What good is knowing if you don’t also DO?

Sometimes I think we get so caught up in RECEIVING God’s love and EXPERIENCING His presence, we forget to pass it on.  We are inherently selfish people, and that selfishness extends into God’s love.  Here’s what I mean.

The Apostle Paul says this in 2 Thessalonians 3:5  ⁵ May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

YES, we should have a FULL understanding of God’s love.  BUT, we also need a full EXPRESSION of His love as well.  In fact, I would say, if you aren’t EXPRESSING the love of God you may not have RECEIVED it.  At least not fully!  OUCH!

Many times we just want to GET God’s love without having to GIVE it.  We want to RECEIVE it without having to RELEASE it.  But when you’ve REALLY been given a full understanding OF it, you can’t help but EXPRESS it!  It’s just what you do.

You can’t just know…you have to DO!

Trying to do,

Jeff

If all who touched Him were healed, why wouldn’t you have touched Him? 

That’s the question I wrote in my journal as I was doing my devotions recently.  I was reading the book of Mark and came to Mark 6:56 which says about Jesus:  ⁵⁶ Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

Make no bones about it, I could be WAY off (it wouldn’t be the first time), but the statement “all who touched Him” implies that people DIDN’T touch Him as well.  So, if all who touched Him were healed, why WOULDN’T you touch Him?  Now that was speaking physically, but there is a spiritual parallel here too.  I just jotted down in my journal 2 reasons why:

Some refused — Maybe they didn’t believe.  Maybe it was too much work.  Maybe they didn’t want to “expose” themselves as someone who believed in Jesus.  It could be a variety of reasons but MANY  people still today, SEE the life transforming power of Jesus in people’s lives, but simply REFUSE to touch Him.  They see, they hear, they know ABOUT Jesus, they just refuse to respond TO Him.  They won’t touch Him.

Some were restricted —  The only reason someone couldn’t touch Jesus, would be if they didn’t KNOW about Him.  There are only 2 kinds of people in the world…those who refuse and those who don’t know.  Once you know ABOUT Jesus, it’s your responsibility to decide, do I touch Him or not?

So what does this mean for us?  We better make sure as MANY people know ABOUT Him, so that all who TOUCH Him can be healed!

Showing and Telling,

Jeff

I shared this with our Lead Team this past week as a leadership lesson, but it also relates to our everyday lives.

Ever feel like God’s napping in your life?  Like you’re in the middle of a storm and He just doesn’t seem to care?  Maybe you felt like you were following His leading, you started traveling across the sea in the direction He said to go, then BAM…a storm comes out of nowhere?  Well, if you’ve never felt that way, the disciples DID and you’ll probably face it eventually.

Luke 8:22-24 says this ²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. ²³As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger.  ²⁴ The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm.

Jesus KNEW the storm was coming yet He LED them into it anyway.  THEN, in the middle of the storm He was just taking a nap.  So again I ask, have you ever felt like God was taking a nap in your life?  Cause if the answer is YES, then remember this.

God will sometimes lead us into a place of FEAR so He can show His FAITHFULNESS!

God will allow us to face PERIL so He can show His POWER!

Just because you’re in the middle of the storm doesn’t mean that He is NAPPING or that He doesn’t NOTICE…it just might mean that He knows what’s NEXT!  Trust Him!

Waiting for what’s next,

Jeff

“WOW!”  That was my only response.  “WOW!”  That, and I was moved to tears.

Like “big church” does each Sunday, Pastor Derek offers a chance for kids to turn in any prayer request they would like prayed for, and that’s what my daughter Mariah turned in.  Again…WOW!

This is one of those moments as a parent I live for.  SHE GETS IT!  Her prayer?  “More people to come to know Jesus and come to element church!”  Nothing like the heart of your child to convict the parent.

Her prayer makes Mark 10:15 come to life  “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

What do you say?  Will you join my daughter in this prayer?  I think it’s THE MOST important thing we could pray for.  “More people come to know Jesus…AMEN!”

