In the Middle of the Night

Have you ever found yourself awake in the middle of the night worrying? Out of the blue, maybe you start thinking about your finances. Maybe you begin to worry about your job or your family or your future. Whatever it is, that thing that you worry about robs you of precious Z's.

During those times, the best thing to do is what we've been talking about for the last several weeks. Pray. When you wake up and begin to worry, take that worry to God.

Remember, God doesn't just want to hear from you when things are going great. And a life of prayer isn't something that just happens during daylight hours. Time and time again throughout the Bible you can read accounts of people waking up in the middle of the night and communicating with God.

The next time you find yourself up in the middle of the night worrying, try consciously thinking of God. Turn to him "through the watches of the night." Because as you begin to turn to him then, he'll help you recapture those Z's again. And you'll begin to find yourself waking up refreshed rather than exhausted from needless worry.

Is it possible? How do you start this process?

An Impressive Record

An anonymous author made this striking observation:

Socrates taught for forty years, Plato for fifty, Aristotle for forty, and Jesus for only three. Yet the influence of Christ's three-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity. Jesus painted no pictures; yet some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him. Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world's greatest poets were inspired by Him. Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratorios they composed in His praise.

Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by the humble Carpenter of Nazareth.

His unique contribution to the Human race is the salvation of the soul! Philosophy could not accomplish that. Nor art. Nor literature. Nor music. Only Jesus Christ can break the enslaving chains of sin and Satan. Christ alone can speak peace to the human heart, strengthen the weak, and give life to those who are spiritually dead. Jesus is a marvelous example and proven leader for Christians to emulate and serve.

Is this information something we need to share with other people or is it a lifestyle that should be lived in front of people? or both?

New Post

New Post coming soon!

I, Lead Pastor, took The Pointe staff to a Leadership conference this week in Atlanta, Ga. Thank you for understanding!

I'll see you back in blog world by Monday!

What is prayer really?

Pray continually.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Prayer is more than an occasional action, or even a regular practice. It's is more than sitting alone with our heads bowed and our hands folded as we voice our requests to God. It's more than kneeling with our children by their bedside at night to ask God to bless our lives. Prayer, real prayer, is a way of life.

Paul, the writer of today's verse, is telling us that to realize the power of prayer, we must cultivate an attitude and habit of continually focusing on God in everything we do in our lives. When we understand that we build a relationship with God through prayer—whether through words, thoughts or actions—then prayer becomes more than a routine.

Don't think of prayer as a duty that you have to perform each day in order to appease God. That's not what it is. Instead, realize that prayer is about developing a relationship with God every moment of every day. And as you begin to do that, you'll discover the real possibility that prayer has to become your lifeline.

The Gift of Free Will

Today's society presents us with many choices and possibilities that only seem to grow more numerous with time and the "advance" of culture. They say that "variety is the spice of life" and I suspect it is true. Yet, the many choices that stand before us can be confusing. We need to learn how to wisely use the gift of free will, our ability to choose.

This gift, if used constructively, can provide much good for our world, but if abused it can create untold grief.Wisdom dictates that in order to use our gift of free will wisely, we must ask ourselves some important questions concerning how well we follow Jesus, the shepherd, in the decisions we make.

What are the criteria that we use to make the important decisions of our lives? Do we seek out family and friends, colleagues and associates? What place does God have in our decision making process? What responsibility do we feel for those God has entrusted to us? Young people, students, or subordinates at work all look to elders and superiors to lead them.

By following our lead will people find the pasture of life or are we leading people astray by the conduct of our lives? What choices have we made lately? Were they helpful and did they aid us along the path of life or were they destructive? If they were harmful, did we have the courage to change and make a better choice? When we make decisions are they based solely on our needs and wants or do we consider the desires of others?If we find ourselves in positions of authority, do we make choices that are beneficial to all or are we selfish in our choices?

Jesus' life demonstrates that suffering is part of the Christian life. Are we willing to make the decision that may cause suffering because it is the right choice, or do we shy away because we are afraid to endure a crisis for the sake of Christ's name?

Value

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ..." Philippians 3:7-8

Value is defined as worth, rarity and usefulness. And in today's world, we place value on so many things—possessions, prestige, education, relationships. These are the kinds of things that we want to hold onto. And when someone, anyone, challenges them or their value in our lives, we immediately go on the defensive. We are willing to stand up and fight for them.

Yet, none of these come close to the value of a personal relationship with Christ. In fact, Paul tells us in this passage that these things are actually considered a loss. Not because they are worthless, but because they can distract us from focusing on Christ.

It's okay to have possessions and prestige and education and relationships. But when these things begin to distract you from your relationship with Christ, they become a detriment. Beware not to place higher value on the things in your life than you do on the Savior of your life.

What's Blocking You?

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22

Let me clear the air. This text isn't telling you to sell everything you have and give it all to the poor. It's not saying that you can't own anything nice. It's not even saying that rich people won't get to heaven. There's much more to it!

What we see in this text is a perfect illustration of the genius of Christ and the challenge of his call on our lives.

Here, Jesus pinpoints the one area of this man's life that needed to be confronted—his greed. Jesus knew this man wanted a relationship with him. But Jesus also saw the one thing that was keeping him from experiencing that relationship. So Jesus challenged the man to let go of his greed and instead take hold of Christ's hand. And he does the same for you and me.

What is the one thing that's keeping you from experiencing a powerful relationship with Christ? What is the one area that is holding you back from growing closer to God? Because no matter what it is—greed, anger, lust, apathy, etc.—Christ wants to pinpoint that area and he challenges you to trust him with it. Turn to him. Let it go. And instead, take hold of Christ's hand and follow him.

Is there an area in your life Christ confronted that you want to share?