Trust and Serve God

Last week in Gillette, WY and Billings, MT, several seminar attendees pulled me aside during breaks with surprising--to me--expressions of gratitude for my encouragement and "boldly, yet gently, sharing your faith."


Numerous times, attendees have thanked me for sharing the gospel while teaching. I am always surprised because I do not set specific goals of encouraging people or sharing my faith.


My prayer before teaching any topic, consists simply of "Lord, help me serve and glorify you today. For the cause of Christ, who may I serve today? Lord, you are joining today's attendees, myself and this topic for your purposes, far exceeding my wisdom. Let me act obediently to your desires in spite of myself."


Then, trusting God in faith, I freely speak whatever is placed on my heart.


Conversely, whenever I focus on secular goals I receive no comments such as those above. This reminds me that the more we focus on serving and glorifying God--including doing our job well, the deeper the positive impact is on others. As we know, all people and topics fall under God's domain.


"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being (John 1:1-3)."


Seek to serve and glorify God; all else will fall into place according to His wisdom (Mt. 6:33).



See Christ, Believe Christ,
Achieve with Christ!

Rick E. Meyer
See, Believe, Achieve Inc.
Running on Faith Ministry Inc.
www.rickEmeyer.com
www.max.com/337072

The Greatest Love

Excerpt from 2004, 2005 and 2007 Memorial Day Address for the American Legion: The Greatest Love

"The Bible instructs us in John 15:12-13 to love others as Christ loves us; Christ says the Greatest love a person can display is laying down one’s life for friends as Jesus did for us. Jesus says “you are my friend if you do what I command”. 

 

You, the Veterans, answered Christ’s command, as every person who serves in defending our great nation is laying down their life for their Friends, their fellow Americans and mankind around the globe. 

 

My fellow Americans, each of these Veterans has laid down their life for Freedom & Liberation, Freedom for America and all of the Free World.  You have displayed the Greatest Love.

 

Yes, you who were blessed with life after the last shot in the last battle of the war you fought or served in; laid down your life. Did you not give up months and years of your lives to serve?

 

Flint Whitlock in his recent book “The Fighting First”; tells the story of the Big Red One from Omaha Beach, to the hedge rows, Battle of Aachen, the Hurtgen Forest to the Battle of the Bulge, states that 60 years later the surviving veterans still have nightmares from battle.  

 

Perhaps some, if not all of you, still have nightmares from battle.  The fact of memories lingering forever in your mind, whether from 60+ years or less than a month ago; are further evidence of laying down your life for mankind.

Naturally, some have or still do wonder why you survived while others did not. The only answer I have is that each day anyone awakens, regardless of age or state of health, God is saying “I have plans for you - today”.

 

God has led his people into battle and victory, since nearly the beginning of time.  We are in constant pursuit of World Peace, which is World Hope. 

 

The Biblical definition for Peace is not the absence of negative, rather the presence of positive, the presence of HOPE, the presence of Christ--the Prince of Peace. Jesus continues to bring hope despite the continual presence of evil."

 

World, National, State, Community, Family or Individual resides only in the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

 

See Christ, Believe Christ, Achieve with Christ!

Rick E. Meyer

 

See, Believe, Achieve Inc.

www.rickEmeyer.com

Holy Spirit in YOU!

Each of my life's significant failures results from my all-absorbing laser-focus on my power and my absolute dependence on self and fellow man.


Conversely, each of my life's significant achievements result from my all-absorbing laser-focus on the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in me and my absolute dependence on His power, sovereignty and provision. "It is not me, rather Christ who is in me," "I can't, He (Christ) can, We (Christ and I) are."

I have written several times about applying this while running races and facing tragedies such as my dad's death, the same all-consuming recognition and dependence occurs in every aspect of life. Running on Faith
Power of Light
  

At times, the enemy attempts to fog my awareness and dependence on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit with deceptive phrases such as, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

Jesus dying, resurrecting, and ascending in conquering death and forgiving the sins of each believer so they may have eternal life, magnanimously epitomizes "If it seems too good to be true," as does the reality of every believer of the Lord Jesus Christ receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit. Yet, both are true for each believer of Christ.


Satan and the demons seek to destroy our believing Christ as our Savior, they seek to fog our heart, mind and soul from recognizing, communicating and acting with the power of the Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Satan and his demons strongly desire for man's (includes both genders) reliance placed upon other people, thus away from God.

