LifeChurchBlog.com

Pastor Mark Turner

Wisdom and Understanding

Sitting here this morning with such a desire (and need) to have wisdom and understanding in leading this wonderful life giving church that God has given to us. We know that unless "He builds His house we labor in vain". I do know that He has given us His wisdom through his Son. I believe however that we need to obtain (or release) that knowledge - wisdom - understanding by our faith (total reliance) on Him. In Corinthians, Paul writes that the wisdom of this world is foolishness, absurdity and stupidity with God. I need to lay down what I think I know, and pick up what He knows.
May I hear and understand what to do and when to do it. May the real (truth) reveal the false (soulish ideas). Today I will seek Him - He will hear me - He will answer me.
Today I will know and understand all that He has for me, and the answers for leading Life Church.
Thank You Lord!
PMT

Distractions


REFLECTION

Distractions, how easy they come and keep us from what is really important. The “urgent” things that are not critical or will make any real difference in our lives taking quality time that we could put to better use.

What’s important to you? Fight for it. Keep working to make the “Main Thing” the “Main Thing”. An area that is critical for me is early in the day quality time in God’s Word and in Prayer. I have to fight for it. One thing that has helped me is to physically go to the same place each day and have my devotional materials already placed there from the night before. It’s like I have an appointment and I need to keep it.

No one is perfect in these areas and there will be “distractions”. Some can wait, others cannot. Don’t strive for perfection, but contend for the excellence and quality in your life. It will make a difference.

PRAYER

Father, help me today (and everyday), to contend for what is right and significant in my life. May I work against distractions and keep the “Main Thing” the “Main Thing”. May I keep my daily appointment with you. May I grow in my understanding and value the quality time with you as the most important part of my day and my life.

Honored and Blessed

REFLECTION

How blessed I am to be called to be the Pastor of Life Church. God has been so faithful and gracious toward me. I look back at my life and where I have come from and then look at where God has brought me. I see all that He has allowed me to do and I am amazed. Amazing Grace, more than our salvation, but our life. What are we without it? Don’t even want to think about going there. Learning to “flow in His grace” is a relatively new discovery for me (Matt 11:28-30 msg). Keeping in the “flow” and not trying to “grind out my life” has been a daily focus, and it’s working. I love it.

PRAYER

May I reflect your goodness today Lord. May I be so enveloped in your presence that your joy in me is contagious. May your love take me to new levels of faith, and may your Amazing Grace working in me, be obvious to everyone. I love you Lord!

Blessings

PMT

Painters and Ministers

PAINTERS AND MINISTERS

I had a meeting last night with a man in our church that typifies so many that “get it”. We are so blessed that so many have caught the revelation of the local church. It is God’s plan. It is where our purpose and passion can be fulfilled and released.

 He is a painting contractor on the outside, but a wonderful minister on the inside. While his desire is to minister as a vocation as well, he doesn’t sit back and complain that he should be doing what others are doing in ministry, but rather he works to stay full and let the overflow of life and ministry “splash” all over others. He's not perfect in this or in life, none of us are. But I appreciate his heart and his commitment to "press on" in life and ministry.

 Long before I was asked by Pastor Daugherty to join the team at Victory Christian Center, I was a Real Estate Developer on the outside, and a minister on the inside. I pray that many more will catch that revelation this year, not only at Life Church but everywhere. I could have written about so many others in our church that “get it” as well.

 This year we have two words that signify our focus. Encourage and Empower. May we all Encourage others and help to Empower them to fulfill their true purpose through the local church. No matter what you are on the outside, you are a minister on the inside.

 Enjoy your life and enjoy your ministry.

 God Is For You! – God Is With You! – God Is In You!

 Remember: Life Is For Living!

Blessings

PMT 

Rick Warrens Devo

I hope you enjoy this. It "spoke" to me and I thought it might "speak" to you as well. 

It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5 (NLT)

Life is a struggle, but what most people don't realize is that our struggle, like Jacob's, is really with God! We want to be God, and there's no way we're going to win that struggle, but we try anyway.

A.W. Tozer said, "The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders, and interfering with God's work within us."

We aren't God, and we never will be. We're humans, and the times when we try to be God are the times we end up most like Satan, who tried to be equal with God, too.

We accept our humanity intellectually, but not emotionally. We give mental assent to the idea, but when faced with our own limitations, we react with irritation, anger, and resentment. We want to be taller (or shorter), smarter, stronger, more talented, beautiful, and wealthy.

We want to have it all and do it all, and become upset when it doesn't happen. Then, when we notice God gave others characteristics we don't have, we respond with envy, jealousy, and self-pity.

What it means to surrender
Surrendering to God is not passive resignation, fatalism, or an excuse for laziness. It is not accepting the status quo. It may mean the exact opposite: sacrificing your life in resistance to evil and injustice, or suffering in order to change what needs to be changed. God often calls surrendered people to do battle on his behalf. It not for cowards or doormats.

Surrendering is not putting your brain in neutral and giving up rational thinking. God would not waste the mind he gave you! God does not want robots to serve him. Surrendering is not repressing your personality. God wants to use your unique personality. Rather than being diminished, surrendering enhances your uniqueness.

C. S. Lewis observed, "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become - because he made us.  He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.

Blessings
PMT

Great Memories

REFLECTION

Thinking about my Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty, who recently went on to Heaven. I was reading from his devotional “Absolute Victory” and noticed how bright the blue cover was. In the first many years of the development of Victory Christian Center, anything and everything that needed painting was seemingly painted blue. It became a significant “look” of Victory. The local paint store actually developed and kept in stock “Victory Blue”. Great memories of a great man and wonderful ministry. I miss you Billy Joe.

PRAYER

May I somehow, someway flow in the grace of God for my life today. May I continue to become the husband, father, pastor that I am called to be. Thank you Lord for healing me of glaucoma and confirming it again through the Dr. Today is a wonderful day to show others how wonderful He is. To share the good news of his love, mercy and grace.

I love you Lord! 

Be Free Today

Life is good – Because God is good and He has given us his life. We have been redeemed (bought back), free from the slavery of sin. Free from the fear of death. We are free and we need to declare it and live it every day.

Jesus said, "I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can't come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through. John 8:34-36 msg.

PRAYER:

Father, I love you and thank you that you have bought me back. I was lost and in bondage, now I am found and free. (WOW!) Your love is amazing, and I am so thankful that you are my own personal Father God.

 Thank you that you are not distant, but you are always with me and in fact in me. Whatever I am that is of value comes because of my relationship with you. How blessed am I to know you. May today be a day that I will get to know you even more, and be able to share how amazing you are with someone else.

I Love You Lord!  

PMT

DISCOVER


DISCOVER

  

Reading a devotion today featuring John 10:10. The “dividing line” scripture in the Bible. Showing on one side all of the goodness of God that Jesus made available to us and the true nature of the “enemy” on the other side, whose purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy you and your family.

We need to “Discover” the life that God has for us today. We can purpose to go on an adventure each and every day to discover what God has for us. We know that He has a plan for us (Jer 29:11), and that His plan is altogether good.

May we “Discover” His plan for our lives today. May we discover His goodness, His love, His mercy and His grace. Make today a day of adventure. A day to explore, to seek out and find new life in Christ.

There is something out there today that is good and exciting, and it’s for you. So get up, get going and DISCOVER YOUR DESTINY!

IT’S ALL GOOD! – BECAUSE HE’S ALL GOOD!

SOMETHING GOOD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU TODAY!