DAY 29: Ending the Search for Significance

Over the last few years, I've watched both afar and up close as people have searched for SIGNIFICANCE. It's so very easy to get to the place where you feel as though your life or you specifically are the essence of being "too small or unimportant to be worth consideration; meaningless". Perhaps you feel as though your contribution on your job is meaningless. Or maybe you constantly feel like the people around you see you as unimportant. But I was reading in Colossians today and was really encouraged by a single phrase. Now, I have to warn you up front that I am completely taking this out of context here, but I could not resist. Chapter 2, verse 18 begins by saying, "Let no one disqualify you..." Another translation says, "Let no man rob you of your prize..."

I thought about it for a while and realized so many of us disqualify ourselves before anyone else even has a chance. While we anticipate being rendered as insignificant in someone else's eyes, we must first ask ourselves if we are significant in our own. Just like beauty, significance is in the eye of the beholder. Though there are times functionally that you may have less work-related significance; no profession or social interaction can ever have the power to define who you are. I Peter 2:9 reminds us that in the Kingdom economy of significance, we are a part of a "chosen generation" and "royal". As children of the King of Kings, we are to find our significance in that and not in the day-to-day workings of our lives.

True, that is easier said than done. When someone is facing you with a look of disdain or when you don't feel heard or trusted or valued, it is difficult to remember that your search for significance should lead you to the cross. Your search for significance should remind you that God even made something as small as a mustard seed be a symbol for faith. If a mustard seed has relevance and significance in this life, then how much more do we? When we measure our value and our worth, are we seeing the people whose lives are affected because we prayed for them or because we smiled at them when they thought no one cared? Are we thinking of the times when God has used a person or His Word to speak directly to us in answer to prayer--making us significant enough to warrant a response? Are we considering times when we have prayed or spent time with the Lord and simply felt the amazing warmth of the Spirit of the Lord comfort of his presence make us feel special and cared for?

Maybe that's the problem. Perhaps you've never had an encounter with God that gave you that comfort or that gave you that reminder. Today, my prayer is that each of you reading these Prayer Points will have such an encounter with God. I pray that your significance will be wrapped up in His presence and delivered with a bow. I pray that in the coming days, you will experience God in new, reviving ways that end your search for significance in the right spot--Him.

Be encouraged,
Pastor Andrea

It Doesn't Take Much

A friend of mine passed me in the hallway and handed me an envelope. Inside was a simple colored 3x5" card with words from another friend who had sent her notes to distribute. Earlier in the day, I received a package. And when you're serving away from home both the packages and notes mean the world to you.  It's not about what's in them per se (although that's always nice), but it's the thought that someone took to remember you that really sticks out. I felt thought of and remembered and yes...loved...

And. as much as it meant to me, I was reading in 1 John 3 and noticed how that little thought means a lot even to God.

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:18

So my question to you today is what are your actions saying? No matter how big or small, what you do has the power to truly change someone's life? It's not rocket science. We need to stop trying to complicate things. Change our focus and realize that it's the simple things that make a world of difference. In all, we have great power and opportunity in all that we do, and it doesn't take much to love with action.

Blessings,
PastorA

Day 23: Don't Waste Your Breath

I have a teenage friend who knows just about everything there is to know...or so she thinks. Talking to them can be frustrating at times because you can't tell them anything. I'm sure I was like that at their age (and much like that even today). "Stubborn" is a characteristic that I've been marked with, and so I recognize it so easily in others. Stubbornness aside, I do not like to debate. So, as I have interacted with my teenage friend, I have to admit that I've found them to be a good example of using wisdom in knowing when to argue and when to simply let it go. You see, knowing that a conversation will likely be an uphill battle with them, I rarely spend a lot of energy trying to convince them. You know what I'm talking about. We've all got a few people in our lives who simply like to debate and like to push our buttons while doing it. At the end of the conversation, you leave worse for the wear and on the border of having a stroke. It's simply not worth it! So it's nice to affirm that that tiny piece of wisdom is not just made up in my brain but also something that was written into the Bible. Proverbs 23:9 says, "Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words." Stop allowing your blood pressure to skyrocket as you must make your point. Sometimes we have to allow people to make their own mistakes (even our children). Sometimes people need to come to the same conclusions we have through a journey of their own trials and tribulations. Even sharing the Gospel should never become a battle of wills. The New Testament phrases it sweetly telling us not to "throw our pearls before swine" (Matt 7:6)--not to put what is most precious to us in the mud to be stomped on by others. We present the Gospel. We present what's important to us. Then we let it go and leave the rest up to God.