Praying,

Jeff

P.S.  And I LOVE she put her name “Mariah Maness” and then added “Jeff’s daughter”.  YES SHE IS…and I’m PROUD to say it!  And by the way, she prayed that prayer Sunday and FORTY PEOPLE acknowledged to us they accepted Jesus as their Savior.  YES!!

The Circle Maker came at JUST the right time in my life.  I can honestly say, it is the most challenging yet encouraging book on prayer I’ve ever read.  Inspiring to say the least.  I would say that last year was the best year of prayer I’ve ever experienced.  I was more motivated and moved by God through prayer in 2011 than I ever have been, and The Circle Maker only fueled my fire for prayer.  I truly believe that prayer is the forgotten discipline in the church.  I’m convinced, if we fully understood the power that prayer has to connect us with the heart of God, it wouldn’t be just the thing we add before a meal, or the desperate plea for provision.  We’d be DEDICATED to seeking God daily in it.

Trying to capture the essence of The Circle Maker in one blog is impossible, but here is one statement from the 2nd chapter of the book that I think sums it all up:  “Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers.  God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers.  he is offended by nothing less.”  WOW!  Makes me wonder about my own prayer life.  It inspired this statement in me “Our prayers should be so big we SHOULDN’T expect them to happen, but our GOD is so big we do.”  I want to pray those kinds of prayers.  Prayers that are generational.  Mark talks about that in the book.  That God is outside of time.  There are prayers He’s already answered 50 years from now, that we haven’t even PRAYED!  (That’ll blow your mind)  Makes me want to pray BIGGER prayers over my children, my grandchildren…OUR CHURCH!

From PRAYING through things and PRAISING through things (new concept for me).  From fasting to goal setting, Mark covers it all.  I was literally captured from the first sentence.  Rarely are there books that I can’t wait to pick up and continue reading…this was one!  All that to say, if you’re looking for a practical yet inspiring book on prayer, this is one I’d recommend.  I’ve started praying circles around things in my own life, in fact, I think it might have even inspired a whole sermon series I’m circling in prayer!

Praying Circles,

Jeff

As a pastor I’ve fallen for this before, and I continue to see and hear SO many others do the same.  Things are said like “MAN, I wish we had the favor like THAT church has.”  “If I had the favor THAT pastor had.”  “If we just had MORE favor.”  And to be honest, when we say things like that, I think it just shows how much we don’t really know.

In Luke 1:27 Gabriel appeared to Mary and said “Greetings, FAVORED woman!  The Lord is with you!” 

FAVORED?  Before you ask for God’s FAVOR you better remember what Mary had to FACE!  Her fiance wanted to divorce her.  More than likely she was accused of being a harlot.  Who KNOWS how many threats she faced; friends and family she lost.  She gave birth in a stable (cave, livestock holding area. Whatever you want to call it, it wasn’t FAVORable).  She fled for her and her Sons life to Egypt. She watched her Son rise to prominence, then be BRUTALLY beaten and crucified on a cross.  FAVORED?  If that’s favor, do we really want to seek it?

Paul had the favor of God.  Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-29.  Stephen had the favor of God.  Read Acts 7:54-60  .  The unnamed people of Hebrews 11 had God’s favor.  Read Hebrews 11:35-40  I mean, I could go on.  Now don’t get me wrong, the favor of God is also an AMAZING thing.  It just seems we focus on all the REWARDS of God’s favor and none of the REFINING!  We see all the PERFORMANCES of those who have it but none of the PAIN they went through to keep it.

The favor of God WILL bring the contempt of men.  The favor of God WILL require more sacrifice.  The favor of God WILL test your faithfulness to Him.  The greater the favor that God pours out, the greater the faith it requires from man.  I just think we…I, need to remember that.

Remembering,

Jeff

Generosity is not something many of us are natural at, but it IS something we are called, even COMMANDED to be.  Now, giving is a spiritual gift that I think many people have and if they have it, it is OBVIOUS by the way they live.  My daughter Makalah, has been given the gift of giving and generosity…and I LOVE it!

