Again?!

February 8, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

I heard a pastor say once, “You’re either in a trial right now, just coming out of a trial, or will soon be going through a trial.” And I thought to myself, “Wow! What a cheery thought… not!”

Do you ever feel that way? Like you just get through one challenging time, only to be greeted by another challenging time? If you just focus on the challenging times, you will miss the point. The point is: God is doing something wonderful in you.

Check out what Jesus says in John 15—

…God cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit. (Amplified Bible)

Did you catch that phrase: every branch that continues to bear fruit? Does it feel like God is constantly working on you? That’s good! That means you are already bearing fruit, but God desires for you to be even more fruitful (or as the Amplified Bible says, even more rich and excellent!).

The writer of Hebrews says it this way—

My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child He loves that He disciplines; the child He embraces, He also corrects. God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. (Hebrews 12:5-6 The Message)

So the next time you feel like saying, “Again?!” change it to “Yes, again! This must mean God wants to bring even more excellent and rich fruit out of my life!” God love you, my friend!

Here’s to more fruit!

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Thursdays With Oswald—Judging A Life

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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Thursdays With Oswald—Don’t Live In The Past

September 1, 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.

Don’t Live In The Past

     The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the prideful self-satisfaction of a past experience, but is not working that experience out in his everyday life. If you say you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it shows in your life.

From My Utmost For His Highest

“I remember when…”

“Wasn’t it wonderful when God…”

“That retreat / missions trip / revival service was so meaningful…”

Although they were wonderful and meaningful, I cannot live on these past experiences. If what took place in the past still seems like the most wonderful thing that God ever did in my life, I haven’t grown very much.

God’s mercies are new every morning. And my experiences with him should be new every morning too. In fact, they shouldn’t even become one-time experiences with God, but daily encounters with Him.

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What’s Your Excuse?

February 25, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

It’s so easy to make excuses, isn’t it?

  • I wasn’t feeling well
  • I don’t have enough training
  • The sun was in my eye
  • The other guy was supposed to….
  • I don’t have the right tools
  • If only….
  • I can’t because….

John Maxwell has started a new teaching series where he presents a one-minute lesson on one word every day. Today’s lesson was on excuses. Watch the clip here.

Here are some other quotes on excuses:

“Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.” —George Washington Carver

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when it is convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses only results.” —Kenneth Blanchard

“Obstacles are not excuses for failure, they are opportunities for growth.” —Craig T. Owens

“People who are good at making excuses are seldom good at anything else.” —Benjamin Franklin

Let’s stop making excuses and start taking responsibility! 

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Thursdays With Oswald—Whose Ideas?

December 2, 2010 — 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.

Whose Ideas?

     Am I allowing anyone to mold my ideas of Christian service? Am I taking my ideas from some servant of God or from God Himself?

From Approved Unto God

My relationship with God is a personal relationship; it is unique to me. I can certainly pick up some principles from others, but the application to my life has to be what I hear the Holy Spirit speaking directly to me.

Don’t be a copycat. Be the original you that God needs you to be.

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Thursdays With Oswald—Work-In-Progress

November 11, 2010 — 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.

Work-In-Progress

     If you are a worker whom God has sent, and have learned to live under His shadow, you will find that scarcely a day goes by without your Father revealing the need of further chastening. If any child of God is free from the goads of God, he is not in the line of the succession of Jesus Christ.

From Approved Unto God

The writer of Hebrews said the same thing…

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when He corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.”

It’s true: No pain, no gain. God will continue to work on you and me as His child.

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Don’t Just Sit There

March 26, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I’m convinced that in my pursuit of a deeper relationship with Christ, neutral is the most vulnerable position I can take.

I can pursue God with all I’ve got. Every day I can learn a little more what it means to love God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength.

Or I can make a decision that I’ve gone as far as I can in my relationship with Jesus. I can say, “I’m not willing to be stretched any further. I’m comfortable with where I am.” But when I get into this neutral position, I’m more likely to slide away from God than I am to move closer to Him. It’s hard to even stay where I was. Check this out:

BLESSED—HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable—is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly—following their advice, their plans and purposes—nor stands submissive and inactive in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down to relax and rest where the scornful and the mockers gather.

It’s when I become inactive that I am vulnerable to ungodly counsel.

