Day 21: Protecting Your Church

The more mature I get, the more I realize how simple life really is. For a large part of my life, I've spent chasing the wind of money, success and acceptance from people. But I've realized that the only things that really matter are things that are eternal: your relationship with God, your family and your fellow believers.

Point to Ponder: It is my responsibility to protect the unity of my church.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What am I personally doing to protect the unity in my church family right now?

Verse to remember: "Let us concentrate on the things that make for harmony and the growth of our fellowship together." Romans 14:19

My response:

This chapter should be required reading for every member of every church in the world. We all suffer through the same problems. Basically, what it comes down to for me is that our church community must be considered our family. And everything that we do for our blood family, we should do for our church. It's vital that we pick a church that we're comfortable with and believe fits us the best and is spiritually fulfilling for you. Once you make that decision, you must treat the church as family.

Our families aren't perfect, and neither is our church. We protect our families. Yes, we have squabbles, but in the end we stick together. Don't let anyone denigrate your family. So don't let anyone denigrate your church.

And be realistic. Don't let the ideal rob your of the real in your church. If you're going to pick on every imperfection in your fellowship, you will never be satisfied. It's what I call the missing tile syndrome. If you see a missing tile on your floor, that's all your going to focus on, that missing tile. You are ignoring the 499 other tiles that surround it and say your floor is ruined because it's missing a tile. If we pick at that one flaw in your church, you tend to forget all the wonderful characteristics about it.

In the end, our church is our family. Through thick and thin, we stick together. We rely on God to get us through the rough spots. We go through phases and we grow and make mistakes and experience life and our journey with God together. We were made to fellowship. There is no greater fellowship than that where you get at your local church. Be blessed.

Day 20: Restoring Broken Fellowship

The more mature I get, the more I realize how simple life really is. For a large part of my life, I've spent chasing the wind of money, success and acceptance from people. But I've realized that the only things that really matter are things that are eternal: your relationship with God, your family and your fellow believers.

Point to Ponder: Relationships are always worth restoring.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Who do I need to restore a broken relationship today?

Verse to remember: "Do everything that is possible on your part to live in peace with everyone." Romans 12:18

My response:

A good friend of mine text messaged me last week and said that he lost a close friend. He was at his death bed and was able to pray with him and his family because he was only given 48 hours to live. When I think of my families own troubles with illness, I've thought a lot about mortality lately. And this chapter just kind of drove home the importance of relationships and how we shouldn't let them just hang in the balance.

Time is of the essence for us to restore broken relationships. We don't know when God will call us. Our time is limited, so please make every attempt to mend broken relationships. I understand there are some that are irreconcilable. But the ones you can restore, do it. Why wait? If you love someone, tell them you love them. Why wait? Relationships are all that in this life. A few chapters ago, we read that when people are on their death beds, they don't ask for anything but the people they've had relationships with. And my friend last week confirmed that for me. He asked for his family and friends to come so that he can say good bye.

To some extent, he was lucky because he knew his time was winding down. But there are people that are taken from us unexpectedly. Don't regret leaving things undone. Be blessed.

Day 19: Cultivating Community

Had another awesome Sabbath. It wasn't planned, but the themes in our Sunday School class, the message from Tama at service and the from the speaker at the Youth service were all the same: our calling and purpose in life. God is moving in our community. Had a wonderful fellowship with some friends we haven't spent nearly enough time with today at to'ana'i. I praise God for all His blessings in my life.

Point to Ponder: Community requires commitment.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

How can I help today to cultivate the characteristics of real community in my small group and in my church?

Verse to remember: "We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave His life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers." 1 John 3:16

My response:

This was a difficult chapter to digest because I've been guilty of many things that this chapter discusses. The first requirement of community is complete honesty. How many times in my life have I
'gone along to get along.' I didn't want to 'rock the boat' so I just let slip what shouldn't have been allowed. Whether in my personal life, my professional life, and in my spiritual life. For the sake of 'harmony', I've kept quiet when I should have spoken up. I think we can all relate to this. The chapter says don't be rude or judgmental, but we must speak truthfully to our fellow believers.

