Be filled and overflow

So how do we allow God to overflow in our lives? How do we balance living in the world and not be influenced by the world?

There is a simple answer. It is not an easy answer, however.

The answer? Be filled with the Spirit.

I point us back to the same passage I wrote about last week. Paul wrote to the Christians around Ephesus, "So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:15-20)

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a simple, yet difficult task. We are surrounded by so many messages. There are so many voices telling us what to think, how to act, what is right, and what is wrong. There are so many different voices that it’s often hard to decide which one to listen to. That is what being filled with the Spirit is ultimately about.

God calls us to be more than people who can simply quote a Scripture. He wants us to be people who live a Spirit-filled life. And that requires more than knowing the Bible. It requires us to be people who see the character of God and strive to make that our character as well. It challenges us to look at the Bible not as a list of rights and wrongs, but as a glimpse into the heart of God.

shine!
Jason

Pouring over

Have you ever been in a situation where the things you wanted to keep secret seeped out?

Maybe you got mad and said a word you normally don’t say out loud.

Maybe you have always felt a certain way about someone and your real feelings slipped out in a moment of anger.

Maybe the words to a song where you "only listen to the music" came flying out of your mouth.

It’s all about overflow. In moments of pressure, frustration, anger, and stress, the things that have been building inside of us overflow out of us. Jesus said, "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34)

This is where being a follower of Jesus meets reality. Paul wrote the following:

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:15-20)

I don’t believe that the singing and thankfulness that Paul talks about at the end of this passage are commands. Rather, they are the result of a heart that is so filled with the Holy Spirit that it overflows. When we are filled with the Spirit, worship becomes an outpouring, not a task. When we are filled with Spirit, thanksgiving becomes an outpouring, not a forced response.

When we focus on being filled with the the Spirit instead of doing church, we will begin to overflow with the love of Christ. Drink up!

shine!
Jason

The Shack

If you can only pick one book to read this year - besides the Bible, obviously - THIS is the book! The Shack, by William Young, is a great story that will likely challenge some of your perceptions about God, life, and faith. I don't want to say much, because I don't want to take anything away from the story, but I will say this is an incredible book. Move it to the top of your "must-read" list.

To find out more, visit www.TheShackBook.com.
 

shine!
Jason

Overflow

Have you ever had one of those experiences where you are physically exhausted, but spiritually energized? This past week I had one of those experiences at the National Conference on Youth Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

From Wednesday, January 2, through Saturday, January 5, I was blessed to be with some of the finest men and women in the world. Hundreds of people who have dedicated their lives to ministering to teenagers and their families gathered at the Atlanta Airport Hilton for this great conference.

Over the next couple of weeks I will likely write about some of the things that impacted me. But the one thought that continues to dwell in my mind is the idea of overflow.

Often ministers, especially youth ministers, get so wrapped up in their ministry that they forget to take time for themselves. I wonder how often I have been hard at work in ministry and neglected my own spiritual life.

My main goal for 2008 in ministry is not to create some new program or come up with a new approach to doing ministry. My primary ministry goal for this year is to focus on my own personal spiritual life so I can minister out of the overflow.

Too often I feel like I am experiencing spiritual drought while trying to provide living water to those around me. Have you ever tried to pump water from a fairly dry well? It takes a lot of work to get the water out.

This year I am going to aim for filling my well until it overflows. I want God to be so present in my life that His Spirit gushes out of me. I can't wait to see see what He has in store.

shine!
Jason

New Year's Resolutions

This is the time of year when people make New Year’s resolutions.

Some will buy a membership to a fitness club.

Others will pledge to break a bad habit.

According to the article Implementing New Year's Resolutions by Suzanne van Gils, here are statistics on how we maintain our resolutions throughout the year:

• Past the first week: 75%


• Past 2 weeks: 71%


• After one month: 64%


• After 6 months: 46%

If you have ever tried to make a New Year’s resolution these numbers may not surprise you.

So how do we follow through on our resolutions, especially our spiritual ones? I would recommend that we keep a few things in mind.

First of all, we serve a God of grace and mercy. The first time we fail doesn't mean we should give up. God is all about second chances. If your goal for 2008 is to be more giving, don’t quit the first time you act selfishly. God forgives you, so it’s OK to forgive yourself.

Second, remember that faith is a life-long journey. We are always working to improve as followers of Jesus. Don’t expect to change completely overnight.

Lastly, don't be afraid to ask for help. The church is a community of people all traveling the same journey; we are just at different places along the way. God brought us together to encourage and help each other.

It can be challenging to stick to our resolutions, but if we can remember that God and our fellow followers of Jesus are here and we are not alone, then we can strive to become more and more like the God we aim to serve.

shine!
Jason

What a trip!

I printed out the directions from Google Maps. It said 11 hours, 32 minutes. So we left late in the morning with our trip planned out. One long stop for dinner to stretch our legs and a few short stops for lunch and potty breaks.

As we headed south down I-75, it seemed like things would never get better. According to the Weather Channel, things should have cleared up by the time I got to southern Ohio. Lima was snowy. Dayton? Snowy. Cincinnati. Still snowing and windy.

As the sun began to set I was hoping for improved conditions; but as we approached Lexington, Kentucky, I realized things weren't getting any better. The traffic slowed to a crawl. It seemed like every quarter of a mile there was another car in the ditch or some kind of accident. Collisions, fender-benders, and even a jack-knifed semi. We saw it all. And this was while my speedometer seldom passed "10."

Heading further south in Kentucky, I figured this madness will finally end. But we continued to experience patches of snow and slick roads. Even Georgia wasn't safe. Finally, at a little after 3:00 am, we pulled into the parking lot. My legs were stiff from spending so much time holding down the break pedal. My back was sore from over 15 hours of driving.

I don't really want to complain, because I know we are doing a lot better than the people we saw in ditches and those being taken away by an ambulance. Sure, we had to drive a little longer than we planned, but our car is still in one piece and we are all safe.

However, I was reminded of an important lesson. It doesn't matter how much we plan or prepare, life can take turns we never expect.

Just like my 16-hour journey from Ohio to Atlanta, there are times we need to slow down and be cautious, and other times we need to press forward with focus. How things go in this journey called life are often determined more by the choices we make in the midst of storms or good times than by the situations we might find ourselves in.

The next time you feel frustrated, angry, or irritated, don't just push down the accelerator and try to speed through it. Hold on to God, think before you act, and focus more on what you can do than on what is happening to you.

shine!
Jason