Sea Shells Versus The Starfish

“Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Says 2 Corintians 5:17. As we embark upon the fall season, I am reminded of our surroundings and the changes that take place at this time of year. Kids go back to school. They leave the previous year behind them to continue growing. Trees lose their leaves in hopes of producing more come spring time. Our surroundings are saying goodbye to the things of old, only to welcome the new. My question for you today is this, “What are you giving up? What in your life are you letting die?”

The answers to this question vary from abusive relationships and sinful addictions to things that maybe shouldn’t be dying like your love for a spouse of close friend or prayer life. I have come to a realization recently that most things in life are an exchange of one for the other. It says in Mathew 6:24 Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Money is given as an example of this)”

There is a story by Rob Bell of a boy walking on the beach collecting broken sea shells. His hands are full of broken pieces of once living sea life, when he comes upon a rock with a large starfish on it. Instead of running toward the starfish and taking it, he simply looks dismayed. When his parents ask what is wrong and why he doesn’t go get the starfish, he begins to cry, “My hands are full of sea shells and I can’t pick it up. Is this not a perfect illustration of our lives? Many times we are too busy picking up shells or those meaningless tasks or wants in our lives that when we come across a divine opportunity, we hesitate. We have to exchange all of our little dead shells for the living starfish. Is it worth giving up? Are the things that we hold on to (the things that we consider so alive and the things that we think will benefit our future) alive? Maybe for a little bit they are. But God is eternal! God is everlasting! He is the starfish in our lives! I pray this week that you will recognize the sea shells in your life and you will leave them behind to pursue an eternal and living treasure, a life worthy of the calling of God.

From Gaudy to God-E

Have you ever met someone who is constantly concerned with how they look? They are always making sure they have the latest outfit or they their hair is always in the right place or maybe they go to the bathroom just to look at themselves in the mirror. Sometimes these people successfully fool us into believing that they have it all together and they are the perfect package or maybe not. Maybe you can see right through the façade they daily put on. If you have been fooled into believing these people or have even become one of these people yourself I want to give you a heads up: This is not the way God intended us to live.

God is a god of many things; however, physical appearance and circumstances are not one of the areas he concerns himself with or wants you to worry about either. In Proverbs 31:30 it reads, “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” I understand this passage is speaking directly to women of Noble Character but it still stands true for men. It is easy for any of us to get caught up in appearances and basing our self worth on our appearance. As children of God, there are certain ways that we must present ourselves. I am not simply talking about modest clothing or excessive make-up either. I am talking about something that goes beyond our outer appearance. I am talking about how we are presenting ourselves on a character-based level. What is the attitude we approach people with? Are we living our lives to please God or are we trying to please ourselves or maybe even other people around us?

I think it is time we start holding up a spiritual mirror every morning and focus on a mental makeover rather than a facial. Make-up has always had the stigma of being a cover up, but have you ever thought that the reason we concern ourselves with our appearance so much is because its easier to cover up a blemish and comb out the tangles in our hair than it is to fix what is going on inside? The reality is that spiritual change is hard to make. It takes time and courage to look inside and find the cause of real issues and problems in our life.

I want to encourage you this week to take some time for yourself each day and examine your life. How am I treating the people I love? Am I representing Christ through demonstrating the fruits of the spirit? And if I am not doing those things, how might God want me to change? If we are daily clothing ourselves in Jesus Christ, our outer appearance will reflect what is going on inside. Our smile will be brighter and have a more genuine impact on strangers. Our eyes will be opened to see God’s blessings. Our clothing will reveal humility and reverence for God rather than revealing parts of our body.

Notes on Submission

Submit in our modern American context can often be seen as a weak characteristic and an idea that many of us look down upon. In Greek, however, it is translated as hupotasso [hoop-ot-as'-so], which comes from hupo [hoop-o] to mean "under" and tasso [tas-so] to mean "to arrange in an orderly manner". Looking at submission in this context brings a whole new perspective to our view of submission. To submit becomes a word that encourages active behavior, purposeful influence, and a strong mission.

