They file into the sanctuary on this beautiful Sunday morning in October. They are smiling and talking with one another. Hugging each other and shaking hands and making over the cute little kids and babies on their way to the children’s areas and the nursery. Ushers are greeting them and handing them the weekly bulletin as they greet those who are visiting and give them a brochure and a card. Once inside the service starts and the choir leads in songs of worship and praise. Praises fill the air and tears flow as the people of God worship their King. I have studied and prayed about what to teach and preach today. I want them to hear what God has to say to them not just me. I know the smiles hide hurts. I know the hugs hide worry. I know life is not as perfect for them as it appears. I share with them the message, the message I truly believe God would have me to share. I invite them to come and pray afterward and many do. Then the service is over and greetings abound once again as we all bid each other goodbye for now. Perhaps some will be back tonight or Wednesday but most will be back next Sunday or maybe one next month.
Monday morning rolls around and starts early for many. They are back in reality, the real world. It does not take long until this verse proves to be true for them: Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity (Luke 8:14 NKJV). The seed given to them in word that encouraged and inspired them yesterday is now forgotten because of work, school, and doctor appointments. His presence seems a million miles away just a day later. The troubles of life get in the way of the joy of living. Life for many becomes just an existence. God never intended it to be a grudge. Life is a gift from Him and therefore He wants us to enjoy it. Circumstances and conditions have a detrimental impact on our enjoyment to the point we forget He brought us to life that He may enjoy us. God is not ignorant of our circumstances and situations; He knows all. We may not be having fun or feeling great but He still takes joy in us. Instead of us focusing on our welfare and well being today let’s look above the situations and circumstances and fix our eyes on Jesus. You remember Him, right? The One who endured the Cross for the JOY that was set before Him. He endured everything even to the point of death that you and I may have His joy. The joy of knowing life is more than sickness, pain, disappointment, discouragement, fear, boredom, and existence. Life is eternal! Seasons come and go but life comes; and is. Look up today and rejoice because God has given you life!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Hope Not Seen
When we could not see the sun or the stars for many days, and the storm was very bad, we lost all hope of being saved. (Acts 27:20 NCV).
There is no darkness as heavy upon the soul of man as the darkness which settles in the heart of the one who has lost all hope. Hope is the anchor in the midst of a storm. Hope is the life preserver we wear when our ship is sinking. Were it not for hope life would be a meaningless existence as we trudge through our days with nothing better to look forward to. Dr. Luke summed it up when he wrote, “The storm was very bad.”
Enter the Apostle Paul with the message, “I have some good news and some bad news. The Good News is you will not die. The bad news is you will think you are going to.” When the moment of crisis arrived his advice was to stay with the ship. We see that it got worse before it got better. Cold, soaked, starved, frightened, and exhausted both physically and mentally, they got onto the shore. Three months later they were on their way again on another ship and with more groceries. God is true to His word; He keeps His promises.
You my friend may feel like you are on a sinking ship right now. It has been many days, months, or even years and you have not seen the sun or the stars. Maybe you have called out to the Master to rescue you many times and still the skies remain dark and you are continuing to be tossed to and fro. Let me encourage you with the Word of God: do not lose hope. Jesus came to give us the same message as Paul gave the sailors. It will get worse before it gets better. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33 NKJV). If you are not on the ship with Christ get on board now. If you are on His ship, hang on. You will survive. Stay with Jesus and do not abandon Him. Help is not on the way, He is already here!
There is no darkness as heavy upon the soul of man as the darkness which settles in the heart of the one who has lost all hope. Hope is the anchor in the midst of a storm. Hope is the life preserver we wear when our ship is sinking. Were it not for hope life would be a meaningless existence as we trudge through our days with nothing better to look forward to. Dr. Luke summed it up when he wrote, “The storm was very bad.”
Enter the Apostle Paul with the message, “I have some good news and some bad news. The Good News is you will not die. The bad news is you will think you are going to.” When the moment of crisis arrived his advice was to stay with the ship. We see that it got worse before it got better. Cold, soaked, starved, frightened, and exhausted both physically and mentally, they got onto the shore. Three months later they were on their way again on another ship and with more groceries. God is true to His word; He keeps His promises.
You my friend may feel like you are on a sinking ship right now. It has been many days, months, or even years and you have not seen the sun or the stars. Maybe you have called out to the Master to rescue you many times and still the skies remain dark and you are continuing to be tossed to and fro. Let me encourage you with the Word of God: do not lose hope. Jesus came to give us the same message as Paul gave the sailors. It will get worse before it gets better. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33 NKJV). If you are not on the ship with Christ get on board now. If you are on His ship, hang on. You will survive. Stay with Jesus and do not abandon Him. Help is not on the way, He is already here!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Trapped Like Mice.
