ONE MONTH TO LIVE - DAY THIRTEEN (COURAGEOUS)

We live in a broken world full of fears.  I have the fear of failure, fear of embarrassing myself in front of others, fear of large nasty insects amongst other things.  With all these fears, it isn't always easy to overcome our fears but Joshua chapter one continually says to be strong and courageous.  I'm reminded that strength and courage comes from our Lord.

Even when I have my doubts or my future is uncertain, the Bible says in verse 6, "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them."  It goes on to say that if we do not turn from His Word, that he would give us success wherever we go.

It is so encouraging to lean on God's word and to hear the promises of God in times of turmoil.  Are you letting God's Word overcome the fear in your life?  Be strong and courageous!

ONE MONTH TO LIVE - DAY TWELVE (COMMUNITY)

No man is an island.  We've all tried and failed.  Too many of us in life and ministry are lone ranger Christians.  This is the most dangerous place to be.  Not to mention, a very lonely place.  I've met people who have been jaded by the church and have no desire to be in community because of the hurt and pain they experienced.  But God has created the church to be a redemptive factor for broken and hurting people.  Sadly the Church of Christ today is missing community.  But Acts 2 paints a beautiful picture of the New Testament church.  This has always been how God designed the church to be.

The church is the people of God and not the building.  Let's look at Acts 2:42-47:

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

We meet regularly not to socialize or play games.  A missional community is when the people of God gather regularly to study God's Word and discern His will together in community.  It's a powerful thing when two or more are gathered, with God at the centre, we begin to discover God.  As a missional community, we should be filled with awe and expect miracles from God, this is not an exception.  The Bible says we should be on the same page and 'want' to meet together and share a meal and meeting each other's needs.

So many people are 'too' busy to be in community.  In your church do you desire to be in relationship with others, to meet regularly and study God's Word, and to share a meal together, or is that too inconvenient and time consuming?

Building relationship takes work and God's blessing and favour pours out as we come together as a community to lavish our praise to Him and God grows the church!

I desire to see this kind of community and to do "life together" as Dietrich Bonhoeffer says.  Do you desire to do life together and be in community?

ONE MONTH TO LIVE - DAY ELEVEN (PATIENCE)

This is fresh off the press!  I am at the library right now sitting with an elderly couple probably in their 80's.  They are looking at some magazine and trying to look up stuff on the internet.  The husband is typing stuff on their laptop while the wife is trying to help spell the name of the persons they are looking for.

The husband keeps on slapping her hand in frustration that she isn't giving the proper spelling.  Whatever the reason may be, I can't believe my eyes!  I felt like telling him to stop.  An overwhelming protective side of me wanted to jump in to help this poor old woman.  I then realized that this is the "way it is" with them and probably how it's always been. 

It's so sad to think that after an entire lifetime of marriage, that these two have grown more in impatience that in love.  The Bible says, "Love is patient, love is kind". 

I'm not one to talk.  I am impulsive and impatient with my own wife and have just been given a snapshot of my future if I continue with my impatient behaviour.  Thank you God for revealing that to me now!  So much to learn!

Oh Lord, help me to love with agape (sacrificial, unconditional) love.  Because only then can I be kind and patient.  Lord help me.

ONE MONTH TO LIVE - DAY TEN (HOPE)

What do you do when all hope is lost?  How do you have faith when there seems to be wave after wave of discouragement.  How do you navigate through the darkness when there is no light?

When we lose hope in Jesus, surely we have lost all hope and are hopeless.  This is why we need Jesus, because He is the only hope for this broken world.  People need Jesus.  Are you pointing people to Jesus?  Are you leading people to Jesus?  Why haven't you if you haven't?  Why haven't I?  What's wrong with me?

In the midst of much trial and discouragement, it has been so easy for me to lose hope in every area of my life.  Is it ok if I'm real for a moment?  Yes, I said, I have been discouraged and was losing hope.  But then, an epiphany struck me and blew me off my feet.

In Isaiah 40:28-31 I received a strong word of encouragement for such a time as this and want to leave you with this word.  I hope this encourages you to "hope" in the Lord.

 ²⁸ Do you not know?
       Have you not heard?
       The LORD is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
       He will not grow tired or weary,
       and his understanding no one can fathom.
 ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.
 ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;
 ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

ONE MONTH TO LIVE - DAY NINE (CHILDREN)

I love kids.  I think I get along better with kids than adults.  They seem to like me more and I seem to like them more!  We get each other.  It must be my child-like immaturity or the FUN side of me that loves to play, explore and be creative.

In Mark 10:13-16 people were bringing kids to Jesus so that Jesus could touch them, and his own disciples rebuked them.  One might think this is noble since they were protecting Jesus' ministry and time but the Bible says that Jesus was "indignant", meaning he took offense and strong displeasure.  But to whom was Jesus offended and displeased with?  The children?  No!  He took offense at his disciples!  Why?  Guess who also loves kids?  Yes, Jesus loves children big time!

Because Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

Let's love children.  I love my daughter Kristen so much.  I used to kiss her 50 times a day.  She only let's me kiss her up to 10 times at one time, and that's stretching it.  I can't stop telling her that I love her and smother her with kisses.  Let us love and invest time and energy into the next worldchangers!

