Monday, August 18, 2008

Hammers that Shaped Me (Part 2)


Peter wanted to know what Jesus had in store for John (John 21)...the disciples wanted to know if the time had come for Israel to be restored to prominence (Acts 1)...people still ponder today over questions like "Why pray if God is going to do His will anyway?", "What will be the exact timeline of the end of time?" and "How does God's choosing us jive with our choosing him?" The bottom line is that we tend to obsess over things that shouldn't take up so much of our attention. We focus over and over on how God is going to do His job while our job gets left largely unattended, whether that's praying, sharing the love of Christ with people, making disciples, etc. The simple truth is...
"You can't do God's part; He won't do yours"--Unknown
We need to spend our energy doing what God has called us to do and learning the things about Him that empower us to carry out His purpose for us, rather than spending all our energy and time trying to micromanage God. He's not going to do our job for us after all, and he doesn't need us to do His.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Hammers that Shaped Me (Part 1)

Over the last 16 years of my journey with Christ, there are a handful of "Hammers" or statements that have stuck with me or shaped me somehow. They are observations, quips, or quotes from mentors, heros, and others who have poured into my life in some way--whether they knew it or not. In a couple of cases, these "hammers" are observations or statements I've made that arose from what someone else wrote or said. Maybe you've been impacted already by some of them too, and if not, maybe you will be. They may not be original to the person I heard them from, but I'll tell you who told me anyway. I'd love to hear about "hammers" that shaped you and/or how these impact you. Here's hammer number with more to follow...


"You don't learn your way to Christ-likeness; you obey your way to Christ-likeness"
(Dr. Bill Bennett of Mentoring Men for the Master, Wilmington, NC)