Let me breakdown Col 3:23-24 so that it can impact your today at work.
Colossians 3:23-24
23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Whatever you do - What is about to be written applies to your "right now," and not your future. It is not something you begin to do when you have the dream job, when you get a new boss, when you start your own business. It applies to your "right now."
work at it with all your heart - You are to put your heart in it. What is important to God in your work is not the task but the effort. He is not consumed with your title, but is aware of the effort that you are putting into whatever you are doing. You may have great Christian character, but that is not a substitute for poor workmanship. How you do whatever you do is a concern of God.
as working for the Lord, not for men - Stop working for the visible boss and begin to work for the invisible boss. If you work for man the pressure will be to try to look good and that means sacrificing a little integrity occasionally, only working hard when the boss is around, looking out for #1. When you work as if Christ is in the office with "Boss" on the door; you work with high integrity because you know He is watching and loves integrity, you give credit away sometimes because that impresses the one you are working for, you refuse to get in the office politics but instead you look for ways to serve your co-workers. Change boss today without changing your job.
since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. - To God your job title and task is not all that significant, but your effort and behavior will be remembered.
If you hate your job ask God to change your heart or change your job to a new one, but until he does put Colossians 3:23-24 to work at your work.
Aug 31, 2009
Aug 27, 2009
Growth continues www.jerrydingmore.com
3. Challenging Circumstances - Growth is not all intellectual, it also is experiential. You have to experience some things to spiritually grow. Growth is not imparted just by attending a class. Though teaching is a part, so is putting that teaching into action. I have no doubt that Peter learned as much about trusting Christ when Jesus asked him to get out of the boat and walk on the water, as he did sitting and listening to him teach. There is not doubt that if you pursue Christ that he is going to allow to experience circumstance that will challenge everything you have learned. Circumstance that cause you to have nothing to hold on to but your faith.
4. Relationships - Fact:you become like who you hang around the most. As much as you may want to deny this...you can't. If you hang around people who play church but are not really pursuing Christ, chances are you will too. If you hang around people who are consumed with what other people think about them, I promise you that you will be at least somewhat consumed with what people think about you. If you hang around with people who are striving to live in a way that honors God in everything they do, you will think more about honoring God with your life. You will not grow without healthy relationships with people who are growing. This is why I love community groups.
5. Live beyond yourself - I heard a statement recently that I love; "You are most like Jesus when you are serving someone else." In today's culture are encouraged to first live for ourselves, and that keeps many of us locked out of spiritual growth. When serving others becomes not just something that you do, but a part of your understanding of what you were created to do, you are on the path of spiritual growth.
None of these 5 things are optional for growth. They are what will grow you.
4. Relationships - Fact:you become like who you hang around the most. As much as you may want to deny this...you can't. If you hang around people who play church but are not really pursuing Christ, chances are you will too. If you hang around people who are consumed with what other people think about them, I promise you that you will be at least somewhat consumed with what people think about you. If you hang around with people who are striving to live in a way that honors God in everything they do, you will think more about honoring God with your life. You will not grow without healthy relationships with people who are growing. This is why I love community groups.
5. Live beyond yourself - I heard a statement recently that I love; "You are most like Jesus when you are serving someone else." In today's culture are encouraged to first live for ourselves, and that keeps many of us locked out of spiritual growth. When serving others becomes not just something that you do, but a part of your understanding of what you were created to do, you are on the path of spiritual growth.
None of these 5 things are optional for growth. They are what will grow you.
Aug 25, 2009
Growth www.jerrydingmore.com
Growth is something that is natural for us. It is something that we long for. We look for and even expect growth in our physical bodies, relationships, income, intelligence, wisdom, marriage, parenting skills...we are always looking to grow.
It is only natural that most of us would want to grow spiritually. After all, we were created in His image and He (God) is spiritual. What does it take to grow spiritually? My first answer is that it takes more than one thing. Some people expect the preacher or church to grow them, others look for it in books or bible studies, other try to show that they are growing by criticizing other churches that they believe are not doing God right, and the list goes on. Over the next few blogs I am going to share what I have observed are the needed components to grow a healthy spiritual life. This list if for those who have accepted God's gift of forgiveness, for without it there is nothing to truly grow.
