If your obituary was written today, what would it say?

Do you think anything in that obituary would help your case when you are brought before the judgement seat of Christ?

How would you like to have the kind of obituary at which all of Heaven would rejoice?

Jesus can help you to have that kind of a life.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:58 — 11.9MB)

There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.  A lot of people say they believe in Jesus, but sadly there are less whose lives demonstrate a real faith in God.  What do you believe in?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:32 — 9.4MB)

Everybody knows that you can’t take anything with you when you die.  So why do so many people cling so tightly to the things they know won’t last?  Why is it so difficult to live by faith and trust the God really is in charge?  Maybe a different perspective will give you some insight.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:17 — 12.5MB)

Do you ever think about the future or the direction of your life?  Some people only think as far as their next meal.  Others might make plans a week or so in advance.  A small portion will think about the years ahead and make plans for a future career or retirement.  But the very smartest have their eyes on eternity.  They think about what the rest of life is leading up to.

How about you?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:55 — 13.7MB)

What would your life be like if you didn’t own anything–if everything you needed was provided to you on a daily basis for your entire life, but you finished every day without actually owning anything?

Would you have a different attitude about how you lived?

What if I told you that ultimately, that is the reality of life.  We enter the world without property and leave it the same way.

So how does that effect your thoughts about everything you thought you owned?

Listen to the message and see how freeing that truth can be!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:23 — 9.3MB)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.”
–Jesus Christ

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:50 — 8.6MB)

Why do people fall in love?  What’s their motivation?  I mean, why does anybody go through all the trouble of pursuing and building a love relationship.  I’m not talking about lust and sex.  I’m talking about people who fall head over heels and are willing to put on their best and spend their money and make extra time for dating and gifts and trips –and all the emotional stress and upheaval that comes with the risk of putting your heart on the line hoping for somebody else to respond with the same feelings.  Why do people do that?

The answer is pretty obvious–even if it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense when you think about how much time and attention a good relationship takes.  People give their love because it’s rewarding to share real love with another person.  When husbands and wives love each other or parents love their children et cetera, it often requires a lot of sacrifice, but anybody with a good relationship will tell you that it’s more than worth it.

Living for God is the same thing.  Serving God often requires sacrifice and takes work and dedication and commitment.  But anybody who has a good relationship with Jesus Christ will tell you that it’s more than worth it.  The joy and contentment and deep love that fills your life as a result of belonging to God makes living life God’s way a desire rather than just a regulation.

Do you know what I mean?  If so, congrats!  If not, would you like to?

(This podcast is a retelling of the same idea from the December 27th podcast.)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:05 — 23.8MB)

What drives you?  What’s your main motivation in life?  Do you enjoy being alive?  Or are you bored or depressed or unfulfilled?  What trips your trigger?

What about you Christians…why do you live a life of love and purity?  Why do you live a holy life and always make righteous choices? (By the way, if you’re not living that way, it proves you don’t belong to Jesus?  If you are a true Christian your life will produce the fruit of the Spirit and you will rid your life of sin.  You can’t love God and commit evil against him at the same time.)  Anyway, why do you live for God?  Because you love to or because you have to?

How do you think God wants you to be motivated?  Fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of wisdom.  But love casts out fear.  So if you are motivated by love–if you enjoy living for God–then you have no need to be afraid because your love will drive you to live a life that pleases God rather than incites his wrath.

So, which do you prefer?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:16 — 20.7MB)

Remember that big government stimulus package that was supposed to save the economy last year?  And more people are losing their jobs (or still looking for jobs).  The stock market is at a 10 year low.  The economy still seems to be pretty unstimulated.  How are you dealing with that?  Has it affected your livelihood, your mood, your outlook on life?  It can be a pretty grim picture if you’re counting on government bureaucracy to fix things.  So what can you do?  Put your hope in something other than bad economics and leaders who don’t seem to be able to do basic arithmetic.  Trust in the Owner of the universe for the life-saving stimulus you need.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:56 — 17.4MB)

The things you own can end up owning you.  And he who dies with the most toys is dead.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:24 — 14.4MB)