Just for Today

I love Today Matters by John Maxwell. I hope to have two of my children read it in 2013. Good stuff for all of us to think about…especially as we approach that time of year when we think about changes we’d like to make in our lives. Here’s a good list from Maxwell at the beginning of his book…

from Today Matters by John Maxwell

Just for Today…

Just for today… I will choose and display the right attitudes.

Just for today… I will determine and act on important priorities.

Just for today… I will know and follow healthy guidelines.

Just for today… I will communicate with and care for my family.

Just for today… I will practice and develop good thinking.

Just for today… I will  make and keep proper commitments.

Just for today… I will earn and properly manage finances.

Just for today… I will deepen and live out my faith.

Just for today… I will initiate and invest in solid relationships.

Just for today… I will plan for and model generosity.

Just for today… I will embrace and practice good values.

Just for today… I will seek and experience improvements.

Just for today… I will act on these decisions and practice these disciplines, and

Then one day… I will see the compounding results of a day lived well.

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God’s Purpose for Your Marriage

A little over a year ago, our church’s men’s discipleship groups studied a video curriculum by Gary Thomas called, Sacred Marriage. It is a series that’s for husbands and wives to both be a part of, but I thought it would still be useful to study it with just the men. It was fantastic. The study is based on the book by the same name. I have recently begun reading the book and, like the video series, it’s great.

One of the things that struck me as I watched the video, discussed it with our men, and have now been reminded of as I read through the book, is how Thomas focuses on the foundation (you could say, the theology) of marriage and what God’s ultimate purpose is in marriage. The book is not, as he puts it, a three, seven, or ten-step program for a better, happier marriage. Instead, he does some of the hard work of looking at God’s real purpose of marriage… which is to make us holy… not necessarily happy. That’s a hard message to sell… especially in the era of romantic comedies and the Hallmark and Lifetime television channels.

In the first chapter of the book Thomas puts it this way…

…there’s a deeper question that needs to be addressed beyond how we can “improve” our marriage: What if God didn’t design marriage to be “easier”? What if God had an end in mind that went beyond our happiness, our comfort, and our desire to be infatuated and happy as if the world were a perfect place?

What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?

As Thomas will go on to say in the chapter, holiness and happiness aren’t necessarily contradictory, but a person’s happiness becomes illusory if they think a.) that it’s the sole purpose of the marriage, and b.) that their spouse is the one in whom they will find such ultimate purpose.

The real intention of the book, for Thomas, is to show his readers that marriage, in the same way as abstinence for celibates and isolation for hermits, is a context for spiritual growth. He writes that marriage can become the means by which we can “grow in our service, obedience, character, pursuit, and love of God.”

If I might put it in Wesleyan terminology, marriage is a means of grace by which we draw closer to God and conform more to the likeness of Christ. That’s not a bad deal.

I’ve only just begun the book, so I’m certain there is plenty ahead that will challenge, guide and encourage me. I’ll keep you posted on what I learn. Pray that my wonderful wife might see “in action” what I’m learning from the book as well.

Grace and Truth,
Dale

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Southside Men’s Midweek Devotional: Becoming Faithful Men

I just started reading Gene Getz’s book, The Measure of a Man: 20 Attributes of A Godly Man. I immediately thought that this is something I would love to share with the men of our church family (and a few extras as well). As book after book (as well as human experience) seem to remind us, boys are rapidly growing up in this world without learning what it means to be a man… even fewer understand what it means to be a godly man. Too many are having to make it up on the fly… with disasterous results.

Therefore, I thought I would share some of the insights that I’m gleaning from the book and pass them on to you, with a few extra items that I hope will be a blessing to you. If your email box is already too full  as it is, you can opt out of this weekly devotion by clicking the link at the bottom of this email.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (Philippians 3:12)

The first chapter of the book is a broad overview of everything that Getz will be looking at throughout the rest of the book. The chapter is entitled, “Becoming Faithful Men.”  That’s a key topic as well as an important title. You see, we aren’t born faithful. Just the opposite, in fact. We are born fallen in sin, broken, and far from God. If we’re blessed to be born and raised in a Christian family, we may come to know God earlier in our lives. However, regardless of our background, growing in our faith is a lifelong pursuit. As you can imagine, if our goal is “Christ-likeness,” then we all have a LONG way to go! So I like the word “becoming”, because it highlights the idea of process… not product. We are works in progress (superintended by God himself (Philippians 1:6), and our goal is to continue moving in a Christward direction throughout the course of our entire life.