Here are two:
1. Anointed Teaching-To grow you have to learn from someone who inspires you to continue to follow Christ. Someone that you sense that God speaks though when you listen to them. If you find a pastor/teacher whom God's spirit seem to speak through, you have found something powerful. Make sure what he's teaching lines up with all of scripture.
2. Personal Pursuit-God never intended for us to give over our spiritual growth to the church. I laugh a little when I hear someone complain that their church does not grow them spiritually. It is not their job. A big component of your growth is a personal pursuit of Christ. Get into your bible, memorize some of it, value personal prayer time, have time alone to speak with God, create space to pursue Him.
It is only natural that most of us would want to grow spiritually. After all, we were created in His image and He (God) is spiritual. What does it take to grow spiritually? My first answer is that it takes more than one thing. Some people expect the preacher or church to grow them, others look for it in books or bible studies, other try to show that they are growing by criticizing other churches that they believe are not doing God right, and the list goes on. Over the next few blogs I am going to share what I have observed are the needed components to grow a healthy spiritual life. This list if for those who have accepted God's gift of forgiveness, for without it there is nothing to truly grow.
Here are two:
1. Anointed Teaching-To grow you have to learn from someone who inspires you to continue to follow Christ. Someone that you sense that God speaks though when you listen to them. If you find a pastor/teacher whom God's spirit seem to speak through, you have found something powerful. Make sure what he's teaching lines up with all of scripture.
2. Personal Pursuit-God never intended for us to give over our spiritual growth to the church. I laugh a little when I hear someone complain that their church does not grow them spiritually. It is not their job. A big component of your growth is a personal pursuit of Christ. Get into your bible, memorize some of it, value personal prayer time, have time alone to speak with God, create space to pursue Him.
Aug 21, 2009
Sin www.jerrydingmore.com
There is a three letter word that is being over communicated. It is kind of like the word love, an important word but in many ways the meaning of it is lost. Some use this word as a club to verbally beat on people, and others never mention it. The word that I am talking about is "sin." Culture wants to replace the word sin with mistake.
It sounds much better when you say, "I have made a mistake" than "I have sinned." If it is just a mistake then I just have to do better, if it is sin then I need a savior.
If it is a mistake then its between me and the other person. If it is a sin then it is between me and God.
I wonder, when was that last time you really confessed your sin to God. Been a while? Maybe that is because you have reclassified your sin as a mistake...and that would be a mistake.
Reality is that we all have sinned and are in need of a Savior. However, we will never see our need for him until we honestly admit that we have sinned, and without a savior we are without hope for now and for eternity.
So I challenge you to not dismiss your sin as a mistake that you just have try harder not to do, but instead call it sin, confess it to a savior, and let him lavish grace up your life.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
It sounds much better when you say, "I have made a mistake" than "I have sinned." If it is just a mistake then I just have to do better, if it is sin then I need a savior.
If it is a mistake then its between me and the other person. If it is a sin then it is between me and God.
I wonder, when was that last time you really confessed your sin to God. Been a while? Maybe that is because you have reclassified your sin as a mistake...and that would be a mistake.
Reality is that we all have sinned and are in need of a Savior. However, we will never see our need for him until we honestly admit that we have sinned, and without a savior we are without hope for now and for eternity.
So I challenge you to not dismiss your sin as a mistake that you just have try harder not to do, but instead call it sin, confess it to a savior, and let him lavish grace up your life.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Aug 20, 2009
My daughter www.jerrydingmore.com
My daughter has this Yorkie named Addie that she loves but I can not stand. Seriously, I can not stand this dog. Well the other night I get home from Football practice where it came a huge rain. Colton and I were soaking wet. My daughter met me at the driveway with her dog and asked if I could continue to walk it because she had to go to the bathroom.
Well, being the nice father that I am, I said sure. When she went inside Jana asked, "Where is the wet rat?" Jana was talking about the dog, but my daughter answered, "He is outside walking Addie." She went off to the bathroom thinking that Jana was truly asking where I was and that was calling me a wet rat. Thanks Kenzie.
