Adjustments Needed

My motto is “life is adjustable.”  If you have more month than money, you have to adjust your spending to match your income. When the waistline begins to expand, you will need to adjust to a healthier diet.  You might find that you are being a little snippy with people. That means you might have to adjust your attitude. A friend of mine got a couple of speedy tickets. He needed to adjust his driving. If we are honest, we all need to make some adjustments to our lives. There is a great story about a woman who needed to adjust her life in Luke 10:38-42.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” 

Martha’s first mistake was comparison. She told Jesus that she was working hard, and that Mary was just sitting around. We often compare our lives to others. Typically, we find a person to compare our lives to who will make us look good. Martha’s first adjustment would be not to compare her life to anyone else's and to keep her focus on Jesus. 

There is an old saying that describes Martha’s second issue - Too much time in the kingdom and not enough time with the King. It said she was distracted with all the preparations. While it doesn’t say the exact distractions, I imagine she was distracted by food preparations. She wanted them to eat well. Food was never an issue for Jesus. If needed, Jesus could have provided food for everyone. Gordon MacDonald, in his book Ordering Your Private World, talks about the barrenness of busyness. Jesus warns Martha about that in this story.   

 Martha’s third misstep was not having a priority. We often say, I have to get my priorities straight. Jesus teaches that there is only one priority in Matthew 6:33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Jesus tells Mary that there is only one priority, and that is him. If you get that priority straight, everything else will be good.

“Life is adjustable” is my motto. When I read a story like this and apply it to my life, I automatically see the adjustments that I need to make. 1) Stop comparing my life to others and focus on Jesus. 2) Beware of the barrenness of busyness. 3) Make sure Jesus is the priority in my life. If I make these adjustments, I will have chosen what was better like Mary. 

Adjusting to Shine Brightly

    There is an old saying that reminds us that we won’t make our candle any brighter by blowing out someone else’s candle. Another way this truth has been explained is that no one has ever become skinny by calling someone else fat. If we are honest, this is when we try to make ourselves look good without doing the hard work of adjusting our lives to be better. Our goal is to magnify someone else’s flaws so that we will look good. It most often ends with us selling ourselves as the solution and becoming the savior of the situation. 

    Through the years, I have watched people use this method as a way to seize power. They usually paint someone as the villain or incompetent. Then they point to themselves as the one who can save the day. Paul has something to say about this type of action. He warns us about what he calls unwholesome talk in Ephesians 4:29. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. If I understand unwholesome talk correctly, it is talk that we might use to put someone else’s candle out so that we will look good. Paul says to adjust our talk to build others up. If you have been a victim of someone trying to put out your candle, you know how hard it is not to respond with your own candle-extinguishing words. That should not be the way a Christ-follower responds.

    
In our super competitive world, it is easy to slip into this type of unwholesome talk. As a Christ follower, I must find a way to shine bright and help others shine brightly for our Lord. Paul tells us how to shine for our king in Philippians 2:14-15.  Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.  If we shine brightly and others shine brightly, we will show more people the way to Jesus. That is what God calls us to do.  

  

 

Ego is the Enemy - Part 2

I want to continue with a few more quotes from Ego is the Enemy. This book has challenged me to look hard at my ego and to make adjustments to reduce my pride and increase my humility.  

• If success is ego intoxication, then failures can be a devastating ego blow - turning slips into falls and little troubles into great unravelings. If ego is often just a nasty side of great success, it can be fatal during failure. page 161 

• Bill Walsh says, “Almost always, your road to victory goes through a place called failure.” page 165 

• Vain men never hear anything but praise. page 197

• Anyone can win. But not everyone is the best possible version of themselves. page 197

• When you take ego out of the equation, other people’s opinions and external markers won’t matter as much. page 198

• As Harold Geneen put it, “People learn from their failures. Seldom do they learn anything from success.” It’s why the old Celtic saying tells us, “See much, study much, suffer much, that is the path to wisdom.” page 209

It is well worth your time to read this book if you are willing to let it do some serious surgery on your ego. 

Ego is the Enemy

I recently read Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. It is a very challenging book that makes you think hard about who you are. While his book is not based on the Bible, his view of ego, pride, and humility align with God’s Word. I thought I would share a few quotes from the book that caused me to make adjustments in my life.

• Talking and doing fight for the same resources. page 26

• Genghis Khan groomed his sons and generals to succeed him later in life, he repeatedly warned them,  “If you can’t swallow your pride, you can’t lead.” page 77

• “The first product of self-knowledge is humility,” Flannery O’Connor once said. page 77

• Success is intoxicating, yet to sustain it requires sobriety. page 99  

• Ego tells us that meaning comes from activity, that being the center of attention is the only way to matter. page 139

I will share more from Ego is the Enemy in a few days.

Wouldn't it be nice to have an autopilot?

