GodandMe2theMax

Shark Tank

Ephesians 2:10  "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

ABC has a reality television show called "Shark Tank."  The "sharks" consist of five multi-millionaires who listen to various entrepreneurs pitch their product in hopes to have one or more of the "sharks" invest in it.  This last week, an entrepreneur was on the show pitching his invention "Wakin' Bacon."  According to his research, one of the top things people want to wake up to is the smell of bacon.  "Wakin' Bacon" is a pig-shaped alarm clark that actually heats up pre-cooked bacon, timing the morning alarm with the aroma of freshly cooked bacon. 

Each shark has an opportunity to ask questions, make an offer to invest in the product, or decide they're "out."  When it came time for the "Wakin' Bacon" decisions, each shark, one by one for obvious reasons, said, "I'm out."  That is, until one of the newest sharks, Mark Cuban, the outspoken owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, had the floor.  He paused.  He hesitated.  The other sharks started to question his sanity in even considering to invest in such a product.  They started to egg him, "You gotta be kidding me, Mark.  What are you going to do when the first one catches on fire in the middle of the night?  What's the value of the business going to be then?" 

Mark finally broke his silence.  "I know how to get insurance.  I'm  not worried about that liability. "  He then went on to say, "The probability that people will actually use this product once after buying it is perhaps 10%.  The probability that people will use this product a second time after they buy it is 0%.  It's a novelty item.  People will buy it because it's so stupid."  Eventually, however, Mark finally said he was "out." 

Now, to be an entrepreneur on the Shark Tank, you've gotta have some thick skin.  Really thick skin.   How would you like to hear someone tell you this invention that you've put your blood, sweat, and tears into and believe is going to be "the next biggest thing" is a complete and utter joke?  Even more, how would you feel if you were told it should be used in a manner differently than what you intended?  Ouch.  The "Wakin' Bacon" designer took the rejection like a man and walked away from the Shark Tank empty handed, without any partners or investors.  Big shocker there, ey?

Being an entrepreneur myself, I couldn't help but put myself in the feet of the "Makin' Bacon" inventor.  This guy believed so much in his product that he endured public humiliation.  He stuck to his guns and couldn't stand the idea of his product being used for what something other than he intended it.  I thought about that, and then I thought about the relationship between Jesus our Creator and us.  Are we not His prized possessions, His special creations?   Now certainly, I'm not comparing mankind to some crazy bacon alarm clock, ok?  It's the principle of the creator and creation and being used for the purpose intended. 

Take a look at the verse to memorize for this week.  We are God's beautiful masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for what?  To do good works!  Now let's be clear.  Good works do not get us to heaven.  Just back up a few verses to clear up that one.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says it's by grace we are saved through faith, and it's not of ourselves, it's the gift of God....not works.  When Jesus died on the cross and rose the third day, He conquered sin and death and made a way for us to get to heaven.  He did the job.  End of subject.  We only need to commit our life to Him, ask Him to forgive us of our sin and take control.  But the natural bi-product of our faith in Christ is good works. 

So let me ask, what are you doing to be used the way the Master Inventor intended?  Are you serving?  What are you doing in your church?  If you're attending church every week and just sitting there, are you producing good works?  What about outside your church in your community?  Are people seeing the hands and feet of Jesus through your good works and acts of service? 

Or, have we decided to take a Mark Cuban novelty approach with our life?  Have we decided to take a left turn and change the way God intended our lives to be?  The choice is ours.  Serve or sit?  Self or others?  God has called us to live a life of service that produces good works because of our love for Him.  What will your decision be in the Shark Tank?

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

How far will you go?

John 14:21  "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him."

How far will you go to get something you want? 

Back in November, I wrote about my son Jacob, and how he reacted to a pickle that was put on his plate in pre-school.  Clearly, pickles are something he detests.  But this week, an interesting phenomenon happened.  Let me start by saying that trips to McDonalds are a rarity in this house, especially since "Super Size Me" was aired in Amber's Jr High School health class.  Nonetheless, McDonalds had some special happy meal toys being advertised: "Young Justice."  It was spring break, and we caved.  Off to McDonalds we went.  To help out Jacob with his quest for Young Justice toys, I ordered a happy meal, Amber ordered one, and of course, Jacob ordered one.  Clearly, Amber and I ordered the meal with the intent to give Jacob the toy inside.  At first, Jacob assumed our toys were his and started to open them, until I pointed out that they were not his property until we gave them to him. 

