The Peace of God

Psalm 4:1-8 (ESV)
1 To the Choirmaster: with Stringed instruments. A Psalm
of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me
relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
2 O
men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain
words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the
godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 Be angry, and do not
sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer
right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say,
"Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!"
7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine
abound.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord,
make me dwell in safety.

For the first time in my lifetime "survival" has come into question for many people. Given everything that is going on in the United States economy today, there are some who are struggling to find peace. They have major concerns regarding their personal ability to survive financially. Many watch as their retirement accounts shrink, and they fear they will not be able to survive.

Brother Sid stood yesterday and shared these words of wisdom regarding the present crisis:

"Lay up treasure in heaven. Not on earth. The treasure you lay up in heaven will
be safe."

David understood the peace that comes from relying upon God. He knew the faithfulness and the character of God and he knew he could depend on God.

"You have given me relief when I was in distress. Know that the Lord has set
apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. There are many
who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O
Lord!" You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and
wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord,
make me dwell in safety. "

David had laid up treasure in heaven. As we walk through the uncertainty that lies ahead, put your trust completely in the Lord. Honor Him in your life and in everything you do. Call out to Him in your fear or time of trouble. Trust Him to keep His Word.

Psalm 37:25-29 (ESV)
25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not
seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever
lending generously, and his children become a blessing.
27 Turn away from
evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of
the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land and
dwell upon it forever.

May the peace of God rest with you today!

Shalom!

Does Your Life Stink?

Do you ever feel like your life stinks? Sometimes spiritually we get in periods of stagnation that get really difficult and uncomfortable to deal with. A few years ago, while on a float trip, God revealed a truth to me. If you find yourself in "stinky water" spiritually, this one's for you!

As I continued down the river I came to, what used to be, one of the most beautiful pools of water on that stretch of river. It is filled with huge boulders. Typically, the water is very deep, but it is so clear the bottom looks like you could count every pebble. Because of the low water levels, lack of current, and perhaps the addition of bacteria from all the new development along the river, this pool was no longer beautiful. In fact, it looked and smelled like a lagoon. The odor was awful, so I paddled as fast as I could to get through that section of the river. Then God spoke:

You know, you just passed through a lesson. Even the most beautiful pools can
become cesspools if the water level is low, the current is too slow, or too much
bacteria is introduced into the system. Your natural tendency, when you came
into these bad waters, was to get through them as quickly as possible. So why do
you linger in the stagnation of the spiritual pool of your life? Paddle through
the rancid waters that are no longer flowing, and get to the spring of
refreshing.

There are rivers of refreshing waiting for you and I if we will simply "go to the river". The bible describes a scene in the book of revelation. It is from the very throne of God and out from under it proceeds a clear river of water, the river of life.

Jesus said to the woman at the well:

John 4:10 (ESV)
10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is
saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have
given you living water."

Jesus invites you to come to the river today and drink deeply. Don't stay in the stagnant pool filled with all kinds of junk. Go to the source of refreshing and drink deeply!

He Knows Your Name

He Knows Your Name

Psalm 139:1 (ESV) 1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

Today was "See You At The Pole". A small group of students met at the flagpole at school to pray for the school and our nation. While they were outside praying, another small group of us were going through the school praying over the lockers and classrooms. As I was wandering the halls praying at each locker, I was overcome as I was reminded that God knows the name of every one of these students. I began to sing in my spirit the song "He Knows My Name" by the McRae's. I remembered the "How Great Is Our God" message by Lou Giglio and the part where he talks about our genetic code.

He says something like this.
"If you could write out the genetic code for a single cell in the human body, that code would stretch to six feet long. If you read one character per second it would take over 100 years to read your DNA! And yet God not only knows it, He wrote the code!"

David didn't know anything about "DNA" or "Genetic Codes", but he did understand that before he was born, God knew him. And before you were born, God knew you. He not only knows your name, He knows your strengths, your weaknesses, your victories and your struggles. He is always at work in your life. He never takes a day off! He is leading and guiding the direction of your life if you and I will only take the time to listen and follow.