The word becoming also emphasizes focus and intentionality. No one grows into a godly man by accident. It happens on purpose or it doesn’t happen at all. The Scripture above from Philippians 3:12 captures this idea. The Apostle Paul is laboring and straining to reach the goal of maturity in Christ (i.e., godliness or holiness). It’s an everyday and “on purpose” process that requires nothing less than God’s Spirit working in and through us to give us the will, the strength, and the direction to grow in grace. We won’t grow in our faith apart from the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, and yet, the Holy Spirit won’t do the work for us. We have to participate in the process.

Finally, Getz uses the word “Faithful” to describe the kind of man he has in mind. Then, borrowing from 1 Timothy and Titus, Getz puts together a list of what we might call the marks of spiritually mature (godly) manhood. Here’s his list…

• a good reputation
• maintaining moral purity
• balance in words and actions
• being wise and humble
• serving as a good role model
• demonstrating unselfishness and generosity
• communicating sensitively in a non-threatening and non-defensive manner
• not being addicted to substances
• not being a self-centered and controlling personality
• void of anger that becomes sinful
• not an abusive person
• non-argumentative and non-divisive
• a sensitive, loving and kind person
• non-materialistic
• a good husband and father
• a good testimony to unbelievers
• pursuing godly activities
• wise, discerning, non-prejudiced, and fair
• holy and righteous
• not a new Christian

Can anyone say they’ve already arrived? Anyone doing perfectly with this list?

Over the weeks to come I hope to look at each one of these headings and offer some thoughts and reflections from Scripture regarding what these characteristics might look like in our lives and how we might, in Paul’s words, “obtain them.”

I’d like to share this closing prayer from Ken Boa…

Faithful Father, as I reflect on the redemptive history recorded in the narratives and oracles of Scripture, I see so many surprising setbacks and breakthroughs. The wisdom of Your Word invites me to view events and circumstances with a long-term perspective. When I only look at the short-term, I get muddled, confused and doubtful, because I allow my immediate circumstances to shape my understanding. But when I contextualize the events of my life in the long-term, I can see that You are indeed causing all things to work together for good to those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. Teach me to affirm that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to Your children in Christ.

I hope this “midweek pick-me-up” has been a blessing to you. Have a great rest of your week.

Your Brother in Christ,
Dale

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My Most Important Resolution for 2012, Part 2

You can click here if you missed Part 1

What does any of what I shared in Part 1 have to do with what I regard as my most important resolution for this new year?

The answer was found in my Scripture reading Tuesday morning.

First of all, Psalm 29:1-2 reminded me that God is a God of glory, strength, and holiness. As I mentioned Tuesday, it is in both knowing about God, as well as knowing relationally the true and living God of Holy Scripture, that leads (or ought to lead) me to worship him.

Conversely, in Romans 1:18-20, the Apostle Paul warns us against suppressing the clear and knowable revelation of God through our wickedness. God, Paul teaches us, has made himself known to all people everywhere and it is only in rebellion that people falsely claim ignorance. Paul says that no one can legitimately make that excuse.

Jesus himself, in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 9:18-20), asks those closest to him who other people believe he is. He then brings it closer to him by asking them who they believe he is. Knowing him clearly and truly mattered (and matters) to our Lord.

In Romans 1:1-4, the Apostle drives home a similar point by teaching us who Jesus is, both as fully human and fully divine. Just as Peter had declared, so Paul also reminds us… Jesus is the “Christ,” the “Messiah” of God and Lord. He is the Son of God and the very center of the gospel of God.

Knowing God and his Son, Jesus Christ, (as I mentioned last time, from John 17:3), is a big deal. One might make the case that it is the only deal that really matters. Whether or not we would want to take it that far, hopefully we would all agree that knowing God should be our greatest priority (In addition to John 17:3, there is also Philippians 3:7-11 and Luke 10:38-42.)

