Competition

Hello, my name is Scott, I am a recovering competitor. . .

Competition is addictive.  Competition drives the American business model.  Competition runs deep in the heart and soul of many people.  Can you finish this jingle from years gone by, "My dog's better than your dog . . ."  I admit, wholeheartedly that I am a competitor.  I like to win when I play basketball,  I like for the team I support to win championships.  But competition can often get  in the way of positive outcomes.

When local Churches of Christ compete for members, feelings suffer, accusations fly, and fellowship crumbles.  When Churches come to realize they are autonomous and can work together, we accomplish more for the Lord's cause. When a program focuses on the outcome of competitions then the effectiveness of that ministry suffers.  When a program focuses of the mission of Christ (rescuing the lost, serving others, etc.) we are not in competition, but in cooperation.

Without fail, when I mention that I am "against competition," someone will try to tell me that most of life is competition.  The usual arguments include competing with other men for the affection of the one I would eventually marry.  I did not feel I was in competition with any other men.  Amy and I formed a friendship, that slowly moved to a romantic attachment, that quickly and naturally became exclusive.  Until the day, I proposed to her and she accepted, we were both open to the fact that if either one felt that our relationship was not going to last, that we had the right and responsibility to end it.  Once we said, "I do" however, the relationship became completely exclusive.

A second argument is that as a preacher, I competed for the role of ministry where I am currently located.  There were other men looking at my current position, and the elders were considering other men for this work.  Did I desire that those men lose to me? No!  I came looking at the opportunity here and allowing the folk here to see if I fit what they were looking for.  If so, then I was open to move.  If not, then I would continue where I was and be open to other opportunities that God would have me pursue.  I did not compete for this position, I came as myself and let things work as they would.

More recently, someone suggested that I am in competition with Satan for souls.  At first I had no answer.  As I thought more about this my answer is this: God is at war with Satan.  Satan is destroying souls and lives. God wants lives rescued from the disaster that Satan causes.  I am not competing with Satan, if I do, I lose by a long shot, "Wide is the path that leads to destruction and many there will be that find it."  Maybe this is narrow-minded of me, but I see my role as seeking to rescue folks from sin, not win an argument with them.  I present an offer of salvation through the only avenue that can save them - Christ (John 14:6) and let them decide for themselves.  I plant the seed and in some cases water the soil or young growth, but it is God who gives the increase.  God battles Satan and the victory is His in Christ (1 Cor 15:57).

In our family when we play card games, board games, and other similar games, we play for the fun of the game and the conversations that occur as we play.  I don't win a lot of games, we do not even finish games, but we have fun being together.  I repeat my belief that  competition can often get  in the way of more positive outcomes.  I am trying for a less competitive life. Am I completely free of competition?  No.  I still compete with myself to improve myself to do my best and I take that one day at a time and I still struggle when I am playing a game with someone who is super-competitive.  I just have to ask myself, "what does it matter in the end?"

What are your thoughts on competition?

Are You Covered in Debt?

That is what the radio commercials ask every day.  Do you have over $10,000 dollars in credit card debt, then call ____________.  The President signed a bill provided relief to big businesses, where is your relief?  We can help you get out of debt so you can live the life you deserve.

Like most of you I have debt.  I have a mortgage on my home, I am in the process of paying off a second vehicle, and some small loans that we have a plan to pay off within 9 months.  I also have one debt that leaves me feeling helpless.  This debt is so large that I know for certain that no "debt relief" company can handle it for me.  This is the debt I owe God.  I owe Him for creating me, I owe Him for paying for my sin.  You know the scriptures, "The wages of sin is death."  "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  I am in the negatives so much that I can NEVER work my way out!  But thanks be to God that my balance sheet looks better than I just described. Written on the top of my balance sheet is "Paid in Full, by Account of my Son."

