The Meaning Of Life

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com The Meaning Of Life

The meaning of life is life: to gain it, to grow it, to give it future generations. -John 1:1-4, Malachi 2:15
What gives life? Love. -1 John 4:7-11
Who is Love? God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, revealed By The Holy Spirit. -John 10:10, John 6:68-69

We are created to be caretakers, not consumers who destroy and devours. -Genesis 2:15, Matthew 20:26-28

Creation should rejoice under our dominion, not groan. -Isaiah 11:1-9, Romans 8:19-21

It is more blessed (nearer to, more like God) to give than to receive. -Acts 20:35

The children of darkness think in terms of what they can get. Everything is a means of gain to them, even faith.

Beware.

Children of Light think in terms of what they can give.

Our orientation is an indication of whether we have any life in Christ at all. -Philippians 2:3-13

If I’m more concerned about what I’m going to buy rather than what I’m going to bestow, I may be one of the walking dead, infecting everything I touch. -1 Timothy 6:3-10

The good news is that there is life in Christ. If you believe Him, He will give you a new heart, His heart to be a caretaker rather than a consuming devourer, His heart to rule well rather than destroy. -John 1:9-13, John 6:47, Ezekiel 36:26-27

Believe Christ and be saved from the slavery of Death. -John 8:34-36, Romans 8:2

Choose life. -Deuteronomy 30:19

My wife and I were having a conversation about this very thing on…

Originally posted on Facebook on Friday, August 26, 2022.

My wife and I were having a conversation about this very thing on our walk yesterday. We were discussing this statement, "Our greatest challenge is believing the Gospel."

I can't do that on my own and be sane. If I say I believe the claims of the Gospel, either I'm a Cultural Christian and I'm just saying it (lying) to fit in, I'm crazy or I'm convicted because I've experienced a divine intervention.

From beginning to end, our faith is the work of God, so no one has any reason to boast. He is the "AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith"! -Hebrews 12:2

"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified." 2 Corinthians 13:5

As for me, by the grace of God, I'm convicted!

I Am Still Here

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com I Am Still Here

“You’re trusting God but still having problems.”

That’s not the point.

The point is,

after the enemy’s onslaught,
after a hail of fiery darts,

by the power of God
and the protection of His armor,

I AM STILL HERE!

And, what does “I am still here” even mean?

It means I am still His.
I am still an asset on the battlefield.
I am still an available vessel of His Love, Light and Life to advance the kingdom of God in the lives of those around me.
I am still here means that God can still use me!

Unsatisfied With Daily Bread

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com Unsatisfied With Daily Bread

It’s been hard recently.

All summer, God has been feeding me with bread and meat brought by filthy ravens.

I hated it.

I wanted the king’s delicacies served at a grand banquet table.

I thought I deserved more than daily bread.

He used my difficulty to show me what was in my heart: that He was not enough.

Oh dear God, I’m sorry!

Lord, I repent. Give me a heart that is satisfied with You, alone.

“Make everything you’re a part of better” is something I…

Originally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.

"Make everything you're a part of better" is something I frequently pray over my family and try to encourage them to do.

These guys are setting goals and putting in work to do just that.

I admire and am so thankful to have every person pictured here in my life.

As a family, we've just moved Roman into the The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science and Devin into Coahoma Community College. Chris starts his junior year at Mississippi State University next week.

Please pray with us that God shows Himself strong to and through this generation.

(P.S. Thanks to Megan Bean and Ben Harvey for taking the picture of us with Roman and for raising an awesome son in Sebastian Harvey for him to share this journey with!)

Make War

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com Make War

Sometimes, I appreciate the female form more than I should. I objectify them.

People will say, “It is only natural to notice a beautiful woman.”

And, in fact, it is –only natural.

But, I am not called to be natural but spiritual.

Sin is any way of thinking besides God’s. And my behavior is not the mind of Christ.

I repent.

The Word that the Holy Spirit burns on my heart is Matthew 5:28 where Jesus says, “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

It has been often taught from this verse that a wayward glance leads to adultery, but what most overlook is that this is but one of several sins Jesus used to illustrate His main point: all sin share the same root. To be guilty of one is to be guilty of them all because one sin contains the DNA for all of them and they all flow from an unregenerate heart –including murder. (Matthew 5:19, James 2:10)

Murder.

One of my greatest fears is for my sin to kill what is dear to me:
for my wife to catch my glance and it kill the certainty of love for her,
or for my boys to see me inappropriately look at a woman and it kill the security they have in the Father’s house, afraid that I could betray and abandon their mother, destroying our family,
or for a sister to see my wayward glance and it kill her hope in the sanctity and ministry of marriage, thinking “all men are the same,”
or anyone observing my behavior, it kills my testimony, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

So, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection…” (1 Corinthians 9:27)

And, I fight for my loved ones… with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

First, I must be born again (Matthew John 3:3). God must give me a new heart. Then, I have to be sensitive to the conviction and urging of the Holy Spirit. He will guide me by His Word. All of this is facilitated by receiving the Word and giving myself to it. And, by the Word, the Spirit will help me to fight.

The Spirit, by the Word, will help me tear down the lies of the enemy (2 Corinthians 10:4) and overcome the flesh (worldly thinking). It will transform me, renewing my mind, imparting to me the mind of Christ. (Romans 12:2)

The Spirit will reveal the mind of Christ for whatever I’m facing with the Word.

So then, what is the mind of Christ as it relates to women? How should I see them?

“Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” John 19:27 – As a mother, someone that I honor and secure.

“Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise” Mark 5:41 – As a daughter, someone that I lift up.

