One Thing You Lack

When it comes to your relationship with God…

• What  one thing do you lack?

When a rich young man encountered Jesus, he wanted to know what he must do to receive eternal life. Jesus told him to obey all the commands. The confident up-and-comer believed that he’d been obedient since he was a child.

Mark 10:21-22 records what happened next. “Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Unfortunately, there was one thing that stood in the way of this man and his pursuit of the fullness of God in Christ: his love of his stuff. Sadly, he was unwilling to address this one hindrance.

What about you? What one thing is keeping you from further serving Christ? Maybe you have drifted from your study of God’s word or from prayer? Maybe you lack true and strong accountability? Perhaps your life is void of close Christian friends. Maybe you’ve been gripped by the things of this world rather than God’s kingdom.

Be honest. When it comes to your relationship with God, what one thing do you lack?

16 comments

New Bible Reading Plans

If you’re looking for ways to encourage your church to read the Bible more this year, we’ve got some great new tools available at YouVersion.com. We just launched more than 20 free Bible reading plans, which are available on the website as well as all mobile platforms. Here are a few highlights:

• You can customize each plan by making it shorter or longer.
• Easily track where you are by checking off each day’s reading. We’ll also show you how far along you are with a percentage of completion.
• Your online and mobile accounts will synchronize your information, including your plan and your progress.
• If you’ve created a group for your church on YouVersion, you can select a plan to be associated with your group.
• Soon, you’ll be able to build a support system by opting in for accountability emails to you and/or a friend.

We hope these new reading plans help you and your church engage with Scripture in 2010!

10 comments

When the Wave Dies Down

Waves come and waves go.

When God blesses your ministry with a wave of impact and growth, you’ll be wise not to expect it to last forever. (If it does, you’ll be an exception—not the rule.)

If the wave slows, don’t try to recreate it. Those who continue to keep doing what used to work, generally miss anything new God wants to do.

If the wave dies, thank God for the ride you just enjoyed and watch for a new one.

8 comments

Keep a Long Range Perspective

While riding the wave, God may give you extra grace and stamina. But eventually, without adequate rest, you’ll burn out.
 
During times of great growth, you might feel like you’re running a sprint. Though you might run hard, you have to still run smart. Wise spiritual leaders remember that ministry is a marathon, not a sprint.

10 comments

Letting Go of What People Think

Becoming obsessed with what people think about you is the fastest way to forget what God thinks about you.

My mom taught me the common truth, “You can’t please everyone.”

From my observation, ministers seem to be more vulnerable to people-pleasing than most professions.

In reality, we should be the most resolved of all not to live for the applause of men but the approval of God.

• Don’t let anyone talk you out of following God’s voice.
• Don’t let anyone’s criticism distract you from your passion.
• Don’t long for affirmation before you move forward.

Say what God prompts you to say. Go where God leads you to go. Do what God puts on your heart. Let go of living for people. Become obsessed with living for God.

26 comments

The Ghost

Here’s a promo for our new series, “The Ghost” that starts this weekend.

7 comments

Fresh Work in My Marriage

My wife, Amy, is one of the most committed believers I’ve ever met. Every day, she spends her first hour of the day with God in prayer, reading his word and journaling.

As a pastor, I’ve been careful not to bring home church problems to my family. Without knowing it, I associated spiritual issues with church issues. Before long, I (unintentionally) wasn’t talking to Amy about what God was doing in my life.

Over the past few months, I’ve made a conscious effort to tell Amy what God is showing me each day in my devotion time. This one simple act has drawn us so much closer spiritually.

It is amazing to me how the smallest changes can often make the biggest impact.

How are you doing with your spouse spiritually?

17 comments

Fresh Work in My Family

It is hard to admit this but it’s true: I’ve occasionally been a better spiritual leader to the church than to my own family.

Over and over again I’ve made promises that didn’t last. We’re going to do family devotions every week! And my good intentions rarely converted to actions.

I’m excited to say that we are experiencing a fresh work of God in our family. Although it doesn’t appear dramatic, it truly is special.

God put two ideas on my heart:

1) We’re devoting much of our dinner discussions to spiritual things.

I didn’t expect that my kids (including the young ones) would so readily engage in these conversations. They’ve become something we all anticipate.

2) We’re spending extended time praying for specific things at bed time.

In the past, I’ve typically prayed the general, “God bless my child” prayers. By asking them for specifics and spending just a few minutes more, this prayer time has been a huge blessing.

I’d love to hear how it is going in your family spiritually. If you are flat, be honest. If you have good ideas, please share them.

27 comments