Playing It Safe Means Losing The Game

One of the greatest temptations I face in life is to play it safe. To sit on the sidelines and let other people step out and take risks. It's easy to take risks when you have nothing to lose. But once you have accumulated a few things in this life it gets harder and harder to step out and risk. One of the problems with success is that we are afraid of losing the things that we have gained. We move into protectionism instead of taking new ground. When we do this we lose the sense of adventure that life is meant to be.

Here is how Erwin McManus puts it, "By definition an adventure is "an undertaking or enterprise of a hazardous nature." In other words, it comes at great risk and at significant cost. And life as God intends for you to live it is nothing less than an adventure... You might be thinking, I'm not sure if I really want to undertake an enterprise of a hazardous nature. Is a life of adventure really worth the risk? Is it really necessary? Yes, you can choose to play it safe, you can choose to settle for less, but never forget this: You were born to live a great adventure; You were created with a divine destiny; You are called to fulfill a great mission."

Oh man, when I read those words I want to look in the mirror and shout, "Get going! Don't hold back! Yes, use your brains and be smart about it but the worst thing you can do is sit there frozen by fear when God is for you and on your side - go forward!"

It's too bad that sometimes the message of Jesus is so misrepresented. So many times people think that Jesus' message is all about what you should not do. Don't do bad stuff and you are obeying Jesus. The invitation of God is not so much about what not to do, it is about what we are called to do. Jesus calls us into action, not away from it. He calls us to FOLLOW HIM in the great adventure of living life to the full and fulling the purposes of God. The message of God calls us away from sin SO THAT we can give ourselves to the GREAT THINGS that God has for us. The message of Christianity is not the emptying of desire (that is Buddhism) but instead it is the transformation of desire. God is inviting you into the adventure of a lifetime in following Him. You only have one life to live...what are you waiting for? Let's go!

How To Live On Purpose

Living on purpose makes life engaging, adventurous and challenging. Living without purpose makes life listless, miserable, aimless, selfish and pathetic. It's is no one's responsibility but yours for you to find and live your purpose. So, how the heck do you do that? Look what Hebrews 12:1-2 says,

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."

1. There have been many wonderful people who have gone before us who found and lived out their purpose. We are benefiting from their faith. They found and fulfilled their potential and because of it, we are better off. Let's be inspired by them and follow their example. One thing you can do that is helpful here is to read great biographies. The Bible is full of stories of people who followed God, reading their stories can help us discover our own story.

2. Put aside empty purposes. There are many pursuits in life that are pose as "purpose" but are really not purposes at all. They are empty, meaningless things that result in death rather than life. The book of Ecclesiastes is a message about the meaningless pursuits and their end. It is difficult to find and fulfill your true purpose when you are still caught up in the wrong pursuits. Lay aside anything that keeps you from running the right race, even if it's not a bad thing, it could be bad simply because it keeps you from something better.

3. Finally we run the race that is set before us. This is, instead of looking somewhere way "out there" for my purpose, I need to look at what is before me. My own life, relationships, job, context, family etc. this is the race "set before me". If I run those pieces of my race well, I will find more race "set before me" to run. I must learn to find purpose in the very things that are right in front of me right now. How many people regret pursuing some far away, theoretical dream while neglecting the very precious things that are before them at the time!

All of this can really only happen as we look to Jesus. He is the author of your race. He designed it, He will enable you to run it. So run with joy the race before you. Generations to come will benefit because you did.

Living On Purpose

Without purpose we cannot experience life in it's fullness. Waking up in the morning with no engaging sense of purpose is boring, demotivating and leads to an aimless, petty and miserably selfish life. On the other hand, waking up with the knowledge that I have a grand purpose bigger than myself is invigorating. Here is how one person said it:

“The best adventures always spring from a noble cause or mission. The greatest adventurers do things not only for the thrills but because they accomplish a worthy purpose. Because the excitement they feel connects to a far greater objective, they enjoy a far deeper, richer, and longer lasting pleasure than those who seek only an adrenaline rush. That’s why the Christian life presents the best opportunities for adventure. Those who invest themselves unreservedly in partnering with God to extend His kingdom – whether they do so in the boardroom, classroom, lunchroom, or weight room – know an ongoing thrill unavailable to others. ”

So here is the reality. You DO have a purpose. You have as much purpose as any human being who has ever lived. We are all created equal in this sense. You have may have a different capacity than someone else but you have the same possibility of reaching your capacity or potential as anyone else has. Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to find and live out your purpose with passion.

How? Check in to this blog tomorrow to see how Hebrews 12 gets us started on finding and living out our purpose with passion.

Dreaming Dreams

I am preparing today for our church team day where we gather together to get renewed in our passion, refreshed in our hearts and united in our purposes. I wanted to start the day talking about the power
of vision and got thinking about God's dream for us. I went looking for a good quote on "dreams" and ended up finding something I wrote several year ago. See if it stirs anything in you.

"If you don’t dream you’ll never have anything to step out of the boat into. The dream is what you step into when you step out of the boat. The dream is what you enter into when you leave the comfort zone of your life. Your dreams are your water to walk on, they are the way to freedom from the monotony of doing the same old all your life. They are the options that lie before you that frighten you and excite
you at the same time. So, if we are destined to be a water-walking people, if we are determined to get out of the monotony of the same old, out of the drudgery of the comfort zone, then we are going to
have to find some dreams.

