Category: Stewardship

Categories
Life Priorities Stewardship

Take Hold of Life

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Tim 6:18-19 (NIV) There are more verses in the Bible about money than about heaven and hell combined. There are more than 2,350 verses related to the issue of stewardship. God is the owner and we are the managers. God entrusts us with the task of being good stewards of His resources. Order your life to honor God and benefit others. Do good. Be rich in good deeds. Be generous. Be willing to share with others. The activity of living to benefit others produces treasure for yourself in heaven. God rewards your faithfulness in His kingdom economy. If you want to take hold of life that is truly life, then order your life around God’s priorities. Your submission to the Lordship of Christ will be reflected in your stewardship of God’s resources. Lordship and stewardship are inseparable. If Jesus is Lord of your life then His Lordship will be evident in your allocation of resources. The world’s philosophy to money management is to earn it so that you can spend it. The average American spends $1.20 for every $1.00 he or she earns. God’s way is that you earn it, tithe it (eternal), save it (future), repay it (past), and spend it. Give God the firstfruits of your income. To tithe your income is to give 10% of your gross income (before taxes) to the Lord through the ministry of His local church. Give proportionately, consistently, and cheerfully. Assess your current financial reality. What do you earn? What do you owe? Where does your money go? Order your life to honor God and to benefit others. Take hold of the life that is truly life! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Provision Hope Stewardship

Honor God

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” 1 Tim 6:17 (NIV) Would you consider yourself rich? That question is rather ambiguous unless you have a clear point of reference. If I asked you if you were rich compared to Bill Gates, you may instantly respond with “absolutely not!” So let’s expand our point of reference to the 6.78 billion people presently on the earth. I want to share a quote with you from a book I have read recently that God has used in my life. The book is entitled, Radical, by David Platt. “We are an affluent people living in an impoverished world. If we make only ten thousand dollars a year, we are wealthier than 84 percent of the world, and if we make fifty thousand dollars a year, we are wealthier than 99 percent of the world.” Now let me ask you the question, “Are you rich?” You are rich! You are blessed! In his letter to Timothy, Paul reminds us to not be arrogant and to not put our hope in wealth. Our faith is not to be in our possessions, our position, or our portfolio. Instead, we are to put our hope in God. If you are going to anchor your faith to anything, it will be futile unless you anchor your faith in the Most High God! God provides us with everything we need to live in the center of His will and to fulfill His purposes in our generation. Align your time, energy, and resources to honor God. Is God first in your life? Is your love relationship with Him your top priority? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Provision Money Stewardship

Before or After Taxes?

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’” Mark 12:17 (NIV) What belongs to God? Everything! God is the Creator and the owner of the entire universe and everything on the earth. As His children, we are simply managers of God’s resources. God expects us to fulfill our civil duty as citizens and pay taxes. God also expects us to fulfill our duty as kingdom citizens and bring the tithe to His storehouse. “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’” Mal 3:10 (NIV) My wife and I have had the joy of practicing biblical stewardship together as a married couple for almost twenty years. God has proven faithful to His Word! I have often been asked, “Are you supposed to tithe on your income before or after taxes?” A similar question I have been asked on several occasions is, “Do you tithe on your gross income or net income?” Both of these questions are valid. My personal conviction, based on my study of God’s Word, is that your tithe is to be based on your income before taxes are withheld. You tithe on your gross income. The biblical stewardship principles my wife and I have faithfully embraced include: giving proportionately (at least 10% of our income before taxes are withheld), giving consistently, and giving cheerfully. God is faithful. You can trust Him with your life, your future, and your income. God can make 90% of your income, with 10% given to Him, go farther than 100% of your income. God blesses obedience! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Provision Obedience Stewardship

Life Is Fragile

“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.” Psalm 39:4-5 (NIV) When you compare your life to that of a breath, it makes life seem to be so insignificant. Yet, the psalmist is not measuring the value of life. God has already established the value of life. The psalmist is asking God to give him a glimpse of how fragile life is and how temporal life is. How would you respond if God let you know that you only had thirty days to live? What would change about your current lifestyle? What adjustments would you make in order to live like you were dying in thirty days? If your remaining time on earth became a specific number of days that was clearly communicated to you, perhaps you would rearrange your current priorities. Maybe the way you allocate your time and energy would demonstrate radical adjustments once you found out that you only had thirty days to live. The number of your remaining days would directly impact how you would spend each moment. Our tendency is to take life for granted. We so often feel invincible and act as though we are guaranteed several decades of life on earth. God has a way of reminding us how fleeting life is. Are you ready to die? Are you ready to live? Have you made reservations for eternity in heaven? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Faith God's Power Stewardship

