Purpose

Who Are You?

DrJayCook Christian Life , , , ,

Who are you?

Really – who are you?

That question usually leads us to think about a label.  We think of a name, the family from which one comes, achievements or characteristics, one’s job, one’s failures, one’s flaws, or any other label we can attach.  But none of those things truly define who you are.

If you are a Christian, do you realize that you are the person God created to accomplish God’s great plan?

Many times we pay homage to God but do not truly trust Him until we face some form of devastation.  He definitely can help us overcome adversity, but we miss out on all that God could do when we fail to remain or abide in Him at all times.

Jesus said in John 15:4-5: “‘Remain in Me, and I in you.  Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in Me.’”  He can help us accomplish what we could never dream of doing on our own.

And He also enables us to see how great He is, how not-so-great we are, and how incredible His love and grace are.  It is like John stated in 1 John 3:1: “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children – and we are!”

Christian, you are God’s child.  And God wants you to recognize who you really are, who you could be, and who you should be.

It is amazing to look through the Bible and see how often God used broken and imperfect people for greatness.  Those people had bad labels but trusted God, and He enabled them to do what they never dreamed possible.

So, yes, your identity is rooted in Jesus.  However, if you do not recognize that, you are asking for trouble.  It is like Paul reminded us in 1 Corinthians 15:48-49: “Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.  And just as we have born the image of the man of dust, we also bear the image of the man of heaven.”

Do not let the labels distract you or keep you back.  Find your purpose and joy in Jesus.  Discover who you really should be.

Check out the following resource for more ideas about who you really are by clicking the picture…

It It All About Jesus

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One of the most beautiful buildings in the world is the Taj Mahal in India. The emperor Shah Jahan commissioned its creation to honor his deceased wife.  Since it is nearly four hundred years old, many legends have been created in connection with it.

One legend describes how passionate the emperor was to build a spectacular temple for his wife’s coffin.  He ordered that her coffin be placed in the center of the site as the temple was built around it.  Work continued for over twenty years, and one day during that time Jahan stumbled over a wooden box that was covered with dust.  He was upset at the inconvenience, so he ordered a workman to get rid of the box.  Later he discovered that he had ordered the removal of the box containing the coffin of his love – the very reason for the entire project.

I do not know if that is true, but I can imagine it happening.  After all, I see a similar thing happening every year.

Year after year, we prepare for and celebrate Christmas.  Many people get so wrapped up in the holiday details, traditions, festivities, and gifts that they neglect Jesus.  Some see Jesus as an inconvenience to the holiday and would prefer to remove Him from the holiday completely.  We do exactly what the Taj Mahal legend was about.

But it does not have to be that way.  Christmas comes back to Luke 2:11: “Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Christmas is about the only One who can save our souls coming to us.  Christmas is about the Messiah – the Lord coming to us.  Christmas is all about Jesus, and anything else should point to Him.

Personally, I love the music, foods, gatherings, and festivities of Christmas.  However, my prayer is that I never forget why we celebrate it.  And I pray that you never forget why we celebrate it.  In fact, I pray that if you have not accepted the Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord, that you will soon.  It is all about Jesus.

The following book goes into detail about the amazing birth of Jesus. Click the picture to see more…

Are You Upset about Chandler?

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Many of us remember the hit TV show “Friends.”  It not only had incredible ratings when it was first aired, but 20 years after its finale, one can still find it on some channel every day.  It was and is a cultural phenomenon.

Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) died recently at the young age of 54.  I say “young” because that is how old I am, and I definitely am not old – ha-ha.  It was a surprise and garnered many emotions.  Did you know about it?

Many people felt like they knew Matthew, so his death seemed like the loss of a “real” friend.  However, we see that a lot – don’t we?  Celebrities die.  Politicians die.  People that we have never met but have watched from afar die, and we feel the loss.

But what about those who are physically in your life?

Life is short.  Life is chaotic.  Life takes unexpected turns.  Psalm 39:4 reminds us of this by stating: “Lord, make me aware of my end and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am.”  Also, Psalm 90:12 states: “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.”

With each passing year, we recognize how quickly life moves ahead.  Christmas is almost here, but I feel like I just put the Christmas decorations up a few weeks ago.  My adult son and teenage daughter were toddlers a few months ago (in my mind).

And what about those “real” friends we have?  It is easy to think that we will get together in a few weeks even though it rarely happens.  It is easy to think that we will catch up on the phone in a few days even though life throws something else at us that causes us to put it off – again.  How are you helping, enjoying, and investing in those friendships?

And what about the most important relationship in life?  What about your relationship with God?  It is easy to think that we will get things right with Him when life calms down – though it never does.  It is easy to think that we will get more involved in things that please Him when we have more time – though time seems to be moving faster and faster.

Perhaps it is time for us to stop letting life dictate OUR lives.  Perhaps it is time for us to begin doing and being what we should do and be.  Perhaps it is time to allow a wakeup call to actually wake us up.

Let us enjoy life the way God intended.

Just Another Day?

DrJayCook Christian Life, Direction , , ,

Does the following sound familiar?