2 Corinthians 4:8
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.
Every time I read this passage of Scripture I think of the movie The Wizard of Oz. You know the scene; after rescuing Dorothy and trying to escape they go into a room of the castle only to have all the doors closed behind and in front of them. Then the witch is standing on the steps and the lion says, “Trapped, trapped like mice, uh, rats!” That is how I picture the mindset of the Apostle Paul when he wrote these words.
We sometimes say that we are between a rock and a hard place. There seems to be no way to escape being crushed. Things just seem to keep piling up on us at times. If it’s not one thing it’s another we say. I use the illustration of pulling a wagon through life to describe it. We have bricks put on it along the way and the farther down the road we go the more bricks are piled on. Eventually the last brick will be put on that breaks down our wagon. We struggle through the day pulling and tugging at the wagon making very little progress, if any. We become exhausted and depressed. We do not understand what is happening or how we got to this point and despair sets in and life becomes a drag for us. We have no joy, no happiness and some even have no hope. That is a grim picture but it is reality for many. In the movie the scarecrow figures out a way for them to escape though. It is so ironic that he wanted a brain and yet it is obvious he had one all along. That is what God is saying to us today in this passage; we do not have to be in despair even though our circumstances seem to have us trapped. Life is perplexing at times and we cannot understand why things happen the way they do but that does not mean we have to give up. Job said it best I think when he said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!” Paul would go on to say “Therefore we do not lose heart.” Our help is just a prayer away.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15,16)
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.
Every time I read this passage of Scripture I think of the movie The Wizard of Oz. You know the scene; after rescuing Dorothy and trying to escape they go into a room of the castle only to have all the doors closed behind and in front of them. Then the witch is standing on the steps and the lion says, “Trapped, trapped like mice, uh, rats!” That is how I picture the mindset of the Apostle Paul when he wrote these words.
We sometimes say that we are between a rock and a hard place. There seems to be no way to escape being crushed. Things just seem to keep piling up on us at times. If it’s not one thing it’s another we say. I use the illustration of pulling a wagon through life to describe it. We have bricks put on it along the way and the farther down the road we go the more bricks are piled on. Eventually the last brick will be put on that breaks down our wagon. We struggle through the day pulling and tugging at the wagon making very little progress, if any. We become exhausted and depressed. We do not understand what is happening or how we got to this point and despair sets in and life becomes a drag for us. We have no joy, no happiness and some even have no hope. That is a grim picture but it is reality for many. In the movie the scarecrow figures out a way for them to escape though. It is so ironic that he wanted a brain and yet it is obvious he had one all along. That is what God is saying to us today in this passage; we do not have to be in despair even though our circumstances seem to have us trapped. Life is perplexing at times and we cannot understand why things happen the way they do but that does not mean we have to give up. Job said it best I think when he said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!” Paul would go on to say “Therefore we do not lose heart.” Our help is just a prayer away.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15,16)
Monday, September 26, 2011
He Cares For You.
[1 Peter 5:7] He cares for you.
The little chipmunk is working furiously stocking up his supply for the cold winter months that are just around the corner. As I sat on the deck sipping coffee, listening to the birds sing and feeling the coolness in the air as the morning mist began to give way to the warming of the suns early morning rays; I watched him. He would run to the bird feeder and stuff his cheeks full of seeds then back down through the yard and under my neighbor’s deck! Squirrels were eating, birds were eating, and rabbits were grazing under the pines all the while as this little fellow was going on about his business. One cannot sit outside in nature very long without thinking about God. His invisible attributes are clearly seen by those things which He has created. The Scripture tells us that we are more valuable to Him than many little birds but when I observe the little creatures it is obvious that the Father is taking care of them.
