Christians and PJs

I was watching a documentary on the USAF ParaRescue troops last night.  This particular show was about the training the airmen must endure in order to be classified a PJ (ParaJumper).  Just to show you a little of what they must endure - the following is what you must pass just to get into their training program:
- 1.5 mile run - within 10:30 (sub 9:00)
- Swim 500m - within 16:00 (sidestroke or freestyle) (sub 9:00)
- Swim 20m underwater
- Pullups - 8 (20+)
- Situps - 50 in 2:00 (100)
- Pushups - 50 in 2:00 (100)
- Flutterkicks - 50 in 2:00 (100)

That's not what they do in training!  The first phase is known as Team Training and is 8 weeks long. It consists of extensive physical training with swimming, running, weight training, calisthenics and obstacle courses. Educational training such as medical and diving terminology, CPR, weapons qualifications, and dive physics are also part of the Candidate Course.


They were showing 21 hour days of extreme physical training with so many of the guys giving up and blowing the whistle indicating their desire to quit.  Out of 120 guys who started - only 14 finished the course and got their PJ classification. 

During the training they would show the guys who had had 2-3 hours sleep and maybe 15+ hours (at that point) struggling so hard to make it through the next exercise with the DI's hot on their trail - yelling at them the whole time.  This whole training session was about building teamwork - and pushing themselves beyond every limitation they thought they had.  At one point I saw a Sgt. yelling at one of the airmen, and he said "We aren't doing this to see how quickly we can kill you, Son, we are doing this to show you how much more you are capable of!" 

Oh wow, I thought to myself.  Sometimes I feel like that's what God is saying to us-but with a slight twist - "I'm not doing this to kill you, Son/Daughter, I'm doing this to show you what you can do through me!"  How many times do we see so many young Christians start the race but give up in the hard times - in the 21 hour days??  What I saw last night really struck home, because those guys were pushing and pulling and yelling encouragement to EACH OTHER!  They so wanted their teammates to make the grade.  That's how we need to be with each other.  We need to stand up and fight TOGETHER - not against each other!  It's not about me making it - it's about US making it!

Come on, toughen up!  We can do it! 

Are you Jesus?

The other day I was reminded of a story of 3 men who had been away from home for an extended period of time and were most anxious to get back.  As they hurriedly walked through the city on the way to the airport they passed many vendors and sidewalk shops, but they were focused on their destination ... home!  In their hurry and in an effort to get through all the people they ran right through a sidewalk vendor selling apples.  They upset the apple cart sending apples flying every which way, but on they went to catch their plane.  As they got to the door of the airplane one of the three men sent the others on to catch the plane and asked them to tell his wife he would be on the next flight.  Much to the frustration of his travel partners, the one man turned back to go help right the apple cart.  He just couldn't get it out of his mind.  As he neared the location where they had overturned the cart, he saw a young woman kneeling on the sidewalk - tears streaming down her face as she felt around for the apples the passersby were kicking and stepping on as they tried to avoid her.  You see - she was blind and the apple cart was her only source of income.  As the young man knelt you could see the fear on her face, but he assured her he was there to help not to steal the fruit.  He explained he was one of the ones who had ran over her cart in the first place.  He apologized as he gathered the fruit and helped her right the cart and get the display put back together.   Then he pulled out his wallet and gave her $50 to cover the damages to the cart and fruit as he apologized yet again.  She accepted his help and thanked him but stood there in awe as he turned to walk away explaining he now had to go change his flight so he could get home to his family.  As he walked away the young woman cried out, "excuse me, sir..."  He stopped and replied, "yes?"  "Are you - are you Jesus?" the young woman asked.  "You must be Jesus."

You see, this young woman was accustomed to people scorning her, taking advantage of her and never offering to help, but she was not used to having someone go out of their way to right a wrong.  She automatically saw him as Jesus.   How many times have you been mistaken for Jesus?  I hate to admit that I can only think of a few times in my lifetime that someone has actually said I was acting just like Jesus.

