The best buffet in the world and you aren’t allowed to eat

New York strip steaks, crab legs and anything you could imagine, this was a buffet for kings. Now imagine if you could look but you couldn’t eat any of it? For several summers I witness this happening. I was a cafeteria employee serving the Michigan State football players in the three week training camp before school started up. They paid and had the top quality everything. Some of these life size giants weren’t allowed to touch the food. They came in out of shape and overweight.

The result of there relaxing summer was three weeks of awfulness. They sat down and watched there teammates/coaches devour some of the best food in the world. They would sit there on their specialized diets eating hard boiled eggs, oatmeal and everything bland you could imagine. Some of these players were on watch, they had a team manager directing what they could and couldn’t eat. I might not have seen tears but you could tell on the inside these are grown men cried.

Sometimes we have to test ourselves and keep ourselves in check. Some of these football players came into camp in top notch shape, others paid the price for there actions or lack there of.

*Side note: It was also during this time I witnessed the fastest I have ever seen a person eat a large pizza. One of the players on the diet ordered a pizza hid in the bushes (The hall was right across from the training facility) and ate an entire large pizza in seconds I swear. It was amazing, it was even more amazing to see the strength and conditioning coach almost walk into him doing this. It did not end well for that player.

A moment of self reflection is key for everyone. Just like these select football players needed it, we need it. Stopping right now what is an area you need to change in your life?

Staying in shape isn’t always easy and effort needs to be made for it to happen. I have notice my health started to slip and right now I am about 20 pounds over my ideal weight. Today I need to work towards changing that habit. Just like our health can slip so can our spiritual health.

Self reflection needs to happen in faith. There was one point I was struggling in faith when I first became a Christian and honestly I was scarred to talk to people about faith because truly I didn’t know much about it. I decided to change what I was doing and try to improve on my knowledge and what I didn’t know. We have to reflect on what we truly believe.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (MSG)… Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.

Our faith needs a check up. We need to check to make sure we are saying and doing matchup. Do you have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Following Jesus is not easy and we all make mistakes, but we are all called to work on our problems and improve. Faith isn’t attending a church service. That’s making an appearance to God, not living out faith. The Corinth church had issues but wouldn’t try to solve the issues. Paul would have to call them out. Paul is hoping the people look at themselves, what they are doing and checking does it match up with faith in Jesus?

Take a moment and look at your life? What is it you want to accomplish and work towards that. I don’t know where I would be in faith if I didn’t have that self reflection moment years ago. Life is full of choices just like a buffet. What are you willing to indulge in and what should you pass on? Choose your adventure.

Have a great day.

Would you want to know how you would die?

Weird question but interesting.

I don’t know if I would like to know how I would die.

Not when but how you would die.

It’s like knowing when the Lions are going to win the Super Bowl.

They will win it this year but past this year, who knows.

If I find out they wouldn’t win another Super Bowl till 2035, would I pay attention?

Would the thrill be gone?

That’s football, this is death.

I don’t think I would want to know how I would die.

Yet, this is what Jesus tells Peter in the final section of John.

Chapter 21:18-19…

“I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.  Then he said to him, “Follow Me.”

Stretch out your hand was another way of saying, crucifixion.

If you don’t know what crucifixion is (According to Wikipedia)….

Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead. The length of time required to reach death could range from hours to days depending on method, the victim's health, and the environment. Death could result from any combination of causes, including blood loss resulting in hypovolemic shock, sepsis following infection due to the wounds caused by the nails or by the scourging that sometimes preceded the crucifixion, or eventual dehydration.

I couldn’t imagine being told this was how I was going to die.

Yet this is what Jesus told Peter and Peter still followed him.

He believed in Christ and his mission.

This trumped the painful death he knew he would know receive.

Would you still follow a person if he said you are going to die a painful death by following me?

Peter did.

How can I believe Jesus was real and worth following?

Peter.

Peter came through and died in a horrible way for a cause he believed in.

People suffered painful, agonizing deaths because of their faith in Jesus.

Why do I believe in Christ?

These people were told you can live good lives if you lie about Jesus, him being raised from the dead and his miracles.

They choose the painful deaths.

Jesus brings good news to those without any hope.

He did for me and he does for you.

We know he did this because people gave their lives for the mission of Christ.

What would you give your life for?

Have a great day.

Following the Lions is not always fun

We are followers, more than we like to admit.

Very rarely are any of us trendsetters.

We follow diets, workout routines, other people, our boss’s or other leaders, famous people and people we look up too.

If we follow other people, is that a bad thing?

At what point is following some things or people a good thing or bad thing?

Jesus tells us this in John 10:27-28…

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

Following some people might have some great effectives and privileges, other times…not so much.

I love the Lions and for pro football, follow them with my heart.

I get made fun of for being a Lions fan, but I am still a faithful follower thinking one day things will turn around.

Following Jesus is often referenced to us followers being the sheep and him the shepherd leading the way.

For following Jesus we get eternal life.

What do I get for being a Lions fan?

Grief, a headache, not looking forward to Sunday afternoon, frustration and headache come to mind.

What do I get for following Jesus?

Love, grace, compassion, forgiveness, joy and a life past the life we live right now.

I follow the Lions and it causes grief.

I follow Jesus and it causes love.

Who do you follow?

Does it make you a better person?

Does it give you eternal life?

Jesus can give you what no one else can?

It is worth being a follower?

In order to be a follower you have to be ready to give your life to gain a life?

It is the best decision I have made.

What about you?

Have a great day.