Out of the group of men that Jesus chose to disciple I am always encouraged by the Apostle Peter. I even give him my last name sometimes when speaking about him because he and I share some virtues. I like to fish, he did it for a living. I speak without thinking, as did he. In his letter to the Saints, Peter could write these words with authority; He cares for you. No one knew that any better than Simon Peter. Jesus saved him from drowning, healed his sick mother-in-law, gave him nets full of fish after he had fished all night and never even got a bite, and did not have him arrested even though he cut off a guy’s ear. Peter had experience with the patience and love of Jesus but of all the things he remembered about those experiences I believe it was one of his last encounters with Him that motivated him, (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit), to put these words on the parchment; He cares for you. Peter remembered sitting around the campfire eating fish and bread days after Jesus had risen from the grave. I am sure he was hoping that Jesus had forgiven and forgot about his denial of him earlier. Jesus brought the subject up though by asking Peter if he loved Him. I believe Peter got nervous that day. I believe he thought Jesus was getting ready to give him the boot. “Depart from Me thou wicked servant,” I believe is what Peter expected to hear. What he heard though were these words: “I still care for you, Peter.” No, not verbatim, but in context. Friend, He cares for you too. In all your imperfections; warts and all; He cares for you! Always and forever; never, ever, forget that.
The little chipmunk is working furiously stocking up his supply for the cold winter months that are just around the corner. As I sat on the deck sipping coffee, listening to the birds sing and feeling the coolness in the air as the morning mist began to give way to the warming of the suns early morning rays; I watched him. He would run to the bird feeder and stuff his cheeks full of seeds then back down through the yard and under my neighbor’s deck! Squirrels were eating, birds were eating, and rabbits were grazing under the pines all the while as this little fellow was going on about his business. One cannot sit outside in nature very long without thinking about God. His invisible attributes are clearly seen by those things which He has created. The Scripture tells us that we are more valuable to Him than many little birds but when I observe the little creatures it is obvious that the Father is taking care of them.
Out of the group of men that Jesus chose to disciple I am always encouraged by the Apostle Peter. I even give him my last name sometimes when speaking about him because he and I share some virtues. I like to fish, he did it for a living. I speak without thinking, as did he. In his letter to the Saints, Peter could write these words with authority; He cares for you. No one knew that any better than Simon Peter. Jesus saved him from drowning, healed his sick mother-in-law, gave him nets full of fish after he had fished all night and never even got a bite, and did not have him arrested even though he cut off a guy’s ear. Peter had experience with the patience and love of Jesus but of all the things he remembered about those experiences I believe it was one of his last encounters with Him that motivated him, (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit), to put these words on the parchment; He cares for you. Peter remembered sitting around the campfire eating fish and bread days after Jesus had risen from the grave. I am sure he was hoping that Jesus had forgiven and forgot about his denial of him earlier. Jesus brought the subject up though by asking Peter if he loved Him. I believe Peter got nervous that day. I believe he thought Jesus was getting ready to give him the boot. “Depart from Me thou wicked servant,” I believe is what Peter expected to hear. What he heard though were these words: “I still care for you, Peter.” No, not verbatim, but in context. Friend, He cares for you too. In all your imperfections; warts and all; He cares for you! Always and forever; never, ever, forget that.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Devil is a Bully
“Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” [1 Peter 5:8]
The devil is a bully. You know what a bully is and does. A bully has an inferiority complex and is insecure in their own existence so they are inclined to take their insecurities and fears and project them onto someone else. It causes a bully to feel better if someone is afraid of them rather than them having to fear someone else. So the psychologist would say. I am sure there are many reasons bullies are bullies but the motivating factor is control. They want their way and will do what it takes to try and get it. Enter the devil; not the tall skinny red figure carrying a three prong pitch fork with horns coming out of his head and a pointy tail but rather picture a bully on the playground. Now the difference in the bullies we know and him is that most bullies wanted our milk money. Satan doesn’t want our milk money but he does not want us to give it to Christ! The mission of the devil is to take from Christ what God has given Him; souls. Now the devil does not want our souls, contrary to popular belief, he just does not want Christ to have them. He does not gain anything by getting our soul; he will be destroyed in everlasting fire along with all the rest of those who have rejected Christ when all is said and done. Satan does not want Jesus to have us forever, which is why Christ died on the Cross. The devil will use any means possible to get what he wants. He wants Christ to weep over those who reject Him. The devil takes pleasure in seeing us suffer because it gives him opportunity to lie to us and tell us that there is no God. The devil uses tools such as fear and the wedge of discouragement. A roaring lion frightens its prey to the point that it shakes in its tracks or becomes confused and does not know which way to run. The devil will scare you with the thoughts of losing something; your family, your health, your wealth, and your life. When he sees a crack of doubt appear in our faith he will put the tip of his wedge of discouragement in it and begin to hammer on it. He wants us to split from Christ because he knows that’s where our security is rooted. He does his best to bully us because he hates us. He hates us because Christ loves us. He is not a force to be reckoned with but rather a real creature with influence. So, be sober and be vigilant; don’t let him confuse you and cause you to give up on Jesus. Regardless of how big or scary he may cause things to look; turn to Jesus. The devil hates Christ but has to listen to Him. You draw close to Christ and let Christ deal with the devil.