Amber then got the most devious look on her face.  "Jacob, you can have my Batman toy if you eat this pickle.  No washing it down with lemonade.  Now extra food.  Straight pickle." 

I ask again, "How far will you go to get something you want?"  Jacob has such a history with and disdain for pickles, I never thought he would take Amber up on the deal.  Truly, Amber planned on giving him the toy anyway.  But those were the ground rules, and Jacob was willing to go pretty far.  He stuck with the deal 100%.  He ate that pickle, even though he clearly was disgusted.  From a parent's point of view, it looked like an episode of Pediatric Fear Factor.

I started to think about what was playing out before my eyes.  This child wanted something so badly, he was willing to do about anything to get it.  But do we ever want to please God so badly that we're willing to experience a bit of discomfort to make Him happy?

Take a look at Judges 4.  In it Deborah the prophetess was leading Israel.  She summoned Barak and told him God was commanding him to take ten thousand men and march to Mount Tabor.  She then told Barak God was going to hand over the enemy to him.  Barak's response to Deborah, "I'll go only if you go with me."  There's been a lot of studies on Barak, and we can draw some of our own conclusions, but what I want to focus on is God's command.  God didn't say, "I'll hand over your enemies to you if you take Deborah with you."  No, it was "Go," without conditions.  It was Barak's job to obey.  It didn't matter if he was uncomfortable in the position God was calling him to.  His job was not to change the game plan.  His job was only to do what God told him...completely.

Now look at the verse to memorize for the week, John 14:21.  If we know what God commands us to do and we actually do it, then that proves our love for Him.  One of the key things here is to actualy contemplate the thought, what is God commanding me to do?  Clearly, there are obvious Godly character traits in the Bible that we should exemplify.  But what specifically is asking you to do?  Is it out of your comfort zone? 

Is He asking you to go work with inner city homeless people?  Is He telling you to go get uncomfortable on a mission trip?  Is He asking you to dig deep in your pockets to help support a friend raising support to go on a mission trip?  God doesn't always call us to do things that are easy.  If it's easy, what kind of faith would that take?   

How far are you willing to go to obey?  Are you willing to be uncomfortable, no matter the cost?  Will you even eat a pickle?

 

 

 

 

 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Come and Listen... Psalm 66:16

Psalm 66:16  "Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me."

Do you ever feel like the weight of the world is more than you can bear?  How will I ever make it through?  Why aren't my prayers being answered?  Why am I going through this?  When is this trial going to be over?  If you're honest, you've probably been there.  Maybe you're there now.

But sometimes we need the reminder to look back.  Look back at what God has done in our lives.  Look back at how He's proved Himself faithful over and over again.  Then we need to tell others about His faithfulness, even in spite of what we're going through now. 

Read Psalm 66.  David makes a plea.  "Come and listen, all you who fear God let me tell you what He has done for me."  Then David talks about going through trials, being refined with fire and water.  He likens it to God sending him to prison with burdens on his back.  But in the end, David praises God.  He knows God is in control and has his best interests at heart. 

Yes, as Christians, our mind knows these spiritual facts that David knew, too.  No brainer, right?  God is in control.  He'll carry us through.  Yet, sometimes our emotions and heart hurt and overtake that reasoning side of our brain.  Let's take a lesson from David this week.  Let's follow his example to tell others about God's faithfulness, in spite of rough times in a current situation.  Thank God today for His refining fire!

Psalm 66

Come and listen, everyone
Come and hear all that God has done.
The trials He’s brought, they’ve not been fun.
The process is long.  His job’s never done.

But He’s teaching me that through the fire
Is exactly how to increase my desire
To know Him more. Now that’s my goal.
Refine me Lord, make me whole.

