Stay on the Wall!

"I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down..."  Nehemiah 6:3

Do you have any  unfinished projects around the house?  If you are like me, you probably  have more than a couple!    You may ask, "Why are they unfinished?"  Well despite my noble plans, I somehow got distracted.    Have you ever gotten distracted while trying to do something good?  Please know that in your efforts to build something BIG,   the enemy will show up in a big way to discourage, distract, and detour you from your destiny!  He knows that if you finish what you are building that is Blessed, Impactful, and  Glorifies God, that the consequence will be something big!    How do you continue to construct while dealing with distractions?     In the above scripture,  the courageous contractor, Nehemiah, provides an excellent example of how to stay on the wall especially when you are tempted to come down.
  
In chapter six of the book that bears his name, Nehemiah was almost finished with his wall building campaign.  It was at this time that his enemies intensified their attacks against him.  This is when he employed an approach that allowed him to stay on the wall.  Utilize this approach to help you continue to build BIG plans, dreams, goals, plans. First, Nehemiah was able to discern his distractions. Please understand that distractions come in many forms, shapes, and sizes.  Some even seem to be good things, but they are not necessarily the best things.  The text suggests that even people can serve as distractions.  How true this is in a marriage or a ministry, a career or a church.  However, Nehemiah was able to discern his distractions and stay on the wall.  That's my word to you today.  Refuse to submit to whatever it is that's trying to discourage you and continue building BIG!

Peace!

Do Something BIG!

What are you building that is BIG?  Does it have God's Blessing on it?  Is it making an Impact by blessing others?  Today I want to share the third essential element of doing something BIG,  which is, G- it Glorifies God.  What does it mean to glorify God?  Well it's as simple as 3 R's. We glorify God by- Recognizing His greatness, Reverencing or honoring Him in what we do, and Releasing all the credit to Him.  In essence our experience should be similar to the moon.  Did you know that the moon is basically a dark mass with no light?  However it does a great job of reflecting the light of the sun.  Simarly we are called to reflect the Son's light so that people see Him through what we do (Matthew 5:16).

However, sadly, many individuals make the mistake of thinking they are the star and believe it's all about them.  This same mentality and mindset is found in Genesus 11.  Here we find some people who wanted to build something BIG.  The Bible says that they wanted to build a tower that reached to heaven.  The text even says that because of their great communication (same speech), great collaboration (working together), and great creativity (using available resources) that they would have pulled it off had God himself not intervened.  You may ask, why did God intervene?  Well vs. 4 says that they were only interested in "making a name" for themselves.  They were not allowed to build something BIG because it wasn't for God's glory.   As you continue to construct whatever God has called you to do,  ask yourself, "Is this for my fame or His name?"  Make sure you do it BIG!

Peace!

DO Something BIG!

Are you building what you're building to make a better place in the world for yourself or to make the world a better place?  In my last post I mentioned that God has called you to construct something BIG.  Of course BIG is an acronym that has nothing to do with size but instead significance.  In order to do so, first make sure you have the Blessing of God on what you're building.  Today I'd like to add something else.  Make sure that what you're building is also a blessing to someone.  In other words, doing something BIG means , I- making an Impact.  Will anyone benefit  from what you are building?  Please know that we have been positioned on this planet to be people of impact.  In Matthew 5, Jesus said that we are the salt of the Earth and the light of the World. That's a major impact statement. To help you make this positive impact, I'll use another acronym BUILD.

We make an impact by- B-believing in people.  This is vital because many people do not believe in themselves.  This is due largely to painful past experiences or even present negative circumstances.  When we believe in people we begin to help them tap into their potential and fulfill their purpose. An example of this is seen in one of my favorite movies, The Matrix.  Even when Neo didn't believe in himself, Morpheous believed that Neo was the One.  In essence, Neo would have never become the One had not someone believed in him.  Who needs your help to become the One that changes their community, the One that builds the business, or the One that serves this society to make the world a better place?
Secondly we make an impact by, U- Understanding individuals.  By seeking to understand how people are, where they are, and what they are dealing with prepares us to help them in a more efficient manner. Next, we make an impact by I- Investing in individuals.  Imagine where would you be if someone had not invested in you.  Now it's your turn to pay it forward and invest your trust, time, talents or treasures into the life of somebody else.  Remember we are blessed to be a blessing! We make an impact by L- loving individuals. Love enables us to serve those who are the last, least, and left out.  It is not until people know how much we care that they care how much we know. Finally we make an impact by D-demonstrating what it means to make a difference.  People are more prone to "be" what they can "'see".  In other words, they need a model that they can mimic.  Maybe that's why Ghandi said, "We must be the change that we want to see in the world."  BUILDing something bigger than yourself will always be BIG!

PEACE!

Doing It BIG!

What are you currently building that is BIG?  Is it a ministry, or a marriage?  Is it a family, a business or a career?  Of course when reading this you probably automatically think of size.  However, when I say BIG, I'm not referring to size but instead I'm talking about significance.  We live in a world where it's easy to get it twisted.  By that I mean that it's possible to think our lives should be about making money instead of making a difference. I believe this is what our Lord and Liberator, Jesus Christ was referring to when He said that it's possible to gain the stuff that money can buy, while at the same time, lose the stuff that money can't buy (Luke 9:25).  What money does have a place in this world, we must make sure we keep things in proper perspective.  To help you do this I've created the acronym BIG.  Today I'll focus on the letter "B".