There's a fine line between speaking truth and being judgmental. That's why we should speak with love and compassion. Sometimes we find joy in finding fault in others and can't wait to tell them. That's not what Christ intends for us to do. Instead, we must have real love and compassion and practice a kind of tough love with fellow believers when we see them stumbling spiritually, instead of turning a blind eye so you don't disrupt the harmony in your group.

The other concept I take to heart in this is that we must always be guided with humility. One of the deep principles of our faith is that we are all sinners and unworthy of the love of God. But by His grace, through the blood of Christ, I have been made whole. So why should I boast, as Paul says, because my salvation comes from nothing that I did, but from everything Christ did. With that knowledge, always walk with humility because if the Son of God didn't lay His life down for us, we wouldn't have been reconciled with the Father and get a chance at eternal life. Be blessed.

Day 18: Experiencing Life Together

It's getting really cold outside. They say it might snow in central Texas tonight. That's not a usual occurrence. I hope everyone's bundled up here in Texas. This series continues to open up hearts to God's Word. Every day I get notes from people who testify what God is doing for them through this fellowship. I praise God for all of you and continuing our journey through His Word.

Point to Ponder: I need others in my life.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What one step can I take in my life to connect with another believer at a more genuine, more heart to heart level?

Verse to remember: "Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

My response:

We continue our discussion of fellowship. This chapter has allowed me to reevaluate my concept of fellowship. It talks about fellowship having a deeper meaning than just socializing and getting together as a church. We can do that, but sometimes at a very superficial way.

The deep fellowship that the Bible instructs, like in Galatians, tells us that we must bear each other's burdens and problems. The issue to me comes down to trust. Do we really trust each other to open up our hearts with all its imperfections to our brothers and sisters in Christ? Opening up makes you vulnerable and no one wants to be vulnerable. But if we have an abiding love and trust in each other, then we know that we have each other's best interest at heart.

There's a concept that we've started in our youth group about getting spiritual battle buddies. We encourage each other to find two or three close brothers and sisters in Christ to be your spiritual battle buddies. These are the people that we are accountable for in our walk with the Lord. We need support and encouragement, but we also need accountability. What I like about this chapter is the emphasis on small groups. Sometimes people can fall through the cracks of the bigger groups. That's why it's vital to have a small group of buddies that surround you and encourage you. We walk a spiritual minefield everyday and we need all the support and backup we can get. Be blessed.

Day 17: A Place To Belong

Had a great fellowship tonight at Bible Study. We had a couple of new members that were there for the first time and I praise God for that. This series is opening up our fellowship to new people. Just this morning a niece of mine posted from Turkey. What a wonderful testament to the technology that God has created that's enabled His children to fellowship, not just with those across the street or across town, but across the world. Vi'ia le Ali'i.

Point to Ponder: I am called to belong, not just to believe.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to God's family?

Verse to remember: "In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:5

My response:

We were made to fellowship . That is our second purpose. This is a lesson that has to be taught to the Christian family. We were made to fellowship with other Christians, particularly at a local church. So often we feel that we can go it alone. That we don't need to belong to a church. That churches hinder our spiritual growth. That churches are a haven for non-Christians who parade around as Christians. That may all be true. But it doesn't mean we can do it alone.

If there's one thing I've learned in my walk with Christ is that there are no perfect people. We are all imperfect and fall short of the glory of God. All of us. And that means that the churches we belong to are also imperfect and fall short of the glory of God. There is no such thing as a perfect church. Trust me. I've looked. And that begins with MY local church. There are so many things that are wrong with my church because there are so many things wrong with me. Yet, this is the church that I find comfort in. This is the church that has allowed me to grow spiritually. This is the church that God has called me to be a member of.

One of the great things about this chapter is that it cuts to the chase. You are either a committed member, or you're a bystander. Get in the game. The Body of Christ needs you. Don't be a bunny hopper, going from church to church when you don't get your wishes fulfilled at one. And that means commitment and involvement. Whenever I've backslid in my walk with the Lord, it's the times I start missing church services or church activities. You have to be actively involved.

