three years

Three years . . .




156 weeks . . .




1,095 days . . .




26,280 hours . . .




those numbers make it seem like a long time, but, in reality, it's not that long. And yet, so much happens in that span of time . . .




new jobs . . .




new friendships . . .




new places to live . . .




good times . . .




hard times . . .




And in the midst of all that goes on, I wonder if we sometimes forget that people are the most important, after God. It is easy to get caught up in all the activities of life and in acquiring stuff, and forget about what really matters.

Today is three years since my Uncle passed away and it has caused me to stop and think. There is a lot of stuff - good and hard - that has happened in my life over the last three years. But, what has remained is the value of people in my life - my family and my close friends.

As I have been reflecting a bit on that, I started to think about what my life would be like without those people. (Maybe that seems a bit of a morbid thought to some, but for me it wasn't.) Life would not be the same without them. Life would still go on and I would still have good times and hard times. But, without some people in my life, it would feel like a part of me was missing. There are people in my life I consider it a huge blessing to have in my life and it is honestly difficult to imagine life without them.

Then I started to think about when the last time was that I let these people know how much they meant to me. With some of them it was not that long ago. But, with others it has been far too long. And, so today, I came to the conclusion that I need to take the time to let these people know.

What about your life? Who are the people who you have a hard time imagining living life without? When was the last time you let them know how much they mean to you? Is there anyone you need to let know this now?

what does it mean to believe?

I've been challenged lately in what believe actually means. Is it just giving mental assent to something? Or is more than that?

Most of the time in our society, the word believe mean just giving mental assent to something. It's little more than saying you agree with a statement about something. It makes believing in something pretty easy. There is nothing required of you to believe in something the way the word is commonly used today.

But, a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded that in Scripture the word believe means so much more than that. Over and over Romans 4 uses the phrase "Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." When you read the story of Abraham's life in Genesis beginning in chapter 17, you see that the belief of Abraham was not just mentally saying it made sense. Abraham believing God meant that he took action on it.

(I make no claim to be a Greek scholar, but this study challenged me on how I understand and use the word believe in my own life.) The word translated "believe" in Romans 4 is the Greek word "pisteou" and is verb. A verb implies that there's an action involved. If an action is involved, then believe has to mean more than just mentally agreeing that something it right. There has to be an action that flows from that mental agreement. When you read through Scripture and the various places that the words believe or faith are used, it becomes clear that action is a part of those words - that they require us to do something.

So, maybe this is something to think about. What do we typically mean when we use the words believe or faith? Does it involve any action on our part or can we just sit back and say we agree? Should there be a change in how we understand the meaning of these words?

transformed by being with Jesus

I have been reading through the Gospels and Acts lately and one thing has continued to jump out at me. Every time i turn a page to read more I am struck by the fact that it was being with Jesus that transformed the disciples into the early church leaders they became. The disciples did not go to come special school or conference to be changed. They simply spent time with Jesus - they spent everyday life with Jesus.

I think that is the way that we are transformed into who Jesus wants us to be today. It may look different but we transformed by being with Jesus - by doing everyday life with Jesus. We may not physically see the Person of Jesus sitting across from us or walking next to us, but we can still choose to allow Him to be a part of our every day life. That is was transforms us. That is how we become more and more like Christ.

So how do we choose to make Jesus a part of our every day lives?

I think that 1 Thessalonians 5:17 gives us a pretty good place to start when it says: "pray continually." This means we make conversation with God a part of everything we do. It does not have to be getting down on our knees and spending an hour praying. Although there is a time and a place for more focused prayer, praying continually means that we include in our every day life by talking to Him about as our day happens.

The other way we spend time with Jesus is by setting aside time to read His Word and to listen for what He might have to say to us. People call this many things - devotions, Bible study, personal time, quiet time, etc. What you call it does not matter. What it actually looks like does not matter. What matters is that you take time to spend with Jesus - time where you focus on Him and what He has to say.

Ultimately the ways we choose to make Jesus a part of our every day lives sound simple, but are a little more difficult to actually follow through with. We get caught up in life and often that means Jesus takes a backseat. But this is not how it is meant to be. And it is not how we become transformed like the disciples who spent three years living life with Jesus. But, if we truly desire transformation and to become more like Christ, then we need to spend time with Jesus - however that looks for you. Each person is different and things look different. But, what should be the same is that it becomes a priority in our lives.