A True Honor

I recently had the honor of officiating a funeral for a retired Washington, DC Capitol Police officer. The night before, at the viewing, there was a changing of the guard, as two officers stood watch over his body. The next day we had the funeral at Quantico with a full honor guard. It was incredibly impressive. I must admit that I still get choked-up whenever I see the American Flag folded and presented to the spouse of the fallen officer. As I drove away from the graveside, it reminded me of the importance of honor and dedication. When someone gives their life for the good of others, we should take time to honor that person. John Maxwell says, "If you want to know how important you are, just remember that 15 minutes after you're body is in the ground, everyone will be back at the church eating potato salad." Sad - but true. How amazing would it be if we got into the habit of honoring those we love before they die. I want my family to know how much I appreciate them now. I want my friends to know how much I appreciate them now. I want to eat my potato salad with a clear conscience. Take time for honor, because if we don't, our sense of morality won't mean much.

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Bragging On God

One of the fun things I like to do with my son is flex my arm and say, "Joshua, what is that?" To which he will say, "That's a big muscle!" He is an intelligent boy. Lauren is too old now to tell me what I want to hear. In Daniel 9:3-7 we see a prayer that would be a good model for each of us. Daniel takes time to brag on God before asking God for a thing. In fact, it's not until v.17 that we even see a request from Daniel. I believe that we need to take time to brag on our Heavenly Father before we ask Him for things. I know that He is God and that He is totally self-sufficient, but I believe the Lord does appreciate it when we acknowledge all of His awesome attributes. So the next time you want to ask God for something - make sure to tell Him how big His muscles are first.

Psalm 89:13
You have a mighty arm;Strong is Your hand . . .

personal photo donated by Pastor Polston . . . yeah right.

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A Heart on Fire for God

Last Sunday morning I was looking over my message again before getting ready for church - reading the biblical story of Elijah and the widow. 1 Kings 17:8-9 says, Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you. Yet when Elijah found the woman, she was not preparing a meal for him, but for herself and her son. In fact, I have to wonder if she was trying to make and eat the meal as quickly as possible before Elijah got there. Elijah had to teach her a valuable lesson that many Christians have not learned - namely that God expects us to put Him first in everything we do. God wants the first part of our day, the first day of our week, the first part of our income and first place above all other relationships. If we want to live lives that are Spirit-filled and walk with steps ordered by the Lord, we must make Jesus Christ priority number one. When the men of our church returned from a recent Bible conference in North Carolina, one man asked how we can continue to have that feeling that comes from attending an exciting event. The only way that I know for a Christian to have a heart on fire for God is to listen as God speaks through His Word - and respond by speaking to Him in prayer. It might not sound new and fresh, but it works. Give God first place and see what happens.

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I Was Afraid This Might Happen

In Job chapter 3, Job says something that I never noticed before. He said, "For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me." Is it possible that this man of God had a secret fear - that all he possessed would one day be taken away? If that is true and the devil knew it, then it makes perfect sense that the devil would attack Job by creating his worst fear. What do you fear? If you know what it is, then chances are the enemy knows as well and would love to get God's permission to make your fears come true. Conforming to the image of Christ means facing our fears. Jesus was troubled at the thought of being separated from His Father and asked for the cup of judgment to pass from Him. But ultimately our Lord said, "Not my will, but your will be done." Conquering our fears has more to do with trusting God and less to do with relying on the power of our own will. When we refuse to trust God we are giving leverage to the enemy that will be used against us when we are most vulnerable. Face your fears.

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When you have time, read Job 3

With Friends Like These . . .

I've been doing some reading in the book of Job lately and wanted to share a personal observation. We all know that Job's friends were unkind and ultimately disciplined by God, but have you ever read what they said to Job about God? Much of what they said was right - so why did God have to rebuke them? The reason . . . because they attributed motives to God that were not true. They assumed that God was punishing Job for his sins, or the sins of his children, but that was not the case. It's a reminder that we must be careful about telling people we know God's will when we don't. We cannot attribute motives to God when we do not understand the way He thinks. It's only by His Spirit that we can understand His Word, and even that can be challenging at times. God is God and He is the only one who truly understands what He is thinking. So the next time you are asked to give counsel, be careful not to pretend to know the mind of God. Allow your counsel to come from scripture and let God reveal the "why" of His plan to them personally.

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When you have time, read Job 5:17-27

Going All The Way Baby!

Last night I had an incredible spiritual experience - watching my Tarheels beat the Duke Blue Devils. Now I know there are a lot of Duke fans out there, and I feel your pain, but the only thing better that watching Carolina beat Duke would be watching Carolina win a national championship. I read a smack sign on facebook that said, "If you hate Duke, breathe." Now I don't hate Duke. In fact, if UNC were out of contention for the championship, I would cheer for Duke . . . or any ACC team. But on a day like today, I have to say, "Ha! We won, we won, we won." Now you might be saying, "Craig, where is the spiritual application in this blog?" Here it is. I am bragging, and you should not do that. In fact, I'm sure that I am sinning and will need to repent . . . tomorrow.

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Prescription for Unbelief

I know I write about my kids a lot, but they do say the cutest things. Last night I read Joshua a Bible story before bed and told him I would stay with him while he said his prayers. Lauren has been sick, so Joshua was sure to pray for her, "Dear Jesus, thank you for Lauren's feeling better." My son is still learning how to pray, but I love how children have an automatic faith that God will do what we tell them He can do - even when we have trouble believing it ourselves. Even though Lauren was sick, to Joshua, Lauren's feeling better was a done deal. How often do we say that we believe God can do something, yet allow the memories of the past to tell us otherwise. In Mark 9, there is a man whose son has a mute spirit. When Jesus asks him how long he has lived that way, the father tells him from childhood. Jesus then asks the father if he believes and the father says something remarkable, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief." In other words, "Jesus, I want you to take full control and I will trust you for the results." Isn't it amazing how much we can trust God when we are desperate for His intervention?

When you have time, read the story in Mark 9
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