Moving Towards Complete

Read: Exodus 20-21 & Acts 11

“For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith.” Acts 11:24

Examine:

The definition of success in God’s eyes and in the eyes of the world varies greatly. The three traits listed here should be the top of the list for all men who follow Christ.

Apply:

As I think of a good man, my thoughts no longer gravitate towards making good behavior choices. Stu Weber’s four pillars of a man’s heart best capture a good man to me. A good man is a king. He leads his home, provides direction, and is willing to take risks to advance things. A good man is a warrior. He rejects passivity and will fight to protect what needs protecting. A good man is a mentor. He takes the lessons he has learned in life and intentionally passes them on to other able men, starting with his own sons. A good man is a friend. He is not afraid to be real and share his life with others. If I am to be a good man, I need these four pillars of my heart to be alive and active.

Full of the Holy Spirit is critical. If I walk according to the Holy Spirit, then I will not fulfill the desires of my flesh. As this happens, I daily find that my joy becomes centered on Jesus. John Piper refers to being filled with the Holy Spirit like this: “I think being filled with the Spirit means, basically, having great joy in God. And since the Bible teaches that "the joy of the Lord is our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10), it also means there will be power in this joy for overcoming besetting sins and for boldness in witness. But, basically, it means radiant joy, because the Spirit who fills us is the Spirit of joy that flows between God the Father and God the Son because of the delight they have in each other. Therefore, to be filled with the Spirit means to be caught into the joy that flows among the Holy Trinity and to love God the Father and God the Son with the very love with which they love each other.”

Being a man of faith. My understanding of this is changing daily. I once thought it meant to believe in Jesus. There was another season when I thought it meant believing that I would get what I wanted. Today, my definition of this is grounded in Philippians 3: 7-8: “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ” The Glory of God should be so great in my life that everything else in comparison should amount to rubbish. That is what it means to be a man of faith.

Pray:

This is more than I can process today. There are days when I hear You say with clarity that it is time to man-up and go to another level. I have learned when that happens, the only thing I can do is strap it on and say ok. That is my prayer to You today. Move me deeper into Your desire for me to be complete in Christ. Teach me the ways of a good man, fill me with the Holy Spirit, and make me a man of faith.

Quiet Reflection

Read: Exodus 16-17 & Acts 8

“and for three days he was without sight, and neither at nor drank.” Acts 9:9

Examine:

Saul was a man on a mission. He genuinely loved God. Unlike the balance of the religious elite Saul’s persecution of the church was a result of His zealousness for God. He was not trying to protect his religious rituals or keep God defined to a box.

As well intentioned as he was he missed God. He missed God and as a result inflicted a great deal of pain, suffering, and death on innocent people. Such is the case with well-intended, hard charging, but mis-directed men of God. God intercepted Saul’s life and forced him to sit without sight for three days. During this time of quiet reflection God redirected the life of Saul. He would obtain a new name, a new mission, and an even greater passion.

Apply:

Quiet reflection. Those words sound to me like fingernails on a chalkboard. I am hard charging. I do not like to sit still and I abhor waiting. My ADD mind in reflection mode is like trying to listen to a radio stuck on scan. Quiet reflection is a spiritual trait that is missing from my life. I wake up everyday between 4:30 and 5:00. I spend time in the word and journal what God lays on my heart. From 6:00 til 7:30 my mind is consumed with getting kids dressed, dressing myself, and getting everyone to school. 8:00 – 5:00 is filled with the tasks created by the 15 projects I have going righting now. 5:00 – 7:30 is supper with the kids, baths, and getting the kids down. By 8:00 my mind is fried and my body is tired. I read a little, spend some time with Brandy (although we are both mostly catatonic) and then I crash for the night somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00. Saturdays are full of the kid’s activities and yard work. Sunday’s are serving at the church, church service and leading my small group. Quiet reflection gets lost in the shuffle.

Pray:

I am sitting here this morning and I am struggling to with what to do with this. You get the first hour of my day on most days. I sit with Your Word and open my heart to be adjusted, corrected, and encouraged. You meet me daily and I am always amazed at what You reveal to me. As wonderful as my time alone with You during the day is, I feel like something is missing. I feel like I shift into a different mode after my morning prayer. It is like I put You down and then run the race before me. I do not stay connected with You, I do not fully rely on You, and I mostly work the things I know to do. At the end of the day I judge success based on the things I marked off my list and then I rest.

I do not know how to pray this morning other than to acknowledge to You that I hear You saying something is not just right. I accept that You are saying I need extended times of quiet reflection and a greater connection with You as I go through my days. I do not know how to get there from here but I am open to whatever You lay on my heart to do.