The Dangling Carrot

Do you find it difficult to concentrate when something exciting is coming your way? I sure do. Maybe it's a vacation you're looking forward to. For me it might be retirement. Maybe for you it's wanting your spouse to be something they're not. What should we do? The carrot is right there!

That person or thing is dangling out there in front of us and we can't wait to get to it. Distractions and temptations come at us every day. Television advertising, a restaurant menu, a shopping trip. "Dangling carrots" are everywhere.

Do YOU have a carrot in your life? What is it? I've seen people whose "carrot" is money. They never have enough. They never get the carrot. For some people it's fame. Fame is fleeting. No carrot their either.

Here's a question. Who do you think is holding that string?

The carrot, dangling at the end of a stick, is often used to entice a stubborn mule to do something it really doesn't want to do. In our case, perhaps it's an adulterous relationship. "She's nicer and more beautiful than our current spouse." Or maybe it's alcohol. "Just one more drink to deaden the pain."

It never works. In the end, it is never as fulfilling as doing what is right. Satan loves to distract us and tempt us to do something we shouldn't be doing by offering us something we really want.

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. ³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
 
⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” - Matthew 4:1-4

Jesus refused to stray from His obedience to God, even though He was really hungry and wanted to eat bread. Then why should we allow ourselves to stray? To be tempted by something we want that will lead us someplace we really shouldn't be going? Because we are really selfish and we REALLY want that carrot.

"9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." - 1 Timothy 6:9

"25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. 26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng." - Proverbs 7:25-26

Let us not be distracted by the things we "want" in life. May we follow the only thing we need - Jesus Christ, our Lord.


Temptation Eyes - Grass Roots

Being Intentional

Do you ever get those moments in life when something becomes abundantly clear, when before things always seemed cloudy and uncertain? That happens to me quite a bit. What causes the sudden certainty in our lives? Why, and how, do things suddenly become clear?

Perhaps it's some random thought that has been bouncing around in our head for a while and then, one day, we just finally figure out what to do with it. It could be God directing us to do something I guess, where He puts thoughts in our heads? Or maybe it's Satan doing the same thing. How do we know for sure if we should take a leap of faith

I was talking with a friend over the weekend (I think I mentioned this in my last blog post) about being intentional in our lives. What does "being intentional" look like in the world we live in? We can be intentional about taking our the garbage just like we can be intentional about prayer or going to church.

I think that if we are desiring to be intentional about doing something, that desire comes from us NOT doing something. Like eating healthy for example. Nothing makes me want to be intentional about dieting like stepping on the bathroom scale and weighing myself!

What about intentionality in our spiritual lives? Why do we read our Bibles some days and then others we let it slide? Are we too busy? Or are we just unintentional in our reading? And what about our diet? What makes us "tip the scales" in our minds about changing the way we eat or exercise?

I think we want to become intentional when things get bad enough or drift to an extreme to the point we wake up and say, "I have GOT to change something!"

What is the one thing you need to be intentional about? Is it your prayer life? Is it serving others in your community? Or maybe its time to start eating healthy or exercising more than you do. Everybody's got something they could change.

So what's holding us back?

Ourselves.

Our selfish desires.

"That chocolate cake looks SOOO good!"

No!! Be intentional about eating healthy!

I really don't feel like reading my Bible tonight."

Hey, this is God's Word. Perhaps He will reveal something in the scriptures that will change your thoughts . . . like being intentional! LOL!

Can I ask you a question? What made you choose Christ? And, if you haven't yet, why not? What suddenly makes it abundantly clear that we need Jesus in our lives? Are we intentional about seeking Him? Are we intentional in our faith today?

And finally, was there anyone more intentional that Christ? And if we are to become more and more like Him in the things we say and do, shouldn't we also become more intentional in our faith? In our actions? In our love? May we be more intentional today than we were yesterday. And may we be more intentional about sharing God's love and His message today than we have ever been.

Did you ever see the movie Facing The Giants? Remember the scene with the "death crawl"? Brock was intentional about only going a few yards, but his coach was intent on Brock going farther than that. Do you think God is happy with where we are with our faith right now? Or does He want us to be more intentional in the way we do things? DOes He want us to make it to the goal line? Perhaps we should ask Him.

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." - James 1:12

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:14

"Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall." - 2 Peter 1:10

The Intentionality of Christ's Love and The Intentionality of His Death - John Piper

Death Crawl - Facing The Giants