Exchange - Conclusion

My life is a gift from God and what I do with it is my gift back to Him. 

Therefore, I will make everyday a masterpiece. 🖍️

That has been one of the driving principles of my life. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I live up to that every day. I don’t! I often fall short. Some days are anything but a masterpiece. And rather than them (me) being a work of art . . . I’m a piece of work!!! 😕

I’ve also lived by the principle . . . “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got!” 

So, every so often things have to change in your life if you are going to change.  

In short, we have to exchange COMFORT for GROWTH. 🦋

Throughout the Bible God called people to step out of their comfort zone and into the growth zone. 

A zone that called for . . .

Faith

Courage

Risk

Adventure
Daring

He called . . .

Noah to build an ark.🛳️

Abraham to leave the comfort of his homeland to take new territory.

Peter to step out of the security of the boat and walk to Him on the water.

Pharisees out of their comfort zones of legalism and hypocrisy and into a life of authenticity.

Let me ask you? 🤔

Where are you too comfortable?

What in your life needs to change?

Where do you want a breakthrough?

Where have you settled?

Where could you improve?

What is that thing that keeps gnawing at you, yet you refuse to act upon?

What has you cowering in fear?

When is the last time you did something for the first time?

Don’t think the Bible challenges us beyond comfort to growth?

“I press on to reach the end of the race . . .” Philippians 3:14

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”                                                                                  Philippians 4:13

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”                                                                  2 Peter 3:18

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”                          
                                                                Ephesians 2:10

“ . . . It is impossible to please God without faith.” Hebrews 11:6

                   Don’t settle for comfort . . . choose growth!

Exchange Pt 4

Not a person alive can say they are without guilt. We’ve all blown it . . . struggled with something . . . or done something wrong. We’re all guilty! 🤦‍♂️

"The person who keeps every law of God but makes one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is."           James 2:10

Sometimes that guilt is so heavy we agree with David in the Old Testament when he said, "My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear."                                                                                           😭       Psalm 38:4

What is guilt? Think of it as a warning light . . . an alarm. 🔊  It tells us something is wrong. Something needs to be fixed. Something needs to be changed.

Unfortunately, there is false guilt, too, that comes from things like . . .

Living in the past

Lies we tell ourselves

Listening to haters

Living for the approval of others

And unfortunately, there are inappropriate ways we deal with it . . .

Blame 😠

Shame😞

Go into hiding 🏃‍♂️

God has a better way . . . Exchange the GUILT for GRACE?

What is grace? In this context I’d say this: Grace is God giving to me what I don’t deserve, FORGIVENSS, so I can experience what I long for, FREEDOM from guilt. My word of warning . . . don’t presume on God’s grace. While God does save us from the condemnation of our wrong doing, He does not necessarily rescue us from the consequences.

So, RELAX in God’s grace 😌

Realize no one is perfect. We all fall short.

Enjoy God’s unconditional love

Let God handle things

Accept God’s forgiveness 

eXchange my perfectionism for God’s perfect peace

The essence of grace is this: GOD IS FOR YOU! 💓 

So, make the exchange.

The Power of Interpretation | Pastor Steven Furtick

This message changed my life.   Last Saturday evening I attended Elevation Church to hear Pastor Steven preach this message. I experienced a spiritual breakthrough that I have sought for several months.

Over the last few months I have struggled with depression and uncertainty about the call of God upon my life. This message from God – gave me the clarity to move away from playing the “blame game” on others and understanding the truth that only the Holy Spirit speaking to my spirit could provide this breakthrough. 

Fooled by a phone charger? Penn & Teller: Fool Us // Bryan Saint

A number of years ago, whole I served as the pastor of a church in Raleigh NC; a senior adult came to me ask that I consider doing something special for an evening service on the 5^th Sunday of a month.  I had recently met a talented person who soon became a good friend and a person who always amazes me.  His name:  Brian Saint.

Here is his recent appearance on Penn and Teller Fool Me:

Friday Funny

As October is upon us and await the Fall weather – Here is an idea for a new job you may have been waiting for:

Just a reminder:

          The colors of Fall reveal the handiwork and creative genius of our Creator God!

Exchange Pt 3

I enjoy flying. ✈️ Traveling to other countries. Don’t even mind the long flights. Especially when on a flight to Israel a few years ago, the flight attendant comes to me just before takeoff, when I’m in last row by the bathrooms and says, Mr. Hudgens, come with me. You’ve been bumped up to FIRST CLASS! That was a BEAUTIFUL EXCHANGE.

In my prior posts, I wrote about exchanging shame for forgiveness.

Today, how would you like to exchange DESPAIR for HOPE? 

                        😞  😌

Have you ever been in despair? Wanted to give up . . . throw in the towel . . . wanted to walk away? Sure! We all have. Some of you reading this are there now.

We want to know, is there any hope for . . .

The wife whose husband walked out and left her to raise the children

The person just diagnosed with terminal cancer

The parent who just lost a child to suicide

I’m not sure who wrote this, but it fits.

“A person can live 40 days without food; 4 days without water; 4 minutes without air, but only 4 seconds without hope. Hope is the power that keeps us going in the toughest times of life. It takes obstacles and transforms them into possibilities. Hope gives us the strength and courage we need to make the most out of life.”

Biblical hope is not wishful thinking . . . it is confident assurance! 

I don’t have to . . .
Hope God loves me
Hope God forgives me
Hope God has more for me

Like Paul in the Bible when he said . . .

“We had great burdens that were beyond our own strength. We even gave up hope of living. But this happened so we would not trust in ourselves but in God.”                                                                       2 Corinthians 1:8,9

Or like Peter in the Bible when he said . . .

“So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here.”                                                                 1 Peter 1:6

Today, my friend, don’t give up hope. 

Turn to God 

He loves you! ❤️

He forgives you! ✝️

He is with you!

He is for you!

He has good in store for you!

Exchanges Pt 2

I’m doing a series of posts on BIG TIME EXCHANGES we all ought to consider. For example, who wouldn’t want to exchange SHAME for FORGIVENESS?

Jesus was no stranger to shame. On the cross,  the most extreme example of shame, He not only                                              paid for our sins, He bore our shame. ❤️

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, SCORNING ITS SHAME, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”                                                                                         Hebrews 12:2

Everything about the cross is shameful:

Publicly placed on display.

Naked.

Beaten and bloodied.

Hung with the dregs of society.

Ridiculed and mocked.

Just think about it . . . Jesus bore that, endured that, suffered that for you and me. It’s almost unbelievable. 🤔

So, don’t ever think He doesn’t understand and identify with your shame. Two of the most welcomed words to our ears are “Me too!”

“This High Priest of ours (Jesus) understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.”                                                                                       Hebrews 4:15

So, rather than bathe in shame . . . bask in forgiveness! It would make no sense to refuse this exchange. Accept His payment by asking for and receiving His forgiveness. 😌

I like what Brenne Brown says. “Those who have a strong sense of love and belonging are separated by one variable from those who do not. Those who have a strong sense of love and belonging believe that they are worthy of love and belonging.  They believe that they are worthy.”

The cross says . . . YOU ARE WORTHY! 

Live in the shadow of the cross!

Live in the joy of forgiveness!