You’re testing me.  Like silver and gold.
Through pressure, the way diamonds are formed.
These burdens - they bring me to my knees
I’m trusting You, God, help me, please.

You let me go through water and fire.
My will to You, Lord, I will retire
You keep me in life, Each day you give
Abundant life.  For you I’ll live.

Abundant peace.  Abundant love. 
Abundant contentment from God above.
Abundant joy.  Your hand I see.
You’ve not withheld Your love from me.

Heart ablaze, burning for You
Water and fire, You carry me through
Come and listen, everyone.
Come and hear all that God has done.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Grow my roots...

Colossians 2:6  "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

Roots.  It's what a plant needs to keep growing stronger.  A root anchors the plant and absorbs nutriments and moisture to help it grow.  You can have the biggest, healthiest plant ever, but speaking from experience, if left unwatered without sunlight, the roots will begin to surface and the plant will eventually die.  A green thumb, I have not.  In fact, with the exception of one, I have successfully neglected all plants I've ever had to the point of no return.

Well, this last week, God has been teaching me the importance of growing my roots deeper.  You see, I kind of think I know my Bible pretty well.  I don't mean to sound proud when I say that.  It's just that I grew up in a Christian home, went to a Christian school for thirteen years, went to a Christian college, and well, I've been growing in Christ a long time.  But sometimes it's easy to be complacent and forget the need for continual growth.  Our pastor has been challenging us about this very directive of growth from God the last few weeks at church, too. 

Well, last Wednesday, when our worship team finished practicing a song, our worship pastor opened up his Bible and started reading a passage from Revelation.  Now, I've read through the Bible, cover to cover, several times.  But as he read, I heard some things I don't remember hearing before about how John describes the return of Christ.  In it, he said Jesus will have written on His robe and thigh, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."  Hmmm...yep, I definitely never remember reading this description of Jesus.  Sure, I knew Jesus is called the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" but does that mean Jesus will have a tattoo on his thigh with this title?  I'm not sure, but it kind of sounds like that, doesn't it?  And then another thing in the passage caught my ear.  It said Jesus will bear a name that no one knows but He Himself.  I listened as Pastor Steven kept reading.  I stood there captivated by this phrasing from the Bible that I just had never remembered hearing before.  How could I have missed this in all my years of being a Christian?  I got home and re-read the passage.  In fact, I've probaby read it at least 5 times since.  We know so many names for God, and yet, there is one name that will not be revealed to us until He returns.  Take a look for yourself at the passage - Revelation 19:11-16. 

Now take a look at the verse to memorize for this week in Colossians.  Paul says, just like we've received Christ, we should continue to live in Him.  Continue.  It's a verb, but it's one that calls for action in the present tense.  We need to persist.  Last.  Endure.  And how do we do this?  By building up our roots in Him.  This strengthens our faith, and the bi-product is an overflow of thankfulness.

The story from Revelation is just one example of how God hit me upside the head this week with the need to grow my roots.  Sometimes when you've been a Christian a long time, it's easy to not look for new things in Scriptures.  "Been there, done that" should never be a mantra of a Christian.  Instead, it should be "Show me.  Teach me.  Help me learn."   The more I learn, the more my roots grow, the more I realize so little I know.  I wrote this poem this week, in response to the passage from Revelation.  God, keep growing my roots so that I am a life-long student of Yours.

A Name No One Knows...
Revelation 19:11-16

We think we know Him, this Jesus of ours,
but is that really the case?
If He returned today, right in front of our eyes
would we recognize His face?

Provider, Healer, Messiah, Friend
Lover of our souls, No Beginning, No End
Righteous Judge, defeating all foes
And He’ll bear a name that no one knows.

His eyes will be like a blazing fire. 
On His head will be many crowns.
He’ll be dressed in a robe dripped in blood
And His name is the Word of God.

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Will be written on His thigh and robe
He’s faithful and true.  Immeasurably pure.
And He has a name no one knows.

Such a mystery, this Christ in me.
I spend my days trying to know Him more
Realizing I’ve got so far to go 
To really know that name no one knows.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com