Blog Posts - Christian Life Church

Why vs Why not

8/8/2017

Robert Kennedy made this statement, “Some people look at things as they are and ask why, other people look at things that could be and ask why not.” When kids are little, they learn by asking questions, and the main one is “Why?” “Why do I have to go to bed?” was a popular one around our house. Typically, the basis of why questions centers around not wanting to do something or an attitude of complaining. Why do I have to go to work? Or Why does nobody like me? “Why not” questions remove the attitude of complaining because they take responsibility for the answer and action. “Why not” questions have thought behind them. Why not have a personal relationship with God? Or Why not change my occupation to better my situation? A “Why not” question perceives a hidden truth. Today's encouraging word is Deuteronomy 29:29, “The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that He has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” Start to ask “why not” and see what God might reveal to you.

God bless you and keep you as you go and do life
Tony Lee

Reflection

8/7/2017

In the law of Reflection, we learn that you must occasionally pause and ponder. Ask yourself questions, “What did I just learn” and “Am I willing to adjust where I need to?” Do not forget where you came from because you don't want to become a snotty little brat. Give value to people who helped you. Our encouraging word comes from Ephesians 1: “3We all lived among them at one time in the cravings of our flesh, indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath. 4But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!” Today, reflect on where you were, but remember it does not define your destiny; it just gave you a starting point and grace for others.

Submitted by Braeden
God bless you and keep you as you go and do life
Tony Lee

Broken Hearts

8/6/2017

Hebrews 3:8 says “Do not harden you hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness.” Now you maybe confused, because you subscribed to this as an encouraging word, but keep reading. The Holy Spirit forcefully commands all believers, who you and I are one of, to not harden our hearts during trials. Simply put, hard times needs not make hard hearts. God knows that hard times are a given in everyones life. Despite this, the Holy Spirit doesn't want us to become hard hearted. Hard times can bring broken hearts, which many people think is weakness. Our wonderful savior can heal a broken heart according to Isaiah 6 and Luke 4, while God rebukes the hard hearted. In the past you believed the only way you could make it through the hard times was to hardened your heart. The Holy Spirit has a much better path. Keeping our Hearts pliable and moldable to God's hands is the most beneficial to our souls health. So today encouraging word comes from Col 3:15 “... let the peace of God rule in your Heart...”

God Bless you and keep you today as you go and do life
Tony Lee

August 05th, 2017

8/5/2017

Above all, we need to know we matter. We ask ourselves, “Why am I here?” Unknowingly, we seek other's approval by asking if they know why we are here. People ferociously look for appreciation in who they are or in what they can do. When we live for other's praise, we open ourselves up to manipulation, fear of failure, and other sinister forms of evil. God wants us to seek Him, so He created in us a hole that only He can fill. He wants to be the one giving us praise, appreciation, and worth. Today's word of encouragement is found in Psalms 139: “14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.” Find your worth today in relationship with the God that wonderfully made you.

God Bless you and keep you today as you go and do life
Tony Lee

Everlasting

7/31/2017

Henry Thoreau, who was a poet and philosopher, once spoke these words. “The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” We exchange our time for money and then money for the things we need or desire. A cup of Starbucks for someone making minimum wage is roughly 30 minutes, for example. Beyond the material world, there is a spiritual world in which we exchange our everlasting relationship with God for temporal things. Unfortunately, the temporal things bring instant satisfaction making it hard to sacrifice them. The Holy Spirit encourages us with these words today from 2 Corinthians 4:18, “while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Look with your spiritual eyes today and see the everlasting relationship with God.

God bless and keep you as you go and do life
Tony Lee

Abundance of God

7/30/2017

The world has wowed us with woe, and most have believed it. The world says there is not enough; not enough security, not enough resources, and not enough love. It is a scarcity mentality. God affectionately proclaims from Heaven that He is enough and there is more than enough of Him for everyone. Truly, God can and will meet our needs because He is a God of abundance. Ephesians 3:20 is today's encouraging word, “Now to the One being able to do super-abundantly beyond all of the things which we ask or think according to the power being at-work in us.” All we need to do is reject the world's woe and ask our Heavenly Father to give us Him.