“And as [the women] went to tell His disciples, behold Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice’… ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.'” Matthew 28:9-10 – As a sister, someone that I encourage and respect as heirs together and fellow ministers of the grace of Life.

“You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection [women] neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.” Matthew 22:29-30 – As a wife, someone that is not to be treated as property -something to be picked up or put away based on my whims, but someone who is to be venerated as an awesome, holy vessel of God. (What angel was ever encountered in scripture without fear and awe?!)

Therefore, the mind of Christ is, if a woman is not my wife, she is either to be regarded as a sister, daughter or mother –all positions of honor. Then, I bring my body into subjection to use His view. This is how I fight. And, I fight everyday.

Being Christian does not mean that I do not struggle with sin.

It means I struggle with sin, with the Strength to overcome.

The natural man embraces sin.

But, we are called to be spiritual, to have the mind of Christ.

Therefore, make war.

#spiritualwarfare

Originally posted to Facebook here.

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Judge Not That You Be Not Judged

This is precisely what happened when God sent Jesus. They missed Him because He didn’t come in a package they approved of.

Jesus warned it will happen again, that we will fail to grasp Him, our light and life, when we overlook “the least of these” where He may be found. Matthew 25:45

Throw people away, whether because of their status, behavior, appearance, past, politics or even because they wronged you, at your own peril.

“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” – Matthew 25:31-46

Beware prejudice!

Consider again Luke 6:37-38 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Originally posted to Twitter here.

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Casting Off Into The River Of God’s Grace

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com Casting Off Into The River Of God's Grace

“I don’t want to go to lunch with you (or anybody).”

That was my thought after receiving an invitation to lunch from William Sansing.

But God is doing a work in me, teaching me that people are gateways to His presence and His Love is the key.

“Cast off into the river of God’s grace,” was the Word to me.

So, I went, casting off, seeking to meet God through fellowship with a stranger.

I define “blessing” as what brings me closer to God.

Lunch with William Sansing blessed me.

“When You Said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
– Psalm 27:8

I may have a gained a friend, perhaps even a brother. The test will be if we continue to share, not only lunch but life. That will require discomfort, risk, humility, grace –action.

Obedience is wildly uncomfortable. But, I so desire God that I’m willing to be uncomfortable, if it means I get more of Him.

So, we outchea.

Originally posted to Facebook here.

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I Don’t Feel God The Way I Used To

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com I Don't Feel God The Way I Used To

My wife left to go out of town and it taught me something.

I missed everything that comes with being near her.
I missed her company.
I missed her touch.

I wanted those things.

Should I have looked for them elsewhere because she was not near me? Would it have been appropriate to seek the companionship, intimacy and affection that I yearned for from another? Certainly not!

So, what do I instead?

I wait for my spouse.

I read my spouse’s love letters.
I reflect on my spouse’s love for me.
I reflect on my love toward my spouse.
I recall the last time I felt my spouse’s touch.
I remember the good we’ve had together and I rejoice over it.
I wait (prepare) with eager expectation for my spouse’s return.

So it is with the Lord.

He has not abandoned you. He’s just further ahead in the place that He’s calling you to. Sometimes, the absence we feel is His leading for us to come out of the place where we’ve grown comfortable and to come up just a little bit higher. (Romans 1:17, 2 Corinthians 3:18)

So, trust in His commitment to His promises, “He will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), be faithful to the Lord and seek His face because “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). And, never forget that He wants to be with you as evidenced by His actions, foremost by coming through His Son Jesus (Immanuel) and including His moving on my heart to write this for you to read this right now.

In the words of David the psalmist,

“Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!”
– Psalm 27:14

52 Weeks of Gratefulness #19 – People Who Put The Public In Public Education

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com Grateful For The People Who Put The Public In Public Education
Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com Grateful For The People Who Put The Public In Public Education

In Week 19 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks for people that put the “public” in public education.

In this photo our son Chris is headed to a trip to willingly spend days in the woods woods (the duplication is on purpose for emphasis –this was deep, hot, tick and mosquito infested woods, not some glamping trip). Our son was eager to go all because when Dr. Jessica Witt Tegt and her family made Starkville their home she, being a scientist, saw where she should could make a contribution and help take science education to the next level in our community’s schools.

Chris joined Dr. Tegt’s Science Club back in 2011. As I write this, he is now finishing his first week interning with a leading timberland management firm. Chris talks often about his desire to share the inspiration he received with other kids in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District. This happened, largely because someone saw an opportunity to make things better for our community and cared enough to to do something about it.

When we, as the public, love where we live, take ownership and participate in the care, maintenance and improvement of public resources such as our schools, that extra effort makes for an extraordinary community.

This particular picture made me recall the work of Dr. Jessica Tegt and Team Awesome: Evan O’Donnell, Beverly Keasler, et al. But, I’ve seen so many people taking initiative and going the extra mile: whether it’s Dr. Kay Fennell Brocato who tirelessly advocated for Studio School (concepts from which are present today in our District’s state of the art Partnership School) or Dr. Alison Buehler who identified 3rd graders struggling to read at grade level and recruited volunteers to implement a remediation program that she designed or Vanessa Shaffer who advocated for the sport of tennis and held her own tennis camps to help on-ramp kids to the high school tennis team or Eileen Carr-Tabb who mans concession stands to support our district’s teams just because she’s a member of the community or Chief Sammy Shumaker who organized men to stand in the gap, pray over each and every one of our schools and mentor young men.

I could go on.

I am thankful for neighbors that put the “public” in public schools, who demonstrate what it means to live in community and take our collective success personally.

I’m grateful. #52WoG