Tuesday morning I needed reminding of that because I all too often take my eyes off of God and turn toward idols of my making. Not only is that sin, in and of itself, (see the first two Commandments) but following after such idols leads me further and further away from God and closer and closer to destruction and despair (whether I realize it or not at the time).

Knowing God is the only thing that can save my eternal soul. It’s the only way to be saved from God’s wrath and for rest, peace, fulfilment, meaning, purpose, righteousness, joy, eternal life, and utimately, God himself. Idolatry leads me in the opposite direction.

Idolatry is a wide and comfortable road in which I will never be judged or condemned by the world around me. In fact, I may even be well thought of on that road. The road of idolatry, however, leads to destruction, regardless of how popular or how numerous the crowd is that walks it.

Knowing God (and seeking to know him better and better – in the fulness of all that that means) can be narrow, hard, trying, and certainly unpopular. Yet it is glorious and life-giving.

I resolve in 2012 to put my eyes back on God and his Son, Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. I want to truly know him. That’s what it means to really live. Other resolutions are fine… maybe even good. But I need to make sure that the “good” doesn’t become the enemy of the “best.”

Only one resolution comes with a guarantee… with a promise… and that is to know the one true God and his Son, Jesus Christ, whom he sent.

Thanks be to God,
Dale

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Learning to Pray

If I had a dime for every book on prayer that’s out there, I could retire tomorrow. Responding to this deluge of materials on prayer, Donald Whitney wrote that the surest way to learn how to pray is simply… (are you ready)… to pray.

There’s a great deal of truth in that counsel. Very often we spend so much time learning how to do something or reading all about it that we fail to ever get started doing it.

And yet, I have found it helpful to listen to those wise spiritual directors who have not only thought long and hard about a topic (in this case, “prayer”), but who have also maintained a life of faithfully practicing what they preach. I have found Ken Boa to be such a person.

A few years ago I purchased his “Handbook to Prayer” ( you can click here to order it) and have found it very profitable in my own prayer life. Ken is always quick to say that such a book is meant to be a tool… or better a servant to help you in your prayer life. Never let it become your master. It’s important to protect yourself from self-imposed legalism. That’s good advice that I have attempted to pass along as well.

If purchasing another book that you’re not sure you will ever look at is the last thing you want to do, you can subscribe to Ken’s daily email which includes selections from his various prayer guides. Below is part (only part) of what will come to your email box each day if you choose to sign up for it. It’s a less expensive way to help you in your prayer life as well as a very convenient one.

However, I highly recommend getting the book. I have given it to a few people and have heard many positive things about how it has aided them in their prayer lives. As always, if I can ever help you in your spiritual journey, don’t hesitate to let me know.

Blessings,
Dale

Adoration

O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below; You keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart. (1 Kings 8:23; 2 Chronicles 6:14)

I know that You alone, whose name is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83:18)

Pause to express your thoughts of praise and worship.

Confession

A person’s wickedness will punish him; His backsliding will reprove him. I know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter To forsake the Lord my God And have no fear of Him. (Jeremiah 2:19)

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

Renewal

May I be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, may I let my requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

May I prepare my mind for action and be self-controlled, setting my hope fully on the grace to be brought to me at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)

Pause to add your own prayers for personal renewal.

Petition

May I not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, but join with others in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. (2 Timothy 1:8)

• Relationships with Others
• Greater love and compassion for others
• Loved ones
• Those who do not know Christ
• Those in need
• My activities for this day
• Special concerns

Intercession

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)

• Evangelism
• Friends
• Relatives
• Neighbors
• Coworkers
• Special opportunities

 

Affirmation

 

Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a Man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then the end will come, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:20-26)

The first man is of the dust of the earth; the second Man is from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the Man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly Man. (1 Corinthians 15:47-49)

Pause to reflect upon these biblical affirmations.
Thanksgiving

 

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28)

Pause to offer your own expressions of thanksgiving.
Closing Prayer

 

I will arise and bless the Lord, my God, Who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be Your glorious name, Which is exalted above all blessing and praise! (Nehemiah 9:5)

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; When I awake, I will be satisfied with Your likeness. (Psalm 17:15)

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Reading the Mail of C.S. Lewis

I have said often that I am a big fan of C.S. Lewis. That’s not exactly a daring thing to say since many people claim that same status. His books, of course, are brilliant, creative, inspiring, humorous, God-centered, and often bewildering as well as challenging. They are what draw so many to learn more about Lewis. The never-ending stream of biographies on Lewis is overwhelming in sheer numbers, but are fascinating and must-reads for those who want to discover more about Lewis.

