Tuesday, Jun 10, 2008

TWG - June 10, 2008

Download this episode (23 min)   
TWG - June 10, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 21; Psalm 32; Matthew 27:32-66

Today is June 10, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus

God plans all things well! Yesterday I had planned to work on the amphitheater stage. And that’s what I did! I had mentioned to John that it would be great if he could help, and help he did. All day long! And Ken also heard about it, and he was there all day long. You talk about great progress! Thanks guys. You are on my top list for highest awards! Blessings on you! We got the stage completely leveled out and we laid down a layer of sand so that we can place pavers on top. Perhaps today we will pick them up. At noon I went to a Christian Education Committee meeting. Marcia prepared lunch for us all! Thanks And by the way happy anniversary to Kyle & Marcia and Carl & Sonja. The lunch was great! And the meeting went well. Carl, Sonja, Vicki, Marcia and Helen attended. Bill also came out to do some clean up work. Later I put some bark around some of the trees in the amphitheater. That dresses it up nice. Then Kyle and I ran to Lowes to look at Pavers. They sure will look nice. I put a picture of John on the Backhoe on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out. And by the way. Our MyPodcast representative finally posted on their forum telling what the problems were. According to her they were having serious technical issues expanding space and it took much work. So the long silence is over and it appears that the site is working again.

This week’s theme verse is Philippians 4:11-13 …I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

I am a big fan of contentment. I want to learn to be content in every situation that comes up in my life! I want to avoid dissatisfaction, covetousness, anxiety and complaining. But I have a conflict! I am a goal driven person! I have big plans. There is a lot of stuff I want and a lot of things I want to do! So how do goals, plans and wants factor in to contentment? Doesn’t God want me to strive to do better in my life? Does he want me to be happy that I am in poverty and just stay there? I don’t think so. God wants us to be content, but he doesn’t want us to be complacent! He wants us to be satisfied, but doesn’t’ want us to be apathetic. God expects us to improve our selves and he blesses ambition. There is a divine tension here. It’s like a teeter totter. Seated on the one side of the teeter totter is contentment, and on the other is big plans. In the center is a wedge called “The Will of God.” Everything hinges on God’s will. When we start making big plans and weigh it down with the will of God, contentment goes up on the other side! And when we decide to rest in the will of God and be content, big plans begin to rise up on the other side of the teeter totter. They work together! One energizes the other! But we must factor in the Will of God in every circumstance. Without it we’d flat line! Paul understood this. In Phil 3:10-15 he states that he has a very high goal: he wants to become like Christ! “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.” These are some highly ambitious words! James tells us that when we make big plans we should always say, “The will of the Lord be done!” Contentment and ambition can both work together as long as the will of the Lord is in the center!

Dear Lord. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth in my life as it is in heaven. Yours be the glory and the kingdom. May my ambition always be tempered with contentment and may both be based on seeking Your will. I want to do great things for you! Give me a great vision of what you have planned for me!

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:45 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT  

<< Home