I tell you guys all the time, I am so mistreated.
Well, being the nice father that I am, I said sure. When she went inside Jana asked, "Where is the wet rat?" Jana was talking about the dog, but my daughter answered, "He is outside walking Addie." She went off to the bathroom thinking that Jana was truly asking where I was and that was calling me a wet rat. Thanks Kenzie.
I tell you guys all the time, I am so mistreated.
Aug 17, 2009
Sunday after thougths-www.jerrydingmore.com
Things from Sunday that stuck with me...
-The Band did great as always. Greg, Amanda, and Katie sounded good together. I wish you all could go to the production meeting each Sunday morning. Our Band and production crew know what they are doing...impressive.
-I was very passionate about the message. I do believe that it was the most important thing I have ever taught on marriage. Now we will see if people "got it" I appreciate all the great words about the message, very encouraging.
-I was afraid that I was going to get a call this morning from Stratford about M&Ms everywhere. But I think we got them all off the stage. If you were not there, i can't explain it.
-Overall we had a great number of people total. Our All Star kids are busting 100 and our middle school began their new time and had about double what they were running. Very Cool.
-Volunteers are great! We have the best! Really. Our first volunteers gets to Stratford at 5:00 am...he has even gotten their around 4:00 am before to begin to setup. Oh yea, I challenge any church to compete with that! Sorry, my comptetive spirit got the best of me. I have to admit, I am not getting up there are 4:00 am.
-I love seeing people realize they are passionately loved by Jesus Christ.
-The Band did great as always. Greg, Amanda, and Katie sounded good together. I wish you all could go to the production meeting each Sunday morning. Our Band and production crew know what they are doing...impressive.
-I was very passionate about the message. I do believe that it was the most important thing I have ever taught on marriage. Now we will see if people "got it" I appreciate all the great words about the message, very encouraging.
-I was afraid that I was going to get a call this morning from Stratford about M&Ms everywhere. But I think we got them all off the stage. If you were not there, i can't explain it.
-Overall we had a great number of people total. Our All Star kids are busting 100 and our middle school began their new time and had about double what they were running. Very Cool.
-Volunteers are great! We have the best! Really. Our first volunteers gets to Stratford at 5:00 am...he has even gotten their around 4:00 am before to begin to setup. Oh yea, I challenge any church to compete with that! Sorry, my comptetive spirit got the best of me. I have to admit, I am not getting up there are 4:00 am.
-I love seeing people realize they are passionately loved by Jesus Christ.
Aug 14, 2009
Christ is centrality -www.jerrydingmore.com
I love communicating the scripture, because I love to see people thrive and you thrive when you put scriptural principles into practice.
This is why we deal with biblical principles to improve your parenting, marriage, priorities, how to get a grip on everything from your money to your anger, to name a few. It is awesome when people began to make steps to living a better life.
That is all good and important stuff, but at the center of it all is not a self-help program, but Christ himself. I will tell you that you will fail at all that I speak about each Sunday without the help of something more powerful than you. You simply will not have the strength/courage/will power you need to constantly live the principles we communicate.
This week I was reading Colossians 1:17, and it reminded me that at the center of all is Christ.
Colossians 1:17
17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Read that verse again. It is telling us that at the center of all that is good, and strong, and right, is Christ himself. It is through a real relationship with Christ that we become connected with the one who is capable to carry us in life. We invite into our lives the one who has the power to move us forward when we invite him in. This relationship is possible because of what Christ did on the cross.
I guess you can say that is all comes back to Christ. We will talk and challenge you at Piedmont in so many areas of your life, but in the end we will constantly point you to the beginning and ending line of a great life...Jesus Christ.
If you are ready to transfer your trust from yourself to Christ. I encourage you to talk with God. No magic formula, just say something like:
Jesus, I realize that I am not perfect. I know that I have disobeyed you. I also realize that you died on the cross to pay for my disobedience. I ask that you forgive me and to come live in my life. I do not want more religion but a real relationship with you. Jesus, help me to learn what following you means in these days. I accept your forgiveness and look forward to living the rest of my days by your strength.