God Bless you and keep you as you go and do life
Tony Lee

Compassion Moves us

7/25/2017

Jesus' compassion fueled Him to move in others lives. Jesus ministered to the needs of the people when he was moved by compassion. Compassion, which we have the ability to cultivate, moves us to action. Similar to a house's foundation, love upholds our compassion. Increasing your love through the Holy Spirit increases your ability to action. God's compassion for us moved Him to send Jesus, Jesus' compassion moved Him to die for us, and our compassion moves us lay down our life for others. Today's encouraging word provides a link between love, compassion, and action, Lamentations 3:”22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Today move in compassion founded in the love you increase from touching the Holy Spirit.

God bless you and keep you as you go and do life
Tony Lee

July 24th, 2017

7/24/2017

Ever heard the old saying, “You learn from experience?” Interestingly, we continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. If we learn from experience, then we should quit making the same mistakes. Learning from experience only promotes growth when evaluated for the lesson learned from it. Wistfully experiencing life, without evaluation, leads down the path to destruction. After any experience, whether good or bad, we ought to reflect and evaluate the lesson learned. Encouraging us today is the word from 1 Timothy 4:15. “Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.” God's desire is for us to grow and thrive.

God bless you and keep you as you go and do life
Tony Lee

Staying Real and True

7/20/2017

Yesterday, while working at Rick's flip house, we spent 4.5 hours installing a door that should have taken no more than 2 hours. Turns out we had a faulty level causing us to make the walls out of square and second guess our installation over and over again. Unfortunately, we found the mistakes after several failed attempts at installing the door. Have you ever lived thinking you knew what was true, but after days, weeks, months, or even years it was not true? Life's greatest regrets come from living our life to untrue standard. The Word, who is Jesus, sent us His word called the Bible to “true” up our life. (True is a term meaning level or straight also.) When we fight for the real us and escape our trained helplessness, the Word lights our way and makes our path straight and true. Today's encouraging word comes from Psalms 119:104 “Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. 105 Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path.” Do not let your life be untrue, know Jesus.

God bless you and keep you as you go and do life
Tony Lee

July 19th
John Maxwell asserted, “Staying real is one of the most courageous things we will ever fight for.” Jesus, who was totally real, gave us freedom which cost Him three nails and a cross. Jesus desires real relationship with you. Diligently we must fight to maintain our freedom to be real with one another also. Because really loving God and loving your neighbor comes from the real you, the two greatest commandments require us to be courageous. Remember courage has the root latin words for “open heart.” Courage is the essence of reality in your spirit, soul, and body. Do not let others make you feel like you need to be different than what God has ordained you to be. Our encouraging word today is a promise from God. Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” You can take that promise to your soul bank and fight for the real you.

God bless you and keep you as you go and do life,
Tony Lee

July 18th, 2017

7/18/2017

There has been a whimsical mystery in my neighborhood. Every couple of mornings, a Mercedes SLK coupe is parked on the street. The lady who parks it there usually walks a golden retriever. In an attempt to make sense of this mystery, I had decided the lady was the daughter of an elderly couple who owned a dog that needed to be walked once in awhile. This mystery has been raging for three years. The mystery was solved last week, when the lady explained to us that her dog will not walk out of their yard. So every morning, she puts the dog in the car and drives out her driveway and onto the road in order to walk the dog around our neighborhood. Helplessly, the dog's fear of the invisible fence provokes such anxiety, it can no longer just walk out of the yard with its master. Classic example of trained helplessness. We as Christians sometimes succumb to the same kind of fears so we can not walk with our Master. Today's encouraging word is from the story of Peter in which he was trapped by trained helplessness. Acts 10:15, “Again the voice came to him a second time, "You must stop calling unclean what God has made clean." Go back and read the whole chapter today. God is doing something in you that has never been done so do not reject it.

God bless you and keep you as you go and do life
Tony Lee