief motivation, the reason behind all reasons? What is your purpose in life? This devotional will unpack  two things (one really) that provide Christians THE reason behind all other reasons. 

Does your heart burn within you? Are you overwhelmed by the events of Christ’s death and resurrection?  The two days, Good Friday and Easter are a contrast of emotions. One is the sober reality of Christ’s death on the cross with the awareness that He took our place. The other is the sheer joy and excitement of the resurrection—Christ’s victory over sin and death.  All so we can—you can—have a life filled with love for Him and gain the promise to be in eternity with Him. And as we talk about what Christ has done, my heart burns within me! Does it burn within your heart? 

 The Perfect ChurchDo you want to know how to find the perfect church? Maybe you’ve been looking for the perfect church with the perfect pastor? Or maybe you’ve given up looking for a church that fits your personality, your expectations, your perspectives and your theology and just can’t seem to find one.  So, you’ve quit looking. This devotional tells you how to find one…sort of.

Defining Servant Leadership.....define Servant Leadership.....Wait……hold on……don’t do it!Here’s why……

Maybe you’ve experienced it…You’ve shared your faith, and you get more resistance than results.And frankly, your spiritually weary.If that’s your case, right now, God wants to encourage you to “keep on keeping on.”  The word I want to share with you is that You may be getting results, you are making a difference, you are advancing God’s kingdom…..but you just don’t see it…..yet. 

There are assumptions about why people follow leaders: position, obligation, and demand are among them. In other words, people follow because they HAVE to follow. But the strength of leadership comes in response to who the leader is; his or her character. In other words, great leadership happens when people follow because they WANT to follow. Scripture underscores this reality. If you want people to follow you willingly and wholeheartedly you will want to watch this devotional. 

They say, “seeing is believing” and yet a more accurate phenomena would acknowledge that “believing is seeing.” Simply put, there are things you don’t see….”til you can.” And there are things you don’t understand….”til you can.” And there are things you can’t process….”til you can.”  “Til you can” is about that wonderful moment of discovery when you begin to see what you couldn’t see before, and when there are things you understand that you couldn’t understand before. It is when the blinders have been lifted and the walls of your heart have broken down.  And it opens the door to a life of joy and wonder you never knew you could experience. 

This well-known and popular phrase is far more sinister than you think. At the depth of it, there is a narcissistic worship of the individual. YOU are the center of the universe and what matters most is pleasing Y-O-U. The main pursuit in this kind of thinking is personal peace and autonomy. It is the pursuit of everything that pleases you.And yet, thousands of years ago, the wisest man in the world noted:“I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless.” (Ecc. 2:1, NLT)“You do you” ends up being a dead end.  There is however another pursuit that will provide far more meaning and purpose than you ever imagined. 

Has someone ever said to you, “I’m fine” or “I’m ok,” when in reality they’re not ok and they’re not fine? People do this all the time, hide their silent pain and cover their brokenness, often with a smile. This is also common in the business world, particularly in the retail, hospitality, and restaurant business. The last thing you want a customer say (when asked how things are) “it’s fine.”  It’s fine is almost never fine! Something’s wrong. I believe we need to train ourselves to “see people with our heart.” This devotional explains how. 

Have you ever wondered if God not only hears you but sees you, hears you, knows you, or even cares about you? This devotional will reveal some “scary” and comforting realities that God is with you wherever you go and even knows your thoughts.  This is a discovery I made one day as I was walking down “Burbon Street” in the New Orleans French Quarter.