Making the Most of "You"

Are you reaching your maximum potential? We often try to be our best, but we run into obstacles along the way. These obstacles come in the form of limitations on our finances, skills, mental capacity, health, or opportunities. Sometimes we wish to ourselves that "if only I didn't have this or that limitation, then I'd really reach my maximum potential". We look at how others don't have the limitations we face, and we credit them with achieving more based on their increased opportunity. After all, if we had what they have then we'd do things better than they do, right?

We are a unique combination of our soul, spirit, and body:

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 5:13

I am not sure of the details or mechanisms, but somehow we are innately born with predispositions in each of these areas. That same soul, spirit, and body is refined and reworked by our experiences and how we react to them. You may have problems with anger because it's in your DNA, or you may get angry just because you saw your parents or friends react that way when you were growing up, or you may just like the feeling that anger gives you. The same could be said of your happiness, creativity, thoughtfulness, and other parts of your personality. How much of "you" is encoded in your DNA, how much has been bolted on by your upbringing, and how much of it is developed by you? There is "nature", "nurture" and then finally our reaction to those two parts. We can really only control that 3rd part (our reactions) which is where our area of responsibility lies.

So I'd like you to imagine that someone was born with your precise DNA, brought up in the same household environment you lived in, and had the same friends you had. Would they have made the same choices you did, or would they have chosen differently? If that person were standing right next to you, would they have scars where you do or carry the baggage that you carry? Would that person "coast" based on a God-given talent they have, or would they push themselves to develop it further? Thinking this way helps me see what I should really make of myself.

God has given me the DNA that I have and has granted me with the family and friends I have. What I do with those blessings (or limitations) is dependent upon me. This leads me (and hopefully you as well) to acknowledge and work around limitations that were placed in our lives beyond our control. It also hopefully leads us to continually push ourselves to develop in areas that are already satisfactory (ie: we shouldn't be satisfied with a mere passing grade in life).

Jesus is the standard by which we should measure ourselves, and we all fall short (Romans 3:23). He gave us a goal to aim for: to be the most God-like person we can be, to bring glory to God and honor him by becoming like him. Recognize areas where you fall short, so that they can be improved if God grants you the time to improve them. Identify areas where you can grow to be closer to Jesus' example. In summary, make the most of "you" that you can with the DNA and upbringing that God has blessed you with.

The Race No Man Wins

This past week I learned that a faithful man I greatly respect was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. It was a shock to me, as it was to many others who heard this news. I have prayed for healing, but we all know that praying for something doesn't guarantee it will happen. We know God can heal completely, but will he?

A prayer for healing is really a prayer for time. Time is a finite resource that each of us gulps down at the same rate and with the same fervor. How many seconds will comprise my lifetime? No matter how many they are, I will certainly pray to God for several more. There is never enough time.

The race against time is the race no man can win. We try to eat healthy, exercise regularly, live a clean lifestyle, and avoid dangerous activities all to prolong our time on the earth. God grants us answers to prayers for health, but he doesn't do so indefinitely. Like the race between the tortoise and the hare, eventually the methodical plodding of time will overtake every mortal soul. At one point in every person's life, they ask God to sustain their life and God responds with "no more". Will today be my time?

Physical life is a process of growth and decay. Our bodies are constantly undergoing both of these processes simultaneously from the moment we are born. To see this, look no further than your hair and fingernails: they are dead cells which constantly ooze out of our bodies and need to be maintained. Muscles grow through the strain of lifting followed by a period of regrowth. The collection of cells which makes up your body today were mostly not there several years ago. We are constantly growing and constantly dying. Our bodies die when the death overcomes the growth.

A great deception is that we start thinking that just because we see growth, death is no longer waiting for us. God said with certainty to Adam "you will surely die" (Genesis 2:17) when sin took its foothold in the world through disobedience. Satan tries to deceive us as he did Eve by muttering "you will not surely die" (Genesis 3:4). We start thinking that if we take care of ourselves, get good health insurance, and plan for retirement then we can avoid a confrontation with death. "Sure", we think, "after I've done everything I need to do, then death can come". But when is it ever the right time? When are we ever done?

We always think to ourselves that we'll die later in life, but don't want to admit that one day "later" will become today. Value each today that God gives you: the breath in your lungs, the blood in your veins, the food in your belly, and the thoughts in your mind. Use the gift of today to accomplish something of lasting value.

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

- Hebrews 9:27-28

Sermon Handouts

Many of you may already know that I occasionally teach sermons at church. I have presented my first talk in 1993 or 1994, which means that this year marks the 20-year mark for me as a teacher. Over the years I have developed my own speaking style, but it is largely based upon speakers which I felt were very effective at communicating information to me. I presumed that if I connected with a speaker's style, then other people would connect with me if I did the same. That's based on an incorrect assumption that all audience members have the same listening style, but it seems to have worked well enough.

The past few years I have been speaking, I've developed handouts for each sermon. I find that a handout has several benefits:

• It forces me to structure my thoughts well enough to convey them in written format.
• It helps clarify which parts of the sermon are interpretation and which are scripture.
• If a listener's mind goes on a tangent or their kids distract them, it gives them the ability to pick up the parts of the sermon that they missed.
• It gives listeners a reference for later, in case they'd like to think about it again or study further.

In a future blog post, I can explain a little about the structure of the handouts that I use. If you'd like to see the handout I made for the sermon I presented yesterday, click here.