No believer in communication with, and dependence on, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit relies upon another man. Rather, he/she relies on God who works through other men and women.


The believer knows that God's sovereignty and provision exceed and prevail humankind's shortcomings and failures, thus the believer remains patient, peaceful, joyful, prayerful and trusting regardless of external circumstances. I have previously written about this internalized peace after being asked to resign because I am, "Too honest."


My friend Jacqueline just posted this on Facebook, I read her post after completing the previous paragraph (printed with permission):

"Car window was smashed and ipad + computer stolen, in broad day light. The police officer and I chatted for 1.5 hours about Christ, life, and not letting bad things distract us from the plans God has for us. Bummer when bad stuff happens. Choosing to respond with joy and faith."

 

"I really enjoy annoying Satan. Evil wants us to be distracted by trials so that we lose focus on doing good. God lets us fight evil with joy and comfort. Trust me, I am upset about the documents and hard work that is lost (it was a work computer)...and for a second, I started to condemn myself for leaving the stuff in the car. But then God reminded me that condemnation is useless, AND, that He has given a lot of really great opportunities for me to focus on accomplishing right now. I'll be more fulfilled using my energy to focus on producing good instead of wallowing in the negative and condemnation. I'm not mad at the thief at all, just a learning experience in aligning my thoughts with God."

"And something cool JUST happened. I have been praying for an opportunity to know my neighbors better. As a result of my broken window sitting in the parking lot, a neighbor JUST came and knocked on my door and I got to cha with her!! I believe even more good is about to result from this!"

Jacqueline's response radiates the presence, power, joy and peace of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in her life!!

Conversely, another friend Sue (not her real name) responded to her misfortune, "To the punk who smashed out my rear windshield...karma will be coming for you."

Sue's response radiates with the power of anger, and revenge of Hinduism and Buddhism (i.e. karma).

How will and do you respond to adversity? How does your relationship with Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit affect your attitude, perspective, goals, effort, performance and achievements? 


See Christ, Believe Christ, Achieve with Christ!


Rick E. Meyer
See, Believe, Achieve Inc.
www.rickEmeyer.com

Image

A lifelong friend of my mother recently posted on my mom's Facebook wall, "We were watching the local Waco news and they were talking about runners in a race in Dallas, and who should appear on the screen but Rick!! It was a side shot of him, but he looks so much like your Dad, I knew it was him!!"


Due to geographical distance, I have seen Georgette only a few times over the years. Yet, she "knew it was" me because I represented the image of my grandfather, whom she knew well.

God created you and I in His image (Genesis 1:25-26, 5:1, 9:6; 1 Co 11:7; Ro 8:29; Jas 3:9; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10). This includes a portion of God's spiritual, character attributes. (Man certainly makes NO claim of being any god!)

As believers in Christ Jesus—indwelt by the Holy Spirit—let's strive to interact with the world in such a way that when people see only a "side shot" of us, they say, "he/she looks (interacts) so much like Christ, I knew it was him/her!!"?

See Christ, Believe Christ, Achieve with Christ!

Rick E. Meyer
See, Believe, Achieve Inc.
www.rickEmeyer.com

Food for Thought: Answered Prayers

The prayers heard, thus answered by God—the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ—in the Bible are those spoken with passion, emotion and belief.


Nehemiah wept and mourned when he received word of Jerusalem's destroyed wall (Nehemiah 1). David continually prays with strong emotion in First and Second Samuel as well as in Psalm. Jesus passionately prays in Gethsemane, as well as other times (Matthew 26:36-46).


You may respond, "Well sure, but Jesus died on the cross despite his passionate prayer."


If so, we miss the point of prayer! Jesus prayed for the fulfillment of the Father's will. Jesus' death and resurrection we spoken of by the prophets in the Old Testament, his death on the Cross fulfilled God the Father's purpose, as did the Jesus' resurrection and ascension (Acts 1:9). We pray too passionately pray for the fulfillment of God's will—because His wisdom exceeds all other thoughts, plans and logic combined.


The blind man called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me (Luke 19:35-42)." The blind man emphatically pleaded with Jesus to receive his sight. Jesus healed him because of the blind man's faith.


Dwell on the power of God, and if your prayer request glorifies Him—this defines asking anything in Jesus' name (John 16:26, 27).


Pray with passion, emotion, faith, belief in the power of God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to deliver according the Father's will (Matthew 6:8-15, 7:21).