Today, be encouraged to practice letting go. Don't spin your wheels in conversations that are going nowhere.

Blessings,
MinD

Day 20: Kindness...What A Novel Idea

They say that everyone will get their 15 minutes of fame. In today's media, it seems that so many people are getting more than their fair 15 though they seem to be doing nothing noteworthy. Do you know who I'm talking about? I'm talking about the lovely men and women (and now toddlers) of reality television. Now let me preface this by admitting that I'm a bit of a reality junkie and actually watch many shows. However, I do have a line. You see there are some shows where the people getting all the air-time and exposure are simply a hot mess. They do everything except honor God and manage to get paid to do it.

But as I began to meditate on the life of a reality star, I realized that many of them are here today and gone tomorrow. You see, they can't seem to sustain. They have no staying power--a fact that, in part, could probably be attributed to a simple lack of one character ingredient, lovingkindness. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 20:28 that "Mercy and truth preserve the king, And by lovingkindness he upholds his throne." So many of us are looking for that staying power and can't seem to get it. We try one thing and it seems to fizzle. We try another and just can't get things to flow for us. Our fuses seem to get shorter and shorter as the trials in our lives seem to get longer and longer.

What we know is that as Christians we are called to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and kindness is a part thereof. And while we watch those who are the most negative or least benevolent in our lives get this or that earthly reward, what we can rest in is that our eternal reward is much greater and that our ultimate staying power far exceeds theirs.As we are tested in life, it is up to us to decide to make the wise decision to choose kindness over being rushed or rude. It is up to us to look beyond our schedules and schemes to find God's ultimate plan for our continued success. It's so simple (and certainly not a novel idea) that I'm almost ashamed to write about this but I feel as though someone out there needs a reminder about the extreme power of kindness.

Be encouraged as those tests come think on that old saying, "you catch more bees with honey," and make kindness a priority in your walk.

Blessings,
MinD

Day 17: Hold Your Peace

Have you noticed as we are reading that in this book on wisdom, one common theme seems to repeat itself over and over again? The final words of Proverbs 17 are a perfect example and spark the memory that this is not the first time we hear Solomon reference our talking aparatus. It poignantly reads:

Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; 

when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. (vs. 28)

It's enough to prompt a search of the chapters up to this point and determine that there are 69 references to mouth, lips and tongues in the chapters 1 through 17 and 112 references in all of Proverbs. Here is this book that is all about directing Christians in ways to make decisions--a book that serves as an ode to wisdom and understanding--and one of the repeated concepts is about the mouth. It thus becomes easy to draw the conclusion that God is sincerely interested in what it is that we have to say. Someone reading this is like me and needs this point to be driven home. We need our hearts to be sensitive to what is about to come from our lips. We need our minds to match our mouths and not have the disconnect that sometimes occurs when we speak before we think.

If you are looking to better understand what is going on in your life, perhaps it is time to hold your peace. Perhaps it is time to listen twice as much as you speak. Perhaps perception will come when peace proves powerful over what you will and will not say.

Be encouraged today to hold your peace...

Blessings,
MinD

Day 16: The Price Of Peace (Don't let 'em try you!)

What price would you pay for peace in your life? Does it seem like turmoil and trials have taken over the space where peace and freedom used to reside? There is an opportunity that presents itself each and every time we are presented with confrontation. Sometimes our desire to be right can even overshadow our desire to be godly. Our buttons get pushed and we are pushed to the limits. As a petulant teenager, one of my siblings used to say that someone "tried" them when adults confronted them about a fight they may have been in. And the truth is that so many of us are "tried" day in and day out even as adults, and we allow anger and pride to rule how we choose to respond in those situations. But today's word is brief and to the point: Proverbs 16:32 gives us instruction in wisdom that seems to speak directly to that very thing. It says, "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."

