Intentional living

Counting the Cost

Valerie Cullers 19 Comments

My last post was about the different pressures we face in this world. I talked about peer, corporate, political and societal pressure. All real, for sure. I talked about being able to stand against the pressure and how we cannot do it well in our own strength. But there is another part to this equation: when we stand against this pressure, there is going to be a cost, and it is something you have to consider.

Let’s take peer pressure. If you don’t go along with your friends when they choose to do something wrong, you will pay a price. Perhaps, they will snub you for a day or they might call you names. They could drop you as a friend if you won’t go along with them. You could pay a small cost or an even larger cost for doing the right thing.

Think about corporate pressure. If the corporation chooses to do something that you believe is morally or ethically wrong and you choose not to do it, you may pay a very high price indeed. You could be blackballed, fired or overlooked for promotions for the foreseeable future.

What about political pressure? Let’s say your party decides to promote something that you believe is morally or ethically wrong. If you won’t go along with them, again, you may pay a very high price. You may lose funding in the next election or you may lose their support and even their nomination for your position.

Let’s think about societal pressure. You hold a state or national office and the winds of change are blowing and not in a good direction. You are facing pressure to cave into what the mob wants and you know it is wrong. If you stand up for what is right, you many be voted out of office in the next election. You will certainly be vilified by many and your life will probably be threatened by a few if not many…not a pretty picture.

No matter what type of pressure we are facing; if we decide we are not going to go along with it and will have to take a stand, there will be a cost to pay. It may be slight or it may be something life-altering, such as a loss of a job or profession. We would be well advised to consider the cost of the actions we plan to take. We must not be foolish or naive and think that just because we chose to do the right thing, there will be no cost to pay. There will always be a cost.

Even Jesus, told those who wanted to be his disciples, to consider the cost they would pay before they decided to follow him. In Luke 14: 28-33, He talks about a man who wants to build a tower and how he must consider the cost of building it and having the resources to finish the job. He then uses another example: He talks about a king going to war and how the king must consider the forces he has to use to fight the battle and if he has the ability to win.

When taking a stand against the crowd, against the pressure, there are easy answers and there are right answers but there are no cost-free answers. No matter what we decide, we must always count the cost, pray for wisdom and move in the direction we believe to be right.

Stay In Your Lane

Valerie Cullers 10 Comments

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” 1 Cor. 9:24

We all know that there are several events in sports in which an athlete must stay in his or her lane in order to win the race. If they get out of their lane, they are disqualified. Staying in your lane is a requirement of the race and an athlete must train so that he or she learns to compete within the specific parameters of the lane. It is the same way in the Christian life.

We must all learn to stay in our own lane. We have all been given different gifts and talents and each of us has an individual call on our lives. One of the most fundamental aspects of our call is that we learn to do what we are supposed to and not have our eyes on someone else’s race and what they are doing. Our own race may not be as exciting or attention grabbing as someone else’s race. It must not matter to us. In order to be successful, we must learn to be content with the race we are called to run.

We also must learn to say no to those things that will distract us from completing our race. There are many “good” things that want to take us out of our own lane and keep us from doing what we are called to do. It takes discernment and intentionality in order to be able to focus on our own race and say “no” to the temptations that want to get us out of our own lane and disqualify us. 

How can we learn to run our own race and keep from becoming distracted and getting out of our own lane? The answer is simple: we must always keep our eyes on the goal, i.e. Christ. If we keep our eyes on Christ and off of other people and what they are doing, we will finish our own race and receive the crown that is set before us. 

Image by Skeege. Courtesy of Pixabay.

Previously published on FCA Resources.

The Facts are not Equal to the Truth

Valerie Cullers 25 Comments

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When you think about your life, do you focus on the negative facts about it? Were you raised in poverty? Did your mother or father leave your family? Have you lost a business, an election or had to declare bankruptcy? Did you not have much of a formal education? Do you suffer from a physical or mental disability? Do you focus on these facts and believe that they are the sum total of who you are?

I just want you to know that the negative things that have happened to you do not define who you are. They are NOT the sum total of who you are. In other words the facts about your life are not equal to the truth of who you really are. Those negative things are just a part of the story of your life, they are not the totality of who you are. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at a few examples:

This man was born into poverty. He had about eighteen months of formal schooling. He failed at his first business. He lost eight times he ran for public office. He was estranged from his father. He battled depression for most of his adult life. Who was he? Abraham Lincoln. We all know that he was not the sum total of the negative facts about him and he made one of the greatest contributions to the history of our country.

This man was born into poverty. His parents were on the run from the authorities for the first few years of his life. He lived as an immigrant in a foreign country during those years. He worked as a skilled laborer. The last few years of his life, he lived as a transient. Who was he? Jesus. I don’t need to tell you the contribution he made to the planet.

Just remember one thing: THE FACTS DON’T EQUAL THE TRUTH. 

