Patience

I was fortunate enough to go to New Orleans for the day on Friday. It was a nice change of scenery that I needed. Biloxi, Mississippi is nice in its own right, but I needed a break. I went with a classmate of mine and our agenda was pretty clear. We wanted to see the famous “Bourbon Street” and look around the historic French Quarter and be back in Biloxi by dinner time. We were successful and we had a good time. As we were driving to New Orleans, I noticed that regardless of what the speed limit sign said (45 MPH for this example) I was the only vehicle abiding by it. If you remember my last note, I was going to write about patience, but was having a bit of a writer’s blockage episode so I wrote about the essentials of prayer instead. Well, thanks to those speeding cars, I now think I can talk a little bit about patience.

Now let me preface this by saying I have sped before and I’ve even met a Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff because of my speeding. When I was in England, those famous speed cameras caught me. But, I generally don’t speed…maybe 5 MPH over the limit, tops. The underlying question I guess would be why do we speed? I know that it’s because we want to get somewhere faster. But exactly how much faster will we arrive if we speed?

I guess calculating how much faster you’ll arrive somewhere differs by how much you go over the speed limit. But, I would guess on average you would probably arrive 1-10 minutes sooner, maybe a little more or less. What do we get out of being so impatient (e.g. why were those cars so adamant about getting around my 45 MPH-going vehicle)? Why can’t we just accept the hand we’ve been dealt and go with the flow? Perhaps we ignore God’s plan and instead entertain our own self-centered ideas. Before we can fully answer that question, we must define what patience is. The dictionary defines patience as: quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience. I like the second part of that definition: “steady perseverance.”

Galatians 5:22-23 states: “22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control…” The “fruit of the Spirit” refers to the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. So really in order to have true patience, you must first have a relationship with God. I know what you’re thinking…you already have true patience and don’t have a relationship with God. Well, I would argue that you don’t really have true patience then. Do you deep down mumble under your breath at that person driving their vehicle the speed limit forcing you to speed around it? That’s not true patience. Patience doesn’t come overnight, either. It takes work to become a patient person. I work on my patience every day and I still haven’t “mastered” it. So how do you maintain patience during difficult times? The Bible tells us in James 1:3-4: “3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

It appears that we’re heading back to the definition of patience, doesn’t it? You see, we will always have times in our life where things get shaken up a bit. These trials that you’re facing are all part of God’s plan to help you develop perseverance. Perseverance not only deepens your faith, but it strengthens our patience. Remember what I said earlier, in order to have true patience, you must first have a relationship with God. Do you have a relationship with God right now? Is your life as full as it could be? Do you have an abundant amount of patience? If you answered “no” to any of those questions, you may need to have a talk with Jesus.

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Blessings,
Jeremy

The Essentials of Prayer

I am quite possibly the most impatient person I know. I like to see results immediately and unfortunately (for me), that rarely happens. And interestingly enough, I’m not going to write about patience today. I was going to, but as I began reading some Scriptures on patience, I decided (or God lead me) to instead talk about prayer. So let’s do that, then, shall we?

How many of you are prayer warriors? You know the type, they pray for anything and everything: people, circumstances, jobs, church, leaders, etc. That is not a bad thing, so please don’t take it as if it were. I would consider myself a prayer warrior. I like to talk to God as if He’s sitting right next to me. I don’t know, it just feels more intimate. I have been asked the question before, “why do you pray?” Initially, I am caught off guard because it’s just part of who I am. My day doesn’t feel complete unless I have a meaningful conversation with God. So what do I tell people who ask about prayer?

Prayer is how we communicate with God. It is as if you’re picking up the phone and calling the “God Hotline.” When you receive Christ as your Savior, you have to pray asking that He forgive you of your sins and that He comes into your life – you’ve got to pick up the hotline. Prayer is like talking to your best friend. God loves us unconditionally. A bigger question I get, however, isn’t why I pray but if God actually hears our prayers. That can be a tough one to answer but I’ll give it a shot.

