part one: six non-negotiables you need to survive in today’s economy

Last night I spoke at the annual sales meeting for a Birmingham business.

The corporation is like few others, however.  The owners of the corporation are Christ-followers, as are many of the employees.

This weekend, I thought I would share that message with you.  Today is part one.  We will publish parts two and three on Saturday and Sunday.

There are six non-negotiables you need to survive in today’s economy.

1.  You need a SAVIOR

I want to put a lightning rod in your hand.  The lightning rod is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here are five facts about the lightning rod of the Gospel:

Fact #1: There is a God, and you are not He.

God created you in your mother’s womb, and thanks to His common grace you are allowed you to live on the earth in this time of human history.

Fact #2: You are a sinner.

Every person ever born is a sinner.   The Bible says we are all sinners, and we all fall short of the glory of God.

Fact #3: Because we are sinners, we all face the wrath of God.

Whether you sin privately or publicly, one time or many times, you are the recipient of God’s wrath because of your sin.

Fact #4: God sent His Son to die in your place.

Jesus lived a perfect life, died a sinless death, was buried, resurrected and ascended into heaven for your redemption.   And someday, the Bible says, He will return a second time not as Savior but as Judge to judge the living and the dead.

Fact #5: To be saved from the wrath of God you must be born-again.

God did something you could not do for yourself.  He sent His Son to die in your place.  And for you to be saved you must repent of your sin and confess Jesus as Lord.

I now place the lightning rod of God’s Gospel in your hand.  Non-negotiable #1, you need a Savior.

2. You Need a NAME

If you are going to survive in today’s market, you need a name.  Your name is paramount in survival.

What is your name?

Your name is your character.  It is your reputation.  It is who you are.  It is your moral fiber.

What kind of name do you have in this community?  What kind of name do you have in your business?  How important is your name?  How valuable is your name?

Take the name of the business you work for, how important is its name?  In the southeast the name is synonymous with excellence, with character, with honesty.  The owners of this business have spent their entire careers building on the foundation of the name.  The name of the corporation you work for is one of integrity because it is a name that can be trusted.

Can your name be trusted?  When people hear your name, what comes to their mind?  Are you trustworthy?  Are you dependable?  Are you a person of your word?

The Bible says this about a person’s name:

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

Proverbs 22:1

Non-negotiable #2: You need a good name to survive in today’s economy.

Tomorrow, we consider non-negotiables #3 & 4.

the Lord is near the brokenhearted

There are several psalms that minister to me.  Many of them are in my list of “go to” sentences from the Bible.  I “go to” them when I need God’s comfort.  I “go to” them when I am counseling others.  I “go to” them when I worship.  I “go to” them when I confess my sin or when I am deciding what to pray.

The Lord used a very special “go to” psalm today to bless me supremely, again.  After today I will never read the words with the same understanding.

Allow me to explain.

Three years ago a CrossPointer approached me with a major need.  More than a major need, this was an insurmountable problem.  The CrossPointer was facing a situation few could endure.  Christian counselors would call this kind of battle a “dark night of the soul”.

In order to protect my friend’s confidentiality, I will not give specific details.  However, my friend has given me permission to write about this part of their struggle.

The situation was emotionally crippling.  It was the kind of circumstance would turn your faith into turmoil.  And it is the CrossPointer’s rock-solid faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His infinite grace that has sustained them.

Over the last few years there have been moments of deep despair.  The pains have wreaked unrelenting havoc. Waves of despondency, I am sure, have flooded their heart.  Yet through it all, God has remained faithful.  And this dear friend has grown in Christ.  More than that, this dear friend has experienced limitless joy and victory in Christ.

Recently God gave another breakthrough along the road to healing.  God showered this deserving soul with a sentence of refuge, a statement of faith.  Like so many of you they have been reading through their One Year Bible.  Just a few days ago, when we were reading through Psalm 34, God used a particular verse to minister to them.

God spoke.  He did not speak audibly; it was louder than that.  More than just a sentence in the Bible, this would become their statement of faith.  This sentence would be their declaration of victory.  God spoke.  God gave it to them.  God used it to minister to them.  God blessed them.

If I were to describe the situation your heart would break.  My heart broke when I first heard their story.  You have no idea how inconsolable this fellow believer has been.  Their brokenness cannot be expressed verbally.  Their spirit had been crushed so deeply they wondered if they would every smile again, laugh again, pray again, worship again, or even rejoice again. Yet through it all God remained by their side.  Through everything God proved Himself faithful.  And just a few days ago, God gave them these powerful words.

If you are in desperate and do not know what to do, pay attention.  If you are hurting like you have never hurt before, read on.  If you are drowning in a sea of loneliness, and cannot find a way out, take note.  If you are overwhelmed with despair or depression or grief and considering taking your own life, take note of this answer.  If you are in need of relief from the pressures within and without, take this into consideration.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

Read that sentence again:

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

Read it one more time:

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

Yes, indeed, the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

more on mortification

Yesterday, I printed the first paragraph of the prayer “Mortification” from The Valley of Vision.

The Puritan prayer reminds me of John Owen’s book The Mortification of Sin.  The theme of the book is simply – kill sin or it will kill you.

The mortification of sin begins with repentance.  Repentance leads to confession.  Confession gives birth to accountability.

Accountability produces victory.

Since the first paragraph of “Mortification” spoke to us so convincingly, consider praying through the remainder of the prayer:

My iniquities are increased over my head:
My trespasses are known in the heavens,
and there Christ is gone also,
my advocate with the Father,
my propitiation for sins,
and I hear his word of peace.

At present it is a day of small things with me,
I have light enough to see my darkness,
sensibility enough to feel the hardness of my heart,
spirituality enough to mourn my want of a heavenly mind;
but I have had more,
I ought to have had more,
I have never been straitened in thee,
thou has always packed before me an infinite fullness,
and I have not taken it.

I confess and bewail my deficiencies and backslidings:
I mourn my numberless failures,
my incorrigibility under rebukes,
my want of profiting under ordinances of mercy,
my neglect of opportunities for usefulness.

It is not with me as in months past:
O recall me to thyself, and enable me to feel my first love.
May my improvements correspond with my privileges,
May my will accept the decisions of my judgment,
My choice be that which conscience approves, and may I never condemn myself in the things I allow!

the sins of my holy things

I return periodically to “The Valley of Vision” (Puritan Prayer Book) for my morning devotions.  Recently, I used “Mortificiation” (page 144 – 145) for my confession:

O Divine Lawgiver, I take shame in myself
for open violations to the law,
for my secret faults,
my omissions of duty,
my unprofitable attendance upon means of grace,
my carnality in worshipping thee,
and all the sins of my holy things.

Ouch!  That hurts.

I have confessed secret thoughts.  I have even admitted oversight of obligation and abuse of God’s grace.  Yet the confession of “my carnality in worshipping thee, and all the sins of my holy things” causes me great consternation.

George Whitfield’s said, “A Christian is one who repents of his righteousness, not just his sins.”

Again, that is painful.

What does that look like?

Could it be seeking the praise of man?
Could it be doing acts of righteousness to be seen by men?
Could it be craving the affirmation of others?
Could it be acting spiritual in order to impress others?
Could it be performing religious acts to please and appease God?
Could it be admiring in your own holiness?
Could it be looking down on others or putting down others to lift your own reputation?

the lost art of note-writing

Rod Dreher has a list of 24 things that are about to disappear in America.

From the list of 24, I was intrigued most by item 9:

9. Hand-Written Letters

In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that, worldwide, 183 billion e-mails were sent each day.  Two million each second.  By November of 2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned cell phones, and 80% of the world’s population had access to cell phone coverage.  In 2004, half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the number has no doubt increased exponentially since then. So where amongst this gorge of gabble is there room for the elegant, polite hand-written letter?

Writing a hand-written letter is, indeed, a lost art.  Whether it is a matter of inconvenience, disinterest, laziness, cost or time most people do not write personal notes.  As for me, I have always been a note-writer.

My grandmother was a note-writer.  She taught me to develop the lost art form.  We corresponded for many years.  Thankfully, I have a treasure box full of some of the notes we shared.  Somehow I obtained a collection of the notes I mailed her.  It is an occasional joy to read and re-read each letter today.

My commitment to writing personal letters is extensive.  I determined to make note-writing a central part of my ministry.  I write between 750 to1000 personal notes each year.

I write notes of sympathy, gratitude, encouragement and support.  One of my favorite notes includes recording my prayer for that individual.  Instead of informing the recipient I am praying for them, I write the write the actual prayer as I pray it.

Note-writing is my first order of business each day.  My daily to-do list includes the name of several individuals I desire to write.  The list includes people I know who are grieving, recuperating or struggling.  Other names include individuals the Lord places on my heart for one reason or another.  In addition to writing church members and friends, I have written presidents, authors, coaches, athletes and cultural personalities. Surprisingly, many have corresponded in return.

Several years ago I made the commitment to write my children a note of encouragement more than a few times each year.  Both of them have stored those notes in a dresser drawer or box.  For that, I am eternally thankful.  Perhaps they will treasure my notes much like I treasure my grandmother’s.  Only time will tell.