Avionics is a combination of the words - aviation and electronics. Avionics are the flight control systems that are installed in an aircraft or spacecraft that includes weather radar, surveillance radar, navigation, engine control, communications, and other systems that carry out hundreds of flight management tasks. While you may not be familiar with the term avionics, you have probably heard the term autopilot. The autopilot is the part of the avionics that takes all the data and keeps the plane on course to its desired destination. The autopilot will make hundreds of adjustments every hour to keep the plane on course. 

Wouldn’t it be great if we had an autopilot that would help us in following Jesus? Well, I have good news. We do! The two major components that God has given us to live daily for him are God’s Word and his Holy Spirit. 

We know that God’s Word is powerful. Psalm 119 reminds us that God’s Word protects from sin, lights our path, and guides us so that we can overcome evil.

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:89 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:116 Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil.

If we hide God’s word in our heart, it will keep us from sin that might throw us off course. God’s Word will provide us with light to see where we are headed and guides our steps. 

When we couple the guidance of God’s Word with the work of the Holy Spirt, it creates an effective guidance system in us that will help us walk with Jesus daily.  John 14-17 shows us the important work of the Spirit.

John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 16:8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment.

John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.

The Spirit guides us to truth and convicts us of sin. He also teaches us and reminds us of what we have learned. God has put his Spirit in us to help us live for him. 

            Our work is to continually be in God’s Word and let it direct our steps. When we obey God’s Word, that allows the Holy Spirit to work in us and guide us. When I am in God’s Word and obedient to what I read, it seems like the Spirit is directing every step.

  

One Word - Adjust

A few years ago, a mentor of mine, Alan Ahlgrim, suggested a little book called One Word by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page. The book is about choosing one word to center your life on for a year. You can use that word to help you create clarity and life-change for a year. It is easy to forget your New Year's resolutions, but a single word can guide you to a better life. Over the years, some of my words have been focus, slow down, reflect, etc.

As I am beginning 2022, my word for this year is adjust. I know this will be a year where I will have to adjust in many different ways because I am retiring from the pressures of leading a church and looking for new ways to serve King Jesus. Adjustments will come as we move to a new home in LaGrange, Georgia, to be near family, grandchildren, and the airport so we can visit my daughter and her family in San Francisco. This is the year that I will really test out this little motto “life is adjustable” in a big way.

As I thought about that word adjust, I was reminded of chapter eight in Experiencing God. The title of this chapter is “Adjusting Your Life To God”. Henry Blackaby says, “We adjust our lives to God so He can do through us what He wants to do. God is not our servant to make adjustments to our plans. We are His servants, and we adjust our lives to what He is about to do.” In this season of life, I am excited to see what God is doing so that I can adjust my life and join him.

Adjusting to Serve

On Sunday, January 23, 2022, I preached about taking off the bib and putting on the apron of service. When we serve, we release the miracle working power of Jesus. You can watch the sermon at www.northridge.online. This is some supplemental material that may help you understand why we serve and to how to adjust your life to serve Jesus.

To Be Like Jesus, We Must Serve
Matthew 20:26-28 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Serving Is Important To Grow The Church
In Acts 2:45-47, we see the important place of good deeds or works of service in the life and growth of the church. This passage reminds us that if we want to change a life or community, it begins with love and kindness expressed in good deeds.
It begins with doing Good Deeds
"They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” People’s needs were being met by the early church. Ephesians 2:10 says why we were created. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” When we begin to live out our purpose on earth of doing good works, it begins to soften people and prepare their hearts to hear the good news of Jesus.
Good deeds produce Good Will
“…praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” People took notice of the good deeds. The good deeds helped people see that the church was a positive influence on the community. You may have heard that people don’t care what you know until they know that you care. Jesus reminds us of that in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Peter reiterates that in his short book near the end of the Bible. 1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Our good deeds will create the good will that will help us be able to share the good news.
Good will opens the door for Good News
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Good deeds create good will that gives us the relational equity to tell people about Jesus. Throughout the book of Acts, we see people doing good deeds and the church growing. Listen to what Jesus told us in John 13:34-35. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Our love expressed in good deeds begins to loosen the hard soil of people’s hearts.

Serving Is Important To Make The Church Strong
Ephesians 4:11-13 shows us the many benefits of serving Christ and doing works of service.
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service…” The church leader's job is to equip people for service. This passage tells us that these works of service are at the heart of maturity in Christ and discipleship.
“…so that the body of Christ may be built up…” Through service, the body of Christ, or the church, is built up and gets stronger. Works of service is the exercise that builds the body of Christ.
“...until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God…” We all know that unity is important. One of the things we know is that people who are serving have less time to argue and complain.
“...and become mature…” Maturity is a by-product of serving.
“..attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” The ultimate goal is to be Christ-like. If Christ came to serve, then we will need to be servants to be Christ-like.