Be a Blessing!

You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
               - 2 Corinthians 9:11

"God gives us more so we can give more.” That was the statement the businesswoman made as we had lunch together with friends. She and her family have been incredibly generous to our ministry for many years. She went on to share several stories of how God gave them supernatural discernment at crucial times in their business that allowed them to make a significantly larger profit than similar companies. She credited God for their success and believed that God gave them that success so they could give even more to His work. I do not recall ever hearing a businessperson share that perspective prior to my conversation with her. But since that conversation so many years ago, I've met many people like that lady. And they all agreed that if more business people took her approach, they would have more successful businesses.

But it is not just business people who need to rethink this issue. How do we, ordinary men and women trying to make a living, view our possessions? Do we see our possessions as a vehicle through which God can work? Or are possessions merely a means to make our own lives more comfortable?

In my experience, when Christians view their wealth as a means to bless others in the name of Christ, God gives them even more, which allows them to increase their giving in even greater ways. When Christians tend to focus on their own needs, they never quite have enough to accomplish all they want. But when they focus on giving to others, it frees up a spiritual pathway for God to use them to bless the work of God and those who work for God.

This is not only true for individuals, but it is also true for churches. When churches see their assets as tools to expand the Kingdom of God, the Lord gives them even more assets so they can increase their impact. When churches become tight-fisted, thinking only of how they can improve their facilities or enhance their internal programming, their financial situation often gets worse instead of better. 

God sees how we use our possessions, both as individuals, and as churches, and gives us resources to match that stewardship. Whether individually or corporately, God rarely gives us more if we have not displayed an attitude of generosity with what He has already given us. He has enriched us so that we can be generous. This is a key truth we must remember as we consider our personal budgets and our church budgets. What does YOUR budget say?

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of New England. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Freckles

God, you are God; your words are trustworthy, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 2 Samuel 7:28

Not long ago my grandchildren got their first dog. His name is Freckles and he is a chichauchau mix. He is a tiny little thing who wants you to think he is a Great Dane. The first couple of times I met him, he growled at me, as if all six pounds of him could scare me off! In an attempt to make friends with him, I offered him his favorite dog treat. He carefully took it out of my hand growling under his breath the whole time. He wanted the treat but he was not yet ready to decide if he liked me. Eventually he decided I was cool and then would jump into my lap any time I sat down on the couch. 

Freckles reminds me of how many non-religious people act toward God. They want the blessings that a relationship with God offers, but they are not sure they really trust God. On the rare occasion they go to church, or pray, or think about God, it is while growling under their breath.

Eventually Freckles decided to take the risk and trust me. He quickly realized that not only was I trust worthy, but being a dog lover, I was pretty much always good for a little treat (or two!). 

When people first start feeling the drawing of the Holy Spirit, they are not sure if they can trust God. They may not know much about Him. Or perhaps they have heard some of their friends speak against God or the family of God, the church. They are not sure they can trust Him. But, if they can just work up the courage to trust God a little bit, they will quickly discover that He is not only trust worthy, but being a good God, He is waiting and ready to bless us in ways that we could not imagine.

Have you come to trust Christ yet? If not, today could be your day. Email me and I am happy to tell you more.

Lord, gives us the courage to trust You more and more. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of New England. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Our Schedules Can Be An Idol

Ephesians 5:15-16 "Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil."

Time is perhaps our most precious commodity. For a growing number of people time is actually more precious than money. Many of us fill our days running here and there trying to keep up with our overcrowded calendars. Sometimes I wonder if Americans have made an idol of being busy. We tend to think that the busier we are, the more important we are. We often equate activity with productivity. Too many people have come to believe that their level of activity equals their level of value. Christians are as guilty of this as our non-believing friends.

I think it is a mistake to equate our schedules with our self-importance, our productivity, or our value. Sometimes we are busy doing all the wrong things. Sometimes our activity actually accomplishes very little because we approach it in such a disorganized way. We should most definitely not equate our level of activity with our value as a person, because our value comes not from how busy we are, but in the fact that we are created in God’s image, and that Christ died for us to be reconciled to God.

This does not mean that we should throw out our calendars and become couch potatoes. What it means is that we should evaluate our schedules and determine if there are things we can cut out to make our lives less busy so we can focus on the things that matter most. It means we must evaluate how our schedules are impacting the things that matter most, such as our spiritual walk with God, our family health, and our overall personal happiness. At some point we must ask ourselves if the things that fill our schedules really have meaning to us or did we just sign up for them because everyone else did. Do those activities really add value to our lives or are they merely attempts to convince ourselves that we are important? We may not like all the answers we come up with when we ask ourselves these questions, but in the end, the result will be a less hectic life that is full of value, meaning and purpose.

For those of us who are Christians, we should determine that before we add one more thing to our schedules, we should take time to ask if that activity fits God’s plan for our lives. Will that activity draw us closer to Christ or push us farther away?

I recall a young family in one church I served as pastor. The wife was a Sunday School teacher. At the time the husband was not a believer though he did come to church fairly often. As their children got older, the children became involved in a variety of extra-curricular activities. The mother volunteered for a lot of extra activities at the school where the children attended. She also volunteered for leadership positions in two community groups. None of these various activities were bad. In fact, some were quite healthy and it was good for their family to be involved in them. But as they continued to add things to their calendar, their schedule got so full that the family’s church attendance went from almost every week to about once every 6-8 weeks. At the end of the Sunday School year the mother gave up her Sunday School class because she was just “too busy to do everything.” I vividly recall her husband’s comment after she resigned. He said, “I think she is giving up the wrong thing!” I found his comment quite insightful since he was not yet a believer at that point in his life. Clearly something needed to be eliminated from her calendar, but it should not have been her service to the Lord. That family eventually dropped out of church altogether and is no longer active in the life of any church. Overcrowded schedules pulled them away from their faith, and did little to enhance their family bonding. All it did was overstress them. Sadly, I see it happening more and more in the typical American Christian family.

We must decide what is important to us. Then we must allocate time, our most precious commodity, to reflect our values. If we fail to do this, we will find ourselves busier than ever but with little or nothing to show for it.

Lord, help us evaluate our schedules and make adjustments that are healthy for our spiritual walk and our family life. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention ofNew England. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

The Importance of Fathers

Proverbs 1:8-9 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

Kody Stanley, a high school Junior and a football player at Berryhill High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma, recently tweeted that in his circle of friends more boys were growing up with a pet than with a father who lives at home with them. While I do not if that is statistically accurate across the nation, I did find one non-footnoted source that said 40% of white boys, 50% of Hispanic boys 60% of African American boys are growing up without a good father figure in their lives. I realize this is a subjective statement because how does one define what a good father figure is. But however one defines it, I think many of us would agree that far too many boys are growing up not really knowing how to become healthy young men. This is often problematic for them academically, socially, economically, emotionally and spiritually.

Thank God for all the single moms out there doing their best to raise good sons. And many of those moms are succeeding greatly and should be congratulated. But I would imagine most of those moms would agree that it would have been a lot easier if there had been a good father figure in their sons’ lives. Boys need good men to show them how to transition from childhood to adulthood in responsible and healthy ways.

For those of us who are fathers and grandfathers, we must do whatever it takes to be that good example for our sons and grandsons. And when necessary, for our nephews, and for our neighbors’ sons, and for the friends of our own sons who might not have a good father figure in their lives. We may not have the answers to all their questions or be able to solve all their problems, but we can set an example for how to be a good man. And that example may rescue a generation of young men from lives that might be far more difficult than they should be.

Lord, help men to be good examples to the next generation. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves at the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of New England. He has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY