What did you do to Jesus?

Sounds a bit scary doesn't it.... "What did you do to Jesus?" I recently had a chance to give a soccer ball to Jesus..... Uhhh He plays soccer? Yep! And rumor has it He's pretty good.....

OK, here's the deal. There is a boy on our soccer team who told me his soccer ball fell victim to the family dog. Since the guys have to bring their ball to practice, this caused him a bit of a problem. His family tries very hard to balance the income they have, and with 4 kids coupled with hurdles that life throws at them, they have to be careful on spending. I did not hear God with my ears, but I could "hear" Him on the inside... you know... in my heart - my soul. The Bible verses from Matt 25 kept coming to my mind. Here it is from The Message:

32 Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, 33 putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. 35 And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, 36 I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 "Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? 38 And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' 39 40 Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did it to me.' 41 "Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. 42 And why? Because - I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.' 44 "Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?' 45 "He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me - you failed to do it to me.' 46 "Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

So there was a kid who needed a soccer ball. When I obeyed what I felt prompting me to do (by the way, that is one of the really neat functions of God's Holy Spirit), it was as if I was treating Jesus with kindness. You could say "Jesus, when did you ever go without a soccer ball?" His reply would be "When you hooked up #*&$ with that ball, you were taking care of ME."

So, what did YOU do to Jesus this week?

Live loud, live intentionally, and Love God and People with every word and every action.

Violation

I'm having a bit of trouble trying to think Christ-like thoughts today...... My thoughts are more along the lines of "the gun is loaded, right?" I got a call from Vange today while I was at work stating that someone had broken into our home and stolen our laptop. I was a "bit" fired up!

OK, here's the good news: The laptop that was stolen was NOT my MAC, which houses my LIFE! The MAC was sitting on the counter literally 3 feet from the machine that was taken. There was no super important data on the stolen machine. 2 Dan's checked on me tonight..... Dan C lives in my neighborhood and came to my house to tell me that his wife saw 3 suspicious guys in the neighborhood today, and that she could ID them if needed. We talked for a while and I just felt like he CARED. Dan M called me and offered to help me repair any broken doors, locks, windows, or whatever got tore up. This guy has proven MANY time what a friend is!

So, in trying to notice God in all the details of everyday life, I tried to think about any God connection from this event. Besides the guys who displayed genuine compassion, there was another thought. The big deal about our house being broken into was a feeling of violation. I had to do a quick recap of how that made me feel and how I wanted to react. In the grand scheme of life, this was a pretty minor issue. So, how did Jesus feel as He was betrayed and brutalized for us? Talk about VIOLATION! And the bigger question... how did He react? In all the mess His attitude was "Father, forgive them. They don't even realize the gravity of their actions...."

We have friends that have recently, or are facing now some big "violations"..... Doctor reports of cancer, marriages that are being torn apart, theft, unwelcome career changes..... the list goes on. What is the answer? I don't completely know. Here is what I've decided to..... WORSHIP - MY REACTION TO WHO GOD IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE. He continues to provide for my family, He continues to protect us, He continues to give us favor in so many areas....

Live loud, live intentionally, and love GOD and People with every word and every action.

No Socks

That's right... no need to wear socks this Sunday at LifePoint. We are finishing the FANATIC series... and we are going to use some HIGH ENERGY music to move toward God.... and possibly blow socks off. :-) There is a band named DecembeRadio.... and they have a song titled Live and Breathe. Check out this chorus:

I live and breathe for you
there's nothing I wouldn't do
I live to worship you
I'd walk a thousand miles
oh just to see you smile
I live to worship I live to worship you


I think about all the things that I give my energy to... what do I worship? Is it my career... no. Is it my family.... close. Is it my motorcycle... nope. Is it LifePoint.... nah.

Bob made 2 statements Sunday about worship:

1. Worship is what we value greatly and how that decision affects our lives.
2. Worship is responding to who God is and what He has done.

So the question is what do I (you) value greatly and how am I (are you) responding to God. There's nothing wrong with having important things in life. Our responsibility is to make sure they do not become more important than God. See Exodus 20:3.

Live loud, live intentionally, and love God and People with every word and every action.