Closed Door = Open Window

February 16, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Yesterday God closed a pretty significant door in my life. It will mean some short-term changes, but I am confident that it also means some great long-term rewards! I’m not worried; just prayerful for the next steps I need to take.

Here’s where I base my confidence:

This didn’t take God by surprise: All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.

In fact, God was the One who closed this door: A man’s steps are directed by the Lord.

And now I’m just waiting: Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Or as Corrie ten Boom so beautifully said it:

“When God closes a door, He opens a window.”

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Our Greatest Sin

February 11, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. (John 1:10)

“My fellow man, do you not know that your greatest sin is this: the all-pervading and eternal Presence is here, and you cannot feel Him?

Are you not aware that there is a great and true Light which brightly shines—and you cannot see it?

Have you not heard within your being a tender Voice whispering of the eternal value of your soul—and yet you have said, ‘I heard nothing’?

This is, in essence, the charge that John levels at human kind: Jesus Christ, the Word of God, was in the world, and the world failed to recognize Him.” (A.W. Tozer)

O God, I pray my eyes may see Your beauty in Your world around me every day.

I pray that my ears may hear Your unmistakable voice speaking to me every day.

I pray that my mind may glimpse more of Your majesty every day.

I pray that all of my senses may be enlivened to perceive Your presence surrounding me every day.

O God, may it never be said of me that I failed to recognize You each and every day.

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Thursdays With Oswald—What Secures Your Faith?

February 10, 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.

What Secures Your Faith?

       Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God Whose ways you cannot understand at the time. I don’t know why God allows what He does, but I will stick to my faith in His character no matter how contradictory things look. Faith is not a conscious thing, it springs from a personal relationship and is the unconscious result of believing someone.

From Facing Reality

Religion is cold and lifeless. Relationship is warm and vibrant.

Religion is shaken by questioning during uncertainty. Relationship is strengthened by clinging tighter during uncertainty.

Religion is belief in some thing. Relationship is belief in some One.

My faith is staked securely on my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

What about yours?

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Buying Into It

February 8, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

There is something basically wrong with our Christianity and our spirituality if we can carelessly presume that if we do not like a Biblical doctrine and choose not to “buy” it, there is no harm done.

Commandments which we have received from our Lord or from the apostles cannot be overlooked and ignored by earnest and committed Christians. God has never instructed us that we should weigh His desires for us and His commandments to us in the balances of our own judgment and then decide what we want to do about them.

…Of course you can walk out on it! God has given every one of us the power to make our own choices. …We have the power within us to reject God’s instructions—but where else shall we go? If we refuse His words, which way will we turn? If we turn from the authority of God’s Word, to whose authority do we yield? Our mistake is that we generally turn to some other human—a man with breath in his nostrils. —A.W. Tozer

Notice that Peter tells us being holy comes before doing holy things: “Be holy in all you do.”

  • I cannot do holy things unless I am holy.
  • I cannot be holy unless I have the life of the Holy One in me.
  • I cannot have the life of the Holy One in me unless I totally buy in to His Lordship.

I’m buying in to holiness today. How about you?

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How Do You Feel About Today?

February 4, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

A friend’s status update on Facebook this morning read:

(Me having a chat with the day): Listen here, Day, I gotta lot of stuff to get done, so don’t get any ideas. And btw it’s going to take more than missing homework and wetted beds to stop me! Muahahahaaa!

This reminded me of a conversation the old preacher Smith Wigglesworth had with an acquaintance:

“How do you feel today, Smith?” the friend asked.

“I never ask Smith how he feels,” Wigglesworth replied. “I tell Smith how he feels.”

Great advice from both my friend and Smith Wigglesworth: Don’t wait until you feel like doing something before you do it. Tell your Day how it’s going to go—and then tell yourself how you’re going to feel about it—and then just do it!

Carpe diem! Seize the day and make it a good one!

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Are You A Missionary?

January 21, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

My cousin is a missionary in a country that is over 98% Muslim. Every day he engages Muslims using their language, their culture, their beliefs, their traditions. He’s in their homes, their businesses, their marketplaces.

He shows them how much Jesus loves them by showing them how much he loves them.