First ask yourself, is what I'm building Blessed?  In other words, are God's hands on it?  The amplified version of Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the Lord—it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it."  We must make sure that whatever we are building has first been ordained by God.  Why? Because God sustains, and maintains whatever He ordains.  I know what you're probably asking, how do I know what He ordains?  Easy, it's found in his Word.  God has specifically spoken His will in His Word.  From scripture there are many things that we know God has placed His blessing upon.  But, you may ask, what about those times when things are not so clear to me?  Well James 1:5 lets us know when we need wisdom at these times, we should ask God.  God wants to let you in on His will.  Unfortunately some things that we build do not pass this blessing test. We even sometimes still have the audacity to ask God to bless what we are building.  Instead of wasting our time in this way, a more appropriate request would be, God, help me to build where you have already placed your blessing.  Let's do it BIG!

PEACE!

Do Over!

Have you ever thought to yourself, if I could go back in time knowing what I know now, things would be different.  I was having that conversation with my kids, aka young ballers, at the gym one day.  I told them that if could go back and be a high school basketball player knowing what I currently know about what it takes to be successful, I'd be unstoppable!  What I was saying is that I would change some things.  Of course life doesn't work that way, and thankfully many of the lessons of the past help prepare us for the present, but how many of us wish we could do some things over?  As I was reflecting upon my weight loss journey, one of the things that I wish I could go back and do over is value my health a lot sooner.  Not just for the obvious reasons such as feeling better, but more importantly, for my mom.  For those of you that don't know, she battled congestive heart failure for many years and passed away in 2011.  Knowing what I now know, I wish I could go back and help her live a healthier lifestyle.  I know that if the Fitness Connection had existed years ago, that she would have been our Number One supporter!  Although I can't go back in the past and reach her, I can live in the present moment and try to impact and influence as many people as I can.  This is why I'm taking this 90 day challenge and my goal is to get as many of my family and friends to join me.  It's time that we obliterate obesity!   Listen, things can change, you can better your health.  If I can do it, so can you!  One of the best things about this challenge is that you will have all the support, encouragement, and motivation that you need.  Check out my website at www.michaeljones75.myvi.net.   Inbox me is you have any questions or would like to join the challenge.  Together we can do it!

PEACE!

A NEW Beginning!

     Last Sunday night, Peyton Manning showed why he is one of the greatest QB's to ever play the game.   Despite being written off by many, after suffering a neck injury and missing the 2011 season, the QB got off to a FRESH start in 2012 by throwing his 400th TD pass, becoming only the 3rd QB in history to do so.  His incredible journey over the last year teaches us a couple of vital lessons.

     First, his story shows us that you can still be productive despite experiencing pain in the past.  After suffering the neck injury, many questioned his ability to ever play football again.  Instead of remembering all of the previous passing records that he set, many folks only focused on his pain.  Has that ever been your experience?  People overlook the positives in your life and only point to what has caused you pain.  However Peyton shows us that having painful experiences doesn't have to paralyze our productivity. Despite being 36, the headlines Monday morning read, "Peyton look like old Manning last night."  Much of this can be attributed to the hard work he has put in over the past year.  Similarly, God often uses pain not to disable us but instead to develop us for greater productivity.

     Secondly, his story illustrates that you can triumph even when you've been traded!  Despite developing the Indianpolis Colts into one of the most successful NFL teams and even helping them win a championship, Peyton was thrown under the bus by his former team.  Have you ever been kicked to the curb?  It can be difficult especially when you're dismissed by someone you've helped develop.  But from his experience we learn that even when one team sees you as useless there's another team that sees you as useful and will give you another chance! 

Today, if you've had a painful past or have been put on waivers by your former team, the Good News is that TEAM JESUS wants to give you a new beginning and help you experience true victory!

PEACE!

Fresh Start

     Well the NFL football season began with a blast last night as the Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants.  In 2011, the Cowboys had a disappointing season in which they failed to make the playoffs.  Interestingly, their final game last season was a loss against the same New York Giants, who later went on to win the Super Bowl.  Although I'm not a Cowboy fan it was good to see them put the past behind and begin the new season with a fresh start.
     Have you ever needed a FRESH start?  If we are honest with ourselves, from time to time all of us need a new beginning, or the slate wiped clean. Thankfully the Bible let's us know that God in His grace, daily gives us a "do over".  Lamentations 3:23 says, "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
     While playing one of my favorite basketball games with my son, O-U-T (Out), I was reminded about the significance of a do over.  My son had already gotten an "U" and had just missed a shot to earn a "T", which meant he would lose the game.  As he missed he hollered out, "Daddy I need a do over, give me another shot!"  Of course sympathetically, I agreed and allowed him to shoot again.  He not only hit that shot but ended up hitting the remainder of his shots and winning the game (he must take after his dad)! 
No matter how many shots you have missed,  or how disappointing or discouraging your last season has been, the Good News is that God does not want you to lose.  He is the God of another chance!

     If you are looking for a FRESH start, or are without a church home, join us at Pilgrim Rest MBC this Sunday September 9 at 11:00 a.m, as I begin a new era as Pastor.  In the coming weeks we will share a series of messages that will be tailored to teach how God gives us a "FRESH" start.  Come and be blessed!

PEACE!