I don't know about you, but one of my goals for this year is to be mistaken for Jesus on a regular basis!  Think about it - how can we be Jesus to the people we come in contact with today?

Love and blessings to you all on this and every day!

Are You In Love???

Thanks to my DIL for this one, and I just had to share it with you!

Think back to when you met
that man/woman that you just knew
would be the one.
Remember when you realize and admitted to yourself

that you loved him/her..
Now remember how much you
wanted to act like you were in a movie
and yell to everyone in the football stadium 'I love you!'
You told family and friends
how perfect he/she was;
he/she was just what
you were looking for.

Well, I told THE LORD

that I love Him today.

And He said to me,
'How much do you love me?
You haven't told anyone
how good I've been to you.
You haven' t shared
how perfect my love is.
You haven't spread the good news
that I am always there
to listen to your problems.
You haven't told your family
how I helped you pay your bills
when you didn't have a high paying job,
or how I got you a better one.
You haven't shared with anyone
how I took away that addiction
that would have cost you not only your job,
but also that man/woman
that was just what you were looking for.
So how much do you really love me?'

So I said I would share with
my friends and family (for starters)
just how wonderful, perfect,
understanding, patient, loving, unselfish,
considerate and forgiving GOD really is.

He has blessed me
with a family that loves me
and friends that I can confide in..

But even more than that,
He has saved me from destruction
I couldn't even see coming...

He gave to me the peace
of knowing Him and
He has never broken a promise.

Truly,
He is the best   thing that has ever happened to me.

And I stand in my stadium today
to tell all of you,

'I DO LOVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
WITH ALL OF MY HEART!'

Living Victoriously in 2011

The key to victory in 2011 is Philippians 3:13-14. Paul was using the illustration of a race to describe his life. He was in the home stretch, but he was still running the race; the race wasn't over.  The first thing we need to notice is that Paul was not satisfied with his performance. No runner worth his salt is ever satisfied with his performance. He always wants to go a little faster, a little longer or a little harder. Every runner wants to continually improve himself, and Paul was no different. He said, "I have not apprehended it yet." -  NOT YET!

Right behind this is one of Paul's secrets to living: THIS ONE THING I DO! It's the only time this particular phrase is used in the New Testament.  Total focus and concentration on the things of God is essential to running the race of Christianity.  You cannot be dwelling on other things as an athlete and give your best performance.  Therefore, Paul says "this one thing I do."

What is "This One Thing I Do"?
"Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." That's the key for victory in the Christian life. That's the key for victory in 2011.

What do we need to forget?
Paul had learned that we have to lock the door on yesterday and throw away the key.  Paul discovered that looking back almost always ends up in going back.  Let me repeat that...  Looking back almost always ends up in going back. In the Old Testament we find the wandering Israelites ready to return to their old ways rather than pressing on. In the New Testament Jesus clearly taught us in Luke 9:62 that "no man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for God's Kingdom."


4 THINGS WE NEED TO FORGET:


1. YESTERDAY'S MISTAKES
In his book "ENCOURAGE ME", Chuck Swindoll has a chapter entitled, "The Fine Art of Blowing It". It begins like this, "It happens to every one of us. Teachers as well as students. cops as well as criminals. Bosses as well as secretaries.  Parents as well as kids. The diligent as well as the lazy. Not even presidents are immune. Or corporation heads who earn six-figure salaries. The same is true of well-meaning architects and hard-working builders and clear-thinking engineers... not to mention pro ball players, politicians, and preachers. What? making mistakes, that's what. Doing the wrong thing, usually with the best of motives. And it happens with remarkable regularity."

Dale Carnegie has a folder entitled "FTD" It stands for "Fool Things I Have Done." Whenever he did something foolish or stupid, he would dictate a record of it to his secretary. He confesses, however, that he was so embarrassed by his stupidity that he was ashamed to have her know it. So he would write it out in longhand and slip it into the file himself.

