SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of
God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(I Timothy 1:1-2)
What will people say of us when we are no longer here? Will we be known as a people who lived for God? Will it be said of us that we drew people closer to God? Will people proclaim that we loved the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? Will we have made an eternal impact on the lives of people in our realm of influence?
For me, the past few days have been filled with laughter, pain, sorrow, longing, encouragement and challenge. I left last Sunday afternoon to fly to Houston, Texas to join in the celebration funeral service for a good friend of mine, John Dettore. I got to know John 3½ years ago when we moved here to Canton. Over those years I got to know John as a friend, a cook, a confidant, a servant, and a church member. I count it a privilege that I got to know him. There were many that I met at his funeral who knew John for more years than I did and who knew him in ways that I did not. I knew that he loved his family. I knew that he loved his job. I also knew that he loved his Jesus. We talked about his love for Christ many times. My eyes were opened to the impact John had on his co-workers. Time and time again, I heard stories about how John’s faith changed the lives of others. In fact, one individual stated that his own personal walk with Christ was closer because of the walk that John had with his Lord. What an honor to be remembered for that! Are we having that same impact on others?
In Paul’s writings to Timothy, we see the kind of spiritual impact Paul had on him. It was to the point that he called Timothy his son. How would you like to have been able to call Paul your
spiritual father? Paul made a very deep investment in Timothy. It is likely that Paul was the one who led Timothy to faith in Jesus. We even know that Timothy joined Paul and Silas on Paul’s second missionary journey. Timothy personally saw and experienced Paul’s faith so much that he knew Paul as his spiritual father. So then, who are you impacting for Christ? Who is your spiritual father? If you are not using your life to impact others for Christ, then start today. If you do not have a spiritual father, seek and you will find one. May people say of us when we die that their relationship to Christ is deeper because of us.
Aaron Hodges
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
LIVE GIVE SERVE LIKE YOU LOVE GOD
Live, Give, Serve Like You Love God
Last Sunday was an awesome day at FBC Canton as we worshiped the one true living God! The Holy Spirit had freedom to move, and we saw lives transformed. It was a great start to the summer! After the incredible worship, powerful choir anthem and the deep look into the Word of God, I heard something incredible. I heard passionate prayer come out of the mouth of David Whitmire. I am not saying that other people have not been sincere in their prayers, but I am saying that for that one special moment, David Whitmire let us hear his heart. I have great respect for David. His walk with the Lord is evident in his attitude, his behavior and his love for others. On Sunday he made a statement that blew me away. As he was praying for the offertory prayer, he said that we need to “give like we love God.” That is the first time I have heard it said like that. Am I giving like I love God or am I giving out of a sense of responsibility or with the wrong motive? What does it mean to give like we love God?
I think we only need to go as far as Jesus’ example to answer that question. How did Jesus love us? How did He to prove His love for you and for me? The key to the way He loved and still loves is sacrifice. He gave Himself for us so that we might have eternal life. So then how do we give sacrificially? “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this” (Malachi 3:10), says the Lord Almighty. How do I live sacrificially? “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). How do we serve sacrificially? “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100).
Take a moment and examine your life. Are you living like you love God? Are you giving like you love God? Are you serving like you love God? If you are not, then begin living the sacrificial life today. If you are, then continue loving for the honor of His name.
Passionately Loving God,
Aaron
Last Sunday was an awesome day at FBC Canton as we worshiped the one true living God! The Holy Spirit had freedom to move, and we saw lives transformed. It was a great start to the summer! After the incredible worship, powerful choir anthem and the deep look into the Word of God, I heard something incredible. I heard passionate prayer come out of the mouth of David Whitmire. I am not saying that other people have not been sincere in their prayers, but I am saying that for that one special moment, David Whitmire let us hear his heart. I have great respect for David. His walk with the Lord is evident in his attitude, his behavior and his love for others. On Sunday he made a statement that blew me away. As he was praying for the offertory prayer, he said that we need to “give like we love God.” That is the first time I have heard it said like that. Am I giving like I love God or am I giving out of a sense of responsibility or with the wrong motive? What does it mean to give like we love God?
I think we only need to go as far as Jesus’ example to answer that question. How did Jesus love us? How did He to prove His love for you and for me? The key to the way He loved and still loves is sacrifice. He gave Himself for us so that we might have eternal life. So then how do we give sacrificially? “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this” (Malachi 3:10), says the Lord Almighty. How do I live sacrificially? “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). How do we serve sacrificially? “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100).
