Stop Yawning!

January 30, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

A challenging quote from Oswald Chambers —

We have to treat the body as the servant of Jesus Christ: when the body says “Sit,” and He says “Go,” go! When the body says “Eat,” and He says “Fast,” fast! When the body says “Yawn,” and He says “Pray,” pray!

I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:26,27)

Wow! Time for me to redouble my efforts to Go, Fast, and Pray. How about you?

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The Blessing Of Fullness

November 28, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Thanksgiving Day 2011 is over, but the days for giving thanks should never be over. Although that sounds humorous, for many of us it is an important reminder. We need to remind ourselves because it is so easy for us to go from overflowing with thankfulness, to feeling depleted and empty.

This is exactly what Paul reminded the Colossians in part 3 of our Overflowing With Thanks series —

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2)

Here’s how the cycle works:

  • When we are thank-full to God for His blessings, we enthrone Christ in our hearts.
  • When we are Christ-full, He brings with Him all of the peace we will need.
  • When we are peace-full, the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7).
  • When our hearts and minds are clear, we can better see the blessings for which we can thank God.
  • And when we are thank-full to God for His blessings, we start the cycle all over again.

We don’t have to run dry, or become depleted, or lose our joy, or be robbed of our peace. If we will remain watch-full to be thank-full, we will remain Christ-full, which will keep us peace-full.

May we never lose the blessing of fullness!

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Overflowing

November 8, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

As we approaching Thanksgiving Day later this month, it is important for us to pause to consider a couple of important issues: (1) to whom/what am I thankful, and (2) why am I thankful.

In his letter to the church at Colossae, the Apostle Paul had a lot to say about thank-fullness. It is very instructive for us to see how being full of thanks builds our faith, gives us peace, and keeps us alert against joy-stealers.

I hope you can join me at Calvary Assembly of God over the next three Sundays as we explore all the benefits of living lives Overflowing With Thanks.

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Blocks

October 25, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

When I was a kid, I had a set of big cardboard blocks that looked like bricks. I built all sorts of cool things out of these blocks, and had hours of fun! Today my sons have the same kind of fun with Legos. They build really cool things for hours on end.

But occasionally, as I’m tip-toeing through the dark in bare feet, I step on a stray Lego. That is — to put it mildly — not so much fun. In fact, it’s almost crippling!

The Apostle Paul said, “Make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”

None of my interactions with people today will be neutral. I’m either a building block, or I’m a stumbling block.

Paul says it quite simply: Make up your mind to build up, never to trip up.

What are you going to do with this thought?

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Praying For Your Pastor

October 4, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

For the past few years, October has been designated as Pastor Appreciation Month. Honestly, I feel appreciated by the great folks at Calvary Assembly of God every single week! I can only pray that other pastors feel the same love I feel.

Here’s a simple way you can show your pastor appreciation both in October, and all year long: Pray for him or her. Multiple times the Apostle Paul wrote pray for us (Colossians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1). Prayer is SO NEEDED for your pastor!

Here’s what the eminent pastor Charles Spurgeon wrote —

The members of the body of Christ should have a care for one another, but especially should the minister receive the prayers of his flock. I have sometimes heard his duties called arduous, but that word is not expressive enough. The works in which he is occupied lie quite out of the region of human power. The minister is sent to be God’s messenger for the quickening of the dead. What can he do in it? He can do nothing whatever unless the Spirit of God be with him through the prayer of his brethren.

He is sent to bring spiritual food to the multitude, that is to say, he is to take the loaves and fishes, and with them, few as they are, he is to feed the thousands. An impossible commission! He cannot perform it. Apart from divine help, the enterprise of a Christian minister is only worthy of ridicule. Apart from the power of the Eternal Spirit, the things which the preacher has to do are as much beyond him as though he had to weld the sun and moon into one, light up new stars, or turn the Sahara into a garden of flowers. We have a work to do concerning which we often cry, “Who is sufficient for these things?” and if we be put to this work but have not your prayers, and in consequence have not the supply of the Spirit, we are of all men the most miserable.

Show how much you appreciate your pastor by upholding him/her in prayer every day.

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Thursdays With Oswald #53

September 29, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Judging A Life

God holds us responsible for the way we judge a young [Christian] life; if we judge it by the standards by which we would judge a mature life, we will be grossly unjust. …Be as merciless as God can make you towards the vices of a mature life, but be very gentle and patient with the defects of a growing life.

From Biblical Ethics

It’s a delicate balance that requires true discernment from the Holy Spirit. The ‘defects’ that we see in those who are new in the Christian walk need gentle correction, but the ‘vices’ of those who should know better by now need to be dealt with forcefully.