The devil is a bully. You know what a bully is and does. A bully has an inferiority complex and is insecure in their own existence so they are inclined to take their insecurities and fears and project them onto someone else. It causes a bully to feel better if someone is afraid of them rather than them having to fear someone else. So the psychologist would say. I am sure there are many reasons bullies are bullies but the motivating factor is control. They want their way and will do what it takes to try and get it. Enter the devil; not the tall skinny red figure carrying a three prong pitch fork with horns coming out of his head and a pointy tail but rather picture a bully on the playground. Now the difference in the bullies we know and him is that most bullies wanted our milk money. Satan doesn’t want our milk money but he does not want us to give it to Christ! The mission of the devil is to take from Christ what God has given Him; souls. Now the devil does not want our souls, contrary to popular belief, he just does not want Christ to have them. He does not gain anything by getting our soul; he will be destroyed in everlasting fire along with all the rest of those who have rejected Christ when all is said and done. Satan does not want Jesus to have us forever, which is why Christ died on the Cross. The devil will use any means possible to get what he wants. He wants Christ to weep over those who reject Him. The devil takes pleasure in seeing us suffer because it gives him opportunity to lie to us and tell us that there is no God. The devil uses tools such as fear and the wedge of discouragement. A roaring lion frightens its prey to the point that it shakes in its tracks or becomes confused and does not know which way to run. The devil will scare you with the thoughts of losing something; your family, your health, your wealth, and your life. When he sees a crack of doubt appear in our faith he will put the tip of his wedge of discouragement in it and begin to hammer on it. He wants us to split from Christ because he knows that’s where our security is rooted. He does his best to bully us because he hates us. He hates us because Christ loves us. He is not a force to be reckoned with but rather a real creature with influence. So, be sober and be vigilant; don’t let him confuse you and cause you to give up on Jesus. Regardless of how big or scary he may cause things to look; turn to Jesus. The devil hates Christ but has to listen to Him. You draw close to Christ and let Christ deal with the devil.
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Comforter. For Ever.
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.” [John 14:16 KJV]
The words that stand out in this sentence for me are “Comforter and for ever.” For ever is a long time. Now none of us know just exactly long it is because we have never seen anything that has been around for ever. We see things that have been around longer than we have, but that still does not constitute for ever. No, my friend, for ever belongs to God. Only He understands for ever. He always is; not was or has been, but is. He did not just exist in the past and He does exist in the future; He exists, period. He is for ever, the Alpha and the Omega; He is eternal life; before we ever knew existence; He exists! Jesus said, “I Am the resurrection and the life,” when Martha said her brother would live on the last day, when the resurrection would occur. Jesus did not just exist in the past and He we do not have wait until the future for Him to exist; He is now!
The Comforter; this word is translated as friend, helper, counselor, advocate; depending on which version or translation you read. All are correct as the Holy Spirit is all these things. I call Him the Agent of Application. When I need help, He helps me to find it. When I need a friend, one that does not judge, criticize, or tell me what I want to hear; He reminds me that Jesus is with me and then He guides me into the Word. When I need advice He leads me to the Word and to the right people. I need an advocate for my sin and He comes to my rescue; He convicts (not condemns) me of my sin, testifies to me of Jesus, and helps me with repentance by interceding for me as I pray. Yeah, I would say He is The Comforter.
Now put these two paragraphs together; The Comforter for ever. Sent to me from the Father because Jesus asked Him to! Another Comforter; not a different One, just another One! Now I have two! Jesus is with me not in bodily form but in Spirit; The Holy Spirit. The Father is with me not in bodily form but in Spirit; the Holy Spirit! Not only that, but they will never leave me nor forsake me; for ever. Wow! The One who is Forever Himself now gives for ever to me; that I may be as He is! The Comforter Abides with me and He will abide with you; for ever!
The words that stand out in this sentence for me are “Comforter and for ever.” For ever is a long time. Now none of us know just exactly long it is because we have never seen anything that has been around for ever. We see things that have been around longer than we have, but that still does not constitute for ever. No, my friend, for ever belongs to God. Only He understands for ever. He always is; not was or has been, but is. He did not just exist in the past and He does exist in the future; He exists, period. He is for ever, the Alpha and the Omega; He is eternal life; before we ever knew existence; He exists! Jesus said, “I Am the resurrection and the life,” when Martha said her brother would live on the last day, when the resurrection would occur. Jesus did not just exist in the past and He we do not have wait until the future for Him to exist; He is now!
