The Reality of Carnality

There is an unfortunate an ever present verity that exists within the walls of the Christian community called carnality. We know that carnality is the natural, in-born tendency toward sin and the satisfaction of our personal desires. From its very nature, carnality is in direct conflict with the new spiritual life we have in Jesus. It has been observed that the Christian walk is often patterned by an intense spiritual zeal followed by a gradual propensity toward carnality. What begins as a powerful, effectual spiritual force that changes lives becomes so diluted within the believer that the struggle to avoid and conquer temptation and sin is frequently lost. One can postulate that this is due to increased intesity from the spiritual opposition, however this can't be the only reason. The common assessment is that the believer experiences what many call the "tyranny of the urgent," meaning that there is a disconnect with God due to an over-occupation with tasks and service. I have found that the tendency to involuntarily exclude God from our service of Him and life in general is an alarming temptation. This is not to say that we try to exclude God but that we become so concerned about the "things" and the "to-dos" that we lose focus on God and forget the whole purpose and point of the ministry.
Now I may be digging myself a hole, exposing myself as the immature and, for all intensive purposes, infant Christian that I am, but I don't boast of having all the answers...so lay off.
At this point I have noticed, and am currently concerned about, the reality of this temptation to let the carnal nature propel the day to day ministry rather than the dunamous that I should be relying solely on. God is able and worthy and entirely self-sufficient, so why are we inserting our own efforts and fleshly power into the equation? It's silly. Thankfully, God doesn't expect anything more from us, because we are, after all, and bunch of sheep. Thankfully, He only expects us to lean on Him and try.
Here is the challenge: don't forget to include Him. God promises His "rewards" to those who seek Him diligently. D.L. Moody once said, "the world has not yet see what God can do with a man fully consecrated unto Him, and I aim to be that man." If by our diligence and desire we too can stake that claim to our lives, the floodgates of Gods blessings will by no means be withheld from our lives and ministries and this infection of carnality will disintegrate.
May God lead you.

Confessions of a Man-Pleaser

Today...the first of what I suspect may become a multitude of personal confessions.
Confession #1: I am a man-pleaser.
If you're fortunate enough not to know what that means, in short, it is a reference to a personal desire to make the people around me happy with me. It is a desire to be liked.
All pros and cons aside, I find that this character trait proves to be both distracting and destructive to success in ministry. I am often more concerned about the approval of my senior pastor than ensuring than I am serving God with my whole heart.
Fortunately for me the antidote is as easily obtained as the diagnosis: love God wholeheartedly and stop caring about what people think.
Sound easy? Let me know when you figure out how to get from A to B. I suppose that's the process called "sanctification."

Seasons Fleetings

As promised, our topic today will confront the reality of this strange human phenomenon, this kryptonite to our super-ministry, called procrastination. There may not be a more appropriate topic for this time of year, particularly for me. From shopping, to decorating, to card mailings, to planning, to the unfortunate shortcomings in ministry, procrastination reigns supreme in the world of Christian ministry. I'll continue to remind you readers that my experience is limited when it comes to ministry, but my observations over the past few years have forced me to draw some conclusions, however premature they may be.
What was once a silly schoolboy approach to studying and doing homework has become standard operating procedure when it comes to the service of our Lord. This is likely not out of some masochistic desire to inflict pain and stress upon ourselves, but it's existence and the ease at which the p-word can be identified reveals that we must be aware of it and yet do little to suppress this plague.
Proverbs 12:27 says that "diligence is man's precious possession." However, it seems that this precious possession is little more than yesterday's pet rock when you look at the way we value it. Sure, when the camera is on us we break our backs with smiles on our faces, but what happens when we're working on our own, when we face the deadlines, when we have events to plan? How often do we finish our projects or plan our outreaches before the deadline expires?
As they say, hindsight is 20-20 and we continually have the perspective to look back and realize how much better events could go, or how much more effective the message could be if we took to time to give it our best effort, to be diligent, to allow the Lord to work in us and through us, instead of around us and around our shortcomings. All glory goes to God to even begin the work in us, but I'd much rather be a part of the solution at the end than be an obstacle to God getting the honor He deserves. Amen?
So what's the challenge? What's the application to our lives and ministries? In short, repent. I need to repent of this lackadaisical attitude toward serving the true and living God. Serving God can and should never be dependent upon our energy, effort, or endurance. We should never be in the equation, except for being an blank slate, a dormant variable to the ways and means that God chooses to use us. And when He does use us, in His great grace, diligence is our response. Though not in the energy of our flesh, we strive toward that earnest desire to perform the will of God in any and every situation, and then follow through.
May God guide us and direct us in this endeavor and may He be blessed and receive the glory due His name in the process.