We run at such a feverish pace in today's culture that solitude and quiet time are almost a relic of the past. As we were praying and walking through the school, students and teachers started to file in and things got really hectic and distracting. It was a vignette from the scene of life as we know it. We wanted to spend time with God in prayer but instead found ourselves feeling pressured to hurry. God wants us to hit the pause button and just spend some time with Him. He wants us to know Him in a more intimate way. That intimacy only comes in quiet retreat, not in trying to pray while I’m driving to work, answering the phone and listening to the radio. Jesus even told His disciples to "come apart and rest awhile". He was teaching them that they needed to take a quiet retreat with the master in order to refuel and recharge so they could appropriately face the challenges of life.

Be encouraged today. God not only knows your name. He knows YOU! He knows everything about you and what you will face. He knows what you are going to need before you even ask and has already prepared an answer if you and I will just learn to stop and ask. He longs to visit with you today. Try to unplug from the craziness we call "our schedule" and let God speak to your spirit. I'm pretty sure He has some awesome words to share with you!

Shalom!

Uselessly Kindling Fire on the Altar

Uselessly Kindling Fire on The Altar

Malachi 1:10 (ESV) 10 Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.

Sometimes, in order to understand something more clearly, we must define what is its opposite. In other words, to understand what something is, we must first understand what it is not. I want to please God in my life as his child, as a husband and father and as a pastor and friend. I have made it my purpose in life to do so, and to live my life in such a way that it makes Him smile. It is amazing, however, how mindlessly I sometimes operate in pursuit of that goal. There are times when I am 'tuned in' to what God is doing and I am able to join Him. There are other times, or even periods of time, LONG PERIODS OF TIME, when I seem to uselessly kindle fire on the altar. If I want to undertand what it means to PLEASE GOD it is helpful to know what does not please him. That answer is found in Malachi 1.

God is holding me accountable to present the best that I and his people have to offer. That's what you give in sacrifices. God's words in Malachi 1 to the priests who were responsible for offering up the sacrifices of themselves and the people was that they were giving, and accepting at the hand of the people, offerings that were less than their best. In response to these offerings, God says to the priests, "I am not pleased with you, nor will I accept an offering from you."

What DOESN'T PLEASE GOD? When I don't love him enough to give my best. In that case, God says I am uselessly kindling fire on the altar. God's blazing condemnation of the priests also contained a plea from the very heart of God: "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain!". In other words, God would rather someone 'lock the door of the church' than have us give less than our best in church. He would rather we 'not preach' than to preach a polluted gospel! What it seems God is saying is, "Stop wasting your time and mine! I will not accept any more 'leftovers'! Maybe if I stop listening you will start!"

Every Monday night we meet for prayer at the church. Thus far, there have been a few very faithful folks who have experienced just how awesome it is to simply come to God in a time of prayer and to draw more closely to Him. I suppose it could be considered "a sacrifice", since they are giving up time from something else. It is a very small sacrifice and the benefits far, far, far outweigh any "sacrifice" that may be involved. I invite you to join us. We pray, sing and I share a short devotion. Mostly, we pray. Come and experience it for yourself.

I desire, more than anything else, to please Him. In order to do so, I must give my best. I must also require 'the best' from the hand of the people. To that end, let me challenge you: GIVE GOD YOUR BEST, NOT "THE REST"! Saturday, we have an opportunity to learn from Jeremy Horn. Give God your best. Sunday we will meet at God's house to worship. Give God your best. We will have the opportunity to serve others through ministry, and thereby serve God. Give your best. Every day, I have the opportunity to live life God's way. That means if I'm mad at another Christian, I need to forgive. God isn't going to accept an offering at the hand of an angry servant.

Father,
I confess that I have settled for second place. I have let my attitude become one of 'That's good enough'. Please forgive me! And please forgive the sins of the people for offering less than the best. Please be patient with us. Please let us see how awesome you really are, and how deserving you really are of our best. And please give me the courage to accept nothing less.

Who's In Your Circle?

Matthew 26:1 (KJV) 1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,

One cell phone commercial on TV asks the question, "Who's in your circle". This particular service lets you call any number in your "circle of friends" for free. The assumption is that each of us has a small group of people that are close to us that we call more often than anyone else. These people are our network of friends with whom we share life.

