The Body

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." ~ 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

One thing I've learned from being an entrepreneur is that everyone has a calling. Everyone has something that they're good at, something that God has blessed them to do better than everyone else.

The flip side of the coin, however, is that everyone is not called to do everything. Not everyone's called to be a singer, for instance (see American idol auditions). Not everyone is good at math. Not everyone's called to be rich and famous like Donald Trump or the ability to galvanize millions of people like President Obama.

The key to success, however, is finding that thing you are called to do. For Christians, it's finding your place in the body.

That's where the magic happens. Because when you're operating in that which you are called to do, you allow others to operate in that which they are called to do and the entire body operates more efficient and effective.

So what's your calling? Where's your place in the world?

Find it and you'll open yourself up to a world of possibilities.

God bless,
J.W.

All Things

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” ~ Romans 8:28

While things may not always go as we planned, we can be assured that they will always work out for our good. Whatever happens is in God's will.

So, stop worrying about the future and living in regret of the past. The details of our lives have already been worked out for us. We have a God who loves us more than we could ever know! Our job is to continue to be obedient and follow His path for our lives.

We are guaranteed success if we do.

God bless,
J.W.

This Is The Way

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" ~ Isaiah 30:21

Often times, as Christians, we fail to fully realize the sovereignty that God has over our lives. We think that God is like us. That He lives in time. That He takes life as it comes. That He worries and complains about life like we do.

But God doesn't live like us. He doesn't live in time. He's eternal and He's sovereign.

So what does that mean for us?

It means that God has already worked things out for us. He's already determined what direction our lives will take. Our job is to do our part and walk in the path that's He's already laid out for us.

When we worry about the future, i.e. what's going to happen and how we're going to make it happen, we essentially say to God, "I don't trust you. I don't believe that you are sovereign, so I'm going to take things into my own hands, and make it happen on my own."

But that is not the way God wants us to live. Rather, He wants us to live freely, with power and purpose.

Walk in the path he's laid out for you today.

God bless,
J.W.

The Way

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" ~ John 14:6

Yesterday, Tiger Woods made his first public statement since entering rehab for sex addiction after news of various mistresses came out in the news media a few months ago.

In his statement, Tiger said:

"I have a lot of work to do and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it.  Part of following this path, for me, is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age.  People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years.  Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security.  It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint.  Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught." 

Well, I hate to break it to Tiger and the millions of other Buddhists out there, but Buddhism is, by no means, the answer to Tiger's problems.  Despite the positive things it might teach, turning to Buddhism will only act as a temporary fix to Tiger's issues. 

Why?

Because, in John 14:6, Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

I know it might be controversial to say, especially in this day and age, but there is no true salvation or redemption except that which comes through Jesus Christ.

Like it or not, He is the way, the truth, and the life. Not A way, but THE Way.

As Christians, if we don't believe that, then our entire faith is fruitless.

God bless,
J.W.

Prodded by Love

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." ~ 1 Peter 4:8

Last week, during my trip down to Baltimore, I turned on the radio and listened to a sermon by a preacher named Pastor Mike Fabarez, Senior Pastor at the Compass Bible Church in South Orange County, CA.  On this particular day, he was preaching on the subject "Prodded by Love."

In it, Pastor Mike was encouraging his congregation and radio listeners to examine their life.  "Why am I doing this?" he urged us to ask ourselves.  "Why am I a part of this ministry?"  "Why do I go to work in the morning?"  "Why do I go to this church?"  "What motivates me to do the things that I do?"

His point: we should all examine our behavior because it often acts as a window to our motives.  In short, Pastor Mike says we should all be "prodded by love."  In other words, we should all be motivated to do what we do out of love, both for God and for His people.  Any other motive we have is impure and will ultimately lead to destruction.  It's the reason the world is that the way it is now.  Not enough people are prodded by love.

 

So, what are you prodded by today?  If it's not love, then what is it?  How can you change?

 

God bless,

J.W.

What Was I Thinking?

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do... As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me... For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." ~ Romans 7:15-20

Often times, when we do stupid things in life, we look back on the decisions we've made and say "what was I thinking?"

Often times, we can't explain our stupid decisions, other than to just say "it happened, it was a mistake, and I'm sorry."

Well, Paul tells us that making mistakes is natural. Because we live in an imperfect world amongst an enemy that hates us, we are going to mess up sometimes. Temptation to do the wrong thing is natural.

But every experience doesn't have to be a bad one. Some things are meant to be a learning experience.

In the end, it's not our mistakes that matter, but how we bounce back from those mistakes. Likewise, it's not being tempted that counts, but how we respond in the face of temptation.

That is what shows our true character.

So what kind of character are you showing today?

God bless,
J.W.

Living According to the Spirit

 

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." ~ Romans 8:5-6

There's nothing worse than a carnal Christian - people who claim Christ, are saved, and know the Gospel, but refuse to truly allow God to transform their lives because of fear and apathy. In short, they continue to live their lives according to the flesh. They curse, they fornicate, they sin. They often have bad attitudes and a poor outlook on life, and ultimately end up lonely because their actions drive everyone they love away.

Please don't end up like these people. Nobody's perfect and everyone makes mistakes, but God has called us to live according to the Spirit of God, not according to the desires of our flesh.

I know it gets hard sometimes to do the right thing. We all struggle to do so. But God never promised us it would be easy. In fact, He promised the opposite. In order to live a transformed life, you've got to do the hard work that it takes to be transformed. God promised a life of great blessing and triumph as a result.

So, if you've never been filled by the Spirit of God or done the hard work that it takes to crucify your earthly, fleshly desires, ask Him to come in your heart today. He's waiting for the invitation.

God bless,
J.W.

Be Still

"Be still,  and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." ~ Psalm 46:10

The snow's coming down. The streets are impassable. Kids are out of school. Cabin fever's starting to set in.

All the while God is standing before us and telling us to be still and know that He is God.

In the busyness that is our lives, many times, we miss the big picture for lack of introspection and retrospection. Sometimes, God has to get our attention through extraordinary means to slow us down so that He might teach us valuable lessons about life and leaning and depending wholly on Him.

Please don't fight God's will for you to slow down this week. He just may be trying to speak into your life.

God bless,
J.W.

Thank You

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words." ~ Matthew 6:7

Sometimes, we don't need to say a whole lot when we pray.

A simple "thank you" will often suffice.

God bless,
J.W.

What Are You Hearing?

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." ~ Romans 10:17

One of the areas in which I struggle the most as a young Christian is in the things I listen to and watch. For instance, sometimes, I listen to Hot 97, where the songs are all about getting drunk, being promiscuous, and irresponsible. I tell myself I just like the style of music.

Sometimes, I watch movies where the subject matter is overtly sexual or violent. I tell myself I just like watching movies.

Sometimes, I watch way too much TV. I tell myself I'm just taking some time to relax.

But like the saying goes, you are what you eat.

God says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by His word. So, what are you hearing today? Are the things you listen to or watch pleasing to God? More importantly, are they properly feeding your spirit?

God bless,
J.W.