God is a dreamer… He created this whole earth and worked it out in His minds eye before He ever created it and set it in motion. He created you in His heart and mind before the world even began, He dreamed about what you would be like and what you would do. It seems God put in us what was in Him, the capacity to envision the future. In fact, He constantly calls His people to dream big dreams…

He told Abraham to look at the stars and dream about a huge nation…He told Moses to dream about a people who would be set free from slavery…He gave the prophets dreams of what God’s people could be like if only they would obey His voice.

He gave Jesus a dream of setting people free.... Jesus started His ministry with a dream from God in the scriptures for the purpose of His life, He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring freedom...good news..."

Jesus went on to call His disciples with a dream of what they could become (fishers of men).

He imparted His dream to them about His church) that would break down the gates of hell.

When He left them, He left them with a dream the great commission, spreading His glory through all the world.

Dreams have been the catalyst for good change throughout history."

What Makes You Rant? Pt 2

Is it poor customer service?
The environment or politics?
Wasted government money?
Is it the lack of care for hurting people you see?
Is it when people who could have a good life make poor choices and destroy their lives?
Is it when the church is dead, boring and irrelevant to society?
Is it the emptiness that people experience without Christ in their lives?
Is it the glory of God?

Whatever it is, it would be good to get clarity on it. Maybe even decide if it is something worth being bothered about. Some "rants" are more noble than others. Once you pick one or two things that you can authentically rant about...find ways to rant that add value. Don't just rant just because you are mad or critical; be careful of ranting in a way that turns people off. Rant in such a way that people will listen and that it will genuinely make a positive difference. (I am sure that's a Bible verse somewhere in the Message version) 

You have a unique rant that our world needs.

In our church we have some people passionate about prayer; they would like us to pray more and more and more and more. We have others passionate about evangelism; they would like to us do more and more and more of that. We have some people passionate about social justice; they would like us to do more and more and more of that. The list goes on (the Word, worship, friendships, discipleship, love, unity, marriage and family etc., etc., etc.)... and we need each of these people to appropriately hold up the value of their passion.

We also need to listen to and receive value from each other's rants.

What Makes You Rant?

Some time ago a friend send me a blog post that really got me thinking...in fact, it got me thinking so much I wrote a several-paragraph response to my friend, complete with exclamation marks and plenty of passion. He responded with a laugh and said, "I finally got you to rant!" What he was saying is that he found a "hot spot", an area that I am passionate about.

A month or so later I made a one sentence comment that I knew he would appreciate considering his views on things. He sent me back a several-paragraph response with the most passionate and conclusive thoughts I had ever seen him present. I responded with a laugh and said, "I finally got you to rant!"

You don't want to know what he said back. :-)

So, the question I have for you is... what makes you passionate, fired up, tick? What makes you rant?

Oxygen

Yesterday's sermon was on the third ingredient for keeping God's fire in our soul alive and well. Oxygen. Here are some of the thoughts we went through as we discussed how to make space in our lives for God to speak, to guide, to fill, and to refresh us.

Most of us live life at a pace our souls can’t keep up with.
“The only problem with success is that the formula for achieving it is the same as the formula for a nervous breakdown.” Charles Swindoll

“The pace of the modern world accentuates our sense of being fractured and fragmented. We feel strained, hurried, breathless. The complexity of rushing to achieve and accumulate more and more frequently threatens to overwhelm us; it seems that there is no escape from the rat race.” Richard Foster

What does this do to our souls? Leaves us discouraged, tired, exhausted, worn out, burnt out (like a lamp), lost, confused, dazed, on edge, rushed, stressed…you can’t keep a fire alive in that! It’s suffocating our spiritual fires.

“God never guides us into an intolerable scramble of panting feverishness…We have hints that there is a way of life vastly richer and deeper than all this hurried existence, a life of unhurried serenity and peace and power. If only we could slip over into that Center!” – Thomas Kelly

So what’s the answer? Jesus guides us into a very different way of life that allows room for our souls to breathe.

Mat 11:28-30 "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

What we need is to simplify our lives so that we can simply live.

“The truth is, as much as we complain about it. We are drawn to hurry. It makes us feel important. It keeps the adrenaline pumping. It means we don’t have to look too closely at the heart or life. It keeps us from feeling our loneliness.” – Ortberg


Jesus was extremely focused, had a mission, tons of work to do and yet was calm, had space for His soul to be refreshed and alive, how?

Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

“It is the space between the notes that makes the music.” Noah Benshea

Psalm 119:114 You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me."

Psalm 23 in a busy world:

The clock is my dictator; I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to depression.
It hounds my soul.

It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity's sake
Even though I run frantically from task to task
I will never get it all done, for my "ideal" is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand my performance from me
beyond the limits of my schedule.

They anoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.

Our lives are like most people's garages. They were made for cars, but end up too filled with stuff to fit the cars in anymore. We were made for people, for relationships, and most of all for God…but our lives get so full of stuff we have no room for what we were made for anymore. We have overcrowded souls.


We need solitude with God so that we have space to listen, space to plan, space to play, and space to rest.

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16