Is It Well With Your Soul?

At the end of this year, I want to make sure everything is ok...with you and your soul. The video above is a more upbeat rendition of the song, but Denver & MHO do a great job at it.

My pastor says that how you leave one season will determine how you enter the next. Before we go into 2010, make sure your are healthy and whole. Make things right that need be. You should already be eating healthier. Your relationships with your family and friends should be healthier than ever. If you say that you will take care of that after the new year, then you are only deceiving yourself. Seldom do we keep New Year's Resolutions. Don't wait until the new year.

Enjoy the music and make the declaration that IT IS WELL WITH YOUR SOUL. God's peace is available to your through His Son Jesus Christ. Let Him take your life so you can have peace of mind, soul, and spirit.

What About Me?

I had the extreme pleasure of helping out some friends tonight. They help out with a ministry called Shoes For Orphaned Souls which collects new shoes from all over the U.S. and distributes them to orphanages all over the world. I won’t embarrass them by telling you how many shoes they collect to send in, but suffice it to say that they help many children around the world.

As myself and a brother that I work with were helping to carry boxes of shoes from an attic, I could hear the unmistakened voices of many who would say “What about me?” or “Why not help children in our own community?” It seems that, even while people may not say it, many think it. Many are looking for how it will benefit them.

While I do not believe in Socialism or the Social Gospel for that matter, I do believe in helping others. Socialism is a forced way of sharing the wealth, which is contrary to scripture…if a man does not work, he does not eat; and by the sweat of his brow will a man work (let every saying be qualified by two or more scriptures). The Social Gospel is humanism in disguise and seeks to promote the flesh whithout regenerating the spirit by the Spirit…if you sow to the flesh you will of the flesh reap corruption; unless a person be born again (of the Spirit), he will not inherit the Kingdom of God. I do believe in showing the compassion of Christ and helping out those in need. It is logical and falls within the boundaries of the church to show care and concern for the material needs of those around them, especially those in the Body of Christ.

So what does this have to do with me…or YOU??? I want to encourage you to get and and help someone else out. Random acts of kindness are great, but why not do some intentional and planned acts of kindness? Make it a habit to get involved in something in your community, even if it’s only for a couple hours a month. I know some really good ministries that would love to have someone help out for just a couple hours one day a month. Find someone nearby and visit with them or help them get their groceries. The opportunities are endless.

When you help someone else out, I believe it fills a void in your life and puts you on the path to wholeness. You’re not doing this in order to repay God or to do some kind of service for God that will make God love you more. What you are doing is responding to the love of God in your own life and acting accordingly. When you do things out of obligation to God, it becomes works and salvation comes by grace through faith, not works. If it was by works, you would have pride in yourself. When you do things because of what God has done in your own life, it becomes an act of love.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37, 39

What Happened?????

OK folks, help me out with this one. I was in the mall the other day and while it didn't surprise me, it did disturb me.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THANKSGIVING????

I've been in retail and I know that many businesses depend on the Christmas season ( and yes I said Christmas and not "holiday"). While I'm kind of glad that retailers haven't marketed Thanksgiving like they have Christmas, I feel like I've already missed Thanksgiving and it hasn't even happened yet. Can you imagine retailers trying to make a profit off of selling one turkey to each family?
I guess that's why I haven't seen a single sign in the mall wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact, I haven't even had one single person wish me a Happy Thanksgiving.
Is it culture or just being way to busy that keeps us from showing thanks?
Jesus knew this was true even in His own day. He heals 10 lepers and only 1 returns to thank Him. That sounds about right...10 percent. What is interesting is that all 10 were healed but Jesus told the 1 that he was whole. This word has intriqued me for a while. What does it mean to be "whole"?
Without going into a bible study or trying to "exegete" the phrase, let me just say one thing...there are a bunch ( and probably all) of us who need a healing somewhere in our lives. Maybe the wholeness comes when we start giving thanks.....hmmmm. Think about it.
And while I'm at it, let me say "thanks" to every one of you. Thanks for reading and thanks for your friendship.