Throughout the Bible, we see the impact of submission or placing oneself “under” the authority of another. Paul’s submission to authority has influenced millions. Consider the teaching of children submitting to parents, slaves to masters, or husbands and wives to each other. All of these examples of submission stem from the idea that there is a mutual submission. We are called to submit to one another willingly out of reverence for Christ. True biblical submission can be difficult, bear in mind—it takes self-control and a passion for loving the Lord at your full potential. We can love god and serve him all we want, however to truly live the way he desires we must first submit ourselves to him, i.e., sacrifice our idea of what he wants and align ourselves to how he is actually calling us to live.

How often do we willingly submit to one another in a manner that promotes peace and glorifies God? What does that even look like? When we are submitting to one another, we are aligning our wants and needs with the wants and needs of others. Paul writes in Romans 12 about being a living sacrifice, this is our submission to God. He goes on to write about love, submission to authorities, and lastly he writes about the strong sacrificing for the weak. Love and respect seem to the core of our submission to one another. It involves us actively and freely loving in a way, that we place the value of another person at the forefront of our mind. We respect them above arguing with them or disregarding their opinions, thoughts, or needs. What does that really mean for us though? Maybe, it means simply answering yes the next time our parents ask us to do something. What if the next time our friend wants to play basketball instead of our favorite sport, Soccer, we go along with it as a blessing to them. Or maybe this means that we are called to respect the ideas of our neighbors even if we don’t completely agree with them (Romans 14 reminds us that others may have a weaker faith then we do. Therefore we are called to humble ourselves before passing judgment)

Paul saw the importance of submission and how crucial it is for us to submit to one another in the body of Christ. Philippians 2:3 reads: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself.” When we are genuinely contributing to the well being of others, it is surprising how fulfilled we often become. Discover this fulfillment with me as together we place the needs of others above our own.

Lord, Only You Can Change Me

In John chapter 13 we see the humbling story of Jesus washing the Desciples feet. What is it about this story that is so real and insightful to our lives today? Is it the fact that we never understand what God is doing for us and we always seem to miss the point like Simon. First Simon Peter says he won’t let Jesus wash his feet and then when Jesus explains himself Simon takes Jesus’ words to the extreme and asks Jesus to wash his whole body as if to say that it’s not enough and Jesus doen’t know what he is doing. Or is the reason this story is so applicable today because we continually refuse to accept Jesus’ gift?

Whatever your perception of God is, whether it be a King, a father, a teacher, or maybe even your spiritual Santa Clause( I pray this isn’t the case), do we ever think that God should be washing our feet? It’s a humbling thought, to think that the creator and ruler of the heavens, earth, and all the universe wants to serve you, but even more he sacrificed his son for you. I’m sure this is all stuff you have heard before if you have been to more than one church service in your life; but the fact is that we forget it the moment we step back into our reality. We take control of our live and make life about doing and accomplishing and being good enough, wealthy enough, pretty enough. When we try to be enough, what we are really saying to God is, “Lord, you will never wash my feet”. We can make up a myriad of excuses as to why we do this: God has too many important things to deal with or once I get back on track then I can give it to God.

Many people in our world are trying to be something or accomplish a goal, but the funny thing is that God could care less about your goals and what you are and aren’t. He made you so that He could complete you. In Philippians, it says that “he who began a good work in you will carry it out”. He will continue to work out you salvation. He made you so he could fill you. You will never be or do or accomplish enough: plain and simple. It’s hard to hear but the good/great news is that God is enough. He completes you daily. Each day, we wake up and put on make-up or clothes and do our hair, but we forget the one thing that makes us complete, our God. This week I encourage you that instead of making a trip back into the house for your cup of coffee or your earring, grab your bible; say good morning to your maker; accept the gift of love and compassion he daily offers you. Let HIM fill that void of impurity and imperfection.