I appreciate that God associates power and might with the ability to respond beyond our angry places. Having temperance over emotions can serve as the biggest tool you have and make you mightier than even those who conquer cities. It seems hard to imagine that the simple idea of self-control empowers us to truly act in accordance with God's will. But it does. When we make decisions to not allow ourselves to be "tried" in a court of our emotions, we present our spirits with the sentence for freedom and peace. And that, right there, is priceless.

Be encouraged to choose temperance in the face of confrontation today...

Blessings,
MinD

Day 12: What You Talkin' 'Bout?

When you Google the question "How many words does the average person speak in a day?" the answer isn't too surprising. Most experts say that women speak about 20,000 words in a given day and men only 7,000. Without getting caught up on the disparity between male or female tongues, hearing that statistic prompts the next thought in my mind: "How many of those words are meaningful?" If I think back on my day, all of the "hello's" and random "did you know's" don't amount to much. At the end of the day, I have 20,000 chances to say what is the question I have been asking myself. Gary Coleman's famous line from the 1970's TV show Different Strokes rings in my ears: "Whatchootalkin' 'bout, Willis?!" Are these 20,000 ways that I've changed someone's life for the better? Or at least 500? Are these 20,000 ways where God got the glory? Or did He at least get a tithe of my words (i.e. 10%)? Or are these 19,990 empty epithets and passing thoughts? We tweet and update our statuses on a daily basis--a whole lot of words but are we saying anything? Proverbs 12 gives us pause saying:

          14a - Wise words bring many benefits...
          19a - Truthful words stand the test of time...

Both have to do with the words that we choose to use each and every day. Both have to do with the weight of words in our life. As you think of how you will spend tomorrow's seven or twenty thousand word "allotment", won't you consider that the ultimate test of your words is if they bring benefits? Who will be impacted for the good? The ultimate test of your words is if they stand the test of time. Will you speak life into someone's existence and hold your tongue on nay-saying? God being The Truth spoke approximately 774, 746 words (the Bible) that stand the test of time. Every Word He utters into your spirit, every assurance and every promise is "yeah and Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). You can bank on it! And while we may not be God, we have an opportunity each and everyday to use the breath He breathed into us wisely. Tomorrow, as you speak, remember to make at least a few of your words bankable.

Be encouraged to speak life.

Blessings,
MinD

Day 11: Influence Now

I was listening to a preacher doing a series on boldness and he was speaking specifically about prayer today. He asked a poignant question: "What would be changed in the world if the prayers you prayed last week were answered?" For most of us, that answer would be pretty self-centered and/or would affect someone who we knew directly. His point was that we need to be bolder in our prayers. So it seemed like further confirmation as I was re-reading today's proverb to see the following:

"By the blessing of the influence of the 

upright and God's favor [because of them] 

the city is exalted..."

Proverbs 11:11a (AMP)

For years, I've heard people preach about Christians being the salt of the earth and talking about the scripture that challenges us to "flavor" up the world around us (Matthew 5:13). But, even in that, I know that I have thought small. Today, my prayer changed to a bolder prayer in which I want hundreds and thousands of lives to be influenced because of little 'ole me! I want to look back on my life and see that my impact was for cities upon cities and not just my own family and friends. I want to hear God say "well done." I want to see that God's glory extended beyond the four walls I call home to the four ends of the earth. I have taken very seriously the idea that we are to BE the church and that Acts 1:8 calls us to affect people on various levels of life--from those nearest to us and like us to those farthest away and different. But that starts with each day. That starts with even changing my prayers. Today, what are YOU praying for that will influence the world when God answers it? I challenge you to make a shift in your thinking. You are your brother's keeper...even if that brother is around the world.

Selah...and be encouraged!
Blessings,
MinD