GREAT MEN ARE HUMBLE

Some men have it in their head that masculinity means being tough and “winning” everything we do, not admitting when we are wrong. This idea is straight from hell’s pit and the father of lies. If you are a man of God you will learn to humble yourself not only before God Himself, but those who call out accurately our sins or poor behavior. True humility is a sign of strength and personal confidence. In other words, most men who are humble are self-confident and know who they are, how God wired them, and what their strengths and weaknesses are.

Moses who was one of the greatest leaders in history, leading literally millions of Jews out of Egypt and finally over a period of forty years was considered one of the most humble men according to God.

Jesus, God the Son “being in very nature God, . . . humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on the cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth.” Philippians 2:6,10

Men, humility is a sign of STRENGTH, not weakness. To say, “I’m sorry. Forgive me.” Is what the Lord God calls us to do. Therefore do not allow the enemy of our soul to cloud your thinking making you believe giving honor to family, friends, and the Church is wrong, because it is not. Humility is willing to honor others when you yourself could have received honor. People who are confident in their relationship with God and themselves are willing to honor others, and therefore are willing to humble themselves to allow others to rise up.

Be a man of strength, a man of honor, a Great Man Who Is Humble.

OPEN THE GATE

In historic times there were men chosen, and often times entire families identified to be responsible to guard the city gate(s). Their job was to make sure the city was secured, or open the gates making it free to move and do business. This was an important job because individual lives and livelihood were at stake. The gatekeepers were responsible to make sure the enemy could not enter, and those who lived in the city were protected. But equally important was to allow merchants to freely go in and out, as well as travelers seeking housing and protection.

Today GATEKEEPERS are still needed. These gatekeepers work in a variety of areas, live in a variety of cities, but their jobs are to protect and bless the people. Gatekeepers are to accurately recognize the time and season of what is going on, making sure the people they represent are both protected and free to move about with blessing.

From a Biblical perspective, a gatekeeper is often seen working in the capacity as Teacher, Pastor, Apostle, or Prophet. These individuals are responsible to handle the Word of God accurately, making sure there is no error, misleading, or corruption allowed. These individuals are also responsible to open up blessing to the people. To allow men and women to enter into what God has for His people.

“In everything set an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”  Titus 2:7-8

Leaders are also a type of gatekeeper. We are to oversee and care for people. As a leader one needs to make sure those who are placed under your authority are not only protected, but also given every opportunity possible to receive blessing. Great leaders always take others along on their journey of success.

As a gatekeeper our job is not simply to guard the gate, but to OPEN THE GATE so people can enter into God’s blessing. Has God placed you in the position of a gatekeeper? If so, then OPEN THE GATE.

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO LIVE WELL

I have been meeting with a group of guys on Tuesday mornings discussing the book by Gordon McDonald, A Resilient Life. In the pages of this book is the theme how to run the race of life so we can finish well. McDonald speaks of such things like practicing life-long disciplines to care for the body, mind, and soul, and to approach life with a zest to “win the prize.”

Our discussions around the table on Tuesday morning have caused us to reevaluate what we are doing well, and what we need to adjust. I believe this is key to one’s success in life – adjust our course along the way.

As I have traveled around the nation, I have met a lot of wonderful people. Some have caused me to say, “There life is exemplary, and I need to do as they do.” Others have made me realize how quickly one can get into a rut and become stagnant in life. I am often amazed at the difference in mental and emotional health between the two types of people: those individuals who make adjustments along the way, and those who resist change. Resilient people, who live well are willing to change, make adjustments, and continually seek to grow in all aspects of their life.

The Apostle Paul nearing the end of his life wrote the following words:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on the day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing”. (II Timothy 4:7-8)

Paul challenged each of us to run in such a way as to win.  I personally know from my competitive running days that in order to win a race one needs to constantly push yourself, strive, and give your very best. As a long distance runner I knew I had to constantly process, evaluate, and adjust my race to make sure my pace was strong through the entire race.

If we are going to LIVE WELL and END WELL we must be people willing to make adjustments to grow along the way.

BITTER or BETTER

Life is filled with choices. Every day we make choices, some small and some large, but these choices we make we must own and live with. We choose when to get out of bed, what and when to eat, what friends we spend time with, whether to forgive someone who has hurt us, and how we react to situations and circumstances of life.

Many years ago I learned one of the biggest decisions I needed to make is how I would look at life’s circumstances. Some people call this having a “half empty or half full glass” mentality; looking through the lens of life either positive or negative. I made the decision to view life as half full, positive, and filled with potential. What has this done for me? It has opened up opportunities and allowed me to enjoy life to a greater measure.

Some would say, “I have not had the problems they have had.” Others would say, “If   people have said and done the things to you as they have to me, you would not be so positive.” Well guess what, every one of us experiences problems, challenges, and sometimes people say and do things that hurt us. Everyone has to face circumstances of life that he or she cannot control, manipulate, or change. The truth is we cannot always choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we react to what is going on. We can choose the positive or negative, the half empty or half full viewpoint. Ultimately, we choose whether we become Bitter or Better, and when we make this choice we then determine who we are and who we will become.

HEAR ME TALK

Tired of all the opinions, polls, and surveys of what people think in the “news?” Over, and over again people speaking to the camera, writing their opinions in their news columns or speaking their mind on talk radio, people sharing few facts and a lot of bloviating. Are we any different if we sit in a coffee shop, across the living room of a friend’s house, or sit in the church pew expressing our opinions without factual truth?