Several years ago I purchased the three volume set of the letters of Lewis, edited by Walter Hooper. A great review of the third and final volume, by Michael Ward, came out a couple of years ago in Books and Culture. It’s a very positive review and will give you a good idea of what you can expect, should you decide to buy one of these volumes. (Click here to read the review of Volume 3.) (Click here to read Ward’s review of the first two volumes.)

Reading the mail of the great saints has been invogorating to my own faith. Whether it’s the journals of Wesley and Whitefield or the letters of folks such as Lewis, Tolkien, Lloyd-Jones, and Calvin, just to name a few, reading the hearts and minds of these men on paper is inspiring, encouraging, and instructive.

I would encourage you to pick up one of these volumes of Lewis and read one or two of his letters during your devotional time. It will add a little spice to your time with God.

If you are interested in reading these volumes you can click here for Volume 3…and click here for volumes 1 and 2.

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Three Questions (Men’s Midweek Encouragement)

Where are you going?
How are you going to get there?
How will you know when you’re there?

Good Morning Brothers,

This past March I received a newsletter from Len Sykes. Len is a godly man who mentors, teaches, disciples, coaches, and leads men up in the Atlanta area. He’s also an associate with Ken Boa, the man who mentored me while I was in seminary. (While I’m thinking of it, you can learn more about Len or sign up for his newsletter by clicking here.)

In this particular newsletter, Len shared a little about his ministry. I’m always encouraged when he shares what he’s doing and what God is doing through him because it reminds me so much of my own ministry… and there’s so much I can learn from what Len shares.

Len talked a little about his passion, mission, and vision for his ministry. He commented that these are the three main areas that he encourages the men that he works with to focus on. The three questions that I listed at the top of this post are my version of what Len is talking about. These are important questions to ask because, as the old saying goes, ”If you don’t know where you’re going, then any road will get you there.” There are a lot of men who have no idea where they’re going… and their making great time getting there.

These issues of passion, mission, and vision are very important, in my opinion. I think most men want to live for something bigger than themselves. Part of their frustration is that they either don’t know what that something is… or they have an idea, but don’t know how to pursue it.

Passion. This is the “why” question. What drives you? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? Len says that passion is “the emotional/inspirational element of our desire. It’s that which energizes us.

What’s your passion? For yourself as a man of God? For your family? For you work setting? For your church? For your personal ministry? For your community? What’s that something that’s bigger than you that you want to live your life pursuing in each of these areas?

Mission. Len next points out that mission “relates to how we carry out our desires to serve the Lord and his people.” In other words, how are you going to fulfill your passion? How are you going to get there? What’s your plan?

Vision. This last component “relates to what the end result” of your passion and mission will look like. In other words, how will you know that you’ve fulfilled your mission (or that you’re making progress in the right direction)? Lots of aimless activity is not the same thing as moving toward your goal. Having a vision of what it will look like will help you focus and persevere as you move toward your goal…your dream of that something bigger than yourself.

My prayer is that each of you will not only have, but will also spend your life pursuing a passion, mission, and vision for who you are as a man of God – for your own spiritual growth, for yourselves as husbands, fathers, employees/employers, churchmen, neighbors, for every sphere of your lives. To be sure, this is a huge undertaking. But can you imagine anything more worthy of your time and energy?

My family’s life-verse is 1 Corinthians 10:31, which says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” From the extremely important to the utterly mundane, all of life is to be lived for God’s glory. This is the idea behind the phrase, “living life on purpose” or “living intentionally.”

Having a passion, a mission, and a vision will help you glorify God in all the spheres of your life. If I can help you discover, develop, and pursue your “something bigger than yourself,” please do not hesitate to let me know. It would be a joy, an honor, and a blessing to travel along side you as you seek and follow God’s call in your life.

Your Brother,
Dale

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