REACH: THERE'S HOPE FOR US

Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers.   So he went to the high priest. ² He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.
³ As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
⁵ “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.
And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! ⁶ Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  Acts 9:1-6  NLT


Have you ever killed somebody? Sure you have......stick with me, and prayerfully you see that you too, are a murderer....and there's hope for you too!     See this passage opens up saying that Saul was uttering threats with EVERY BREATH and eager to kill the Lord's followers.   So even while evil was in the breath and heart of this man, who actually thought he was justified in the WHY he was doing what he was doing, the LORD had a use for him.  Surely Jesus had every justifiable right to blink and eye and this righteous terrorist would cease to breath, even exist.   Much like you and I, he could've blinked an eye when we said what we said about Democrats, Republicans, Tea Party folk, or maybe not them.    What about what you had to say about the President, or those hurting young ladies at the abortion clinic.   What about what you had to say or think about your Ex-boyfriend, girlfriend, husband.   Ok maybe not them....but what about the feelings you have about your boss, your co-workers, your neighbors...or that homeless guy...or young lady/man dressed inappropriately that had the never to walk into the Lord's House. 

See we are more like Saul than we want to believe.  I can hear it now....Ray, you've gone too far!  God aint for.......................(fill in the blank).  If I remember right my KKK brothers and sisters were followers of Jesus Christ, that too thought they were justified in hanging, beating, burning, dragging, and murdering some of  my people......and as God would have it....they weren't of the ones directly in the line of my existence, so here I AM DEAL WITH IT!   But ok maybe that doesn't resonate with you.....but what about this summer THEY DON'T BELONG OUT HERE...LET THEM STAY WHERE THEY ARE AT........if I was in a coma and awaken to these words, I'd swear a time machine had to have been invented.   From what I understand about JESUS, these were not His heart regarding the Samaritans or Gentiles. 

So see.....you too are a murderer if you've never shed physical blood, you've assassinated a few people's characters.  Even if it was by accident, you know believing something about someone, because a ?trusted? friend told you.....and you never took the time yourself to give that person, that creation of  GOD the time of day for you to know them yourself.  

So how does my JESUS deal with the ELEPHANTS that despise the DONKEYS, and the left that can't seem to get along with the right, or those hurling insults to those at Planned Parenthood,  or those carrying prejudices.....He says, " Why are you persecuting me?"  Remember whatever you do to the least of these.......you are doing it to Him.   So that being said if you are reading this.....and maybe you're a little peeved at me....that's ok....YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIKE ME, but if you expect to worship HIM IN ETERNITY, you GOTTA LOVE ME!  So with that being said.....if GOD reached out to SAUL (Saul wasn't looking for this encounter) HE can reach out to you.....and I pray you are humble enough to repent, and make a complete transformation to WIN more people, than you have divided them......leave the division of up to Him on that GREAT DAY!   FOCUS ON LOVING HIM, and OTHERS!  LGLP

IAS : Balancing Healthy Desires & Goals w/Contentment

How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. ¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Phil. 4:10-13



I am still to this day a gamer, although now I'm a closet gamer.   By that I mean, I don't play as often due to many other responsibilities, but I still like to play every now and then.   One thing I realize though, may games don't drive contentment....actually none of them do.   Some of them you desire to get the highest score.   Many if not all of them you desire to defeat it, until they come with a another one.  Did you know there's the possibility of achieving a perfect score in Pac-Man?  Who knew....now somebody will probably plug up the old gaming system, because we are not content with someone else holding that record.  Being second, is never really good enough......or is it?

Paul while sitting in prison realized life, ministry wasn't about being the top dog, but rather enjoying being second to Christ.   He writes to the Philippian church a thank you letter for them thinking of him.  He remembers that their generosity was greater than any church, while they weren't the riches...they were the most generous, and despite his present circumstances he shares with them the secret to contentment.  We struggle with contentment.   We look at our cars, and desire a newer one....not because anything is wrong with the one we got...but just because.   Cell phone co. know just how discontent and competitive we are....ask owners of the Galaxy II, or III, or I-phone 4, 5, 5c,........they know we want the next new thing.    Certain shows help breed discontent...you look at your kitchen, your yard, your ......and after a few hours of house hunters....well you know.

But Paul wanted to communicate to them, desiring things isn't altogether bad.  So how do we Christians, who live in a consumer based society keep our desires in check, so that we don't find ourselves blending consumerism into our Christianity:

1) Make sure you desires are under control....Yeah the Bible does say (Psalms 37:4)" God will give you the desires of your heart..." but you have to make your priority delighting in Him (that comes first I that scripture), meaning if you truly are delighted in him, your desires will probably be few, and never get in the way of your relationship with Him.  

2) Make sure your desires are legitimate....So you need a new ____________________ because why?  Because you want it.  Because you've worked hard for it....don't justify it as purchase.  If my car doesn't work, and can't be fixed, that means I need a dependable & affordable car.  Not a new one. 

3) Make sure you don't feel you need it, to make you happy or complete you.....    Whenever you need an external solution to fix an internal problem, that should make you pause.  I've heard people say after a hard day I NEED A GLASS OF WINE or a CIGARETTE, and to that I say JESUS aint enough?   I've also heard people say if I could just find the right man/woman...everything we be great....and again I say JESUS aint enough?   You've heard it or said it.....If I could find a better job, a bigger/smaller church, a ___________________ only to find themselves in discontent again.  