Makalah LIVES and LOVES to give.  Not many days go by without me receiving something from her that she has made or found.  When we were at Disney World this past month, she used some of the money WE had given her to use as SHE wished to buy a gift for her sister.  What seven year old does that? Makalah wants to go to the Childrens Hospital for Chrsitmas and buy gifts for the kids who are sick, instead of GETTING gifts for herself.  WHAT?  And this past week, she did something that again blew me away.

Each week, one of our children gets a daddy date with me.  (For Jonah we call it Father/Son hangout time.  His idea…and I’m cool with it. HA)  This last Thursday, Makalah had her date.  I LOVE taking my girls on dates and my son on some hangout time and they look forward to it every month.  Sabrina and I have budgeted money for each week so I can do that and the kids get to choose what we do, up to a specified dollar amount.  As soon as it was Makalah’s week I asked her what she wanted to do, and she said “I want our daddy/daughter date to go buy a gift for somebody.”  I told her “You understand that if you use your money to buy a gift, that’s what we’re doing for our date?”  She said, almost with a “DUH dad” kind of response.  “I know!”

So that’s what we did.  I came home from work, had dinner with the family and took my amazing daughter on a date.  I actually had a Starbucks giftcard that was given to me, so we used it to go sit down, have a donut and drink before she bought a gift for her mom.  We headed to Walmart, and I walked the aisles hand in hand with Makalah as she smiled from ear to ear, living out the LIFE of generosity.  She used every penny of her money to buy some things for her mom that SHE wanted to get her.  It was amazing.

We ended our date by going to the mall to check out the dogs in the pet store and see the guniea pigs, snakes and lizards.  (I like going down the snake aisle with her cause she holds my hand even tighter.  Daddy trick)  As we walked out of the mall and headed to the car, I unlocked her door and opened for her.  She looked up at me before she got in the car and said “This was the BEST daddy/daughter date EVER!”

God just spoke to my heart, and I thought “MAN…If I were as generous as a SEVEN year old I’d make a much more SIGNIFICANT impact.“  Makalah LOVES to give, and I LOVE affirming that gift in her.

Friends, we belong to a RADICALLY generous God, may we be RADICALLY generous people…like my seven year old.

Learning from my daughter,

Jeff

GOD’S answer to your prayer may not be YOUR solution to the problem.

I think sometimes we assume that the only way God “answer’s” our prayer is by providing for us the solution to our problem.  And we typically TELL God what that solution is don’t we?  If there is sickness the ANSWER is healing.  If there is need the ANSWER is money.  If there is strife the ANSWER is restoration.  I mean, if we’re honest, that’s usually how we feel.  We approach God with our request, and then we GIVE Him the solution to our request.  At least that’s how I am.

Now, let me preface that with this:  I’m not saying we shouldn’t pray for healing, or provision, or restoration.  We SHOULD!  I think we should, as the Bible says, approach the throne of grace with CONFIDENCE in Jesus.  We should lay our hands on the sick and pray for their healing.  We should pray for and seek out restoration in our relationships.  We should trust in and ask God to provide for all our needs.  But for myself, I want to be careful that I’m not DEMANDING of God what I think should be HIS answer to my prayer.

Psalm 138:3 says As soon as I pray, you answer me; You encourage me by giving me strength.

Man, when I read that, God just spoke to my spirit.  “MY answer may not be in doing what YOU ask, but in building up your STRENGTH to face whatever you’re against.”  King David says “AS SOON as I pray, God answers me”.  And His answer was in giving him strength.

I believe there is one thing God’s ALWAYS willing to do for His children who seek Him through prayer.  GIVE THEM STRENGTH.  He may not bring healing to that illness, but He WILL give you strength to face it.  He may not bring provision the way YOU see it, but He WILL give you strength to trust Him to provide.  He may not bring restoration in the TIMING that you ask, but He WILL give you strength to face the strife in your life.

May I be able to say, as King David did, “As SOON as I pray, you answer me”, because my answer is in HIM not in what He will GIVE!  GOD’S answer to your prayer, may not be YOUR solution to the problem.