Welcome to the rest of your life.
This is why we deal with biblical principles to improve your parenting, marriage, priorities, how to get a grip on everything from your money to your anger, to name a few. It is awesome when people began to make steps to living a better life.
That is all good and important stuff, but at the center of it all is not a self-help program, but Christ himself. I will tell you that you will fail at all that I speak about each Sunday without the help of something more powerful than you. You simply will not have the strength/courage/will power you need to constantly live the principles we communicate.
This week I was reading Colossians 1:17, and it reminded me that at the center of all is Christ.
Colossians 1:17
17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Read that verse again. It is telling us that at the center of all that is good, and strong, and right, is Christ himself. It is through a real relationship with Christ that we become connected with the one who is capable to carry us in life. We invite into our lives the one who has the power to move us forward when we invite him in. This relationship is possible because of what Christ did on the cross.
I guess you can say that is all comes back to Christ. We will talk and challenge you at Piedmont in so many areas of your life, but in the end we will constantly point you to the beginning and ending line of a great life...Jesus Christ.
If you are ready to transfer your trust from yourself to Christ. I encourage you to talk with God. No magic formula, just say something like:
Jesus, I realize that I am not perfect. I know that I have disobeyed you. I also realize that you died on the cross to pay for my disobedience. I ask that you forgive me and to come live in my life. I do not want more religion but a real relationship with you. Jesus, help me to learn what following you means in these days. I accept your forgiveness and look forward to living the rest of my days by your strength.
Welcome to the rest of your life.
Aug 12, 2009
Cash
I really like Cash. Not the kind with president's faces on it, I am talking the about the new addition to the Blasche family. Cash is the son of Greg and Amanda who are Piedmont's Worship Leaders. He is only a few months old and has had to stay in the hospital over the last several days for test. He has not been gaining weight over the past several months and the Docs want to find out why.
Please pray for Cash, Greg, and Amanda as they labor through these days. It is worrisome and exhausting and so your prays are needed. We have every confidence that Cash will be fine, it is just hard to walk that road.
Please pray for Cash, Greg, and Amanda as they labor through these days. It is worrisome and exhausting and so your prays are needed. We have every confidence that Cash will be fine, it is just hard to walk that road.
sober reality
This appeared on the Fox News Website today...it weighs heavily on my heart.
"Four Christians working for an NGO that helps orphans in Somalia have been beheaded by al-Shabaab, according to the human rights watchdog International Christian Concern.
The Christian orphanage workers were reportedly kidnapped on July 27 in the coastal Somali town Marka, some 56 miles from Mogadishu.
The reported executions come as residents of Mogadishu say the extremist group has been forcibly removing their gold and silver teeth using rough tools — or even just their hands."
"Four Christians working for an NGO that helps orphans in Somalia have been beheaded by al-Shabaab, according to the human rights watchdog International Christian Concern.
The Christian orphanage workers were reportedly kidnapped on July 27 in the coastal Somali town Marka, some 56 miles from Mogadishu.
The reported executions come as residents of Mogadishu say the extremist group has been forcibly removing their gold and silver teeth using rough tools — or even just their hands."
Aug 4, 2009
Expectations
I have issues with expectations. I love and hate them. I know that people expect to have a meaningful experience when they go to church, and that expectation motivates me and others at PC to do our best each Sunday. So there are some expectations that are good for me.
On the other hand, I have a profession in which everyone has an expectations of who you are suppose to be, do, act, how you spend your time, what your children are suppose to be , what you are suppose to wear, what your wife is suppose to do, to name only a few. Do you ever wonder why many pastors' kids are so bad? My experience is that most are bitter because Dad was never around. He was too busy trying to live up to everyone's expectations.
I gave that up a long time ago. I can not live up to all that some people expect me to be, I just can't. So I choose to be me, put my relationship with my wife, kids, and Christ ahead of my ministry (I still am a borderline workaholic). I strive to create systems in the church that can meet as many needs as possible, but I don't try to meet every need. I would rather disappoint a few and enjoy my wife, my kids, and God than try to satisfy those who are going to always want a little more.