Everyone makes mistakes. Everybody does stupid things. God's Word says: "forget it" - leave them behind you.

There are 3 things we should do about yesterday's mistakes:
   1. Learn from them
   2. Determine with God's help not to do them again
   3. Forget them. 

Satan will want to remind you and make you feel guilty for your past mistakes – but God says: "Forget Them. I HAVE"!


2. YESTERDAY'S HURTS
Life is a battlefield. You're a soldier in God's Army. On any battleground, injuries will occur and soldiers are going to get hurt. Sooner or later, someone is going to

   ... hurt you.
   ... lie about you
   ... verbally or physically harm you
   ... misrepresent you
   ... chop you up in little pieces
   ... slander you

It's going to happen--what do you do?
You have two choices:
1. Allow the resentment and hate to build
2. Forgive and Forget
        A. Forgive as Christ forgave you

              - just as He forgave the Roman soldiers who didn't know what they were doing.
        B. Forget those things that are behind you  Phil. 3:13

You might say, BUT -
... You Don't Understand
... You don't understand what's happened to me.
... You don't know how bad I've been hurt.
... I was innocent.
... I didn't do anything wrong, but they hurt me.
... They lied about me.
... They hurt my feelings and they didn't care.
... They criticized me when I didn't do anything wrong.
... They talked about me behind my back.
... They cheated me, they rejected me, they hurt me really bad.

God understands. Jesus was innocent, but they beat him, they tortured him, they mocked him, they crucified him. He didn't deserve it, but they did it anyway. On the cross, He forgave them.  On the cross, He provided salvation for even those who beat him, who mocked him, who crucified him. In order to press on in the Christian life, we have to lock the door on yesterday's hurts.


3. YESTERDAY'S POSSIBILITIES
How often do I see people unable to operate in today because they are still living a "what if" life of yesterday. They keep talking about "what could have been"--"if I had only..."

Quite often they blame someone else
... if only my wife hadn't...
... if only my parents (children) hadn't...
... if only my business partner had...
... if only the war hadn't...

They even blame God - "if God would have… or if God wouldn't have…"

We can't live on yesterday's promises or yesterday's dreams. Too many people are dissatisfied with life because they've had an expectation that just hasn't worked out. Paul is saying - forget your past hurts, forget your past mistakes and forget living with what might have been and finally...


4. YESTERDAY'S SINS
Billy Graham once said that 60% of all the patients in mental hospitals could go home if they would accept the fact that they are not guilty or that they have been forgiven.

Many people are carrying a burden of guilt:
... A past mistake
... A moral failure
... A painful cut to a friend
... A physical hurt to someone
... A stupid, hateful remark
... A stupid decision
... A sin so horrible that they believe either God will not forgive them or they will not forgive themselves

***There is no sin, no matter how great or small, once it has been confessed and forgiven, that the memory of it should torment us no more. Let me repeat that: When sin, no matter how great or how grievous, has been confessed and forgiven, the memory of it should not torment us any more!

Notice, Paul didn't say, "I've forgotten those things which are behind. Paul said, forgetting those things. Paul had learned the secret. There are some things in our memory that we will never forget.

We have to keep practicing forgetting...
Guilt will eat us alive. Every time the memory comes back, every time a song or a word or a smell or a picture or a person reminds us, we continue to practice forgetting.  How long do we practice forgetting?

   ... until the memory doesn't hurt any more.
   ... until we allow God to forgive us
   ... until we allow God to forgive through us
   ... until the pain is no longer there
   ... until we can use our past to help us grow in the present
   ... until we can use our past to help others in the present

God says in Jeremiah 31:34 "I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more."

Psalm 103:12 "I will remove their sin as far as the east is from the west."

I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 


It's time to:
    Lock the door on the past!
   Throw away the key!
   Forget where you have thrown it!

... and live VICTORIOUSLY ... because YOU can!