The Bible tells us in five specific places that God does not hear the prayers of those who don’t first confess their sins and ask for forgiveness. The most prominent (or recognized) verse is John 9:31, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.” A lot of people get wrapped around that verse but let’s dissect the situation a little bit. God hears the prayers from people who have confessed their sins and ask for forgiveness. So then, why are those people’s prayers heard and not those who just pray for, let’s say, a big test coming up or something? Think about it, how can we ask God to answer a prayer if we don’t believe in Him? By not confessing your sins builds a wall between you and God. You don’t ask for His forgiveness just once when you receive salvation; you must ask for His saving grace daily because we sin daily. Trust me, even if you think you haven’t sinned, you have – actually, by thinking you haven’t sinned is sin. There’s only one person in the existence of the world that is without sin: Jesus Christ.

So what do you do now? Pray. If you haven’t prayed before then it might be time that you pray the prayer that will save your life – the one where you ask God to come into your life and forgive you of your sins. I assure you that God will hear that prayer! If you need help on how to come to that conclusion, I encourage you to contact me at jeremymeier.org and I will help you. If you have already received the gift of salvation, are you asking God for forgiveness daily to break down the wall between you and Him? If not, I pray that you start.

Prayer is an important part of the life of a Christian. I love a verse in the NIV Bible about prayer. It’s an awesome, to the point verse and one that I recite often: 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray continually.” How cool is that? It’s only two words and tells you exactly what you’re supposed to do!

Maybe the next installment will be on whether or not God answers prayers. I’m sure that will spark some interest. He’s got a reason for everything and I’m looking forward to sharing that with you!

Until then…blessings!

Jeremy

Are You Running 100 Miles An Hour...In The Wrong Direction?

Today marks the second week of six in the books. It was a relatively uneventful week and for that I am grateful! When I got back to my hotel room, I did what I always do: jumped on the computer to check my e-mail, change clothes, etc. When I opened my e-mail, I received a message from the Gospel Music Channel informing me, among other things, who won Dove awards last night. So, my curiosity got the best of me and I looked. My favorite group, Casting Crowns, received a Dove Award for "Group of the Year." I was really happy for them…they deserved it!

I decided to check out Casting Crowns online to see what they've been up to. In my online quest, I came across an awesome song that they recorded in 2005, "Does Anybody Hear Her". To accompany this song, I found, on YouTube, the very powerful "Does Anybody Hear Her" video. So what’s the purpose of this note? I want to know if you "are you running 100 miles an hour in the wrong direction?"

The song asks two simple questions: "does anybody hear her?" and "can anyone see?" These questions are often dismissed because we don’t want to get out of our comfort zone. We don’t want to take those steps out on faith to preach the Gospel. How many times have you had the opportunity to talk to someone about Jesus and decided not to? Why? Was it because you were scared of rejection? Maybe you were afraid that they would ask too many questions that you wouldn’t have the answer to? Were you too busy? Jesus tells us that we are to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:18-20). My church family in Florida simply called this "BOMO" which stands for "be one (a follower of Christ), make one (a follower of Christ)." How are we supposed to do that if we ignore those that need us most? We cannot "make one" if we are blind. We must open our eyes and see those that need Jesus.

Another part of the song that I found revealing was, "if judgment looms under every steeple." How is that possible? If we as Christians are supposed to be forgiving, loving, followers of Christ, how can we judge people? Raise your hand right now, regardless of where you’re reading this, if you are perfect. That’s right, you’re not perfect! None of us are! The only perfect One is Jesus Christ! We must break down any barriers we have (fear, nerves, uncertainty, etc.) and do what Jesus told us to do. I haven’t always been the best at sharing Jesus. I have fallen into the nervous or scared of rejection category on several occasions. But, you have to understand that God will provide for you the wisdom to share the Good News. Take a look at Proverbs, chapters 2 and 3. He will give you the wisdom (Proverbs 2:6).

Like always, if you have any questions, please let me know. I would love to share Jesus with you! Have a blessed weekend! See below for the "Does Anybody Hear Her" video!

Blessings,
Jeremy

Obedience

I am relatively certain that at some point in your life you have been told to do something. Maybe your mom or dad told you that you needed to make your bed. Perhaps you were required to take out the trash every day. Or maybe you were ordered by your supervisor to take care of a specific task. If you are older than, say two or three years old, you probably fall into this category. So we know that we receive orders but the real question is how do we carry out those orders? In other words, do we obey the orders in which we have received?

