Stand Up and Go to Your Corner ( TO ALL MEMBERS)

**baby_blue4u** Sat 10 Jan 2009, 3:22 pm

Good day to all Christian Talk members i would like to share an article with you all and hopefully it will help you guys as it did me.

I have been working in singles ministry for most of my adult life,
post college. I have had the honor of working with several churches,
teaching, leading, guiding and consulting on every topic imaginable.
As I travel, I visit so many churches and simply do not have the
time needed to get know all of people I am there to help. So one quick
way to help me with this is an exercise I love to do called "a
continuum."
A continuum challenges the minds of my participants while allowing
me to know them a little better. It's an exercise whereby I ask a
serious of questions, allowing the people to move to different corners
of the room (or in some cases hold up the answers on cards) that have a
yes, no, maybe, sometimes, never, etc., posted on the wall. In most
cases it's not only fun, but surprising to each other at the answers
people give. I am also amazed at people's willingness to be
transparent.
Continuums can be used as an icebreaker with silly questions, such
as your "your favorite place to go is the beach," to deeper questions,
such as "I love being single," to even deeper, "I have no idea what I
am doing in life." It can also sometimes open up a can of worms,
exposing strengths and weakness in a ministry, including those of the
leaders and pastors.
Recently I decided to do a continuum at my church where I am the
singles director. I am also the teacher of a group of singles from the
ages of 25 to 35. This class has the most diversity in backgrounds, so
I thought it would be interesting to see where they came together on
things and where they were apart. I asked them questions about where
they were spiritually, if they felt they had made change in regards to
sin in their lives, if God expected change. I asked over 20 questions.
Almost all the answers were on target with where I felt they were until
the last question. I asked them if they thought God expected a lot from
them and over 80 percent of my class said "Yes." Hmmm. Why would they
say this? Why would so many say this?
I immediately put this to prayer and some serious thought.
For myself, my struggle has always been in what people expected from
me. I have always felt I was a mouse in a wheel running a race to
nowhere. That no matter what I did it didn't seem to be enough to
please people. I am sure a lot of you can relate to this. I have
learned over the years that we do not get our value from man, as man
will always let us down. Our value is in Christ. As long as He is OK
with what you are doing, saying, achieving, etc., then you are good.
But what if you think God expects more? Then what do you do? There
didn't seem to be a corner to go to. My singles just sat there. I could
see the dazed look in their eyes as most of them struggled with God
approving of them. Approving of their choices, their lifestyles, their
work, their friends, and their desires. That they felt they were on the
mouse wheel when it came to God.
I needed more prayer on this subject as well as time to think. I
moved on into the lesson I had prepared for the class, allowing
discussion of the topics of pleasing God. Sure, I sometimes let God
down. I don't always do what I say I am going to do. I sin. I fall
short. But what I think my singles were really saying is they think God
expects more from them than they can produce.
Then it dawned on me. They are making this decision based on a
results-focused world. EVERYTHING in our world is based on results.
Even with going to church there is the pressure to get numbers up,
tithes up, members joining, etc. Our secular jobs require a certain
amount of production or you're fired. Why would you keep a car salesman
if he didn't sell any cars or a teacher who fails more students than
passes them or a doctor whose patients don't get well?
OK, I got it. How in the world do you begin to understand God's
grace on our lives when every part of our lives on this earth is
results oriented? Sure, God does love results, especially if they are
due to making healthy changes. Especially when we let Him make the
changes in us.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will
(Romans 12:2, NIV).
Praise the Lord in that He loves us so much that He doesn't keep us
where He found us. But, get this: if we didn't do
anything--nothing--and if we were the ONLY ONE on this earth, He would
have still died for us. He would have still died for us where we are,
for the results are from Him--not us. Be obedient and leave the results
up to God.
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal
covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd
of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and
may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to
whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-22, NIV).
Do the best you can with where you are. And when you fail, and you
will, it's OK. He is still the same God, Abba Father, and Lord Almighty
that made every part of you. His expectation is not our expectation.
His expectation is not our bosses' or pastors' expectation. He just
wants us to choose Him and leave the rest up to Him.
God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit
has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been
cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more
grace and peace. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because
God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great
expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance--an inheritance that
is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of
change and decay (1 Peter 1:2-4, NLT).
Stand up ... are you ready to go to your corner?