Grab A Tool!

The faucet breaks, the door handle doesn't work, a picture needs to be hung.....what do we reach for?  The toolbox!  Why do we run tot he toolbox?  Because we know that contained inside are all the tools we'll need to successfully address the situation at hand and fix the problem.

Life is funny, there are a lot of situations that a hammer, wrench, or screwdriver can't fix.  Those tools can't fix a marriage, can't fix a financial struggle, and can't fix a a hard life problem.  But the Holy Spirit toolbox has all the tools necessary to fix those problems and so much more.  Marriage problem, maybe you need the tool of wisdom.  Financial problem, maybe you need the tool of discernment.  Whatever you are facing, the Holy Spirit is prepared to provide you with every tool necessary to succeed and grow.

As you read 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, & 1 Peter 4 this week, take a few minutes and ask the Holy Spirit for the help you need in your life.

This Is The Day

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

What does your week look like?  Do you have a full plate at work?  Does your calendar look filled up?  Do the kids have more sports practices & games than you can count?  When we look at all our busyness it's easy to view the day or week as simply something to be conquered or endured instead of something to be lived to it's fullest.

What would happen if every day you flipped your feet out of bed and once you came to your senses (after a shower or several cups of coffee) you quoted this verse from Psalm 118 like you mean it?  What if you truly believed that the day you were beginning was give to you by God?  I often personalize the second sentence of this verse by saying, "I will CHOOSE to rejoice & be glad in it."

Choose to make today and every day a great day!  It really is your choice!

Simplified Lives

"So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us." (Hebrews 12:1b TEV)

If we’re going to be used for God’s purposes, we have to focus our lives. The Bible compares life to a marathon, and that means we have to simplify our lives. 

The Bible says, “So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us” (Hebrews 12:1b TEV). 

This means we should remove anything from our lives that would get in the way and hold us back. If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy. He’ll even keep you so busy doing good things that you won’t have time for the best things. 

That’s why the Bible tells you to simplify your life. You have to get rid of the unnecessary baggage in life. Don’t try to do it all. Do what matters most. A serious runner focuses on the race.  

I’ve heard people say, “I would love to live my life for God’s purpose, but I just don’t have time.” The reason they don’t have time is they haven’t taken the time to simplify their life. 

Talk About It

 

There are all sorts of things that can keep us from simplifying our lives. How do any of the following distract you and keep you from simplifying your life?

1. Trying to be like others instead of being who God created you to be
2. Trying to make everybody happy
3. Trying to meet the arbitrary expectations of others
4. Too many hobbies or too much time with a hobby
5. Social media, movies, or television
6. The wrong kinds of relationships
7. The mistakes of your past 

This devotional © 2012 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

2012 Next Steps Relaunch

We are only a few days away from our Next Steps Relaunch Sunday on April 22^nd. Since launching our Next Steps vision expansion campaign 1 year ago we’ve been able to launch & complete our phase 1 Student Center and raise $200,000 but our work is not done. At our current rate of giving we will pay off the Student Center remodel in 58 weeks; just over 1 year. But I believe with everyone’s help we can get our phase 1 remodel paid off early and get started on phase 2, the worship center sanctuary.

I want to challenge you to stay focused and join me as we boldly move forward to our Next Step. Now isn’t the time to glory in our successes. Right now is the time to use that success to catapult us forward. Enclosed you will find a commitment card that we will collect on April 22^nd. I want to challenge everyone to consider 3 steps as you prepare for Relaunch Sunday.

REVIEW: If you made a 3-year commitment a year ago, I’d like to ask you to pray and review that commitment once again. As you pray, ask God if he wants you to increase your commitment over the next 2 years. After prayer, if you feel confident that your commitment should remain the same, simply complete your commitment card.

REVISE: If after prayer you believe God is challenging you to take a greater step of faith, then revise your commitment for the remainder of our 2-year Next Steps campaign and complete your commitment card.

RESPOND: If you didn’t make a commitment last year, this is your chance to respond to God’s vision & plans for Central by diligently seeking God for the financial commitment he wants you to make in helping us take our Next Steps. As God gives you clarity on your commitment, please complete your commitment card for Sunday.

On Sunday morning you will bring your 2-year commitment forward and we will receive a Relaunch Offering. We’re asking everyone to bring an offering of 10% of your next 12 months commitment ($500 = $50, $1000 = $100, $2500 = $250, $5000 = $500). Join Tricia and I as we take these Next Steps together and let’s watch as God comes through again.

Thank You!

Yesterday was a big day at Central Church. With the remodel & Grand Opening of the new Student Center we are on our way to reaching a tithe of our city. With 356 people in attendance yesterday we are inching closer & closer to our initial goal of facilitating 1,000 people through multiple services at our current location. Our new Student Center will help us make an eternal impact on the lives of children & youth.

Thank You! Without the faithful support of those who call Central Church their home, none of this would have been possible. Your financial faithfulness to your Next Steps commitment, tireless ministry service, and unwillingness to quit have produce a victory we can all be proud of.

Let's take a few weeks to relish this success.....then let's keep moving forward to the even bigger & better things God has in store. We aren't done yet. We've only made it to the first way point on the journey God has set us on. Let's keep moving toward God's dreams together and enjoy it along the way.

The Big Test

"Bring the whole tithe (10%) 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." - Malachi 3:10 (niv)

Some people get really angry with this verse in scripture and others get nervous. It's amazing how we perceive this as God's intrusion into our finances when in fact everything we have belongs to him. I have always been amazed by the 4 words we find in the middle of this verse, "Test me in this!" No where else in scripture do we see God saying this to us; only here in Malachi 3.

I believe the reason we find this challenge as it relates to money is because God himself knew that one of the greatest tests of our faith would be what we do with money. If we can't trust God by obediently giving him 10% of the blessing he originally gave to us in the first place, then how can we proclaim that we trust him for our salvation? How can he save us from our sins, but not be able to take care of us financially? How can we trust him with our lives but not with $40 bucks from our $400 paycheck?

He knew it would be tough. He knew we would struggle with this command. So he extended even greater understanding & grace. He says, "Test me in this! You can trust me! I'm not robbing you, I blessed you in the first place." And he even gives us a guarantee (promise), that if we do this, he will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that we won't even be able to contain it. That is an AWESOME promise!!!

I encourage you today, trust God. Obey his commands to be faithful with the tithe (10%). He will not fail you and he will not let you down; guaranteed!

Privilege vs. Right

One of the things I am most grateful for is the opportunity to live in a free country. We are truly blessed and I am thankful for each of the liberties we have and appreciative of every person who has fought to defend them for me as well as future generations. But I have a concern. I am concerned that more and more people regard the privileges we have as rights they are entitled to which takes us from sincere gratitude to selfish demands.

As we've been talking about paying off the debt tab for the past few weeks in service, I think this idea has filtered into our thinking about material things & wants. We've stopped looking at things like cell phones, cable TV, internet, eating out, boat/cabin/cars as privileges and instead begun to look at them as a right. A right we are willing to demand even when we cannot afford it. We are willing to put them on credit when we can't afford them and ultimately we leverage ourselves years into the future. We justify debt because we look around and see everyone else doing it, so if they are doing it then it must be our right to have those things as well.

We serve a gracious and giving God. We are tremendously blessed to live in the USA with it's many practical freedoms, including the freedom to worship God. But God doesn't guarantee in scripture that you have a the right to a large house, overflowing bank accounts, or anything else. Is it OK to have those things? Yes! But they aren't rights, they are privileges God blesses us with. Our rights died on the cross when we gave our lives to Christ. Does God want to bless us? Yes! But we can't develop an attitude where we believe it's our rights or that someone or God owes us.

When we recognize that God is the giver of each blessing and that it's His privileged blessing that pours out in our lives, we will become content in his plan and thankful for everything both big & small.