The time is 3:30

There are and have been times in my life where I have taken credit for God's work. If I've written a song, I'm guilty of stamping my name as the sole author. If I have lead worship and people are touched, I have been guilty of patting myself on the back for a job well done. If I've given a message to a group of people, I have been guilty of stealing the show away from God. Now don't get me wrong... God wants us to do our best. That being said, God gives us our talents to use for HIS glory... not ours. John the Baptist put it best in the book of John chapter 3 verse 30. (John 3:30) He said, "He must become greater; I must become less". He was speaking to people about Jesus. He wrote a volume of wisdom in eight simple words. Let's face it... we often enjoy the spotlight when things are going great. It's our human nature to put ourselves first. I believe John had something when he spoke that statement into existance. If we could live that one verse, I believe we would have a lot less problems in life. I know for me it is a daily prayer, "Lord, may you become greater in my life!" When you find yourself in a difficult situation or problem, simply ask yourself the question, "Is it 3:30?"

TO SIN OR NOT TO SIN | why ask the question?

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you would lie or cheat to get it? We recently learned about David's battle with sin. In 2 Samuel 11:1-27, we see the birth of sin in David's life take form. It' s no doubt David could have had anything he wanted. After all, he was King. It reminds me of my son, Evan... He doesn't want his brothers toy until he finds out that he can't have it. More often than not we fall into the same selfish trap... We want what we can't have. In 2 Samuel 11:1-27 David sent his army off to fight in another battle while he stayed behind. This was the beginning of David's undoing. He should have been with his men in the battle. Instead, he neglected his duties. We see David strolling around the roof of the palace when he notices a beautiful woman bathing. He quickly learns that this she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite, who just happened to be in his army. The birth of sin begins with the entertaining of temptation. When we are temped, we have a choice. We can either run from it, or we can begin to entertain thoughts of how we can get away with it. The moment David heard she was married, he should have closed the door but instead, he takes it a step further and has Bathsheba brought to him. After a night of lust, David finds out that Bathsheba is pregnant. He could have repented at that very moment but devises a scheme to bring Uriah (Bathsheba's husband) home from the battle. Immediately, David sent word to Joab (who was with the army at Rabbath) and told him to send Uriah to the Palace. When Uriah arrived, David asked about how the war was progressing and told him to go home and relax. Uriah did not return home; however, he stayed outside of the palace because he said he could not go wine and dine and sleep with his wife while the others were out fighting and sleeping in tents. David attempted three times to get him to go home to his wife, so David sent him back to the war and instructed Joab to put Uriah in the front of the battle and then withdraw so that he would be killed. Joab, later sent a report of the war back to David that said that Uriah had been killed. David tried to play it off and after Bathsheba finished mourning over Uriah's death, David sent for her to be one of his wives at the palace. Then she gave birth to his son and the Lord was very displeased with what David had done. It's very easy to fall into sin... when we do, we can become very hard hearted. In my opinion the heart wrenching action wasn't the sin of adultery or trying to cover up a pregnancy. It wasn't involving others into sin or murder... The most heart wrenching effect was displeasing the Lord.

Are You Tired?

Have you ever had to run so long that your heart felt like it was going to leap out of your chest? Your legs were on fire and felt like spaghetti? Your mouth so dry that it hurt to swallow? Your body in pain from exhaustion? I remember joining a marathon back when I lived in Massachusetts... I was only 14 years old. I was a part of a huge tradition. I remember the excitement I felt as I placed my number on my chest and made my way to the front of the line. With hundreds of people surrounding me I had it in my head that I could actually win this race. Bear in mind that I've had no previous experience running a long distance race before. I didn't even train for this race... I just happen to show up and was able to sign myself in. I remember lining up at the starting line. The adrenaline pumping through my body. I was a man on a mission. "On your mark.. get set... GO!", the sound of the gun went off and I bolted. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I WAS IN FIRST PLACE!!! At least for the first quarter mile... Something that had earlier escaped me was the over powering feeling of exhaustion. I was completely and utterly tired. I quickly began to slow down. I went from a sprint to a slower pace jog and then finally to a walk and almost a crawl. Only 7 more miles to go. Needless to say, I didn't win the race. In the New Testament, Paul compares our relationship with Christ to a race. Sometimes as Christians we need to understand how to pace ourselves in our walk with Christ. I remember when I first accepted Jesus in my heart... I felt like I could take on the world. I remember telling everybody I could about Him. As time went on though, I began to get lazy in my relationship with God. He would give me opportunities to share with people and I wouldn't. I had felt so beat down with people's excuses of why they didn't believe in God or how Jesus was a great guy but wasn't God... that it began to take a tole in my walk with Christ. I began to get tainted with the thoughts, "why should I share, it's not like any body's even listening?". You may find this hard to believe but, our job as believers is NOT to save people. It's not in our job description. Our job is simply to plant the seed... to be a tool of the Holy Spirit. It's only by the Holy Spirit that people are saved. Perhaps you're sitting there reading this and thinking, "why should I even bother anymore?" That's an honest question... the answer is simple... because your still alive. Until the day that we stand before God, we are all in a race. Though you may be tired, frustrated, exhausted... just know that we don't run this race alone. Our Lord is there with us cheering us on. If you stumble, He'll catch you. If you fall, He'll pick you up. When you are weak and can't go on, He'll carry you. Don't grow weary in doing well... Don't give in to this world which will one day pass away. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1