Give up my life and surrender to God. There is no event define the Christian life than the crucifixion and resurrection. Paul told the Philippian church that Jesus, “gave up his divine privilege, took the position of a slave, humbled himself, and died a criminal’s death on the cross.”  Philippians 2:6-8. So, it makes sense

Give up sorrow and learn hope. “Good Friday” seems like an oxymoron to me. What’s “good” about it? Kangaroo trial, mockery, and torture. What’s even more amazing about it is that Jesus walked innocently and willingly to the hill they called “the place of the skull.” So, named because of its appearance. Appropriate too because

Give up self-sufficiency and learn to depend on God. Today is Maundy Thursday in the Lenten Calendar. It was on this day that Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples, was betrayed by Judas, abandoned by the disciples, and arrested in the Garden as he was praying. My observation over years of ministry is

Give up selfish ambition and learn generosity toward others. “We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could.  Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in

Giving up ingratitude and learning-to be thankful. There were a host of people who helped the bride produce her wedding: people who brought food, a friend who donated the venue, guests who brought gifts, and other contributors. It was a lovely wedding which went off without a hitch. The bride “thanked” everyone with a Facebook

Lent – April 6 Give up envy and learn to delight in the Lord. Envy is sometimes called the “green-eyed monster” because of the feelings it engenders inside the envious person.  It is defined as discontentment aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck.  It leads to self-pity. Envy eats out the heart of its

Give up a small vision of God and learn reverence. You could say we ‘ve been desensitized. Nothing amazes us more. We ‘ ve shrunk universe and tamed the lion. A casualty of our cavalier thinking has been our attitude toward God.  God has been dethroned and sent to some faraway place, in our minds,

Give up pride and learn humility The major message of advertising is that you are important and deserve the very best of everything:  cosmetics, automobiles, clothing, and housing.  It’s hard to be humble when being bombarded with that narrative. The message of Jesus is 180 degrees from advertising’s message.  “The first shall be last,” Jesus

Give up resisting change and learn to take risks. Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome estimated that until 1900, information doubled every century.    By 1945 it doubled every 25 years. By 1982 it was doubling every 12-13 years. However, IBM estimates that by 2020 information will be doubling every 12 hours. Whether or not that

Give up idolatry and learn to worship. During the Old Testament period of time, people actually carved idols out of wood and stone to which they would pray and devote their worship.  In Israel, these gods dotted the countryside in the form of Baal statutes or sacred poles to Ashtoreth.  These idols were much more