God Is Able

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Eph 3:20-21 (NIV) What kind of impact will you make with the time, energy, and resources God has given you? How much is God able to do through a life totally yielded to Him? There’s room for you to do something great for God. He wants to do more than you could ever ask or imagine. God’s plan for your life is much larger than what you can accomplish on your own. In order to make an eternal impact with your life, you will need to move into the realm of faith. Begin operating your life on the basis of what God can do. How much is God able to do? “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.” Dan 3:17 (NIV) “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” Romans 4:20-21 (NIV) The level of your faith will determine the level of your impact in God’s kingdom. Faith is the currency of heaven. Earnestly seek the Lord and ask Him to increase your faith and to enable you to put your faith into action. Are you ready for God to do more than you have experienced up to this point? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Jesus Stewardship Worship

Placing Value on Participation

“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.” Luke 4:16 (NIV) You make room for what you value. When you value participating in the ministry of your local church, you will make room in your life for that ministry. If you value short-term mission trips, then you will make room in your annual calendar of events to go on a short-term mission trip. Whatever you value will receive your time, energy, and attention. Whatever you value will be a guarded priority in your life. Jesus valued the weekly worship experience in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Saturday). The synagogue had been a consistent part of His life for thirty years at this particular point. After His baptism and 40 days of temptation in the desert, Jesus returned to Galilee and went to His hometown of Nazareth. As was His custom, He went into the synagogue. Much of Jesus’ identity was connected to the synagogue. He had grown up being exposed to the reading of Scripture each Sabbath in the local synagogue. On this day, He stood to read. He participated in the flow of the service and contributed to the experience. You are the sum total of your habits. In other words, you will become what you habitually invest your life in. You are in the process of becoming who you are in Christ. Value weekly participation in the local church. Value connecting with God in worship with other believers. Value weekly interaction with other believers in a small group Bible study. Make it your custom to grow in your love relationship with Jesus. Your identity is found in Christ. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Balance Rest Stewardship

Creating Space for Rest

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Ex 20:11 (NIV) Do you have room in your life for rest? Of course not! You have too much to do and work is calling your name. “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go!” Work is demanding your time, energy, and attention. Work is biblical isn’t it? Doesn’t God expect you to work? Isn’t work God’s idea? Consider the reality that the Creator of the universe established a divine guideline for both work and rest. God was not tired after the six days of creation activity. God chose to model the value of working and resting. God established a pattern for us in order to keep life in balance and to do life God’s way. When your work becomes a space invader, your life is out of balance. God does not want your work to rule your life and to dominate your energy allocation. God wants you to set aside a day each week to cease creating, forming, fashioning, meeting deadlines, and pushing yourself through the performance trap. You need a day to allow God to put you back together. That’s why God created the Sabbath day. You need a day to allow God to re-create you. Transition off of the race track down pit road and allow God to change your spiritual tires, remove the debris from your spiritual windshield, and to refuel your spiritual tank. You need a weekly pit stop! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Alignment God's Agenda Stewardship

Aligning with God’s Agenda

“‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’” Jer 1:5 (NIV) Allow God’s agenda to become your agenda. Before you were born, God existed. God is eternal. That means that God has always been and God will always be. God was never born and God will never die. Yet, you have a beginning. You have a birth date! Nine months before your birth date, you were conceived. Thus, you have a date of conception. To know the heart of God for you, we must travel even further back into time. Before God formed you, He knew you. Wow! That means that you were not an accident. You were created by God for a divine purpose. Before you were born, God set you apart. The concept in the language of the Old Testament is that of being sanctified. Before you were born, God had in mind exactly what He wanted you to become and God had in mind exactly when He wanted to introduce you to life on planet earth. God orchestrated all of this before you were born. Before you were born, God set you apart to participate in His kingdom activity. God loves you and has a purpose for your life. God’s purpose for your life is for you to experience His redemptive love personally and then for you to join Him in expressing His redemptive love locally and globally. You have a massive mission to fulfill on this planet during the time God gives you. Don’t waste it! Don’t allow busyness to rob you of your divine destiny! Don’t allow anything to steal your passion for God and your zeal to be on mission with God! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
David Stewardship Technology

