Showing posts with label discipline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discipline. Show all posts

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Is Jesus Enough?

I recently watched a short video that had a profound impact on me. 
So profound of an impact that I'm sharing it with you. 
Because these are questions we need to ask.

Questions I need to ask. Questions you need to ask.

Our world is not the same place it was ten years ago, or even five. 
Events are happening world-wide that should cause us to wake up and pay attention.

It's not time to sleep, my friends. It's not even time to live life as usual.
It's time to seriously reevaluate life and ask yourself some important, life-altering questions.

Is there something in my life that I can't imagine giving up?
It could even be something good. But if it's coming between you and God, something has to change. 
It could be friends, family, a relationship or social media.

Now let me just speak to social media for a quick minute here. This tends to be an area of struggle for me. I'm just being real. It's so easy to become sucked into a vicarious life online. It's easy to waste minutes, and even hours, scrolling up and down your feed, even if it's good things you're looking at.

The question here is this — is this coming between me and God? Do I reach for my phone first in the morning, or do I reach out in prayer to heaven? Be honest…

Where do you spend the best hours of your day?
We all live full lives, right? But our best hours… do we spend them on Facebook or do we spend them before the throne of God? Where are our priorities? When we need a quick breather between studies, do we go to social media, games, music, or do we go to God?

Who or what gets our best time, our best energy?

If everything was stripped away, would Jesus be enough for you?
Would He be enough? Would He? 

Watch the video and be inspired by a man who spent an entire year in dark, solitary confinement with one scanty meal a day and yet would do it again in a heartbeat because it was "like a honeymoon with Jesus." 

This is true fulfillment. This is the essence of the Christian walk. 
And these are questions to the heart. Personal things to work out between you and God.

I have my fair share of obstacles to surmount in my own life. But this one thing I know… 
I want to give up whatever is holding me back so I can have a continual honeymoon with Jesus.


Friday, November 8, 2013

Weak Hands, Feeble Knees

It's dark outside. Soft light streams over my shoulders. I love new mornings. My eyes scan the page as I absorb verse after verse.

The guidelines for the race. The provisions for the runner. These things call my attention.

I haven't run a race in a long time. At least an official one.
But I know the exertion, the endurance, the positive morale needed to finish any endeavor.

And I stop to think of races I have participated in or observed. Something disturbs me.
Each runner is only running for himself. 

He has the end goal continually before him. But he has no concern for the other runners.
His only concern is to win.

But we run a race in which all can be winners.
And we have no right to run past those who are weak just because we are stronger.

No right at all.

Instead we are obligated to lift up weary hands and feeble knees. Because we are not in this race for ourselves.
We have a duty to help those that are struggling to run beside us.

It would be a terrible thing to run through those gates of pearl alone.
Lord, give me eyes to see, lips to speak, hands to heal. And them to me today…


Thursday, June 6, 2013

Strength Costs

The clock ticks loud seconds away behind me. My arms and legs pulse to constant rhythm. Heavy breathing. Aching muscles. Active mind. 

Strength comes at a price. 
Discipline. Determination. Sacrifice. 

Light bulb moment in the basement. 

My strength — it’s not mine at all. It comes at a price. 

Sacrifice is the buzz word. 

If He hadn’t determined to sacrifice, if He hadn’t determined to give His life, my strength would be nothingness. 

Of course my strength is always nothingness, but there would be no alternative. No strength to infuse power into my weakness.

Yes, strength comes at a price. 

The price of sacrifice.