Paul discovered that " I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength." In other words I can persevere in  prison, I can endure this job, etc (that He blessed me with), I can do without this momentary, emotion driven, selfish want....because He, Jesus Christ is enough!

So how do we get that balance, unlike Pac-Man it's not about being first, or defeating everyone it's about.......seeking first the KINGDOM OF GOD, and His righteousness....Delighting yourself in Him....and whether or not you get those desires, won't matter as much, because you'll count that stuff as dung, compared to having Christ, and being second.  LGLP

IAS PEACE: KEEP YOUR MIND STAYED on HIM

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. ⁹ Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.  Phil. 4:8-9 NLT

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.  Phil. 4:8-9 MSG

Am I the only kid that liked playing with magnifying glasses?  Getting the opportunity to make something seemingly insignificant and small, bigger if only for an illusion.  Oh how when we magnify things we can see details that we never recognized existed.  We can see the eyes on an ant, or how our skin folds (ok some of us you can see that without a magnifying glass...lol) or remember those microscopic pictures that when you zoom out it's a block of concrete, but it looked like your were on the moon.    Also remember setting leaves or things on fire when you used a magnifying glass with the combination of "focused" light the destruction it could cause?

Paul while sitting in jail, who had every right to be found complaining about his present condition, opted to keep His mind stayed on, focused on encouraging others and on Jesus.   In these verses he tries to give the people of Philippi who were hard-workers, and aware of the stresses of their culture something to ease their minds.....no it wasn't a glass of wine, or a drug...it was the WORD of GOD instructing them to FIX THEIR THOUGHTS on...................   Cause like with a magnifying glass whatever you focus on, fix your eyes or thoughts on....increases in size.    If you think of the one reason, or many reasons you hate or dislike _______________________  then those things get bigger.   When in essence they may be microscopic, harmless, or really insignificant in the big picture....focusing on such will cause us to feel defenseless, fearful, or overwhelmed.   Take for instance looking on a microscope for too long, focusing on the amount of bacteria and such can cause one to become a germ-aphobe. If a spouse focuses on the wrong thing or person too long an affair is easy to happen.   If an employee focuses on what they don't like about their job instead of praising God for it, they'll end up unemployed.   But if we focus on the TRUTH of Scripture.  If we focus on HONORING our  FATHER through doing what is RIGHT by them, how PURE our LOVE would remain for one another.   So much so that those without this would ADMIRE the community we have PRAISE GOD, not CURSE Him.



So today, instead of focusing on what or who you don't like, put into practice this truth to focus on the EXCELLENT things of GOD, His Word, His Son....not on the debt ceiling*, Affordable Health care * (Obamacare for some), not your discontent in or with_______________________________ and watch how much more PEACEFUL you are in Heart/Mind.   Trust me...if you choose to focus on anything other than what GOD told us to focus on, your day will go sideways!  LGLP247



** I know we need to be educated, informed, vigilant and aware of what's going on around us, and I am...and I'm not suggesting we close our eyes to, or ignore some of these issues....I am though asking your to consider why the WORD would instruct us on what to focus on to have peace, and it's not the hot topics of our culture.

I AM SECOND: When I REALIZE ITS ABOUT WHAT HE's DONE

Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!  ⁵ I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. ⁶ I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.  ⁷ I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.   Phil. 3:4b-7

So I'm sorry....tell me again what school did you go to?  What High School was it?  Oh...you're beyond that....I'm sorry what College did you graduate from?   What's your degree in?  These are questions that are standard when networking.   When meeting someone for the first time in a corporate setting that's what means something, where you went to school, or what degree(s) you have....and honestly.....when you die what does it all amount to?  What does it matter on the flip side of this life; eternity?

Looking at some of these ruins in Turkey (Corinth) one can deduce that at one time these were meeting places.  They were thought to be the best of the best, and I'm sure the builders never saw this picture that we behold coming......ruins.   After being attacked, enslaved, and killed these buildings had little worth to their captors.  Paul in writing to the people of Philippi wanted them to steer clear of comparing themselves to others, and reveling in their accomplishments because if anyone could boast he could, but he didn't.   Why because when he looked at his accomplishments in comparison to having received CHRIST, he counted it as dung, skubala, doo doo.....because there is no comparison.



So if it helps...relax your chest.....stop poking it out like the proud peacock, and humble yourself.  It's great you've graduated, and been here and done that....but the sum total of life is not about your accomplishments.   In Eternity, it's about did you meet Christ & did you choose to live for His Glory, not yours.   So as you are probably well immersed in our day's culture, and you are mingling with, working alongside many people.....care more about have they MET CHRIST, then your accomplishments or theirs.   If you discover (He did say "you'll know them by their fruits.....l" and let's be real you know who the TRUE BELIEVERS are, and aren't....it takes one to know one)  they haven't MET CHRIST then that means you need to actually start living the faith your profess.   LGLP

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  I wonder what would happened if you asked WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS JESUS CHRIST MADE IN YOUR LIFE, instead of what school did you go to, or what do  you do for a living, how that would really throw off the "party"?