Removing Saul’s Armor

“Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.” 1 Sam 17:38 (NIV) As you can imagine, King Saul had the latest in warfare technology. His armor was the best of the best and fit for a king. Yet, Saul tried to shroud the shepherd boy, David, with this state of the art technology and it just didn’t fit. The armor that was to enhance David’s ability to combat and defeat Goliath actually became a major hindrance. Technology has a way of enhancing our lives doesn’t it? We have more technology at our fingertips than at any other time in history. We are in the fast lane when it comes to our technology. Yet, it seems that over the years we have not really had technology; technology has had us. Instead of technology enhancing our lives, it has the potential of hindering us from the living the life God has given us. Maybe it’s time to go back to the One who Created us and ask Him to show us our five smooth stones and sling. God created us to fulfill His agenda in His power with the technology of His choosing. Perhaps we have replaced our dependency upon God with an obsessive dependency upon technology. Can we really make it without email, cell phones, text messaging, and the Internet? We often equate a spiritual fast with giving up food for a season. What if we sought to realign our lives with God’s agenda through a disciplined technology fast? It is possible that we may create more space for doing life God’s way? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
End Times Judgment Seat of Christ Stewardship

Giving an Account

“So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14:12 (NIV) God sees every moment of your life. God will hear every word you speak today. Each act of kindness will not go unnoticed. Your thoughts, your motives, and your attitude will not escape His attention. God is all knowing and all seeing. Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God? Nothing catches God by surprise. One day you will stand before God to give an account for your life. As a follower of Christ, your sins have been forgiven. The penalty for your sin debt has been paid in full. Jesus took your sin upon Himself and received the full wrath of God for your sin. As a believer, you will not stand before God to determine your eternal destiny. Where you spend eternity is solidified by your belief in the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Salvation is not in question. When you stand before God, you will give an account for how you invested the life God has given you. You are a steward of the blessings and opportunities God gives you. What have you done with all that God has entrusted to your care? Have you been faithful to join God in His redemptive activity? Have you employed your spiritual gifts in service to God through His local church? Every moment matters to God; so make every moment count. Don’t squander your life. Live in light of standing before God one day to give an account. Make decisions based on what God has said in His word and what God will say when you stand before Him. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
End Times Judgment Seat of Christ Stewardship

Appearing Before the Judgment Seat

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Cor 5:10 (NIV) Everyone will live forever somewhere. What you do with Christ during your brief stay on planet earth will determine whether you spend eternity in heaven or hell. Your response to God’s offer of salvation is the deciding factor to your eternal destination. As Bruce Wilkinson says, “Your belief determines where you will spend eternity; your behavior determines how you will spend eternity.” “You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” Romans 14:10 (NIV) “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:9-11 (NIV) Every human being will stand before God to give an account for his or her life. Every person will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! Those who reject God’s offer of salvation while living on earth will still bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, but it will be eternally too late. Believers will go to the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive reward and heaven while unbelievers will go to the White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15) to receive punishment and hell. Live circumspectly! Live in full awareness of God’s holiness, purity, and justice! Take as many people with you to heaven as you possibly can in full surrender to the Spirit’s control. Make the most of every opportunity! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Generosity Serving Stewardship

Rich in Good Deeds

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” 1 Tim 6:18 (NIV) Jesus is our model to follow. Teaching, preaching, casting out demons, praying, and extending personal touch ministry marked Jesus’ life on earth. He was never in a hurry and never late. Jesus maintained a balanced life centered on doing God’s will. Loving God and loving others was the central focus of His life. Jesus came to our planet to reconcile us to God. He willingly gave His life as the sinless sacrifice for our redemption (Col. 1:20). Jesus lived, died, was buried, rose on the third day, and forty days later ascended to heaven. Sitting at the right hand of the Father, Jesus intercedes on our behalf (Rm. 8:34). Your purpose in this life is to continue the ministry of Jesus. You have been saved by grace alone through faith alone to join God in His redemptive activity. God has entrusted every moment of your day to you for careful stewardship. What are you doing with the time God gives you? How are you responding to the opportunities God places before you to continue the ministry of Jesus? Be rich in good deeds. Invest your life by adding value to others. Serve others from a heart of purity seasoned by daily intimacy with Christ. If you are going to continue the ministry of Jesus, then you must operate in His power. Adding value to others will require spiritual nourishment and spiritual energy. Maintain a living connection with Christ through feeding on God’s Word and seeking His face daily. To do what Jesus did mandates that you nurture your love relationship with God. The outflow of your living connection with Christ will be doing good, being generous, and willing to share. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Categories
Church Family Stewardship

Space Invaders (7)

