Lately I have been thinking about my life and what my “non-negotiables” are. These are those things that I hold dearly and need to practice in my life daily. Some areas I am MUCH stronger in than others but nonetheless these are areas I know I want to get stronger in or stay strong in. I have been asking the Lord to keep the important things, important. I figure if that happens, my life should basically work out! Some of this is ministry related some is personal.
#1: The Baptism of The Holy Spirit. I am more convinced than ever that we need the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will come upon us and give us POWER. Pretty simple… I personally believe that every believer can be baptized in the Spirit and speak in tongues just like the disciples did in Acts two. However, I am not here to debate that in this blog. As leaders and believers our reliance must be in God and not in our abilities. Jesus takes the personal responsibility to baptize YOU in The Holy Spirit! I think it is important to Him and should be to us as well. A great resource on this subject is The Holy Spirit Today by Dick Iverson.
#2: Daily Bible Reading. We must understand that there is a difference between discipline and the law. Many times we read the words of Paul in the epistles and every time we read that “we are no longer under the law” we think spiritual disciplines are no longer needed. We are no longer bound to the 613 Mosaic laws. We are now under the law of love. Love God, love people. EASY! Here is what I have found. When I am daily in the Word, I love God and love people! HELLO! Eat that book every day, it will change you. The word of God is the will of God and the will of God pleases God. So get His word/will IN YOU. 1st John 5:13-15 in the NLT helps us understand this.
#3: God calls people YOUNG. Jesus called teenage disciples. Jeremiah and Samuel were kids, David, Timothy, Joshua and the list goes on and on! This is a constant haunting reality that I must take seriously! Every time I preach, lead worship, disciple, spend time with a young person I need to believe that it could be the day they hear the call! You never know what God is doing in the hearts of people. Don’t preach to people’s faces, preach to their spirits! Preach to their potential!
#4: Life is Short and Eternity is Long. I read a tweet yesterday that said “The day your life ends and eternity begins you will have a face to face conversation with Jesus”. According to Matthew 25, in the parable of the talents we will either hear Jesus say “Well done” or “depart from me”. I want to hear WELL DONE!!! I want to use every opportunity, talent, resource, and motivation of my heart for the glory of God. Lord, help us all.
#5: My Spirit, Soul and Body are all Connected. Simple huh? Not really… Every level of my life must be a priority TO ME. Recently I heard Wayne Cordeiro say, “that it is God, you, family, church. NOT, God, family church.” I am taking my health seriously this year. Ill be thirty in 18 months. That freaks me out! Gotta be sharp in every area.