The other day I was reading one of his recent e-newsletters where he described what a missionary is:

Missionaries engage culture respectfully, learning local languages, celebrating what is good, speaking against injustice, speaking for those too weak or abused to speak for themselves. Missionaries often love their adopted countries as much as natural citizens do. Missionaries exalt Christ and point to Him as the only answer for our common sin problem, and the only hope for lasting peace. They are a blessing to their families and society. They are loyal to their families, faithful to their authorities, and servants to their communities.

When I read this description I thought, “I’m a missionary. I do all of these things right here in Cedar Springs.” Like learning the local culture and traditions; celebrating the good in our community; speaking out for those who can’t; supporting our schools, police, fire, and elected officials.

I ♥ My Church and I ♥ Cedar Springs!

Two questions:

1.  Do you agree with my cousin’s definition of missionary?

2.  Are you a missionary in your community?

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The Power Of Now

January 17, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

The advertising slogan by Nike said, “Just do it.” I would modify this to say, “Just do it now.”

There is a power in now. So many times we have a God-idea, and then think/plan/pray ourselves out of acting on that idea. Don’t get me wrong, I think there is great value in planning and praying, but far too many ideas are left undone because they were over-thought and over-planned right out of existence.

When King Hezekiah came to the throne in Jerusalem, the country was a mess. The people were worshiping false gods and had completely abandoned the temple of God. The Bible says that Hezekiah went to work addressing the problem now:

In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them.

After the temple had been restored to service, it didn’t matter that the “official” date for the Passover had come and gone. As soon as the temple was ready, Hezekiah said, “Let’s celebrate the Passover now.”

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, here’s what Dr. King had to say about the power and urgency of now:

We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood—it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, “Too late.”

Got a God-idea? Get going! Just do it NOW!

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Thursdays With Oswald—Unbendingly Holy

January 13, 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.

Unbendingly Holy

       Holiness means every part of my life under scrutiny of God, knowing that the grace of God is sufficient for every detail. The temptation comes along the line of compromise, “Don’t be so unbendingly holy; so fiercely pure and uprightly chaste.” Never tolerate by sympathy with yourself or with others any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God.

 From Approved Unto God

My prayer: Scrutinize me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my compromising thoughts. Point out ANYTHING in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. I want to be unbendingly holy in Your sight, O Holy God.

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Unhappiness Makes Me Happy

December 28, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I’m not a sadist. Nor am I a pessimist.

But I am a child that is still learning that I cannot always get my way.

We’re getting ready to start 2011 with a week of prayer, and I’m going to open 2011 with a series of Sunday messages on prayer: The Perfect Prayer. But in studying more about prayer, I’m always confronted by this: Why are some prayers unanswered.

As I pondered that today, I thought about saying “No” to my kids. I love my children and I want them to be happy. They love pop (or “soda” for some of you, or “Coke” for others), and would drink it all the time if I said “Yes.”

Saying “Yes” to this beverage choice may make them happy now, but it would make them very unhappy later in life when they developed osteoporosis (from a lack of calcium), or had skin and eye disease (from a lack of vitamin D), or were losing teeth (from too much carbonation), or had developed diabetes (from too much sugar).

Our Heavenly Father sees my future even more clearly than I can see it for my children. He wants me to be blessed, which is why He must say “No” at times. I’m a child who doesn’t know what is best for me.

“Getting all you want would bring incalculable damage and grief to you. Be thankful for unanswered prayer. It may be a sign of God’s favor.” —R.T. Kendall

So as I’m growing in God I can say, “Father, I’m willing to trust you with the ‘No’ now, because I believe you have a better ‘Yes’ for me in the future.”

My temporary unhappiness with unanswered prayer makes me happy because I know God has something better for me. I’m going to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking, but I’m also going to keep on trusting my Heavenly Father for His very best.

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Set Up

December 6, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I absolutely love this quote from Albert Einstein:

“‎Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

This is so right on. And can be so sad.

I run into so many people that have this terrible message playing over and over and over in their minds, “I’m stupid … I’m worthless … I don’t have any talent …”

Perhaps we need to find some water for these fishes!

Get it? Instead of trying to change people’s wrong perspective of themselves, let’s get them set up for success. Help them discover where they are a genius … where they are invaluable … where they are talented.

Gotta go… I have a few fishes I need to point to water.

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