Private Good Deeds

November 8, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Betsy and I went to school conferences and discovered that our youngest son has been staying after school—by his own choice—to help his teacher tidy up the classroom. Are you kidding me?! This is the first I had heard of this. Wow, am I one proud Dad!

I’m not sure if he knows this verse or not, but Brandon is living out what Jesus said:

Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.

He’s serving just because he wants to serve. I didn’t know about it, but his Heavenly Father did. Thank you, Brandon, for giving me this wonderful example of servant leadership!

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Thursdays With Oswald—Not Imitating Jesus

October 7, 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.

Not Imitating Jesus

      God does not expect us to imitate Jesus Christ: He expects us to allow the life of Jesus to be manifested in our mortal flesh. God engineers circumstances and brings us into difficult places where no one can help us, and we can either manifest the life of Jesus in those conditions, or else be cowards and say, “I cannot exhibit the life of God there.” Then we deprive God of glory. If you will let the life of God be manifested in your particular human edition—where God cannot manifest it, that is why He called you, you will bring glory to God.

From Approved Unto God

This so encourages me, because it tells me that every difficult situation I’m in is God-engineered. He put me in these tough spots because He wants the life of Jesus to be seen through me. And He wants to be glorified. If God desires these things, then He will give me His Holy Spirit to strengthen me to shine in difficult places.

Shine on!

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This Little Light Of Mine

August 27, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Did you ever sing that song as a kid?

This little light of mine

I’m gonna let it shine

This little light of mine

I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine

Let it shine, all the time

Why did I stop singing that as a “grown-up”? Yesterday I was reading in Matthew 5 where Jesus talked about shining. Many of the translations read, “Let your light shine.” But I really like the Contemporary English Version —

Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.

Make it shine!

That’s really the most accurate translation. Let it shine sounds passive. Almost like, “Well, it’s shining already, so I guess I won’t put it out.” But make it shine is definitely in the active tense

… it’s right now

… it’s burning brightly and deliberately and unashamed

I grew up in a Christian home, so maybe I just assumed that my lamp was lit already and I could just let it shine. Maybe you’ve just assumed your light was shining too.

But today I want to be active in making my light shine. I’m going to do good so that others can praise God too.

Won’t you join me in making your light shine brightly today too?

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Leave Something Nice Behind

May 17, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I walked into a coffee shop for a meeting this morning and someone who had been in Biggby before me was wearing the same perfume that Betsy wears. It made me think of her throughout my meeting. Without even realizing it, some anonymous woman left something nice behind for me.

Here’s a thought…

…how about if we find a way to leave something nice behind everywhere we go?

A few thoughts on how we could do this:

  • Pick up a piece of trash blowing across the parking lot (even if it’s not your trash).
  • Wipe the water off the restroom counter (even if you didn’t splash it there).
  • Smile at the over-worked, under-paid server who is serving you (maybe even leave a larger tip).
  • Straighten up the magazines in the waiting room (even if you didn’t mess them up).
  • Put the toys back in the toy box (even if your kids didn’t play with them).
  • Restack the fallen cups (even if you didn’t knock them over).

Do something unexpected.

Leave everything a little better than you found it.

Leave something nice behind.

C’mon, let’s make a difference.

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You Can’t Lose

April 15, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I was really challenged by the message Andy Lapins brought to our youth group.

Andy opened with a simple question, “Have you ever been afraid to tell someone about your relationship with Jesus.” My hand went up, along with just about every other hand in the room.

Andy followed up: “Why? Why are you afraid to share this good news?” The number one answer: Fear of rejection.

Andy then asked us, “If you share the good news of Jesus with someone and they accept what you have to say, is that a good thing or a bad thing?” We all answered, “Good!”

Then he asked, “If you share the good news of Jesus with someone and they neither accept it nor reject it, but you know you have planted or watered a seed, is that a good thing or bad thing?” Again, we all answered, “Good!”

Then he asked, “If you share the good news of Jesus with someone and they completely reject it—they curse you out or tell you you’re a weirdo—is that a good thing or a bad thing?” We all answered, “Bad!”

To which Andy said, “Really?!?” Then he dropped these two Bible passages on us:

  • So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:14)
  • Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. (Luke 6:22-23).

Andy followed up, “So what do you think now? If someone rejects you for sharing Jesus with them, is it a good thing or a bad thing?” Now we all answered, “Good!”

You can’t lose when you share Jesus with others!

There are only three possible outcomes:

  1. They accept Jesus = good thing
  2. You plant or water a seed = good thing
  3. You earn rewards in heaven = good thing (cha-ching!!)

