A Functioning Dysfunctional Family

No family is beyond the functioning power of God.

How would you label your family, functional or dysfunctional?  A dysfunctional family can take on many different forms.  Maybe your family is labeled dysfunctional because of the yelling that takes place, the drug abuse that happens, the perpetual lying, the many half brothers or sisters you have, you fill in the blank.

We see a dysfunctional family in the beginning of Scriptures.  It is the family of Abraham.  Let me list to you some of the issues found in this family

- Abraham lies twice about Sarah being his wife.

- Abraham and Sarah both laugh at God.

- Sarah tells Abraham to sleep with the maid.  Abraham does, and Sarah gets mad and treats the maid with anger.

- Isaac, Abraham’s son, also lies about his wife Rebekah, being his wife.

- Isaac favors Essau and Rebekah favors Jacob, causing division between the boys.

- Jacob steals Essau’s birthright, and later his blessing as the firstborn.

This is the classic dysfunctional family.  Although the family was dysfunctional, the Lord had a huge function for them to play in the redemption of his people, Jesus, the King of Kings, would be born from this family tree.

No family, including yours, is beyond the power of God to be used in a functioning way.  Don’t lose hope if your family appears to be too dysfunctional. 

God's Will and a Cup of Coffee

It’s 6 a.m. and you alarm is blaring!  You roll out of bed, splash some water on your face and go to your coffee maker to brew a cup of coffee.  For a split second, the thought crosses your mind, “I really need to cut back on caffeine”. 

You are now left with a decision.  Do I brew a cup of coffee or drink something else?  What would God want me to do in this situation?  What is God’s will for me in this, seemingly, petty circumstance?

God commands us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.  This really means that everything we do, from drinking a cup of joe to buying a car can be an act of worship to God.  1 problem, is the decision we are faced with a decision to conform to this world?  If so, then we are not living in worship and our minds need to be renewed into the likeness of Christ regarding this situation.

If you are like me, you don’t think twice about most of your decisions, you just work off of feeling and instinct.  Christian, let’s begin to search for God’s will in all areas of life, the big areas and the small areas.  If we put the work into knowing God’s will today, it will begin to become second nature tomorrow.

Last thing, sounds like a lot of work huh?  That is, asking, “What is the will of God in every area?”  Well it is, but when we are fueled by the mercies of God (as Romans 12:1 speaks about) then it is possible to begin to decipher God’s will.  Paul gives us three checkpoints to know if something is of God or of this world; is it: good, acceptable, and (not or) perfect.  If it doesn’t fit all three, you may need to pass it up as a child of God. 

So, are you going to make the cup of coffee or not?

Listen to the sermon here:

http://www.midtownchurchfl.org/transformed-mtc146/

Actions with Adverse Reactions

Have you done something before in which your intended outcome  actually produced the exact opposite result?  For example, you hit the gas when you meant to hit the brake pedal in your car?  We see a similar issue in Genesis 11.

The tower of Babel was built for one purpose, so that the people of the earth will have a name for themselves and not be dispersed. (Genesis 11:4)  God had other plans for them.  The very plans the people had for unity and security were turned on them.  The ultimate result of the tower of Babe was; “And the Lord dispersed them over the face of the earth.” (Genesis 11:9)

Why did God disperse them?  Why didn’t God give them the unity and security they longed for?  Genesis tells us that it was due to the fact that God saw that they could do anything they wanted to if they put their minds to it.  In short, they would no longer see the need for God.

The tower wasn’t the issue, their hearts were.  Do you see a need for God in your day to day routine?  If not, don’t be surprised if you hit the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal.  That may be a small divine reminder that you still need God.

The Ugly Duck in Me

I read the story of the ugly duckling yesterday. Would it be pathetic of me to say it broke my heart? It did. Fine, call me pathetic, in fact call me ugly! I see myself and I see you in that story. Before we come to know God we are just like the ugly duckling. Looking all ugly and awkward on the outside, but knowing that there is something so much more to us on the inside that we have yet to discover.

The thing is, we all are ugly until we find Jesus, and if we are honest with each other, we try to deduce our ugliness by pointing out the ugliness of someone else. Kinda pathetic huh?

Isaiah 64:6 says even my righteous deeds are like a filthy garment. But Jesus can wash them white as snow if we confess Him as our Lord and Savior and believe that he was risen from the dead.

Once I declare Jesus as my Lord, I am born again, and I have a new self image (not on the outside that is, on the inside. One that is pure and as beautiful, like a swan.) The problem is, you still carry the same physique around, and people are still people, pointing out the ugliness in you.

Don't let them define you. Don't let ugly people tell you who you are. And, don't see them as ugly. See them as potential swans if they come to know the Lord.

A Minute with God

Let's be honest, blogging is the new thing and every one's doing it, including me!  The benefit to me, I get to see if what I say makes any sense; the benefit to you, you get to make sense of it all (and hopefully get another insight into the Word of God that will reach inside of you and transform you into the likeness of Christ.

A little about me:

I am the pastor of Midtown Church in Melbourne Fl.  Midtown started as a prayer between two men in August of 2011.  It has blossomed into a wonderful church where people are coming to know the Lord.

I was called out of the business world into the world of preaching in late 2009.  My wife, Becca, and I have had an amazing journey to this point, trusting in a Sovereign Lord, hoping in his temporal and eternal provisions.  Will you join us in this journey as we press on?

Follow this blog to get posts that are designed to drop little nuggets of Scripture in about a minute that apply directly to your life.  Thanks for considering!

TTYL

(I have not learned how to formally end a blog yet)