I'm ashamed to say how often I worry. You're probably ashamed to admit it, too. Why? Worry seems like a natural part of life — like smelling the flowers or laughing at a joke. For a Christ follower, however, it's never considered a virtue. In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus unloads perhaps the most profound statements about worry in the entire Bible.
Often, I worry about money and finances. It's not easy to admit, but it's true. I believe money is one of the biggest battlegrounds in our hearts — it's why Jesus mentioned it so often. Greed is a powerful force. It destroys lives, starts wars, corrupts good men and can eventually bring entire nations to ruin. If we can turn away from greed's influence in our lives, I believe God can do incredible things through us.
Turning my finances over to Christ is one of the most difficult things I've done as a believer. It's where the rubber meets the road. It separates the real followers from the fakers. It's a matter of me saying, "I really believe in this Jesus stuff." Of course, it's not going to save anyone, and you can never buy your salvation. But it's a matter of giving back to Christ in an attitude of thanksgiving and obedience.
10.21.2010
10.03.2010
The power to move mountains
Boxer Muhammad Ali wasn't a modest individual by any means. He regularly boasted that he was the greatest, and few experts would argue. He was able to fight impressively against opponents bigger and stronger than he was — and beat them.
Of course, believers shy away from boasting. As it's often said: Pride comes before a fall. However, one virtue that Ali possessed was the power of positive thinking. At some points in my life, positive thinking has been about as rare as unicorn droppings. When I'm overcome with negativity, it pulls us down in other areas. I don't eat or sleep as well as we should. I'm sluggish. I lose focus on what's important.
Jesus talked about the power to move mountains. Even with our best machinery, it takes a few hours and many workers to move a small hill. Jesus told us that all we need is to tell the mountain to move over. How? With the power of faith and the absence of doubt. In other words, we don't need to think it can happen, we have to know it will happen.
Positive thinking turned a guy from Kentucky into the greatest boxer of all time. Think of what positive thinking and the power of almighty Christ can do when we put it to work.
Of course, believers shy away from boasting. As it's often said: Pride comes before a fall. However, one virtue that Ali possessed was the power of positive thinking. At some points in my life, positive thinking has been about as rare as unicorn droppings. When I'm overcome with negativity, it pulls us down in other areas. I don't eat or sleep as well as we should. I'm sluggish. I lose focus on what's important.
Jesus talked about the power to move mountains. Even with our best machinery, it takes a few hours and many workers to move a small hill. Jesus told us that all we need is to tell the mountain to move over. How? With the power of faith and the absence of doubt. In other words, we don't need to think it can happen, we have to know it will happen.
Positive thinking turned a guy from Kentucky into the greatest boxer of all time. Think of what positive thinking and the power of almighty Christ can do when we put it to work.
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