Jesus, the Son of God, the Sinless man who was also God, paid the way for me to come to God.  Paul says it something like this, "God made Him who had no sin (debt) to become sin (indebted) for us that we might become the righteousness (state of being debt free) of God in Him." (2 Cor 5:21).

How did I acquire this debt relief?  Simply.  I did the same thing God asks of you.  By faith, put on Christ. - Gal 3:26-27.

Are you covered in debt or are you living debt free?

Scott

The Final Word from God

If God had one last thing to say, what would it be?  If there was something very important that we should remember, what would He tell us?  Well, He has.  Take a look at the last chapter of Revelation - Rev 22:6-21 and you have God's Final word.  Here is a *.ppt presentation of the sermon from yesterday morning.

Feb 21 Am God’S Final Words

View more presentations from Scott McCown.

Have a Great Day walking with God!

Scott

Top Ten Passages on God's Grace

Here is a list of ten of my favorite passages about grace.  Feel free to add your own passages.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (Joh 1:14-17)

But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." (Act 15:11)

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Act 20:24)

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (Rom 3:21-25)

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5:15-21)

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (Rom 6:14-15)

For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (2Co 4:15)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2Co 8:9)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:4-10)

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2Ti 2:1-2)

Dear Father, Thank you for the undeserved favor that you offer each of us through the gift of Your Son our Savior, Jesus the Christ. - Amen

Scott

Boles on Preachers

This morning, I was scanning through some old books. In a 1949 edition of Boles' Outlines by BC Goodpasture; I ran the following outline, "Responsibilities of Gospel Preachers." An online biography of Brother Boles relates, "H. Leo Boles was preeminently a teacher. In the fall of 1906, he became a member of the faculty of David Lipscomb College (then Nashville Bible School). While doing regular work as teacher, he took lessons daily in the Bible under the lamented David Lipscomb. For seven years he taught philosophy and mathematics but, on becoming president of David Lipscomb College in 1913, he began to give more and more time to teaching the Bible. It was a rare treat to attend his classes in logic, ethics, and evidences of Christianity. He taught his students the Bible-not merely some course related to the book, but the book itself. His students were taught to oppose all modernism, speculation and denominationalism. About 1,500 young preachers received instruction in his classes, besides hundreds of students who never became preachers."

Since many of my readers are preachers, I thought I would share this challenge to each of us.

Introduction: He should know his responsibilities as a gospel preacher and be able to meet them. Being ignorant of them disqualifies him. Willful failure to meet them disqualifies him.

I. Gospel Preacher's Motto: (1 Tim 4:16)
1. Two parts:
a. Take heed to thyself (Mat 5;19; Acts 1:1).
b. Take heed to thy teaching.
2. It reveals the preacher's responsibility.
3. It should be his guide.

II. Responsibilities to God.
1. To know the truth of God.
2. To love the truth of God.
3. To preach only the truth of God.
4. To live the truth of God.
5. People cannot separate a man and his message.

III. Responsibilities to the Church.
1. The Church is the great brotherhood of Christians.
2. It stands for the Bible truth.
3. Gospel preachers represent the brotherhood.
4. Must represent it fairly.
5. Many misrepresent it.
6. Such ought to get out of it.
7. They have no right to enjoy its honors and at the same time misrepresent it.

IV. Responsibilities to Hearers.
1. Must give them the truth.
2. They need the truth of God.
3. Preacher is debtor to hearers (Rom 1:14).
4. All responsibilities of a teacher to a pupil rests upon the gospel preacher.
5. Live as an example (1 Tim 4:12).

There is a lot for those of us who preach to consider.

Scott

Thanks for Dropping In

This map shows the locations of recent visitors to the Morning Drive. All I can say is wow! Who knew that someone writing about his thoughts as he drives from an Alabama town of 900 people to a town of 1,200 could attract the attention of people so far away.

I am really not surprised; the wide range has very little to do with my ability or inability to write. The power is in the Word of God that has relevance to all creation.

Thanks to all who stop by -- spread the Word.