ONE MONTH TO LIVE - DAY EIGHT (BLESSING)

What is a blessing?  This can be so many different things to different people.  There seems to be a direct correlation between obedience to God and God's blessings to us.  The best way I can understand it is when my daughter listens to me, or obeys me.  When I know she is being a good girl, I am so pleased and want to reward her.

Although the Bible talks about a man by the name of Job who had great wealth and blessings from the Lord.  For whatever reason, God allowed Satan to give Job a hell of a time (pardon the pun).  He faced trials and hardships and lost everything, but the principle is still the same.  He remained obedient and worshipful to God, and God blessed him in even greater ways than he had known in the past.

My goal is not to obtain the blessings, it is merely to remain obedient to God, the blessings will come, don't you worry!

ONE MONTH TO LIVE - DAY SEVEN (WISDOM)

WISDOM

All I know is that I need more wisdom.

All I understand is that it is the Lord whom gives wisdom.

All I can do is fear the Lord because that is the beginning of wisdom.

All I desire is to obey Him at all times.

ONE MONTH TO LIVE - DAY SIX (LOVE)

Today I got to experience love at its best!  I performed my 2nd wedding ceremony with Deve and Dylan today.  I couldn't believe the traffic in getting to the church today.  I nearly had a heart attack!  Toronto traffic kills me sometimes.  So sorry I was late....aaahhhh!

Anyways, back to "love".  Love is not sex.  In fact, this could be the furthest thing from love since sex outside of marriage is selfish and for personal gain.  This kind of love becomes destructive.  Look at all the relationships that happen out of physical attraction. 

The Bible says in 1 John 4:8 that "God is love".  So the question I ask is can people know what love is without knowing God?  Yes and no.  There are different kinds of love.  Eros, which is erotic or lustful love of the flesh which I talked about earlier.  Fileo which is brotherly love.  The highest form of love is agape love which is sacrificial and unconditional.  This is God's love for us.

Since God is love (agape), we cannot love unconditionally unless we know God.  That may be really hard to swallow for some.  Just like Jesus is the only way, truth and life and no one can come to the Father except through Jesus can sound exclusive and narrow.  It sure is!  But be sure and glad that there IS a way!

I love weddings!  It's like a big family reunion.  It's so great to see friends from different walks of life come together in one place.  I was telling my wife in the car ride back home from the wedding, that I am so blessed and consider it a huge privilege to be entrusted by God and people to officiate their weddings. 

This is one of the most significant events in a person's life and God has trusted me with this!  God thank you for your unfailing love!  Dylan and Deve, may God bless your marriage as you make Christ the foundation and let NOTHING separate you from God's unfailing and unconditional love.  Vancouver is a better city and the church is strengthened because of your love for God and for each other!

ONE MONTH TO LIVE - DAY FIVE (FAMILY)

OK.  So there are so many thoughts that run through my head when I think of the word 'family'.  I think of my earthly family and I think of my spiritual family @ Catalyst Church (www.catalyst-gta.com).  That was a shameless plug!

Family, much like close friends are a HUGE ASSET to the Kingdom of God when the family chooses to serve and love God.  Joshua 24:15b says, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

As much as I love and appreciate my family, those closest to us, know how to push our buttons if you know what I mean.  They know how to work the inner parts to get our emotions to rise to uncontrollable levels.

There are several family members in my family that either don't know God or don't serve God and it is quite sad.  I used to try everything to help them and got discouraged and kind of gave up.  I know that's not nice.  But I've decided instead to pray for God to change their hearts.  I believe that stubbornness and pride can be changed by God.

I'm praying that my family will 'know' God and not just 'about' God.  I'm praying that they will love Him and serve Him.  The family is a powerful God ordained unit designed by God to wreak serious havoc in the spiritual realm.  I believe that when a family in Christ is mobilized, there is nothing that can stop them.

I dream of this kind of family in my home and in my church.  Have you given up or lost hope in your family?  If so, what are you going to do about it?

ONE MONTH TO LIVE - DAY FOUR (GREATNESS)

What does it mean to be great?  Do I even desire greatness?  Should we desire greatness?  Greatness from the world's perspective may be seen as attaining a high position of power, or accomplishing important things, or someone who is famous.

Regardless of your motives, part of who we are by God's design, desires to be great.  Whether your motives are good or evil, we are all created by the "Great I AM".

Those who claim to be followers of Christ, are called to be like God, "great".  In Mark 9:33-37 we find a story of Jesus' own disciples not reflecting the likeness of Jesus.  In fact, Jesus asks them what they are arguing about and they kept silent because they were busy arguing which one of them was the "greatest".  Even their motives were wrong.

Our motives may be masked when we serve in church and try to look good, or when we behave well in front of our bosses, but Jesus knows our hearts.  We can't fool the Master.  Jesus himself reveals the motives of their hearts by taking a child and embracing the child in his arms and saying that anyone who welcomes a child in His name welcomes Jesus.

A child is none of those things described in the world's perspective of greatness.  A child is weak.  A child is dependent on his father.  A child is not seen as important.  If you want to be great, Jesus says we must be like little children who are weak and dependent on God the Father.

Lord I desire to be more like you.