Pete Wilson's Blog, page 15

Everyone’s Welcome

At Cross Point we believe that –

Everyone’s Welcome because Nobody’s Perfect and Anything Is Possible.

We believe that this is Jesus’ model for us, that he ministered to ALL people, no matter who they were or what they had done. He purposely created tension by loving everyone, because community is at it’s best when it embraces both grace and truth.

 

 

Transformational Leadership – Part 1

I’d like to spend some time over the next couple of weeks looking at some of the amazing leadership lessons that Jesus gives us in his final days leading up to the cross.

I’ve always thought that the true character of a leader will be seen in times of crisis. This has been proven true throughout all of history and was certainly true of the person of Jesus Christ.

I was reminded yesterday reading Matthew 21, and specifically the text on the “triumphal entry,” that Jesus was surrounded by people who constantly had expectations of him. In Mark 10, we see that most of his followers had some sort of agenda, they were following Him because they thought they were going to get something from him.

Mark 10:32-37  They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33“We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”  35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”  36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.  37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

What? Jesus had just finished laying out his sacrificial mission only to have the disciples come back with “Hey could you do us a favor?” Can you imagine how disheartening this was to him as their leader?

You probably have some idea don’t you?

Maybe you’re a pastor and you just laid out the vision you felt God has placed on your heart, only to have your church shoot it down because it’s going to inconvenience them.

As a parent, you’ve probably sat down with your kids to pour out your heart about some of the changes that need to be made in your house, only to have your kids come back with some smart aleck response.

Maybe you took the lead in a friendship and confronted the other person about some questionable activity in their life, only to be chastised and rejected by them.

Here’s the bottom line – whether you are a leader in your home, in your church, or in your office, you need to know everyone has certain expectations of you. When your actions (right or wrong) don’t match up with their expectations of you, there will be trouble. They’ll drop their palm leaves and pick up rocks. The applause will stop and the accusations will start. The flattery will end and the gossip will begin.

The question is: will you be able to stay focused on the mission to which God has called you? Will you stay the course as Jesus did or will you give into the temptation to simply please those around you? Will you turn bitter toward those people or forgive them until the end?

You Will Change

To follow Jesus is an invitation to a relationship, and over time, that relationship is going to change you.

My relationship with Jesus has changed so many things about me, things that at one point in my life I didn’t care about.

When I entered into a relationship with Jesus…

-I started being generous.

-I found my true identity in Jesus, not in getting you to like me.

-I started caring about people who could do nothing for me, like kids in India. They’re not my kids, so why would I spend my time and my money loving them? Because Jesus cares about them, so I care for them.

I believe that if you get into a relationship with Jesus, it’s going to change you in ways you never could have imagined.

 

Drifting Is Subtle

Drifting is extremely subtle. If you’ve ever been floating in a tube down a creek, you know that you don’t usually know you’re moving until you focus on the banks.

Spiritual drifting usually starts with a thought, that leads to an attitude, and that becomes a habit or lifestyle.

Often times we know there are certain areas of our life that we know are not honoring God, but we play a game of distraction by trying to show him the things we know we’re getting right. Eventually, when we finally direct our focus on God, we realize how far we’ve drifted away from him.

 

The Goal of Prayer

For most of my life, I’ve viewed prayer as a compartmentalized, spiritual activity. I go from praying, to working, to praying, to spending time with friends, and so on. If that’s how you view your prayer life, where prayer is separate from all other aspects of your life, I think your goal should be to get to a place where praying is almost like breathing.

Scripture mentions this idea of prayer becoming like breathing in a couple of different places throughout the Bible –

          Luke 18:1   Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

          Ephesians 6:18   Pray in the Spirit on all occasions…always keep on praying.

          1 Thessalonians 5:17   Pray continually. 

I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be times when you and God have your focused quiet time, but you want to get to this place where prayer becomes a flow and a part of your life where you’re communicating with God constantly, in every activity throughout the day.

I love how John Ortberg put this, “The goal of prayer is not to get good at praying. The goal of prayer is to live all of my life and speak all of my words in the joyful awareness of the presence of God.”

 

 

Why We Stop Pursuing

At some point, in all of our relationships, we stop making love a verb and we no longer pursue those we’re in relationship with. And I think there are two reasons why we stop pursuing – familiarity and exhaustion.

I remember when Brandi and I started dating when we were 19 years old, I would go to pick her up for a date and before I could even knock on the door, she would fling it open, so excited to see me! Now, after a lot of years of marriage and three kids, I don’t always get quite the same reaction.  Familiarity, if you’re not aware of it, can begin to take it’s toll in your relationship.

The second reason we stop pursuing our relationships is exhaustion. When Brandi and I were 19, our energy levels were high and our responsibility level was low. Over time, those things switch – our energy level declines when we get older, but our responsibility increases. So, we have to decide what is going to take the brunt of that shift. We don’t want to short change our kids, our jobs, or our health, but we think our spouse is there no matter what and we choose to not make it a priority. The reality is that it takes a lot of energy to date meaningfully, to relate creatively, and to resolve conflict. If your relationship is not a priority, and you do not continue to pursue one another, your relationships will be impacted in some way.

Can you name any other area of your life that you can neglect something and see improvement? It doesn’t work that way with your yard, your health, or your job, and it’s certainly not going to work that way with your relationships. You can’t neglect your relationships and expect that they will become what God has created it to be.

Be Like The One

I think it is very easy for all of us to lose our spirit of gratefulness. Much like the men who Jesus healed in Luke 17, we get caught up in the daily routines of our lives and forget to go back to the One who has given us so much.

My prayer for you today is that you’ll be like the one, the Samaritan, who returned to thank Jesus for what he had done because he knew he didn’t deserve it.

 

Grateful Not Entitled

You can’t be grateful for something that you feel entitled to. I think it’s important to step back and ask yourself, What are the things I feel entitled to in my life?

Do you feel entitled to…

…your house?

…your kids?

…your job?

…your car?

We all tend to think that we’ll be grateful when we receive things to be grateful for; if God will just give us what we want, THEN we’ll be grateful. But the reality is that gratitude begins when your sense of entitlement ends.

As you go about your day today, I’d challenge you to think of a few things you’re grateful for and see how it changes your attitude and perspective on things.

 

 

A Long To Be Reconciled

 “I realize there’s a subconscious longing in my heart that can never be resolved by another human being.” – Donald Miller, Scary Close

Often times we confuse the longing we have to be reconciled with God by projecting that onto our wives and husbands. It’s important to realize that there will always be an unfulfilled longing in your heart, but to put that on anyone else but God will be detrimental to your relationships.

You Are Qualified

Throughout the Bible, we see so many examples of uniquely gifted people whose closest friends and family did not recognize the gifts that God had given to these individuals. Joseph’s brothers couldn’t see it, even Jesus’ own family didn’t see his unique calling, and my guess is that you have, at some point or another, experienced that same story.  When the people closest to you don’t believe in the unique giftedness that God has given to you, it’s easy to believe the lie that you are not qualified.

If you find yourself in that place today, hear this – you are qualified.

Whatever God has called you to, he will equip you for.