I challenged our youth group to write “Cha-ching!” on their status line on Facebook whenever they shared the good news of Jesus with a friend.

Regardless of the outcome, you can’t lose! So go tell more people about Jesus today!

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Glowing With God

April 13, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I’m struck by this passage:

…[Moses’] face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.

This has got me thinking…

  1. Am I different after I speak with the Lord?
  2. Can people tell I’ve been in His presence?
  3. Do I spend enough time with God, or do I just dash through His tabernacle?
  4. Are people coming near me to hear what I learned in God’s presence?

If I were to answer honestly, I cannot say “yes” to all of these. If I want to glow with God I’ve got to be willing to spend enough time with Him.

I’m working on it. How about you?

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Confusing Signals

December 9, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

The other day I met a friend for coffee at Biggby Coffee and noticed this sign. In reality, the door did take you behind the counter (that’s the “Employees Only” part), and from the behind-the-counter area is the only other exit door from the coffee shop that could be used in case of an emergency (that’s the “Emergency” part).

But when I put the two parts together, it struck me funny. “Are they saying only employees can use the emergency exit? What happens to the rest of us?”

Is this the message Christians send? “Only Christians who know how to behave themselves in a Christian way can come into the Christians-only area of our church and hear how to exit this world.” Sadly, many Christians act this way.

Or should I call them “Christianists”? After all, true Christ-followers act like Jesus and invite everyone behind the counter to hear the good news. All those who truly love Jesus want everyone to know how to find the exit from all the baggage they’ve been carrying around.

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Did you catch that? All of you. The good news about Jesus is for everyone everywhere. Let’s not put a confusing sign on the door, but invite them into freedom in Christ.

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Mixed Signals

May 19, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

The Methodist church by my house has a marquee that faces a busy expressway. Today, as I drove by I, read their latest message: “Pay attention to your destination, not your speed.”

“Hmmm,” thought, “I wonder how the police department feels about that?”

No sooner had the thought passed through my head and I saw the flashing lights of a police officer with a car pulled over on the shoulder! I can almost imagine the driver’s frantic plea to the officer, “But, officer, the church back there told me…!”

This humorous scene reminded me of two quotes:

  • “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” —Francis of Assisi
  • “Where one man reads the Bible, a hundred read you and me.” —Dwight L. Moody

May the “signs” of our lives never send mixed signals to the people “reading” us.

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Shining Like Stars

April 6, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright stars in a world full of crooked and perverse people. (Philippians 2:14-15)

Those who follow Jesus are supposed to be different.

The word holy means different; it means “set apart from everything else for a special purpose.” But holy shouldn’t be a repelling different, but a winsome, appealing, attractive different. Instead, our holy lives should shine like bright stars.

When we first had kids, people began to talk to Betsy and me about where our kids would go to school, and their first assumption was that we would send them to a “Christian” school. But we felt differently about this. We have been called by Jesus to let our light shine before men that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. So our desire is that our kids may let their light shine in their public schools.

While I am grateful for the A’s and B’s on all of their third-quarter report cards, there are other statements on my kids’ report cards that make me even prouder—

  • “You are a pleasure to have in class.”
  • “I am so blessed to have him in class.”
  • “You have proven yourself to be a responsible, respectful, and hard working student.”
  • “She does a fantastic job of helping out other students in class.”
  • “He is extremely respectful towards others and a pleasure to have in class!”
  • “He is always willing to lend a helping hand to others if needed.”
  • “You are a joy to be around, and I look forward to your smile every morning!”

These comments reflect lifestyles that are different—a winsome, appealing, attractive different.

This light shining out from our kids has opened the door for us to share our faith in Jesus with both teachers and students. In fact, my daughter has been able to lead one of her classmates to faith in Christ, and she and her family are now attending our church!

My kids challenge me to do everything in a way that shines. I want to be different … I want to shine … I want to live in a way that attracts others to Jesus Christ. What about you?

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Hearts Like Prisms

February 20, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

God once said, “Let the light shine out of the darkness!” This is the same God who made His light shine in our hearts by letting us know the glory of God that is in the face of Christ. —2 Corinthians 4:6 (NCV)

Today I was at the Flint Institute of Arts with my kids. There was a really cool exhibit made of hundreds of pieces of glass that cast a rainbow of colors all over the wall. Yet all of these colors sprayed across the wall are generated by just two lights.

This made me think, “How am I reflecting God’s light? Is my life a prism that accurately transmits God’s light and love to others? Or does my lifestyle make it difficult for people to see God?”

Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights. —Philippians 2:15 (NLT)

I want people to see the brilliance of God’s love through me.

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