The Comforter; this word is translated as friend, helper, counselor, advocate; depending on which version or translation you read. All are correct as the Holy Spirit is all these things. I call Him the Agent of Application. When I need help, He helps me to find it. When I need a friend, one that does not judge, criticize, or tell me what I want to hear; He reminds me that Jesus is with me and then He guides me into the Word. When I need advice He leads me to the Word and to the right people. I need an advocate for my sin and He comes to my rescue; He convicts (not condemns) me of my sin, testifies to me of Jesus, and helps me with repentance by interceding for me as I pray. Yeah, I would say He is The Comforter.
Now put these two paragraphs together; The Comforter for ever. Sent to me from the Father because Jesus asked Him to! Another Comforter; not a different One, just another One! Now I have two! Jesus is with me not in bodily form but in Spirit; The Holy Spirit. The Father is with me not in bodily form but in Spirit; the Holy Spirit! Not only that, but they will never leave me nor forsake me; for ever. Wow! The One who is Forever Himself now gives for ever to me; that I may be as He is! The Comforter Abides with me and He will abide with you; for ever!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Anything to Hide?
If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. [Psalm 66:18 NKJV]
In this age of information technology and social networking keeping our personal information secret is almost impossible. A good friend of mine that works on computers tells me that if I can see something on my screen, so can someone else. It is hard to hide things in airwaves. Therefore we have become pretty good in hiding our secrets. We have learned to keep our mouths shut and our thoughts to ourselves to be totally secure because no other human can actually read our thoughts.
Secret sin is the biggest issue within the Kingdom. It is nothing new as we can see from what David had to say. I saw a commercial on T.V. encouraging people to report child abuse. The actors were leading children and wearing a sign on their back that identified them as an abuser. We know they are not that easy to spot and that was the point of the whole commercial. The same applies to those who hide sin in their hearts. No one is immune; pastors, teachers, evangelists, deacons, the Pope; all have the ability to hide sin from the public eye; for a while. Sin will always find a way to surface; just like a backed up septic tank. The real danger associated with hidden sin is not the risk of someone finding it out, the real danger is not having God hear our prayers! He will not hear our prayer of repentance if we continue to regard the sin! One translation puts it this way; “If we are cozy with evil, God will not listen.” Yes, God is faithful to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; but not until we are ready to let it go. God is not into excusing sin; He is into forgiving it. If we want Him to hear us then we first have to acknowledge our sin, confess it, and then release it.
Allow God to search your heart today just as David asked Him to do. “Search me, O God, and know my heart.” Should He reveal a sin that was tucked away in the dark corner of a closed compartment; lust, anger, hate, etc., then confess it, ask Him to forgive you, and then let it go. Allow Christ to dwell in your heart. Sin cannot live in the same heart with Jesus!
In this age of information technology and social networking keeping our personal information secret is almost impossible. A good friend of mine that works on computers tells me that if I can see something on my screen, so can someone else. It is hard to hide things in airwaves. Therefore we have become pretty good in hiding our secrets. We have learned to keep our mouths shut and our thoughts to ourselves to be totally secure because no other human can actually read our thoughts.
Secret sin is the biggest issue within the Kingdom. It is nothing new as we can see from what David had to say. I saw a commercial on T.V. encouraging people to report child abuse. The actors were leading children and wearing a sign on their back that identified them as an abuser. We know they are not that easy to spot and that was the point of the whole commercial. The same applies to those who hide sin in their hearts. No one is immune; pastors, teachers, evangelists, deacons, the Pope; all have the ability to hide sin from the public eye; for a while. Sin will always find a way to surface; just like a backed up septic tank. The real danger associated with hidden sin is not the risk of someone finding it out, the real danger is not having God hear our prayers! He will not hear our prayer of repentance if we continue to regard the sin! One translation puts it this way; “If we are cozy with evil, God will not listen.” Yes, God is faithful to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; but not until we are ready to let it go. God is not into excusing sin; He is into forgiving it. If we want Him to hear us then we first have to acknowledge our sin, confess it, and then release it.
Allow God to search your heart today just as David asked Him to do. “Search me, O God, and know my heart.” Should He reveal a sin that was tucked away in the dark corner of a closed compartment; lust, anger, hate, etc., then confess it, ask Him to forgive you, and then let it go. Allow Christ to dwell in your heart. Sin cannot live in the same heart with Jesus!
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