See Christ, Believe Christ, Achieve with Christ—Pray with emotion and expectation of reception!


Rick E. Meyer
See, Believe, Achieve Inc.
www.rickEmeyer.com



P.S. The official writing standards call for abbreviation of the books of the Bible. This serves well in saving space when communicating with others familiar with the Bible. However, Christianity should avoid all attributes of an exclusive insiders club. Rather, we desire to share God's word, which includes assuring the ease of anyone to easily define which book of the Bible referenced.

Confessing Faith = Living Faith

Actions define Faith (James 2:14-17). Faith believes in the physically unseen. We act according to our beliefs. If I believe I need water, and I believe there a water hydrant sits one-hundred yards west; I will walk one-hundred yards west for a drink. This assumes I possess the ability to walk. If I fail to walk one-hundred yards west, I either doubt my need for water or I doubt the stated location of the water hydrant.


I love proclaiming my dependence on God's strength, wisdom, mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, understanding, joy, peace and the fruit of Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-25). This includes how He has and does bless my efforts in school, speaking, running, and all I commit to Him. The messages include the Power of Light and Hanging on by a Thread.


When I proclaim my dependence on Him along with His ability to bless efforts, I must completely exert myself—in faith—toward the desired goals. Because, if I use His name as my source of power, then fail to fully exert myself, my witness loses all credibility and power. Outsiders view my declared dependence versus my effort as hypocrisy or they view it as God lacking power. I poorly represent Him! I fail to please Him. The failure results from my lack of effort as opposed to lack of results.


Consequently, as I share my dependence on Him in studying, speaking, running and a number of other activities, I must fully exert myself towards those goals. I must study beyond the point of exhaustion, striving for comprehension to the point of simplicity. I must write, rewrite and rewrite papers to the absolute best of my ability.


Ultimately, I am acting according to my belief that God will bless my efforts according to His will when I seek to please Him in all that I do. Only then do I serve as a good witness. Someone one said, "To know and not to do, is not to know." Do our actions reveal our knowing the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, death, resurrection and resulting salvation?


Do you and I know God's strength, wisdom, mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, understanding, joy, peace and the fruit of Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-25). Are you and I glorifying God as our actions represent Him? Will your faith resulting actions and efforts encourage others to also seek God as their source of power, peace, hope, forgiveness, love and salvation?


Today, walk in the direction of your faith. Walk, in belief, toward the one whom gives you water for which you will never thirst again (Jn. 4:14). What would someone whom you never met conclude about your beliefs based on your actions?


See Christ, Believe Christ, Achieve with Christ!
Rick E. Meyer
See, Believe, Achieve Inc.

www.rickEmeyer.com








 