Now let’s throw a wrench into the mix for a second. What do we do when we receive an order from God? Do we obey? Do we ignore it? Does our response depend on what the command is? We tend to either not, or at least think twice about, doing what we may believe will make us uncomfortable. There are many reasons for this behavior. Perhaps it’s because we’re scared of the outcome. Maybe we are afraid of the task itself. It’s different for everyone. You already know my story of waiting seven years before obeying God’s call to ministry so I won’t go into that. But, I do have a story that falls within the realm of this example.

I have a great friend who has had a tugging on her heart for a long time about being a kidney donor. She doesn’t know anyone personally that needs a new kidney, but she felt God calling her to do this – to donate her kidney to someone who will die if they don’t get a new one. This is a pretty significant calling, isn’t it? I think so. God wants to use my friend to impact a complete stranger’s life. She didn’t really struggle when it came to obeying God’s call which surprises me and at the same time makes me so proud of her. If someone in my family required a kidney from me, I wouldn’t hesitate. But donating my kidney to a perfect stranger for the sake of God’s call? I’ll be honest; I don’t know how I’d respond to something like that. I would certainly have to pray – a lot!

Maybe God’s call on my friend’s life will lead to bigger things. Maybe it’s her calling to ministry (at the end of this note, I’ll fill you in on the details – without too many details). Take a look at the story of Abraham in Genesis 12:1-9. Abraham could have said “thanks but no thanks, God. I really don’t feel like picking up and moving where you tell me to. I’m comfortable with where I’m at.”

How many times have you answered a question from God like that? I have answered some of God’s questions like that on more occasions than I’d like to admit. But my friend was like Abraham. She didn’t hesitate to obey His command. Sure, she probably had some reservations about what she was signing on for but she had the faith – and obedience – to take action and go through with what God was calling her to do.

Giving up a kidney isn’t an easy thing to wrap your head around. There are months of testing, interviews, testing, testing, waiting, testing, waiting, waiting, testing, approval, interviews, phone calls, testing, waiting, waiting…the call. The call is the one that you’ve been waiting for after all the testing, waiting, and interviews you’ve gone through. It’s the phone call that tells you that you are about to fulfill God’s calling on your life. You have been matched with a transplant recipient. This is the phone call my friend received on Thursday, April 16, 2009 – a day that would change her life forever!

My friend was matched with someone she doesn’t know. She is effectively going to save someone’s life – someone she doesn’t know. She heeded God’s call. The one thing that I always tell people is that they not only need to pray, but they also need to listen to what God tells them during the conversation. As I hope you know, prayer isn’t one-way communication with God. He will speak back to you and when He does, you’ll know. My friend listened to what God was telling her. As a result, she is going to give up a kidney for someone. The cool thing is that she’s already heard God speak to her in other ways. She is going to start a Christian support group for people that were in her position of wanting to help others by way of being a voluntary kidney donor. Don’t ever underestimate your power to further His kingdom! You are an integral part of His ministry and we need you! You don’t have to give up an organ to fulfill God’s calling on your life. It just happened that this was my friend’s calling. Your calling may be to be a “Big Brother” or “Big Sister” with underprivileged kids. Maybe it’s to be a hospice volunteer. Ask God what His calling is on your life – He will tell you. Obey what God is telling you to do. Just as Abraham was blessed for obeying God, you too will be blessed for your obedience.

As I close, I want to leave you with two final thoughts for you to ponder:

   1) In what ways does your life show that you are living for God’s purposes and seeking His approval rather than the world’s? In other words, in what ways in your life are you obeying God’s calling instead of ignoring it?

   2) In your wildest dreams, what would you most like to accomplish for God?

Live your life for God!

God bless,
Jeremy

Making the Best of It

So I can successfully mark day one off the books. It’s done and I am very happy about that. Now, I have received some constructive opposition to some of my earlier status updates (on Facebook) and I thought I’d elaborate on things a little bit.

For those that are unaware of my current status, I am at the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy in Biloxi, Mississippi. I did not want to come here. I had no desire to take this course. It is, however, a requirement if one wants to proceed to the next rank (Master Sergeant). So here I am, sitting in an okay “dorm” room (without a roommate – yay God) contemplating what I’m going to do while I’m here. I am convinced that my time at the actual Academy will have its ups and downs and if all the rumors I’ve heard from [100% of] former pupils are remotely true, I will have wasted 5 ½ weeks of my life here. But the cool thing is that there is so much more to do – and see – in Biloxi, Mississippi. I already made a commitment before I left North Dakota that I wanted to help two people/families while I’m here. I don’t have a whole lot of money to give, but I have a lot of prayers, comfort, compassion, and labor to give.