If you are not a note-writer, I encourage you to write a note today.  Purchase some inexpensive stationary.  Think of several people you would like to encourage.  Sit down.  Write them a note.  Drop it in the mail.  You will be glad you did.  Who knows, someone may respond in kind and send you a note.

grace was to be drunk neat…

I do not know much about Robert Farrar Capon, a full time American Episcopal parish priest, but I can tell from this quote I want to read more of what he has written:

The Reformation was a time when men went blind, staggering drunk because they had discovered, in the dusty basement of late medievalism, a whole cellar full of fifteen-hundred-year-old, two-hundred proof grace–bottle after bottle of pure distillate of Scripture, one sip of which would convince anyone that God saves us singlehandedly. The word of the Gospel–after all those centuries of trying to lift yourself into heaven by worrying about the perfection of your bootstraps–suddenly turned out to be a flat announcement that the saved were home free before they started…Grace was to be drunk neat: no water, no ice, and certainly no ginger ale…

Robert Farrar Capon

WOW!

sharing the gospel

Mark Dever, in his book What is a Healthy Church (IX Marks) says he tries to remember points whenever he is sharing the gospel, whether in private or in public – (1) God, (2) man, (3) Christ, and (4) response.

Dever explains his four points by asking himself these questions:

• Have I explained that God is our holy and sovereign creator?
• Have I made it clear that we humans are a strange mixture, wonderfully made in God’s image yet horribly fallen, sinful, and separated from Him?
• Have I explained who Jesus is and what he has done – that he is the God-man who uniquely and exclusively stands between God and man as a substitute and resurrected Lord?
• And finally, even if I’ve shared all this, have I clearly stated that a person must respond to the gospel and must believe this message and so turn from his life of self-centeredness and sin?

Remember this: the Gospel of Jesus Christ begins with God and includes the entire Bible.

what do you know about God?

What we know and believe about God is the most important thing about us.  There is nothing more central to a person’s existence than their view of God.  If we have a high view of God, then we are likely to have a biblical view of ourselves.  If we have a low view of God, then we are likely to have an elevated view of ourselves.

Knowledge of God shapes everything else in your life.  Knowledge of God determines the depth of your faith or the lack of it.

Comprehension of the Holy One decides how you will live.  Your understanding of the Lord God Almighty is reflected in your treatment of others as well as yourself.

Today, during my morning devotions, I spent time meditating on some of the foremost attributes of God.  It is always good to dwell on the riches and glory of God’s traits.  In doing so, the Lord lead me to compile a list of questions that lead me to further study.  I share these questions for your own study:

Omniscience: Do I know God knows everything?
Omnipresence: Do I know God is everywhere?
Omnipotence: Do I know God can do anything?
Sovereign: Do I know God controls everything?
Holy: Do I know God is totally perfect and utterly different from me and all of creation?
Gracious: Do I know God gives gracious oversight to the affairs of all mankind?
Love: Do I know God loves me even though I deserve His wrath?
Faithful: Do I know God does everything He says He will do?
Good: Do I know God is the final authority of everything that is good?
Wrath: Do I know God intensely hates all sin?
Mercy: Do I know God eternally gives Himself to us?
Immutable: Do I know God does not change His basic character?

take the spiritual challenge

Provided are three questions that will challenge you spiritually.  Take time to answer each inquiry individually before moving to the next one.

QUESTION #1:  WHAT DO YOU WANT?

What do you want?  Think about your answer, and then answer truthfully.

Some people want money.  Other people want to quit losing money.  Due to the recent economic crisis, more than a few people just want a job so they can make money.

Some people want to save their marriage.  Other people want out of their marriage.  While many others would like to just be married.

A few want peace.  Several want joy.  A number want a day without chaos.

There might even be a few people who do not know what they want.

Seriously, what do you want?  What is your answer?  What is the bottom line?

Think about it before you move on to the next question.

QUESTION #2: WHAT DOES GOD WANT?

When was the last time you considered what God wants?  Do you know what God wants for your life?

The Bible tells us plainly what God wants for His people.  The Bible says…

God wants us to be saved

3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:3-4

God wants us to love Him

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  38 This is the great and first commandment.

Matthew 22:37 – 38

God wants us to love our neighbor

And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Matthew 22:39

God wants us to love one another

34  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

John 13:34

God wants us to be holy

…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Ephesians 1:4

God wants us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow him

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23

God wants us to do everything for His glory

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

This is not an exhaustive by any means.  We could also add that God wants us to be generous, faithful, loving, servants, godly, righteous, prayerful, disciplined and on and on.  However, the list provides enough to show the purpose and direction God wants for your lives.

Let’s now wrestle with the final question.

QUESTION #3:  HOW DO YOUR WANTS AND GOD WANTS DIFFER?

Is there a difference between your wants and God’s wants?  How do your desires compare with God’s desires?  In what ways are your desires different than God’s?  In what ways are your wants similar?

Compare your list with God’s.  Take note of the differences.

Where there are differences, repent.  And where there are similarities, rejoice.

The greatest desire of your life should be to want what God wants for your life.

be courageous, president obama

One of my weekly routines includes reading some of my favorite blogs.  After viewing this video from another blog, I decided we should put it on our JUSTONEMORE page.

You will agree with me that John Piper nails it.  This is one of the clearest, most soul stirring arguments against abortion.

Spread the word, and make sure your friends and family members watch this video.  Pray, also, that President Obama watching this message as well.