LIVE Arete’

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you.  Take your everyday, ordinary life- your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking-around life- and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. 

Don’t get so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God.  You’ll be changed from the inside out.  Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity.  God brings the best out of you, develops well formed maturity in you.

–        Romans 12:1-2  The Message

Truth lives in the midst of deception – Friedrich von Schiller

Less than 2% percent of all high school athletes are good enough to play on a Division I level in college.

Every day I get to work with 2% ‘ers.  Some have, and some more, will go on to play on some professional level. They are elite athletes. 

However, they are surrounded and inundated by mediocrity.

My challenge for them is to be intentional in exercising excellence in their lives each and every day.  For if they don’t, the mediocrity on campus will seep in and effect their excellence on the playing field.  It will be subtle.  They will begin to compromise.  They will begin to quit when they are tired instead of quitting when they are done.  They will allow distractions to sap energy and focus.

As children of God we too are elite.  Not elitists.  Elite in that we have the power that raised Christ from the grave living within us; the Holy Spirit.

However, surrounded all around that within us is our sinful nature.  Which the enemy uses as an earpiece to get us to believe we are less than we are called to be and therefore LIVE like it.

It isn’t about acting like you are better than everyone else. 

It is to LIVE the best you are to live regardless of everyone else.

Write ARETE’ on your hand or a rubber band and put on your wrist.  Somewhere that you can see to remind you today to live it.  Arête’ is the Greek word for LIVE Excellent.  The ancient Spartans would not compromise by living like the mediocrity that was all around them.  They focused on living Arête’.

What does that look like?

Instead of complaining – take action

Instead on moping, be determined and focused and push through

Don’t be distracted by foolishness that keeps you from point of task.

Be trustworthy

Don’t quit when you are tired.  Quit when you are done; finished.

Do what you ought to do when what you feel like doing is less than best

Areas in our lives that we can have better discipline, better attitude’s, posture and demeanor.

Doing more with what we have where we are.

It creates a lifestyle of Arête’

It will help you to conform no longer to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. – Romans 12:2

Intentionally, today..…and everyday…LIVE Arête’!

Basic Instructions

Now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander and dirty language. 

Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked ways.  Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. – Colossians 3:8-10

 

My wife asked our 7 year old to stop what she was doing and to pickup and put away toys she was playing with.  She at first did not and then not being satisfied with the command, she snapped back her disapproval by the tone of her voice.

My wife looked at her and asked quizzically – “where’s my daughter? I don’t see or hear her because my daughter was taught to be obedient and respectful.  And this little girl in front of me isn’t.”

 

Are you masquerading as someone other than the person God has taught you to be? (Our to sound cool) – YOU FRONTIN!

Are you being someone that you are not?

Are you acting/behaving in a way that isn’t in line with someone who no longer is controlled by their sinful nature but by the Holy Spirit that has renewed you?

 

Is your lifestyle, tone of voice, vocabulary, habits, decisions and actions contradictory to someone living as a child of God?

We each need to step back, pause and honestly evaluate how we are living. 

Are we truly living by how we have been taught?

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are.  Be honest in your evaluation of yourself.  – Romans 12:3

 

By His divine power God has equipped us to live a godly life – 2 Peter 1:3

 

In being disciplined to live godly as we have been taught, we bless ourselves, others and God Himself.

 

Remember who you are….and whose you are.

Will the real you…stand up and STAND OUT!

 

Intentionally, today……and everyday….get back to the basic disciplines of the Christian Life

Through the Desert is Replenishment

Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.  Psalm 126:4

I can speak from experience.  As Ross Perot once said, “One day you’re drinking the wine, the next day you’re picking the grapes.”  I had experienced having a substantial pay cut the day our business had to close doors a few years ago.

Oh yes, I wanted the money, and all that we had with it, back!

But, God has used it to further develop me internally. Because of what happened externally it lead me to a much better understanding internally where joy and fulfillment are birthed.

Because of what happened on the outside God was able to enrich me even more on the inside.

At the time I was already in ministry and speaking. I was, though, deceived and had unknowingly hit a plateau spiritually and mentally.  I didn’t realize that I was “desert dry.”

Because I was doing without a lot of the external “stuff” I began to delve into learning more and more about what’s going on internally.  My thirst was quenched.

It grew my ministry, mentoring and motivational speaking.  It has enriched my marriage and relationships.  Most importantly, my relationship with God. I have learned to trust God a whole lot more on providing financially than I ever had.

I experienced His peace that surpasses all understanding.

 

Are you like I was- seeking it in what’s “out there”? Have you been left frustrated, decieved?  It isn’t our nature in this day in time to look within.  It has become the norm to seek IT “out there”. Believing if we just get IT, it will take care of everything. God wants to work it for you from the inside out.

The solution is within.  It is asking and seeking wisdom that God can open your heart and mind to TRUE restoration.

 

I want to encourage you – whatever you have lost, felt has been taken away from you, God can redeem.