Biloxi and the Gulfport area were hit very hard during Hurricane Katrina. People are still trying to put their homes – and lives – back together. So I am calling this expenses paid trip to a 5 ½ week course a ‘mission opportunity’. The simple fact is that one random act of kindness will have the ripple effect. If you do one kind thing to someone, they will remember that, and when an opportunity presents itself, they will show someone else a random act of kindness. There’s no end to what can happen – it’s a ripple effect!

I don’t have any idea how I’m going to find someone to help, but my plan is to just drive around and look. I’ll ask my instructors where it got hit pretty hard and will head that way. Thankfully I still have some “Eternal Life” tracks the glove box in my truck, so I’ll be able to pass those out to those I come in contact with while on my quest to help. I wonder if it will be as easy as it sounds.

I’ll be honest…I’m a little nervous. I don’t know what kind of response I’ll get from people. I don’t know if the people that I choose will be too proud to accept the help that I offer or if they will welcome the relief. It is my hope and prayer that it is the latter.

So, what’s the morale of today’s story? As a Christ follower, it is our responsibility to help those in need. Leviticus 25:35-37 tells us to that we are to help those that cannot help themselves. James 4:17 tells us that if we neglect to do good that we know needs to be done, we have sinned. Let’s face the real truth about this. People need our help and we are commanded by our Savior to give those people the help they need. Doing a random act of kindness not only helps (mentally, physically, spiritually) those that you do help, but it renews and refreshes your energy to your Christian faith.

Yes, I would rather be in North Dakota with my family enjoying the crazy 50°+ weather, but I’m also needed here. I’m here for a reason other than going to the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy. I’m here to obey God’s call to help those who cannot currently help themselves. Like I said before, you don’t need to give money or goods. Time is a precious thing that many people just don’t have enough of. So as you go do your thing this week and weekend, I encourage you to take a couple hours and find someone that needs your help – it could be as simple as mowing someone’s lawn for them.

His Servant,
Jeremy

Good Friday

Some of you may know what Good Friday is (or stands for) and some of you may not. For the latter, I will explain the significance of this day.

Good Friday isn’t a free day off from work. It also isn’t just another day of the week. Good Friday is a quiet day. It’s a day of remembrance. It’s a day of thanksgiving. You see Good Friday celebrates/symbolizes/commemorates Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our sins (crucifixion). We are unable to save ourselves. The only way to guarantee a place in heaven is through faith alone in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23-25). We as Christians base our faith on this very event.

Romans 3:23 says, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” If we move on to Romans 6:23, it says, “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus or Lord.” So, what does all this mean to us? Romans 3:23-25 is telling us that we are ALL guilty of sin. There’s no way around it – deal with it! However, we are “justified freely by His grace” (Romans 3:24). What does justified mean? It means that we have been found “not guilty” should we put our faith in Jesus. God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement (Romans 3:25). This basically tells us that Jesus died in our place for our sins!

Good Friday, although symbolizing the horrific, painful death of Jesus, is actually a good day. I know, that sounds kind of weird, right? Yeah, it was a sad day, but in the end, the thing that happened – Jesus’ death on the cross as payment for our sins – was a good thing. In reading Matthew 27:46 Jesus cried out in a loud voice “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus was actually reciting the first line of Psalm 22. He was expressing the pain and anguish that He felt when He took on the sins of the world – he was not questioning God. Taking on the sins of the world caused Jesus to be separated from His Father – something much more painful than the physical pain He was going through. Jesus suffered this death so that we may never have to experience eternal separation from God.

So on this Good Friday, I ask you to look at this day as I described. Be thankful that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins so that you may have eternal life. The only way, and I do mean the only way, to receive eternal life, however, is through FAITH ALONE in Jesus Christ. You can’t get to heaven by good works. You can’t get to heaven by being a good person. There is one and only one way to receive salvation and that is through Jesus Christ. A question I like to ask people when speaking to them about salvation is this: if you were to go somewhere in your car and it starts but your heart stops, do you know for certain that you will go to heaven? This is a question you may need to ask yourself. There’s no gray area here…either you know or not. I know that on May 14, 1994 I prayed the prayer that would change my life – and give me salvation. Have you prayed that same prayer?