Praying for God’s STRENGTH,

Jeff

Just because God DELAYS doesn’t mean He’s DONE!

Ever feel like you’ve been waiting FOREVER for God to come through on something?  Like, you’ve BELIEVED for it.  You’ve PRAYED for it!  You’ve TRUSTED Him for it!  But you’re just stuck in a holding pattern.  Like “GOD, are you done?” I know I’VE been there before.  Been there more often than I care to admit, and SO MANY times, it’s not that He’s done…He’s just delaying.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus performs one of his most famous miracles by raising Lazarus from the dead.  Most of us are familiar with this miracle.  Lazarus is sick, Jesus gets there too late, Lazarus dies, BUT Jesus raises him from the dead.  I mean, how would you like to have been there for THAT one?  HOLY COW!! I’m sure I would have said something very similar to what Lazarus’ sister said “Lord, he’s been dead for four days, the smell will be horrible.”  One of Lazarus’ buddy’s was probably thinking “And he stunk even BEFORE he died.  Jesus should probably listen to Martha.”  (HA!  I crack myself up reading Scripture sometime)

So word gets to Jesus that Lazarus is sick, but much to everyone’s surprise HE DOESN’T GO TO HIM!  He DELAYS!  Now, we’re blessed with the REST of the story.  For us it’s no big deal cuz…well, Jesus heals Him.  But Lazarus didn’t know that.  Mary and Martha, his sisters, didn’t know that.  The disciples and onlookers didn’t either.

John 11:5-6 says  ⁵ So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, ⁶ he stayed where he was for the next two days.

ALTHOUGH he loved them, he DELAYED.  Just because God DELAYS doesn’t mean He’s DONE!

Our circumstances are not a SIGN of whether God loves us or not, they are an opportunity to TRUST in His unfailing love.  Just because God delay’s doesn’t mean He’s DONE! I’m not saying that He’s always going to do what YOU think He should do, I’m just saying, He might be setting you up for a breakthrough.

In need of a miracle of God…just wait!  Praying for healing…just wait!  Trusting for financial provision…just wait!  Looking for an answer…just wait!  Feeling like you’re stuck in a holding pattern…just wait!

Waiting,

Jeff

It’s not about where you WERE and it’s not about where you’re AT.  It’s all about where you’re GOING to be.

This past Sunday, Keegan Bradely, who until Sunday was a relatively unknown golfer, took the golf world by storm when he won the 2011 PGA Championship golf tournament.  And the story really isn’t THAT he won, but more about HOW he won it.  With only three holes left to play, Bradley was 5 shots behind.  It was a seemingly INSURMOUNTABLE obstacle to overcome, not just because it was 5 shot deficit, but because he had just TRIPLE BOGEYED (if you’re not a golfer, that’s BAD) the 15th hole and appeared to be in a total golf meltdown.  But that’s where EVERYTHING changed.

Bradley regained his composure, birdied the next two holes (one of them a 35 foot putt on hole 17) while his opponent with the 5 shot lead had a meltdown of his own.  This led to a two person tie at the end of the tournament, which Bradley went on to win a 3 hole playoff, securing his first ever Major tournament win.

Following the victory Bradley was asked about his 15th hole fiasco and what kept his mind in the game.  I LOVED his response.  He said “I just kept telling myself, ‘Don’t let that hole define this whole tournament!’”

That’s when I realized, the same statement should be said by all of us when it comes to our LIFE.

• Don’t let that last failure define your whole leadership.
• Don’t let that last mistake define your whole relationship.
• Don’t let that last sin define your whole spiritual journey.
• Don’t let that last hurt define your whole attitude.
• Don’t let that last rejection define your whole pursuit.
• Don’t let that last disapointment define your dream.

Whether in leadership, relationship, or our spiritual lives, if we’re not careful we can end up never leaving the 15th hole.  It’s not about where you WERE and it’s not about where you’re AT.  It’s all about where you’re going to BE!

The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14  …I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Don’t let it define you, MOVE ON!

Moving on,

Jeff