In the body of Christ we need the same network of "circles" to function at our best. Jesus modeled this concept for us with His own, "circle of friends". Although Jesus came to die for all humankind, he invested His life in a small circle of men and a few other folks in His extended circle. We often think of Jesus life and work in the context of "the multitudes", but it was those twelve disciples that Jesus devoted most of his energy and upon whom he depended in His time of need.

When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane agonizing over his future, he didn't call upon the multitude to be His prayer support. He called his circle of friends. If that circle was important to Jesus, if it was needed in His life, I'm sure it is needed in ours! That's why it is so important to not just become part of the church, but part of a smaller group of people within the church that are your circle of friends. They become not just your friends, but your prayer support and encouragers in time of need. I am convinced that every believer needs to be part of a smaller group within the church. Whether that be a Sunday School class or some other small group, we all need that close circle of friends. When we do not have it, we end up facing life's struggles without the same kind of support that even Jesus needed in His life.

If you're not part of a Sunday School class or small group, let me encourage you to become involved for your own spiritual health and the health of others. If you know people within the church or outside the church who don't have this kind of support, invite them to become part of your circle. It is in this "Circle of Friends" that we do life and we do ministry. Don't let either pass you by!

Have you ever been pulled in many directions?

Matthew 26:1-3 (KJV) 1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

This past week has been one of the most incredible weeks of my life! Between the Hunters 24/7 event and Sunday services over 95 people made a new level of commitment to Christ. For about 70 of them it was to recommit their lives to serve Christ. For at least 25, it was their introduction to a new life in Christ. I laughed, cried, got goose bumps and shouted over the commitment cards that I read. The end result of the weekend was a huge win for the kingdom of God! That being said, all week long, and even during the event Saturday night and on Sunday, I felt myself being pulled in a lot of different directions. A lot of ministry needed to happen and a lot of business needed to get done, and yet my most important duty was to pray for the salvation of those souls. At times, as I was feeling the pressure of being pulled in many directions, I also felt stress. I know that each of you know what I'm talking about; That inner tension of feeling too small for the task at hand or unable to meet the immediate needs.

Sometimes life gets really hectic. But imagine being in Jesus shoes as we walk through this Passion Week. Jesus has been ushered into Jerusalem with the praise of the shouting crowd. He's just finished his final sermon regarding the kingdom of heaven, trying to convince his audience to prepare their souls for eternity. They have questions. They have needs. But now they are all gone and Jesus is left with his closest friends and He knows He must prepare them for what is about to happen. He is going to be brutally murdered and He feels the obligation to prepare His friends for the inevitable. So He begins to try to brace them for what lies ahead.

What's really on His mind is the great pain and suffering that awaits Him. The betrayal, not just of Judas, but of all His followers. He knows it's coming and He must walk down that road anyway. He dreads the pain. Is that what's really on His mind?

Or is He looking beyond the pain, beyond his death, to the reason for His death? Is His focus on the responsibility to redeem mankind? I believe it was. But I am amazed at His ability to focus on all these other needs, all these other people in the middle of the most trying week of His life. Jesus was able to accomplish His mission because He kept it in front of Him. He never lost sight of His purpose and He never quit loving those around Him, no matter how they treated Him.

God has a purpose for your life and mine. We need to discover that purpose and remain focused on it. We need to walk a deliberate path but we also need to never quit loving those around us, not matter how they may treat us. Their eternal life is just as important as mine.

Experience Builds Faith

Prayer for release from prison

Acts 12:5 (NASB) 5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.
One of the "Sons of Thunder" was killed just a few days earlier and then Peter, the chief of the Apostles was arrested and placed in prison just before the Passover. I would assume this was one year after Christ had been murdered. The gospel was still costing people their lives, and it looked like the leader was once again going to die. Things seemed pretty hopeless. Or did they?

The church believed that God could rescue Peter. The church believed that God could do something about their situation. This time, not as a result of the Spirit-filled Apostles, but by the prayer of the people, a miracle took place. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Peter and John had been thrown in jail before and God "opened the door". So I'm sure John, who just lost his brother at the end of a sword, let the charge for people to pray for Peter's release. He had absolute confidence that God could rescue him just as he had rescued the two of them before. Experience increases faith.