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Heb 10:25 (NIV) Excessive church activities can become a space invader. You have probably heard people say that they were in church every time the church doors were open. That sounds really spiritual at first. However, it is possible to be at church too much. Be careful not to equate spiritual activity with spiritual maturity. Having an abundance of church activities does not ensure personal spiritual growth. You can get spread too thin saying “yes” to too many church functions. The writer of Hebrews is affirming the value of doing life together with other believers in community. You have the privilege of encouraging each other in the faith as you meet together to study God’s Word and to build meaningful relationships. God wants you to be in fellowship with other believers at the level of meeting regularly to develop your relationship with God and with each other. How can you keep from overloading your calendar with church activities? Learn to say “yes” to the right things. For example, you should be connected to three environments on a weekly basis. You need to be involved in a Christ exalting corporate worship environment, a small group Bible study where you can experience authentic community, and an area of service where you can exercise your spiritual gifts. Focus on those three environments and you will not only simplify your life, but also experience a new measure of spiritual growth. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Categories
Children Family Parenting Stewardship

Space Invaders (6)

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Prov 22:6 (NIV) Child-centered parenting is not in alignment with God’s economy. God values order. Where there is order, there is fruitfulness. God established the home for our benefit and for His glory. God’s blueprint for the home includes order. God expects the husband and father to be the spiritual leader of the home. During my upbringing, my parents divorced and as a result, my mother became the spiritual leader of our home. The spiritual leader of the home is responsible to set the spiritual temperature for the home. Thus, the spiritual leader of the home is to be the spiritual thermostat for the home. When our children are elevated to the place of setting the environment for the home, something is out of order. When parenting becomes child-centered, in that everything centers around the wants and wishes of the child, something is out of order. Excessive extra-curricular activities for our children can become space invaders. When our lives and our schedules resemble a perpetual rat race, then something is out of order. We can overload and overwhelm our home by being overextended and overcommitted to too many activities. Instead of pushing our children to be involved in a myriad of activities, what if we had them choose one or two. Would that simplify your famly life? Would your schedule have more space or margin to do life? Who is making the tough choices in your home to keep your family in alignment with God’s economy? Who is guarding the priorities and the order ordained by God for your home? The decisions you make to create space for doing life together as a family will serve as a tangible model for your children to emulate when they become parents one day. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Categories
Family Jesus Salvation Seeker Stewardship Trust Understanding

Space Invaders (5)

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Ex 20:11 (NIV) Work can become a space invader. Do you have room in your life for rest? Of course not! You have too much to do and work is calling your name. “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go!” Work is demanding your time, energy, and attention. Work is biblical isn’t it? Doesn’t God expect you to work? Isn’t work God’s idea? Consider the reality that the Creator of the universe established a divine guideline for both work and rest. God was not tired after the six days of creation activity. God chose to model the value of working and resting. God established a pattern for us in order to keep life in balance and to do life God’s way. God knows what we need better than we know ourselves. He is the Creator and we are His creation. God is infinite and we are finite. God is all-knowing and we are limited in our understanding. God sees the whole picture while we see only a peep as through a key hole. When your work becomes a space invader, your life is out of balance. God does not want your work to rule your life and to dominate your energy allocation. God wants you to set aside a day each week to cease creating, forming, fashioning, meeting deadlines, and pushing yourself through the performance trap. You need a day to allow God to put you back together. That’s why God created the Sabbath day. You need a Sabbath. You need a day to allow God to re-create you. You need to transition off of the race track down pit road and allow God to change your spiritual tires, remove the debris from your spiritual windshield, and to refuel your spiritual tank. You need a weekly pit stop! Don’t allow work to invade your Sabbath. Don’t allow work to invade your family time. Ouch! That can be a challenge. God wants you to work when you are at work and be fully present when you are at home. God wants you to guard a day each week for His restorative work in you. Create space for God to put you back together! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Categories
David Family Fasting Stewardship Technology

Space Invaders (4)

“Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.” 1 Sam 17:38 (NIV) Technology can become a space invader. As you can imagine, King Saul had the latest in warfare technology. His armor was the best of the best and fit for a king. Yet, Saul tried to shroud the shepherd boy, David, with this state of the art technology and it just didn’t fit. The armor that was to enhance David’s ability to combat and defeat Goliath actually became a major hindrance. “David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. ‘I cannot go in these,’ he said to Saul, ‘because I am not used to them.’ So he took them off.” 1 Sam 17:39 (NIV) “Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” 1 Sam 17:40 (NIV) Technology has a way of enhancing our lives doesn’t it? We have more technology at our fingertips than at any other time in history. We are in the fast lane when it comes to our technology. Yet, it seems that over the years we have not really had technology; technology has had us. Instead of technology enhancing our lives, it has the potential of hindering us from the living the life God has given us. Maybe we need to find ourselves once again. Maybe it’s time to go back to the One who Created us and ask Him to show us our five smooth stones and sling. God created us to fulfill His agenda in His power with the technology of His choosing. Could it be that we have replaced our dependency upon God with an obsessive dependency upon technology. Instead of allowing technology to help us fulfill the Great Commission in our generation, maybe we have become distracted by the technology to the point of losing our focus and sacrificing our passion. What if God called us to a technology fast? Can we really make it without email, cell phones, text messaging, and the internet? Will we stop breathing? Can life continue if we aren’t connected to our technology? We always equate a spiritual fast with giving up food for a season. What if we sought to realign our lives with God’s agenda through a disciplined technology fast? It is possible that we may create more space for doing life God’s way… Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Categories
Family God's Agenda God's Will Stewardship

Space Invaders (3)

“‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’” Jer 1:5 (NIV) Allow God’s agenda to become your agenda. Before you were born, God existed. God is eternal. That means that God has always been and God will always be. God was never born and God will never die. Yet, you have a beginning. You have a birth date! Nine months before your birth date, you were conceived. Thus, you have a date of conception. To know the heart of God for you, we must travel even further back into time. Before God formed you, He knew you. Wow! That means that you were not an accident. You were created by God for a divine purpose. Before you were born, God set you apart. The concept in the language of the Old Testament is that of being sanctified. Before you were born, God had in mind exactly what He wanted you to become and God had in mind exactly when He wanted to introduce you to life on planet earth. God orchestrated all of this before you were born. Before you were born, God set you apart to participate in His kingdom activity. God loves you and has a purpose for your life. God’s purpose for your life is for you to experience His redemptive love personally and then for you to join Him in expressing His redemptive love locally and globally. You have a massive mission to fulfill on this planet during the time God gives you. Don’t waste it! Don’t allow space invaders to rob you of your divine destiny! Don’t allow anything to steal your passion for God and your passion to be on mission with God! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Categories
Busyness Family Stewardship

Space Invaders (2)

“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!’” Luke 10:38-40 (NIV) Busyness is one of Satan’s most effective tools to fragment the life of a believer. We have places to go, things to do, and people to see. The activity never ends and the deadlines never cease. We are never finished! There are always more hills to conquer and mountains to climb. The opportunities to get swept up by the current of activity are endless. Busyness abounds! It is possible to get so busy doing life and fulfilling expectations that you bypass meaningful communication with people. You can become so task oriented that you neglect the relationships that God sprinkles along your path. The most vital relationship that gets hindered by the culprit of busyness is our love relationship with Jesus. Martha was exercising her gift of hospitality to benefit Jesus within her home. However, she got lost in her busyness and missed the opportunity to simply abide at Jesus’ feet. Martha thought the most important activity was extending hospitality. Yet, Jesus brought clarity to the confusion by affirming that Mary had chosen what was better (Luke 10:42). Let me share one of my favorite quotes from one of my mentors, Dr. Johnny Hunt: “If you will give the Redeemer your time, the Redeemer will redeem your time.” What if we replaced busyness with abiding in Christ. Sometimes the most spiritual activity we can embrace is sitting at the feet of Jesus! But, it’s hard to sit at His feet when you are sprinting… Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Categories
Family Margins Stewardship

Space Invaders (1)

“Moses’ father-in-law replied, ‘What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.’” Ex 18:17-18 (NIV) You are structured for the results you are getting. How’s life? Are you stressed out? Are you overextended, over-scheduled, or overwhelmed? Are you getting enough rest at night? Are you still tired the next day? Do you feel that you have too many plates spinning? As you assess your current reality, what is God showing you about your life? The truth is that you are simply getting the results that your life is currently structured for. The way you have chosen to live and the way you have chosen to allocate your time has determined your current reality. Moses slipped right into a harmful lifestyle because his life was structured for results he was getting. The way he was doing life and the way he was fulfilling his role as leader of the nation of Israel produced the results he was getting. Jethro was willing to get involved! Moses was willing to allow Jethro into his life at a proximity for objectivity. Moses was also willing to allow Jethro to speak into his life. Jethro spoke these words to Moses with clarity, “What you are doing is not good.” Let’s begin there. As you take a close look at your life, what do you sense a “Jethro” in your life would say about your current reality? Would that person acknowledge that what you are doing is not good? Be still before the Lord for a few moments and ask God to help you uncover your current reality. You may even want to ask God to show you a Jethro that you can invite into close proximity to express objectively concerning your current reality. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor