Thinking about Life and the Lord!

In his book, Traveling Light, author Max Lucado tells the story of a man on an African safari deep in the jungle. The guide before him had a machete and was whacking away at the tall weeks and thick jungle underbrush. The traveler, wearied and hot, asked the guide in frustration, "Where are we? Do you really know where you are taking me? Where is the path?" The seasoned guide stopped and looked back at the man and replied to him, "I am the path!" We should be reminded that Jesus said the same thing when He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the father except through Me (John 14:6)." Jesus is still the only way to get to heaven. His is the path. I wonder...how many people have to shared with lately about Jesus? Thom Rainer of LifeWay reports that 4 of 8 people surveyed across America admitted they would listen to someone if they cared enough about them to share with them the gospel message. We must recommit our lives as believers...

My good friend, Pastor Fernando Brandao (Director of the Brazilian Home Mission Board), recenty preached at the 2007 Arkansas Baptist Convention Pastor's Conference in Van Buren, AR. Preaching on the subject of His Mission is Our Mission , Pastor Fernando made a very clear and true statement when he said this: "The church is not a place to fulfill our own plans and/or agendas. The church is a place to fulfill Jesus' plan and agenda. The church is not a place to realize our vision, but a place to realize the vision of Jesus...Sharing the gospel is the greatest demonstration of loving your neighbor." The truth is that every Christian is without excuse when it comes to the command of evangelism. If we have truly been saved, then each of us has a "story" to tell to someone else. If our homes were on fire and someone broke in and miraculously saved us, all we could do in our community is talk to others about how we were saved and how wonderful this person was for...

I am a student of people. I watch people because they are so interesting and there are so many lessons to learn. If you really want to learn some important lessons about life, then just watch Christian people. Recently, I have been observing a group of believers who are median aged adults. Basically, here is what I have learned to be true. I believe the reason many believers are failing in their Christian walk with the Lord and falling "head over heels" into life's temptations is because they have only asked the Lord to be apart of their lives, marriages, families, decisions, and finances. What does God's Word have to teach us? God's Word shows us over and over again that the Lord does NOT want to be apart of our lives! Don't miss this... The Lord wants to completely take over our lives- every part of our lives! "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteous, then all these other things will be added to you (Mt. 6:33)." I was just wondering...Are ...