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What Excuses Do You Have for Not Improving?
You can have excuses, or you can have results. But you can’t have both.”
I’m not sure where I first heard that quote, but it needs to circulate more widely these days. We live in the era of excuses. Most, if not all, of us succumb to its temptation at some time or another.
Teams would be undefeated if not for partial referees, adverse conditions, or cheating opponents.
Pastors would be more successful if their church members would fall in line.
Workers would do a better job of their bosses were nicer and co-workers not so incompetent.
You get the picture. Our shortcoming are always the result of someone else or something less than perfect. It’s NEVER us.
The problem with excuses is not whether or not they are legitimate. The problem is that they prevent us from ever improving. If the problem is always outside of us, then why would we ever evaluate ourselves.
[Tweet “God expects us to take a look at our own hearts rather than making excuses.”]
Encouragement to Avoid Excuses
God encourages self-examination. Consider the following verses.
Intentional Spiritual Growth for the New Year
I hope your 2018 is off to a productive start. Technically, January 1 is just another day. The concept of New Year’s Day is a product of our calendar. Regardless of that, I LOVE a New Year. And my desirefor 2018 is spiritual growth.
As I have pondered 2018, I asked God to give me ONE Bible passage for my focus in 2018. He laid Galatians 5:22-23 on my heart.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
This year, I want the Holy Spirit to help me grow in these 9 attributes. I hope that we all want to see more of the Holy Spirit’s influence through our lives. When He is at work, we increasingly demonstrate these qualities.
The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Growth
First, notice the the Bible refers to these attributes as the fruit of the Spirit. That is a reminder that I cannot conjure them on my own. I can only make myself so loving, patient, faithful, gentle, or any of the qualities. I am limited in my abilities to better myself.
How YOU Can Help the Stargazers this Christmas
I’ll admit it. I’m a little spaced out. I’m one of those stargazers. I love going out at night and looking up at the sky to see the display of God’s glory.
I don’t have an official “bucket list.” But if I did, it would include a visit to some of the “dark-sky” parks in Utah and Idaho. From these locations you can see the night sky without the noise of man-made light pollution.
[Tweet “We can be like the Star of Bethlehem and reflect the light of Jesus that is in us.”]
The First Christmas Stargazers
I guess that is why I have always had an affinity for the Magi in the Christmas story. We know very little about them, but one thing we do know is that they were stargazers.
The Bible does not tell us how many of them came, but that they brought three kinds of gifts. From the number of gifts we have assumed there were three. The expensive nature of the gifts indicates they had access to great wealth.
One night they saw something unusual; something they had not noticed before. Looking back through the lens of Biblical revelation, we know that the Holy Spirit enabled them to see it. Whether or not it had always been there or it appeared that night for the first time, only God knows. But there it was…THE Star. We now call it the Star of Bethlehem.
You probably know the narrative well, so I will not recount it here. If you would like to read it in the Bible, you can find it in Matthew 2:1-12. But this year, God has directed my attention to THE STAR.
Time Management Done God’s Way
Lately, I’ve read so much about time management that I seem to have no time left to do much else.
I’ve read about taking a few moments at the close of each day to plan the next. Also, I’ve read about the value of planning the next week, month, and even the next year.
I agree wholeheartedly with the writers, and I find I am more effective when I plan. But interruptions occur and often the days do not follow the plans. Other times I am not as diligent and intentional and I waste some of the time I have.
God’s Time Management
[Tweet ” I have marveled at what a great time manager God is. “]
Setting Life Margins Will Help Simplify Life
Without setting margins, my typing would result in a jumbled mess.
In a post last week, I encouraged you to set margins in your daily routine. I think our life margins are more important than our typing margins. Without them, we will make a jumbled mess of our lives.
When writing, margins provide structure and aesthetic coherence. They keep us from scattering words all over the page in rambling fashion. Margins provide the perspective into which we place our thoughts in the medium of words.
The same holds true in life. Margins help us view our lives through the proper perspective. Without margins, our lives tend to make less sense, and more resemble a mass of disjointed coincidences and unrelated circumstances.
[Tweet “Intentionally establishing margin times will prevent us from marginal living.”]
Types of Margins
A life margin is intentional time we set aside to rest, reflect, and renew spiritually, mentally, and physically. We need several different types of life margins.
Encouragement for Days that End in “Why”
I’ll go ahead and confess: there are times I ask God “why?”
I know some of you will stop reading right here because you think it wrong to question God. No one has shown me where in the Bible we find that particular prohibition. I have a hunch that it’s not there at all; it’s a man-made adage.
In the Bible, God encourages us to ask Him questions.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” – James 1:5
Not only does God encourage us to ask Him questions, but also promises to answer “without reproach.” That means that He will not scold us for questioning Him.
A Sunset Drive and Reflections on the Pace of Life
At some point, we have to stop the madness. We have to change the pace.
That truth hit home to me the day after Thanksgiving as we drove home from our family visits. At first the westward drive home was a challenge with the sun in my eyes. But as sun met horizon, God allowed me to watch a beautiful sunset and enjoy the most peaceful dusk sky.
Slumbering passengers and sparse traffic provided me the opportunity to ponder the significance of the scene God placed before me. I found myself longing for the quiet peace of a country evening. I imagined myself living in a place where I could watch such a scene every night from a back porch.
[Tweet “Life can make us feel like we’re walking up the stairs and everyone else is riding the escalator. “]
The Pace of Everyday Life
We live at an unhealthy pace. As I enjoyed the peaceful drive, I couldn’t help but think of the contrast to everyday life. Stress and anxiety plague too many of us. Many people I know feel an uneasy sense of inadequacy.
Pass that car. Beat that traffic light. Get the last word. Don’t get even, get ahead. Make the deadline. Do better. Buy this. Win. Achieve. Hurry. Faster. More. Yes, at some point we have to stop the madness.
Maybe you feel the squeeze too. Life can make us feel like we’re walking up the stairs and everyone else is riding the escalator. We long for the peace and serenity of a country sunset, but we live in the blistering pace of high noon.
Letting Go of the Pace
As I soaked in the scene before me, God reminded me of a familiar Bible verse.
Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth. – Psalm 46:10
“Be still.” Literally the verb means “relax the hands, let go, stop doing what you are doing.” Stop the rat race. Quit trying to be first, better, richer, faster. Chill out. Change the pace.
[Tweet “Quit trying to be first, better, richer, faster. Chill out. Change the pace. “]
God Does Not Waste Our Pain
Sunday marked the 3 year anniversary. On the afternoon of October 22, 2014, I pondered what had just happened. By God’s grace I defaulted to Scripture.
I had counseled people to turn to God’s Word in their times of greatest need. And then in my time of need, God graciously sent me to His Word. The passage He set before me was 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
God reminded me that not only is He an all-knowing God, but He also is a purposeful God. He even finds a purpose for our pain. God comforted me that day with the knowledge that He would use my experience to prepare me to help others who may one day experience the same thing. My hurt was real, and it ran real deep; but God’s grace dives deeper than any depth to which our heart can plunge.
[Tweet “[God] even finds a purpose for our pain.”]
Lessons I Learned from My Pain
Why Do You Follow Jesus?
Why do you follow Jesus?
That sounds like such a simple question, and most would answer with the typical “because He is my Savior.” We have learned that answer and give it without a second thought.
But what if you really thought about it? What if someone challenged you to prove your answer? You see, I think many people follow Jesus because of what they want Him to do for them. Don’t let my hypothesis offend you. After all, Jesus had those kinds of followers in HIs days on earth also.
[Tweet “Many people follow Jesus because of what they want Him to do for them.”]