I see both the gentle and forceful in Paul’s words to the Corinthian church —

Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

My prayer: God, help me to be perfectly balanced and directed by You. I don’t want to be too forceful with the young, nor too gentle with the mature. I want to see everyone growing in their relationship with You.

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Work Out

August 3, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

In order to grow muscle, it has to be stretched beyond what we usually use. Muscles don’t grow unless they are worked out.

The same is true for us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. If we only do easy things — if everything is rosy all the time — we’ll never grow. In fact it’s worse than that: if we’re not challenged, we will actually atrophy and shrink back.

So with that in mind, here are some encouraging words for your spiritual work out.

By affliction God teaches us many precious lessons, which without it we should never learn. By affliction He shows us our emptiness and weakness, draws us to the throne of grace, purifies our affections, weans us from the world and makes us long for heaven. — J.C. Ryle

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. …Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. — Apostle James

God does not give us overcoming life — He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will immediately get the strength. — Oswald Chambers

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. — Apostle Paul

I pray that you will gain strength in your spiritual work out today.

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How To unDo unChristian

July 18, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Yesterday at Calvary Assembly of God, we continued our series called In It Not Of It, in which we are considering how to biblically engage our culture. In alarmingly high numbers, more and more people have thoughts that are positively unChristian toward those who call themselves Christian.

How do we undo this cultural bias? I think we have to be people of overwhelming grace.

Being grace-filled people is the only way I can see for us to unDo the unChristian mindset. (To see how Jesus did this, see His interaction with a particular woman in John 8:2-11.)

The Apostle Paul also gave us a good example of grace-filled living. In his letter to the Romans, Paul says he is indebted to all mankind, which makes him eager to preach the Gospel (Rom. 1:14-15). I love Oswald Chambers’ commentary on these verses –

Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent his life to express it. The greatest inspiration in Paul’s life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that same sense of indebtedness to Christ regarding EVERY unsaved soul? As a saint, my life’s spiritual honor and duty is to fulfill my debt to Christ in relation to these lost souls. Every tiny bit of my life that has value I owe to the redemption of Jesus Christ. Am I doing anything to enable Him to bring His redemption into evident reality in the lives of others? I will only be able to do this as the Spirit of God works into me this sense of indebtedness.

…Quit praying about yourself and spend your life for the sake of others as the bondservant of Jesus. This is the true meaning of being broken bread and poured-out wine IN REAL LIFE.

I am committed to living a life of overwhelming grace poured out for EVERY unsaved soul. And I am SO BLESSED to be able to pastor a church that feels and acts the same way! We’re not going to be passive reactionaries to the unChristian cultural bias … we’re going to live IN REAL LIFE as proactive, grace-filled people, so that we can unDo unChristian!

Wanna join us?

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Thursdays With Oswald #38

June 9, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Are You Obstinate?

     The difference between an obstinate man and a strong-minded man lies just here: an obstinate man refuses to use his intelligence when a matter is in dispute, while a strong-minded man makes his decision after having deliberately looked at it from all standpoints, and when opposed, he is willing to give reasons for his decision.

From Baffled To Fight Better

So are you obstinate or strong-minded?

Consider what Henry Beecher Ward wrote:

The difference between perseverance [strong-mindedness] and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t.

So are you obstinate or strong-minded?

The Apostle Paul knew something about being strong-minded:

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:13-14, NLT)

So are you obstinate or strong-minded?

It’s a good question to both ask… and answer. I would hope that I’m strong-minded, never obstinate.

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Making The Hard Easy

May 16, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Can you relate to this?

     I know the right things I’m supposed to do, and I also know the wrong things I’m not supposed to do. I try my very best to do the right and avoid the wrong, but far too many times I find myself not doing the right things, and (even worse) discover I’m doing the wrong thing.

     I say, “Enough of this!” and I vow (again!) to stop doing the wrong things, and I redouble my efforts (again!) to begin doing the right things. It seems like this is working, but only for a little while. Then I’m right back into the same old habit of doing those wrong things again.

     It shouldn’t be this hard! After all, it’s so easy to tell right from wrong. So why do I keep on doing the wrong things?! Why can’t I keep on doing the right things?!

     Is there any hope for me?

If you’ve ever felt like that, you’re in good company because that’s just how the Apostle Paul said he struggled with right and wrong. But keep on reading, because he also shared how he overcame this struggle. He said, “Those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”

The Holy Spirit can help you do right, and avoid wrong. But you have to yield to Him.

I love what A.J. Gordon wrote —

It costs much to obtain the power of the Spirit: It costs self-surrender and humiliation and a yielding up of our most precious things to God; it costs the perseverance of long waiting, and the faith of strong trust. But when we are really in that power, we shall find this difference, that whereas before, it was hard for us to do the easiest things, now it is easy for us to do the hard things.

How would you rather live: finding it hard to do the easiest things … or finding it easy to do the hard things?

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