Look around and find a church that you are comfortable with, that meets your spiritual needs. I encourage people all the time to go where you are spiritually fed. Nothing makes me happier than knowing a believer is at a place of worship that will lead them closer to God. But find a church. Commit to it and do God's work. Don't run at the first sign of trouble. Stick with it. Being a Christian is hard. Belonging to the Body of Christ is hard. But just like how we don't flee our family at the first sign of trouble, let us not also flee our churches. God made us to fellowship with each other. There's no better place to do than at your local church. Be blessed.

Day 16: What Matters Most

Had a much better night tonight. My daughter baked me cupcakes as a peace offering. LOL They were the best cupcakes I have ever eaten because I know they were baked with love. And when I read today's reading, it spoke to my little episode last night and I could totally relate. Relationships are our most important calling in life. Nothing else really matters.

Point to Ponder: Life is all about love.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Honestly, are relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?

Verse to remember: "The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Galatians 5:14

My response:

This chapter just reinforces a lot of what I've been taught and what I believe. And that is relationships are the most important things in your life because they're the only things that last. I love the anecdote about being on your death bed, no one asks to see their diplomas or bank accounts. All people want to see are their loved ones, the people that mattered most in their lives. What a sad statement for you not to have anyone at your deathbed.

Our first purpose is to love God and to worship Him continually. Our second purpose is to love each other. That's a tough task sometimes, but we are commanded to do it. Some of our fellow believers are hard to love, but we must be around them to learn to love them.

Relationships should be our most important priorities, not possessions or accomplishments. And the only way we can show their importance is by spending time cultivating those relationships. Whatever you spend time on, that's where your heart belongs. Our most important relationship is with God. My second most important relationship is with my family: my wife, daughter, parents, siblings. Then comes my church family.

I look forward to the holidays so much because that's a time when our family gets together and we can spend some quality time together. Even at work, I've learned that developing relationships with my students and co-workers are the most enjoyable and important part of my job. They may not remember what I taught them, but I hope they remember my kindness, my love for them, my honesty in dealing with them. Those things leave lasting impressions.

I can't over emphasize the importance of time. Our time is more valuable than anything else because it's something we can't get more of. We can always get more money, more possessions, more friends, more family, but we can't get more time. So the time you devote to people and relationships tells you where your heart is. Devote more of your time to the relationships that matter in eternity. Be blessed.

Day 15: Formed For God's Family

Had a rough night. My princess decided she would throw a fit at her grandpa's house when it was time to go. It was overly dramatic tonight so I had to punish her. She came out three times from her room with tears in her eyes asking if I was still mad at her. I said no. Then she said, "then I can go to taekwondo tomorrow?" I said no baby, it just means I'm not mad at you but you still have to suffer the consequence for your actions. Then the bawling would return in earnest. I'm terrible father. I pray that she sees the "purpose" of why she is being punished.

Point to Ponder: I was formed for God's family.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

How can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?

Verse to remember: "His unchanging plans has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:5

My response:

This chapter introduces us to our second purpose, which is we were made to part of God's family. Our first family is the one we're born into physically. Our second family is when we accept the invitation to ask Christ into our hearts and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. It entitles us to a great heritage and most importantly, to a great inheritance.

We become a part of God's family. And this is more important than our earthly families because God's family lives on in eternity. Our goal as Christians is to get our earthly families to gain entrance into eternity so that we can all be part of God's family.

Being a part of God's family is bigger than anything else I belong to. It's bigger than my earthly family. It's bigger than my American family. It's even bigger than the human race today because God's family includes all of those that have gone on into eternity. We are part of a long heritage that binds all of God's children together. What an awesome thing to know that we're a part of something much bigger than ourselves. So many kids turn to gangs because they don't get a sense of belonging from any group. It becomes a pseudo family for most of them. Well, God's gang is the best because it guarantees life after death. Be blessed.