My point in this post is just to acknowledge that you, like me, are always going to have more expectations put on you than you can live up to. So I encourage you to rank the expectations. Strive to live as Christ would expect, try to live and love your spouse and children, be productive at work, and if there is any time and emotional energy left, then look to fulfilling a few of the expectations that people around you have. However, always remember that you cannot not live up to everyone's expectation, and as a result, everyone is not going to love you.
Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
On the other hand, I have a profession in which everyone has an expectations of who you are suppose to be, do, act, how you spend your time, what your children are suppose to be , what you are suppose to wear, what your wife is suppose to do, to name only a few. Do you ever wonder why many pastors' kids are so bad? My experience is that most are bitter because Dad was never around. He was too busy trying to live up to everyone's expectations.
I gave that up a long time ago. I can not live up to all that some people expect me to be, I just can't. So I choose to be me, put my relationship with my wife, kids, and Christ ahead of my ministry (I still am a borderline workaholic). I strive to create systems in the church that can meet as many needs as possible, but I don't try to meet every need. I would rather disappoint a few and enjoy my wife, my kids, and God than try to satisfy those who are going to always want a little more.
My point in this post is just to acknowledge that you, like me, are always going to have more expectations put on you than you can live up to. So I encourage you to rank the expectations. Strive to live as Christ would expect, try to live and love your spouse and children, be productive at work, and if there is any time and emotional energy left, then look to fulfilling a few of the expectations that people around you have. However, always remember that you cannot not live up to everyone's expectation, and as a result, everyone is not going to love you.
Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Aug 3, 2009
Thougths about Sunday
--Great start to the STAY series. I hope you were capture by how Jesus turned how we love in marriage upside down by simply changing from a noun to a verb. AWESOME!
--Music was great. Sorry to all the people who said if they knew we were going to do the Journey song "Faithfully," they would have brought their lighters to hold up. They were kidding, I think.
--Our All Star Kids had their end of the summer bash during All Star Kids times. I hear it was a big success. Jana, along with Shannon Durden, and all the other amazing volunteers do an awesome job. The hours that are put into that ministry each week is huge. Mind-boggling to be honest.
--I hear that Val and our Peewee All Star Ministry had a larger number of little children. I love to see all the children. I hope that we will become a partner with their parents to teach them our three "bottom lines" in this ministry; (1) God made me, (2) God loves Me, and (3) Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
--Student Ministry is making some changes and I really look forward to what is happening in that ministry. They had a great time at Camp, and Curt is ready to do some good work with that group. Several parents have mentioned great things about Curt, and he is great, but the real power in that family is Amber...sorry Curt, just keepin' it real.
--We announced www.piedmontverge.com this past Sunday to keep everyone informed on what is happening in our Verge Building Emphasis. I am excited about that opportunity to keep everyone informed on the "fluid" happenings of Verge. Keep praying and giving, I have a sense of excitement about it all.
--Music was great. Sorry to all the people who said if they knew we were going to do the Journey song "Faithfully," they would have brought their lighters to hold up. They were kidding, I think.
--Our All Star Kids had their end of the summer bash during All Star Kids times. I hear it was a big success. Jana, along with Shannon Durden, and all the other amazing volunteers do an awesome job. The hours that are put into that ministry each week is huge. Mind-boggling to be honest.
--I hear that Val and our Peewee All Star Ministry had a larger number of little children. I love to see all the children. I hope that we will become a partner with their parents to teach them our three "bottom lines" in this ministry; (1) God made me, (2) God loves Me, and (3) Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
--Student Ministry is making some changes and I really look forward to what is happening in that ministry. They had a great time at Camp, and Curt is ready to do some good work with that group. Several parents have mentioned great things about Curt, and he is great, but the real power in that family is Amber...sorry Curt, just keepin' it real.
--We announced www.piedmontverge.com this past Sunday to keep everyone informed on what is happening in our Verge Building Emphasis. I am excited about that opportunity to keep everyone informed on the "fluid" happenings of Verge. Keep praying and giving, I have a sense of excitement about it all.
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