Our society is caught up in passing on “juicy gossip,” all in the name of sharing ideas and opinions. Few news organizations today, including both written and televised, spend much time in doing appropriate research to communicate the whole truth and nothing but the truth. What most have found is gossip sells and people want to be on the inside of conversations, no matter if it is true or not.

Even in the “halls of education” fact based truth is of little interest. Teachers, professors, and students are encouraged to express their opinions, all in the name of ideas. Thus, the philosophy of one’s life becomes more concerned with the acceptance of one’s opinions and ideas rather than concrete absolutes.

We are quickly becoming a society that wants to HEAR OURSELVES TALK and express our opinions, whether they be true or not. Many have become more concerned with making sure others hear what we say, verses finding out what is true. And when this happens, we no longer care about what is true, but we quickly become more concerned whether or not people are listening to us express our ideas. All you need to do is turn on the TV, or pick up a newspaper or news magazine to see this being played out everyday.

The Lord God has a lot to say about gossip, slander, malice, and lying. IT’S NOT GOOD! There are no such things as white lies, or half-truths. Either we are telling the truth or not, we cannot have it both ways. We should not give news organizations the dignity of calling themselves “news,” but call them for what they are – rumor mills and gossip streams.

With this in mind, when we sit in our living room, the local coffee shop, or church pew, our conversations need to reflect the edification of others and speak the truth in love, and not have the attitude or mindset of HEAR ME TALK.

ENTITLEMENT MENTALITY

Now the big topic in the news these days are Wall Street protesters and bloggers who claim: what is yours is mine, and I deserve what you have. Forget earning what you receive, or delayed gratification – waiting until you can buy it. NO, the “ME” mentality has taken things to a whole new level: ENTITLEMENT.

I do NOT see anywhere in God’s Word where the Bible says “we deserve what others have”, or we deserve something for nothing. On the contrary, what the Bible does say is we deserve death and punishment for our sins. We are ALL sinners: “There is no one righteous, not even one . . . For we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Bible: Romans 3:10, 23)

And if we do not work, and are not willing to be men and women that put our faith into action, then we are considered lazy, and we will NOT receive rewards from our Lord.

“He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgments.” (Proverbs 12:12) Or how about this proverb: “As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.” (Proverb 26:14)

The Apostle Paul said, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” (2 Thess. 3:10)The bottom line is we are lazy if we are not willing to do something with our life and simply depend upon others to give us something we are not willing to work for. Yes, this is ENTITLEMENT mentality and it is prevalent within our society today.

Entitlement is laziness at its worst. It’s not only being unwilling to work, but also expecting others to give us what they have worked for.

Mr. Meant-To

Mr. Meant-To has a comrade, and his name is Didn’t-Do;

Have you ever chanced to meet them? Did they ever call on you?

These two fellows live together in the house of Never-Win,

And I’m told that it is haunted by the ghost of Might-Have-Been.

Benjamin Franklin

 

“How long will you lay there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” (Proverb 6:9)

Signs of the Times

DO WE UNDERSTAND THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES?

What would you do if the economic predictions floating around about the economy’s pending crash were true? From what many economists are saying, our nation’s Debt-to-Income ratio is quickly moving toward a financial collapse.

I’m not an economist, nor am I a financial genius, but I do know enough that if we continue in the direction we are going as a nation we are in for a lot of trouble; which translates into anger, chaos, and family crisis.

The Bible says in the book of Proverbs, “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations . . . you should have enough goats milk for food, for the food of your household.” [Proverbs 27:23,27] Most people do not drink goat’s milk anymore, but all of us get the idea that it’s NOT GOOD to run out of food!

The Bible also says a fool consumes all he has; “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but the foolish man devours all he has.” [Proverbs 21:20]

We are told in the Bible difficult times will come (see: Matthew 24 & Luke 21), and we are to be prepared for these times. I’m under the conviction that God’s Church has an obligation to care for one-another, and help individuals and families prepare spiritually, physically, and yes, be wise financially.

If we knew that tomorrow there would be a catastrophic physical disaster would we not do our best to prepare this event? Yet I find most of us do NOT give it much thought about a spiritual meltdown within our nation, or a financial crisis beyond the 2008 market crisis. According to God’s Word, this is foolish living.

Therefore, in order not to be counted among the fools, I suggest we seriously talk amongst our family members and the Church how we can work together to care for one another’s needs. After all, Jesus said we are to “love one another”. And love is expressed through our actions, not just our words.

First Things

Three months and counting. This is how long I have been here in beautiful Redmond, OR. Since arriving and taking the position as Lead Pastor of MVF we have seen a lot of great things begin to happen. Not only is the church growing and excitement building, but most importantly lives are being changed by the POWER of GOD!!

In the coming weeks and months we will continue to build upon what has begun since I have arrived: New Children’s Church format, expansion of the MVF Worship Team,  Home Life Groups, and Sunday Teaching that is transformational. Mountain View Fellowship has become a place to bring friends and build healthy relationships.

If you have not signed into MVF’s Facebook page and clicked “like” I encourage you to do so. Now and in the future this will be an important way to stay up on what is happening, and how to get involved and connect with others. Go to NEXT STEPS via MVF webpage and become an active part of what’s happening, or ask questions about what is coming soon.

Acts 4:13

Rob