The truth of who you are is so much greater than any negative facts about you. Everyone has negative things happen to them. It is only part of the story of their lives. The truth about each one of us is far greater than any negative aspect about us. If we want to be productive people, we need to focus on the positive things in our lives and not focus on the negative things that have happened to us. When we do this, we can live our lives knowing that the facts about us don’t equal the truth of who we really are!positive-455580_640image by geralt. courtesy of Pixabay

 

Men on a Mission

Valerie Cullers 19 Comments

A few weeks ago, I was reading these verses in Matthew and I was struck by the sheer enormity of what these men did: 

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” Matthew 2: 1-2 NKJV

christmas-934181_640 photo by Geralt. Courtesy of Pixabay.

Here were wise men, Magi they were called in the Greek, from the Persian word Magoi, meaning men who studied the stars, and they were from the East. The Bible does not tell us anything else about them. Tradition says they many have been from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, or India, but we do not know. 

This is what we do know: they studied the stars and saw something extraordinary in the heavens. It may have been a conjunction of planets or a comet. Whatever it was, they studied it and determined that a King was born to the Jews, and His birth announcement was in the night sky. This event was so immense that they decided they had to come find this King and worship Him. They were men on a mission.

We don’t know how far they came, but they were probably not from Israel. Once they made the decision to find this King, they were going to have to plan a trip, spend a lot of money and travel a long ways to find what they were looking for. They could have come from as far away as five hundred or a thousand miles. If they came by camel and rode every day, they may have made the trip in a few weeks or a month, but the trip could have taken a lot longer. This was not going to be a comfortable undertaking.

There are a few things that really strike me about what these men did. First, they recognized the fact that the universe was making an announcement. They saw the star and from their studies, whether it was from star charts or the Hebrew Scriptures, they figured out that a King was born in Israel. They knew this birth had immense significance. Second, they were willing to make an effort to go find this King and worship Him. These men were probably court advisors in whatever kingdom they lived in. They were men of status and probably lived in great comfort. In spite of this, they wanted to travel to Israel to worship this newborn King. 

During this Christmas season, I will think about the wise men and the lessons I can learn from them. First, I need to study and know what is going on around the world prophetically. If there are actual signs in the heavens of His Second Coming, I need to be aware of them and find out what they mean. Second, I need to be willing to get out of my comfort zone and go where I need to in order to serve and worship the King. 

Men on a mission, an example to us all.

Illumination vs. Comfort

Valerie Cullers 20 Comments

A few weeks ago, it got really cold outside. I thought perhaps if I curtained off the door to the inner porch it would make the house warmer.  It did in fact add warmth to the house, but it also cut out a lot of light coming in. After a few days, I decided to remove the curtain. I preferred the light to the warmth.room-932321_640 (1)

That little incident got me to thinking, “So how does this apply to our lives?” Do we in fact, prefer illumination to comfort or is it usually the other way around? After pondering it a bit, I thought, “I bet we usually prefer comfort to illumination.” Do you think that is true?

Is it much easier to hang out with people who think like we do, watch newscasts that support our point of view, and read magazines and articles that confirm our pre-existing ideas? I think it is. It usually takes effort to spend time with those that think differently than we do, read books that challenge our thinking, or watch another news channel. Do we want to remain in the orbit of those that are similar to us or are we willing to move out of that orbit and seek to understand others that are different than ourselves?

I’ve been asking myself those questions and I don’t like the answers I am getting. I am going to have to be intentional if I want to expose myself to those who think differently than I do. If I do that, then perhaps, I will have a better understanding of others and also the world around me.light-bulb-3104355_640

Expecting the New Year to be full of JOY

Valerie Cullers 1 Comment

pexels-photo-775779.jpegA New Year is starting, and it is full of the breath of promise of things to come. The past year is almost gone, and takes with it the successes, failures, blessings, and trials that came with it. I don’t know about you, but I am thankful for its passing and hopeful for the year to come.

I’ve been thinking,  what do I want this year to be like? I decided that I would like this year to be full of JOY. If it is full of JOY, then everything will turn out well.

J – Jesus. Let this year be full of Jesus. Let me make pleasing him the priority, and may I keep my eyes on him.

O – Others. May I think of others before I think of myself. May I put the needs of others (especially my family) above my own. 

Y – You. Help me to live this year intentionally. Let me keep my goals in the forefront and persevere even when I don’t see the end in sight. 

I want to find joy in the small things and be able to look and see the beauty of nature that surrounds me. I can hear the call of geese in the morning as they go to their feeding grounds. I see the Mallards along the creek bank and look for their little ones in the late spring. The Juncos are at my feeder all day long and provide entertainment for me. The sky is usually blue (except in January and February) and is filled with beautiful clouds.

There are a hundred reasons to find joy in and around me. I want to see them, experience them and be full of the joy they bring. This is my hope for the New Year.