Author: pastordarryl68

Love. Live. Serve. Minimizing me...making much of JESUS! Loves God, family and crossroads|church. Husband, father, teacher, student, servant and worshiper.

Commit Your Plans to God

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It seems we live in a culture where people make many plans and then cancel a number of them. Unfortunately, this most often happens because a more appealing option comes along…sometimes because people get over-extended or just don’t “feel like it.”
Aside from REAL illness and emergency, ghosting on commitments and canceling plans displays a lack of integrity, self-discipline, commitment, and respect for others.

Do you struggle with any of this? If so, here are a few ideas for how to grow in this area:

  1. Honor your commitments…this includes your spouse, your children, your church, and your employer.
  2. Make fewer but more meaningful plans.
  3. Learn to say “no” to some things so you can say yes to the things that are truly important.
  4. Be a person of your word.
  5. Be dependable.

Instead of establishing your plans on the most appealing option, prayerfully take your potential appointments, meetings, and tasks to God.

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3

Every Minute

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Every minute I spend in the negative is a minute I won’t get back…a minute I won’t get to leverage for the glory of the One who gave it to me:

  • every minute I spend enumerating my problems, past or present;
  • every minute I spend angry and rehearsing my anger in my mind or on my lips;
  • every minute I spend gossiping – I’ve not only wasted my minutes but the ones of those to whom I am listening/talking;
  • every minute I spend giving the enemy credit for the wrongs, disappointments, and struggles in my life;
  • every minute I spend in jealousy of someone else;
  • every minute I spend elevating myself over another in word, thought or action;
  • every minute I surrender to the rule of pleasure.

The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy his presence forever – to leverage who we are and what we’ve been given (our minutes and hours) to reach our world with Gospel-focused ministries of mercy so they might come to know, love, and follow Jesus into His Kingdom.

I have no time to waste on the negative.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ~1 Corinthians 10:31

The Future is Bright

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If only believers LIVED in this Truth!

The Lord reigns from heaven, exercising all rule and dominion. From that place He will destroy every enemy, and every thought that sets itself up against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:1–5).

The Lord’s promises to us are truly staggering, and it is not surprising that we cannot get our minds completely around it. But He delights to give to His people, and one of the greatest gifts that He has given to us is the FUTURE.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. ~1 Corinthians 2:9

We must fix it in our hearts and minds that these staggering promises do not begin to be fulfilled at the close of history. They began to be fulfilled when a child was born, when a Son was given.

Transformation: More than Meets the Eye

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I LOVE to watch Yahweh transform the life of an adult through regeneration, baptism, and discipleship. It is a truly fantastic thing to behold. Their lifelong worldview and daily practice get turned upside down…or right-side up, if you will. The way they think and process is transformed – made new. The way they behave. The way they treat others and talk about others. The way they treat who they are and what they have been given.

But not only actions are changed…the reason/mission/purpose behind their actions change. What they value is transformed. Everything is affected by their repentance (turning the opposite direction from their sin) and their regeneration (being brought from death into life by the indwelling Spirit of God).

It’s not always easy. There are some strongholds in their lives…secular worldviews or generational sins that are deeply rooted and engrained by their family of origin or their secular education that they struggle to let go of. This is why we believe it is essential to teach and to train our children from a Biblical worldview from a very early age. But “OH!” the transformation when it happens. It is radical and victorious and the LIGHT of the gospel that shines brightly as a testimony of Who Yahweh is and what He has done.

This is something sooooooooo different from the act of “becoming a Christian” or “converting to Christianity.”

When people attempt to add the church to their life as a loving, accepting community;
When they add Jesus as a “safety net for heaven” to their already broad collection of gods that they worship (self, image, wealth, entertainment, pleasure, success, career, family, church, etc.); When they don’t repent of offending the person and the character of Yahweh by their sin; When they don’t submit to the Lordship of Jesus; — there is no regeneration…there is no transformation. All the “change” that happens in their lives is sheer self-initiative by self-power motivated by self-glorification. It doesn’t last. It never fulfills. It eventually fades, disenchants, and departs, and the individual eventually walks away from their version of “christianity”, blaming God for not performing for them or being there for them, the church for not caring for them, the bible for being antiquated and irrelevant, and the list goes on.

New life in Christ is UNMISTAKABLE. It is upside down/right-side up transforming. It is redeeming. It is restoring. It is lasting. It is eternal. It is holy. It frustrates those who are not of the Spirit. It infuriates its opponents.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Disagreement Does Not = Disrespect

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It is possible to disagree with someone without disrespecting the person. I know…my wife and I often disagree, but I respect her more than anyone else on earth. I may not agree with the opinion she has, but I have mad respect for her.

Disagreements are a sign of freedom of thought and expression. Disagreements are a sign of diverse individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures learning to live in community together…as God designed both our individuality AND our diversity. If we are both exactly the same, one of us is unnecessary in the relationship.

As followers of Jesus, for us to live in community together, there are a handful of doctrines that we must have unity in to be of one mind and one accord in Jesus, as He prayed to Yahweh in John 17. But even essential doctrines should never produce disrespect for one another.

Disrespect is a sign of a lack of character. The day you learn to disagree without being disrespectful is the day that a leader is born.

Ephesians 4:15

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ”

Just Look at the Fruit

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There will always be critics who pretend to be invested in your life, motivated by all sorts of self-centered emotions and agendas, speaking from their own narrative, perspective, and assumptions.

At the same time, sometimes even in the same moment, God will gift His people in your life with exhortation, discernment, mercy, wisdom, faith, and generosity to speak hopeful TRUTH into your life – even in correction or rebuke. These truths from God are edifying to the soul and refreshing to the Spirit, equipping you for every good work in the body of Christ.

How do you know the difference? You will know them by their fruits…every single time. Fruit doesn’t lie. Look at the fruit. Look at how they spend their time and with whom they spend it. People are easier to read than a book, if you know what to look for.

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:16-20

Repent

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Unlike so many of us who try to be loving and supportive to others, God never coddles our insecurities and weaknesses. He never says, “Bro, you got this. You’re amazing.”
Instead, He simply says, “I’m with you. I got this.”

Why? Because HE IS AMAZING!!!!

His PRESENCE is the guarantee. Not our person.

Jesus didn’t eat with sinners and tax collectors because He wanted to appear inclusive, tolerant, accepting, or approving. He didn’t do so for His own benefit, entertainment, and well-being.

He ate with them intentionally to graciously call them to repentance…to compassionately and mercifully offer them forgiveness and redemption FROM their sin, not acceptance OF their sin.

As image bearers and having been indwelt by HIS Spirit, we are called to do the same.

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17

Engage the Culture with Jesus

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Our culture has determined that we don’t “need” a God that is intimately involved in the every day affairs of life, revealing that we’d rather serve our own personal idols…even a lot of church-goers. As a result, most have decided that there is no need for transformation. Instead, we have chosen to “normalize” the behaviors – the hurts, habits and hangups – that we know do not walk in harmony with a righteous and holy God. We convince ourselves and try to convince others that these things are “normal”, everybody does it/experiences it/feels it/faces it or should accept it as “normal”.

Our culture has more than its share of self-absorbed, grumpy, over-extended people who walk around in a fog of despair, exhaustion, frustration, anxiety, panic, and offense.

Do you know what our culture lacks? It lacks love. It lacks joy. It lacks peace. It lacks patience. It lacks kindness. It lacks goodness. It lacks faithfulness. It lacks gentleness. It lacks self-control. It lacks light. It lacks favor. It lacks contentment. It lacks rest. It lacks purpose.

As true followers of Jesus – by sheer existence, we possess the most adequate portion of these qualities that anyone could need. We have been made one with Jesus and are indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Be light. Be salt. Be content. Be filled. Be Jesus. And engage the culture with these qualities.

We have way too many “christians” who behave as if they are more depleted, frustrated, exhausted, needy, and purposeless than the world they are supposedly trying to reach with the Gospel – a gospel that evidently hasn’t even been enough for them.

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.“

Road Rage

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I cut a young lady off the other day. I was clearly in the wrong. No question. I was making a right turn where two lanes were turning right. I turned into the left lane from the right lane of traffic. I didn’t see her there when I was turning, but it was no excuse. Fortunately she honked and hit her brakes and we avoided a collision.

I pulled up next to her at the next light and rolled down my window to apologize. Then she rolled her window down, and began cussing and yelling and waving and flipping me off. I was trying to take ownership of my mistake but she was so blinded by her rage and busy vocalizing her offense that she never heard my sincere apology. I was so disappointed.

We can sometimes get so fixated by the motives, intentions, and reactions we THINK or PERCEIVE other people have that we become deaf and blind to hearing and seeing the actual truth.

We live in a heartbreaking culture. God help us to love beyond people’s reaction.

“Know this, my beloved brothers. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;” James 1:19

Chasing After Jesus

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Every day, we have conversations with people of faith in Jesus who are driven with every fiber of their being to find love, joy, hope, peace, pleasure, significance, contentment, and fulfillment in the things they do and the things/people around them – ourselves included.

If we really listen, these people’s days are so full of duty, responsibility, obligation, being exhausted, overwhelmed, over-extended, over-booked and just “getting thru the day”, that they have little time, energy or focus to chase after intimacy with Jesus, His Word, or His people.

Think about the impact of that statement…
By our own statements of faith in Jesus, we believe that HIS SPIRIT is the SOURCE of those qualities (Galatians 5:21-22). What if we chased, every waking minute of every day, after JUST Jesus – the way, the truth, and the life? Wouldn’t we find in HIM all that everyone else is looking for in their day?

If following Jesus isn’t changing you daily, then you aren’t following Jesus.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33