It’s when I sit down to relax that I can easily slip into the cynical banter of the scornful.

If I want to avoid the downward slide away from God, I can’t just sit still. I’ve got to be actively, passionately, wholeheartedly moving toward Him. Solomon wrote:

Make your ear attentive to skillful and godly Wisdom and incline and direct your heart and mind to understanding—applying all your powers to the quest for it.

Don’t just sit there! Keep on moving closer and closer to Jesus every day.

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Points Of Power (book review)

February 22, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Since you’re reading another book review from me, you probably know that I love to read. I’ve got wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in my office, just brimming full of books. Once someone asked me, “How do you read so many books?” To which I replied, “One page at a time.”

This is how most healthy growth takes place: one step at a time.

  • We lose weight one pound at a time.
  • We advance through school one class at a time.
  • We grow in our relationships one conversation at a time.
  • And we develop a greater love for God one principle at a time.

This is what I enjoyed about Yolanda Adams’ book Points Of Power. A total of 37 power points are spread out across 10 chapters. Each of the chapters zero-in on a different power point:

  • Faith
  • Love
  • Forgiveness
  • Confession
  • Praise
  • Confident Assurance
  • Prayer
  • Peace
  • Protection
  • Victory

In each power point, Yolanda deliberately leads us through the principle, a passage of Scripture, a prayer, and ten pensive points. I especially enjoyed the pensive points, as they challenged me to think more deeply about each power point.

This book would be excellent as an individual study, or as a group Bible study. One step at a time—one principle at a time—your reliance on God will grow.

I am a Faith Words book reviewer.

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Do Your Own Growing

February 5, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

An Irish Proverb says, “It doesn’t matter how tall your father was, you still have to do your own growing.” In other words, my genes may give me a certain predisposition, but I still have to grow on my own.

The same could be said spiritually: “It doesn’t matter how close to God your parents were, you have to approach Him yourself.”

Abraham was so close to God that he was called “friend of God.” His son Isaac had some great spiritual genes, but he still had to do his own growing.

Isaac had the perfect opportunity shortly after Abraham’s death. He and his wife Rebekah wanted to start a family, but they weren’t able to do so. Then comes this great phrase:

…Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife…

He got it! And God heard his prayer: Rebekah became pregnant with twins.

Rebekah’s parents were also close to God. But now pregnant and far, far away from home, she was having difficulty with her pregnancy. That’s when Rebekah had her chance to do her own spiritual growing,

…Rebekah went to inquire of the Lord…

She got it too!

Not only was this good for them as individuals, but undoubtedly it strengthened their marriage as well. I have found that couples who pray stay.

  • They stay close to God
  • They stay close to each other
  • They stay more committed to their families
  • They stay in a growth pattern

Are you doing your own growing today?

If you’re still riding someone else’s coattails, it’s time to start doing your own growing.

If you’re still blaming a parent for holding you back, it’s time to start doing your own growing.

You can do it—start talking to God yourself today!

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Thanksgiving Challenge

November 23, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

 

Yesterday I began a two-part series at Calvary Assembly of God sandwiched around Thanksgiving Day. The series is simply called Thanks and is based on the premise that thankfulness is the soil for healthy growth.

Have you ever grown a garden? If you have, you know that even though you plant the best seeds in the best soil, if you simply leave it unattended, weeds will find their way into your well-manicured garden. If you leave your garden unattended for long enough, the weeds will eventually take over.

It’s just as true for our minds. We can cultivate the best soil in our minds and plant only the finest seeds. But if we do nothing more, the weeds will take over and eventually choke out anything good that was growing there.

A spirit of continual thankfulness will keep the soil free from the choking weeds. But pulling out weeds by our thankfulness must be a continual process. So I gave our church the 365/730/1095 challenge.

Start a thanksgiving journal. If you just write down one unique thing every day for which you are thankful, you will have recorded 365 things in a year. More challenging: write down two things every day, or even—are you brave enough to attempt this?—three things every day. If you find two things each day, you will have 730 weed busters by the end of the year, or three items will give you 1095 weed busters.

Are you ready for the challenge?

I’m going to attempt to find three unique things each day for the next year. I hope this is encouraging to you, and I hope you will accept the 365/730/1095 challenge too.

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