You get up on Monday and do what you have to do to make it through the day.  You do the same thing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Saturday and Sunday might offer you a small break, but you know Monday is coming.

When I look at most people, their lives resemble the pattern above.  Life is dull, boring, and often dreadful.

Oscar Wilde was correct when he stated, “To live is the rarest thing in the world.  Most people exist, that is all.”

Do you really believe that existing is all that life has to offer?  Is life nothing more than a routine?

Though it often seems like most people are aimlessly wandering through life, that does not have to be true for you.  If you are a Christian, you can know and live out a purpose that is much bigger than just existing.  You see, Proverbs 16:4 states: “The LORD has prepared everything for his purpose.”

That includes you and me.  But whether we discover that purpose and live it out is the choice of each of us.

From my studies and experience, I would like to offer some suggestions.

First, pray.  Begin asking God to show you what your life could be.  Ask Him to help you be spiritually prepared to follow His leadership.  And keep praying.

Second, consider your strengths.  There are things that God has enabled you to do (both natural and learned things).  God does not give us abilities for no reason.

Third, consider what gets you excited.  We are all different, and God gives us passions that are suited for each person.

Fourth, get the input of some godly friends.  They know you and they know the Lord.  They might be able to tell you things that you cannot see.

Fifth, begin with small steps.  When you have an idea of what God wants of and for you, begin doing it.  Start small.  Build your knowledge and skills in that area.  Take larger steps bit by bit.

Sixth, help others.  You are surrounded by many others who do not know what to do.  Help them discover the life that they should be living.

And remember that Jesus said, “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10)

You may want to check out one of the most-read books on this. Click the picture to find out more…

The Big Deal about Labor Day

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Labor Day is Monday.  What do you have planned?  What does it mean to you?

Back in the late 1800’s, labor activities pushed for a holiday to recognize the importance of workers in shaping and sustaining America.  They recognized the importance of “work” and wanted the nation to recognize it as well.

Today, many people may have the wrong idea about work.  Some see work as a burden, and some think it is an outcome of Adam and Eve’s original sin.  Some see work as a five-day drudgery leading to a weekend, and some see it as completely separate from what one does on Sundays.

For those of us who claim faith in Jesus, work is completely different (or should be).

God’s original plan for us included work; Adam and Eve were tasked with taking care of the Garden of Eden.  God is the Creator, and He continues to work today; He expects His followers to be like Him in this. Therefore, work is a form of worship.  Our work should point others to God because everything we do should point others to Him.

In your work (at a job, at school, around the house…), do you point others to God?  Do you show gratitude?  Do you imitate Jesus?  Do you serve others?

We read in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.”  Whatever you do…  Work has a much bigger purpose than just getting a paycheck.  Work should be part of our living by faith.  Our work should demonstrate the integrity of God that we should show.  Our work should make a difference no matter what it is.

Billy Graham once said that he believed the next great awakening (the next revival that spreads across the nation) will probably occur in the workplace.  That makes total sense when you look at where our churches are.  Fewer people are attending and participating in churches today, but our population is increasing steadily.  The world is not in our church buildings.  The world is everywhere we are – including at work.

So this Labor Day, I hope you enjoy a break.  But I also hope you will recognize the blessing and opportunity that work gives us to make a difference and change our world.  Do it “for the Lord.”  It was and is His plan.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

DrJayCook Christian Life , , , , ,

Ready or not, it is time.  Get the school colors out, and dust off the stadium seats.  Oh, and apparently stock up on water bottles.  Man, it is hot!

Football is obviously loved, supported, and debated in the South.  And what I find interesting is that we can learn a lot from the game.

Consider Coach Vince Lombardi – way back when he coached the Green Bay Packers.  In 1961 they lost the big game even though they had been ahead.  When they got back together to prepare for the season, those professional football players were ready to pick up where they had left off.  But Lombardi stood up, held up a football, and put them in their place by saying, “Gentlemen, this is a football.”

He understood that the only way to be prepared was to get back to the basics.  They had to keep the main thing as the main thing.  Skills, teamwork, and strength are important, but they will come with time; and they are useless without focus.

And that is true in life, is it not?

No one makes it to Sports Center without a long road that got them there.  The fundamentals have to be practiced, honed, and never abandoned.  The basics must be ingrained, and then success comes.

Jesus made our fundamentals clear.  There is an internal focus and an external focus that we must master in life.

Internally, Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”  Externally, He told us in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the So and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Have you mastered those things?  Are you daily working on them?

Seek God’s kingdom above all else.  Seek to live like He wants you to.  That is what we have to do if we want God to bless our lives.

Make disciples everywhere you go.  Help others know Jesus and grow in Him.  That is what we have to do with everyone we can. There are plenty of other things we can do (and often should do), but nothing matters as much as doing what God wants us to do.  Nothing should keep us from doing what God wants us to do.  This is the football.  This is our “basics.”  This is our challenge.  Let’s go!

MacArthur wrote a great book on some of the fundamentals of the faith. Click the picture below to check it out for yourself…