The prayer doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it must be sincere. If you would like to ask Jesus to come into your heart, save your life, and ensure your eternal salvation, all you need to do is pray a prayer like this:

God: I’m a sinner and I know that I don’t deserve eternal life. I’ve screwed up in my life and I’m tired of living for myself. I believe you died and rose from the grave to purchase a place in heaven for me. Please come into my life, take control of my life, forgive my sins and save me. I am now placing my trust in You alone for my salvation and I accept Your free gift of eternal life. Amen.

If you just prayed that prayer, you just received Jesus as your Savior and now have a place in heaven just for you! Please contact me and I will send you information on churches in your area, send you a Bible, and other literature. Of course, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Blessings,
Jeremy

The Story of Jonah

So here I am, sitting in my hotel room in Sioux Falls, SD debating on going to sleep (big day of driving tomorrow) or writing this. I guess the obvious answer is writing this…

I’m a prayer. Some may call me a “prayer warrior.” You might know the type; one that prays about everything and I mean everything. My prayers can last quite some time. Today, I prayed on my way to South Dakota. I think I probably talked to God for at least 45-minutes, maybe more. It’s something I do every morning on my way to work. Unfortunately, my drive to work is generally only a few minutes long, five minutes tops. The important thing when talking with God isn’t necessarily talking (speaking) to Him (although still important). Probably the most important thing to do when having a conversation with God is listening. When talking with God, one of the most challenging things to do is actually listen to what He has to say. I’m not too sure why this is but I can tell you from personal experience, it’s probably because He is going to tell us something we don’t want to hear or something that will challenge us in a way we don’t think we’re prepared to handle.

As human beings, we are sinners. There’s no getting around that – tough! We (sometimes, not always) want to do what WE want to do instead of what God wants us to do. A perfect example of this is the past nine years of my life – my call to ministry.

Around the year 2000, I began to feel a tug on my heart that God wanted me to do something. I wasn’t too sure what it was, but it didn’t really matter because I wasn’t paying attention – or wasn’t listening to God. The call to ministry was persistent and so was my ability to continue to ignore God. What to do, what to do? I (keyword is “I”) didn’t want to get into ministry. I had a good thing going. My wife and I were stationed in England. We were enjoying seeing all that the country had to offer. I didn’t want some “feeling” to screw that up. I didn’t want to have to go to school to learn theological stuff! Fast forward to 2007 – yeah, seven years later!

I thought God would just forget about this call to ministry and I’d be off the hook. Well, I was wrong – what else is new, right? So, I stopped going to Troy University and started going to Moody Bible Institute (to learn that theological stuff). I have learned a lot in school; a lot of things that I can apply to my daily life. More importantly, however, I learned that our God is a patient and forgiving God, which finally brings me to my point!

During my quiet time today, I read Jonah. If you get a chance, take a look at that book of the Bible; it’s only four chapters. Jonah was a prophet who basically ignored God’s “call” and even fled to get away from Him. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach the Gospel to those people. Jonah, however, didn’t want anything to do with that because he hated those people – hence him ignoring God and fleeing. Well, God was patient. He waited for Jonah to figure it out. Unfortunately for Jonah, he didn’t figure it out until he was in a fish’s stomach (you’ve really got to read the book). To make a short story shorter, Jonah prayed and finally listened to God. When times were good for Jonah, he didn’t seem to need God. But when he was in a bad situation (I think being in a fish’s stomach would qualify as being in a bad situation), he needed God. Let us not get into that same situation.

We need God every day. We need to talk to God every day. We cannot forget to actually listen to God’s response. So, what’s the morale of the story of Jonah? Even though Jonah ignored and fled God’s call to preach the Gospel to the people of Nineveh, God waited patiently and showed Jonah mercy. So here’s the morale of the story of Jonah:

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in your past or whether or not you’ve listened to God’s call on your life, He WILL forgive you – all you have to do is ask. If you’ve been ignoring something that you feel is from God, stop and listen. It took me seven years and I pray it doesn’t take you that long to listen!

Look forward to an Easter note in the next couple days! Until then, may our Lord and Savior be your guiding light!

God Bless,
Jeremy