Thinking: What vs. How

When I reflect on the influtential leaders, coaches, and mentors in my life, thinking consistently surfaces among the cream of lessons--the best of the best. One method involves the great leaders sharing their stories experiences in common situations, or a variety of stories of similar but different circumstances. These stories are either left hanging, or followed by their recommended advice dealing with my inquiry. For example, Uncle Doug once told of wanting to remove soil, lower the top, from a waterway channeling runoff water to the Republican River. His father, my grandpa, advised him to leave the dike's height in place because a couple of heavy rains with few days inbetween would result in water nearing the top of the dike. If water exceeded the dike, their land could experience heavy flooding. Additionally, Grandpa remembered the 1935 Republican River Flood about a quarter of a century earlier. Uncle Doug believed the probability of two successive heavy rains remained low, additionally he--like most others--believed improved soil conservation practices would drastically reduce run-off of any heavy rains. Depite these ponderings he listened to his dad, obeying the commands to leave to levee as is. In the next seven to ten days, two 12-inch rains poured downstream from the drainage ditch. The water flowed within inches of the top. Do you affirmatively respond to the wisdom of your elders, even when their advice appears outdated? Another quick example includes Coach Lyle Claussen response to myself or another runner wanting to train at level beyond prudence. Coach Claussen may share a story about one of his many stand-out runners who chose to over-train then suffered a resultant injury from ignoring warnings from his body and coach and failed to achieve his goals. He followed this example with another standout who did listen to body and Coach, resulting in amazing performances. He would then say, "It is better to err on the side of caution." The second method involves questions either immediately following an inquisition or folled by a story. I once asked Coach Bill "Congo" Congleton if I needed to run in the morning in addition to our tough afternoon workouts. He simply responded, "Depends on how good you want to be, Rick Meyer." (This link allows listening to a 2008 7-minute District Toasmaster Championship Speech, Congo's Ideologies). A plethora of other examples of powerful questions exist. Is it worth it? What are the consequences at different levels and time frames? The above methods teach people how to think, instead of what to think. Sometimes all of us need direct orders, we need told what to think. However greatness often occurs with the freedom of learning how and engaging "how to think." Maturity and experience provide the foundation of learning how to think. We acquire these through our own life. However, great leaders, coaches, and mentors allow us to piggy back on their experiences, while their challenges enhance our maturity. Proverbs states, "As Iron Sharpens Iron so One Man Sharpens Another." Or as I have written many time, As Iron Sharpens Iron so One Champion Sharpens Another." Are you selecting and associating with leaders, coaches, and mentors whose experience and maturity enable your developing razor sharpness? Biblically, consider that the Old and New Testaments includes stories of God's interaction with his people. These stories, through prayerful study enable our learning how to think. The Old Testament Law, defined and taught what to think. Conversely, Christ's death, resurrection, conquering of sin for those who believe in him and Christ's sending the Holy Spirit to us from the Father in the New Testament empowers our ability on how to think. Do you respond or ignore the Holy Spirit's voice in your life? Every time I recognize my lack of appropriate response whether ignoring or complacency I repent. And when honest, I say, "Lord forgive me, you know that I try to listen and respond to your voice (non-audible rather in the heart). Help me learn and become better at hearing and appropriately respond to you every moment from now forward." When evidence--including 1.0 correlation with scripture--proves I did hear and appropriately respond, I praise Him for opening my heart and mind for this occurence. How do you respond to Him upon recognition or your inaccuracy or accuracy? While walking tonight, I passed several muslims. I strongly felt a prompting to lovingly smile and pray--while walking--for their recognition and acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior for eternal life with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--the one true God (not my specific words, rather my prayer message). Are you continually developing your ability of how to think? Does this development increase or decrease wisdom, knowledge, and understanding? I am blessed from associating with those whom share their experience and maturity to enhance my ability to think--yes, my room for improvement remains. Thank you for your past, present, and future endeavors in sharing and teaching others in your life how to think. See Christ, Believe Christ, Achieve Thinking with Christ! Rick E. Meyer See, Believe, Achieve Inc. www.rickEmeyer.com

Time Management

Morning Ponderings: As I am about to depart for a full day of classes at Dallas Theological Seminary, I reflect upon the vast papers, asssignments and exams due this semester, along with speaking obligations.
I, like you with your responsibilities, ponder on how to successfully achieve each of these responsibilities. Time management equates with thought management, this includes directing our thoughts to seeking God's wisdom and gumption (Light of Christ).

Update: Yesterday, I prepared for my first quiz of the semester. Dr. Tousaint, who has taught at DTS since 1960, warned us to prepare for this quiz as if preparing for a final exam. I did. However, quizes and exams have been difficult for me in the past.
I typically receive high marks on papers and and essay questions, while receiving lower scores on regular exams.
Every time I diligently studied for this exam, I prayed for wisdom. Immediately before the quiz, I prayed for wisdom. Consequently, one of the few times in my life I received a 100% on a quiz.

Later in the day, I sat in Old Testament History--a redundant title :)--struggling to follow the professors use of literary terminology. Vocabulary such as Setting, Protagonist, etc rarely enter my thoughts or exit my mouth as sound waves. Even though we discussed them in school years ago, my mind requires extensive processing of these terms before their clear meaning is understood.

Suddenly in the middle of the lecture, I am reminded to expectantly ask for wisdom (James 1:5-8). Upon asking, as if sent as sharp lightning striking my brain, clarity of these terms appeared.

Please know this same James passage also states that we attain wisdom through trials of many forms, testing our faith. When we seek wisdom, prudence suggest we prepare for trials, however we welcome these with pure joy for their increased yields.

Proverbs states the value of wisdom exceeds the value of gold. Pray for, and expect wisdom! For increased time management, open your thoughts to God's Wisdom, glorifying God the Father, Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.

See Christ, Believe Christ, Achieve with Christ!
Rick E. Meyer
See, Believe, Achieve Inc.
www.rickEmeyer.com

Vision - Six-Inches to Greatness