Take a moment and examine your life. Are you living like you love God? Are you giving like you love God? Are you serving like you love God? If you are not, then begin living the sacrificial life today. If you are, then continue loving for the honor of His name.
Passionately Loving God,
Aaron
HOT BURNING PRAYER
HOT BURNING PRAYER
How many times have we sat down to pray and ended up falling asleep? How many times have we been praying and not truly expected God do what we request? How many times have our prayers been a process of just going through the motions? I have to admit that for myself, too many times the answer to these questions has been a reality. In all honesty, most times when I pray, I really don’t expect God to show up. Shame on me! And right now, I sit in my office asking God to forgive me of my unbelief.
Yesterday, my prayer was different. In staff meeting, as I was praying for a friend of mine who is gravely ill, God hit me with a 2x4 and convicted me of my prayer for him. It was at that moment that emotions overtook me, and I began fervently praying. Never before had I prayed like that for my friend. The Lord wants you and me to pray with this much passion all the time. It has been a theme of mine this year to worship passionately. Prayer is meant to be a major part of our worship, yet we too often weakly pray, and then when nothing happens, we are surprised. Why are we surprised? We should expect no other outcome when we don’t come with passionate prayer.
In James 5:16b, James writes “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Let’s break that down into bite sized pieces. First of all, James says that our prayers should be effective. I like one of the definitions I found for effective. It says that in order to be effective, we must be equipped and ready for combat. When we come to God in prayer, we must realize that we are in a battle with the forces of darkness. Satan does not want us to pray because he knows that prayer changes things and defeats him. He will do any and everything in his power to distract us during prayer. Therefore, we must be ready for battle when we come to God in prayer. Next, James points that our prayers must be fervent. In order to be fervent, our prayers must be hot, burning and with intense earnest. We must never come to God in a half-hearted attempt at prayer, but instead we must come to God with a passionate, energetic expectation. Finally, in order for our prayers to avail much, we must strive to be righteous. This is not self righteousness; instead, it is the righteousness we have because of our redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our righteousness, and we should come in prayer thanking him for His sacrifice, making it possible to come directly to the Father. King David knew how to pray in the way James taught us. His intensity was always equal to his need.
But I pray to you, O Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love,
O God, answer me with your pure salvation…
Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
Come near and rescue me: redeem me because of my foes.
Psalm 69:13, 16-18
Aaron
How many times have we sat down to pray and ended up falling asleep? How many times have we been praying and not truly expected God do what we request? How many times have our prayers been a process of just going through the motions? I have to admit that for myself, too many times the answer to these questions has been a reality. In all honesty, most times when I pray, I really don’t expect God to show up. Shame on me! And right now, I sit in my office asking God to forgive me of my unbelief.
Yesterday, my prayer was different. In staff meeting, as I was praying for a friend of mine who is gravely ill, God hit me with a 2x4 and convicted me of my prayer for him. It was at that moment that emotions overtook me, and I began fervently praying. Never before had I prayed like that for my friend. The Lord wants you and me to pray with this much passion all the time. It has been a theme of mine this year to worship passionately. Prayer is meant to be a major part of our worship, yet we too often weakly pray, and then when nothing happens, we are surprised. Why are we surprised? We should expect no other outcome when we don’t come with passionate prayer.
In James 5:16b, James writes “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Let’s break that down into bite sized pieces. First of all, James says that our prayers should be effective. I like one of the definitions I found for effective. It says that in order to be effective, we must be equipped and ready for combat. When we come to God in prayer, we must realize that we are in a battle with the forces of darkness. Satan does not want us to pray because he knows that prayer changes things and defeats him. He will do any and everything in his power to distract us during prayer. Therefore, we must be ready for battle when we come to God in prayer. Next, James points that our prayers must be fervent. In order to be fervent, our prayers must be hot, burning and with intense earnest. We must never come to God in a half-hearted attempt at prayer, but instead we must come to God with a passionate, energetic expectation. Finally, in order for our prayers to avail much, we must strive to be righteous. This is not self righteousness; instead, it is the righteousness we have because of our redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our righteousness, and we should come in prayer thanking him for His sacrifice, making it possible to come directly to the Father. King David knew how to pray in the way James taught us. His intensity was always equal to his need.
But I pray to you, O Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love,
O God, answer me with your pure salvation…
Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
Come near and rescue me: redeem me because of my foes.
Psalm 69:13, 16-18
Aaron
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)