It is allowing God within to develop, strengthen, embolden, empower, enrich, invigorate and replenish…..you.

No, I haven’t recovered all the lost money and “stuff.” However, what I have received is much more valuable.

God gave me what I needed, not what I wanted.

For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold.  Proverbs 3:14

God has not allowed whatever has been taken from you to happen without Him offering a true long lasting greater restoration.  Allow Him.

 

Intentionally, today….and every day….seek His wisdom and be restored from the inside out

Delayed Gratification

Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act. – Psalm 37:7

Endurance builds character – Romans 5:4

I can wait……….just not right now!

Ever thought and acted on that?!

Seems unfair sometimes that we aren’t getting what we think we should have or deserve. We keep asking God to the point that we start yelling, “COME ON!” – Been there?

Endurance builds character. That is what Paul tells us in Romans.

Psychological studies indicate that it is true. The results of these studies show that those who will wait, seek delayed gratification, showing patience and self control have better: health, financial success, less harmful addictions and more stability in marriage and family.

When we don’t wait, when we won’t endure, we’ll make choices that are not according to God’s will for us. Two things happen. One is that we might have good, but may never experience His best. Or we are full of regret which may lead to many destructive actions in our life.

Unfortunately this happens because we grow up in a culture that teaches us:

No delay, buy NOW!

Same day delivery

Available NOW!

Take home TODAY!

Don’t wait!

On DEMAND

IF you order RIGHT NOW!….

You deserve it RIGHT NOW!

TO be transformed by the renewing of your mind we need to discipline ourselves to have self control and patience.

Takes trust.

Trusting in God comes from a relationship with Him.

I encourage you to take all that you feel compelled, impulse to do, and surrender it to God. Stay close and be mindful that God’s presence is all around you. Avidly seek His Will and wait. Wait by actively looking and listening to God to reveal His timing and Will.

Throughout the Bible so many had to wait years to receive what God had promised. But it was through that enduring time that they built character being obedient and faithful. That led to God releasing to them the desires in their hearts because He trusted them with it.

I know it isn’t always easy for me. But what it does is bring me to more discussion with God.

More time with Him.

More aware of His presence.

Acknowledging His Sovereignty.

And that is truly what God wants. More of us. And with that comes more revelation.

In His time. His way.

Intentionally, today……and every day…..wait, trust, listen……………..receive

Put on Your C.A.P.

Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Proverbs 4:5.

It is very easy to allow the day to work you, instead of you working your day.

We can plan out our day as well as possible.

However, surprises, extra work, other people and situations can accelerate our day.  We can feel the need to make rush judgments and decisions. We can get frustrated. We can allow responsibility to overwhelm us. We can get lost and lose the moments that we can accomplish and achieve our objective.

We, though, can learn to operate in peace and wisdom.

Pause when you feel rushed.

Focus on listening to what someone is saying to you when in conversation and not thinking about your next move or words.

Focus on the moment.  Give the task at hand your full attention and energy.

Ask for help when needed.

Say “NO” when you have to.

Don’t, flippantly without thought, allow your initiative to be side tracked.

Continue to circle back and regain clarity of your purpose in each given circumstance.

Before each day I intentionally ask God for my C.A.P.

CLARITY    AWARENESS     PERIPHERAL

Clearly alert, seeing what is all around you that can have an effect on you; still staying focused.

 

Ask for wisdom and guidance throughout the day.

Allow God to navigate through the twists and turns of the day.

Learn to operate in the spirit instead of the flesh.

Intentionally, Today…and every day…put on your CAP

Look Harder, Deeper

One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”

Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs.  You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’  For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”  – Luke 17:20-21

 

In the movie Act of Valor the lead Navy Seal tells about his father teaching him about abstract art.  He said you have to look harder.  You really have to look harder to see what you can’t really see..

Look Harder.  But more importantly look differently.

If you allow yourself to have a heightened spiritual sense you will notice God working in and around you.

Sometimes it is subtle and we miss it because we are too much in a hurry or we don’t think that is what it looks like.

It is in other people who God is using to bless us.

God using others to provide for us but in our pride we don’t accept it.  Or believe we don’t deserve it.

But most importantly is that you already possess it in the inside.

Our problem is that we have covered it up with worldly desires and pursuits.  We have added noise, busyness and concentrated worldly worry.  We have such an outwardly focus because we believe that is where we will find “heaven on earth”.

It is in our very hearts if we would only surrender to God and fix our eyes upon Jesus.

It is in His living Word if we would only discipline ourselves to be consistently reading it.

If we would only pause and turn off the noise and focus outside the periphery.

Ask God to let you see through His eyes.  Believe that you have received the request.  Now, go about your day looking harder.  Looking differently. Moving less hastily and paying attention to all that is around you; within you. For the Kingdom of God is already among you.

When you operate with this mind set you will pick up things below the surface.  It helps you keep your thermostat set regardless of other people, situation or other people.

For me, it helps me to have His peace in an unstable uncertain world.

Intentionally, today….and everyday…Look