Trust in the Lord today. Gain some new experience and draw from some old experience, but let faith grow and abound in your heart!

How's Your Net?

Matthew 4:21 (KJV)
21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.


Jesus has called us to be fishers of men. In the fishing trade of Jesus day, nets were used as the "tool of the trade" to catch fish. Peter and Andrew were "casting their net into the sea", indicating that their net was in good repair and ready for catching fish. James and John were "mending their net", indicating that something had happened that had made their net ineffective at catching fish. In another passage, we find some of the disciples "cleaning their nets" indicating they had picked up a bunch of trash along the way.

As Christians and fishers of men we need to examine our nets. Our nets are either clean and in good repair, or they are torn or cluttered. God has given us gifts and abilities that need to be utilized to their fullest potential for Him. He has also given us freedom of choice, which means I can choose to use those gifts and abilities or not. I can choose to live a holy life or not. I can choose to be a witness or not. These gifts and abilities along with my choices in how I will conduct myself are woven together into a fabric that makes up my net. It is through my life, my conduct, my words, my actions, that my net is made complete.

If I choose not to use my gifts and abilities for God's purposes, my net has a hole in it. If I choose to conduct myself in a way that is a disgrace to God rather than a tribute to Him, my net has a hole in it. If I get so busy that I don't have time to fish, my net has become cluttered.

The thing about the story of James and John that amazes me, is that they "immediately left the SHIP AND THEIR FATHER AND FOLLOWED HIM." They didn't seem to hesitate. They "sold out" of the worldly fishing business and "bought in" to being fishermen for the Father.

So, how's your net?

Born To Worship

I've been having a blast studying, reading and learning the book of Acts. It's been amazing to me all the things I've never seen before in that book. One of the things that has just leaped off the page for me has been the sense of awe that the early church experienced. It wasn't just the "signs and wonders" but it was the idea that Jesus really was the Messiah and that the penalty for their sins was paid in full. That knowledge was hard to get their hands around because all their lives they had operated in a sacrificial system that never satisfied the penalty for their sin before God. It only delayed or stayed off the consequences. If they missed a sacrifice or broke a rule, they felt as if they were hosed. Here's an excerpt from my observations on one section in the book of Acts:



Acts 2:43-47 (NASB)

43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;

45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.



They kept feeling a sense of awe. God was performing many unexplainable things before their eyes and they were amazed. But these signs weren't presented in order to convince them to believe but to reinforce the decision they had already made. That decision was to acknowledge that Jesus really was the Messiah. They acknowledged that even though they didn't understand everything about this New Covenant, they understood that Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy and they were trying to get their minds around the idea that the penalty for their sins wasn't just delayed, but it was paid in full. They had a sense of newfound freedom and appreciation that resulted in less materialism and more generosity and closeness.



After 2000 years of Grace, sometimes I forget how truly awesome it is to be forgiven!



John Newton, author of the hymn Amazing Grace, had no real religious training as a child and grew up the son of a sea-captain/slave trader. John ultimately became the captain of his own slave ship which met with a fierce storm at sea. During that storm he cried for the Lord to save him in the midst of the storm. God did, and as Newton reflected on what had happened, he believed that God had indeed rescued him. He became a believer and recognized that day, May 10, 1748 as the date of his conversion to Christianity. He later quit his slave trade, met George Whitefield, began to write songs, entered the ministry, and at some point between 1760 and 1770 he wrote:



Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)

That sav'd a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.



'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears reliev'd;

How precious did that grace appear,

The hour I first believ'd!



Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;

'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.



The Lord has promis'd good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.



Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease;

I shall possess, within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.



The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun forbear to shine;

But God, who call'd me here below,

Will be forever mine.



After his conversion, he managed to never lose the sense of wonder and awe that God had saved him. My prayer is that I and all who read this will recapture that sense of awe and wonder at what an Awesome God has done in our lives!

Sincerely Wrong

Sincerely Wrong

Acts 2:36 (NASB77) 36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified."

The news this week has been busy with reports of the new Tom Cruise biography and his involvement in the church of scientology. In those reports it is usually noted that the church is considered by some to be a "cult". Tom and the church have been getting a lot of press. In interviews about his church/faith, Tom is very convinced and very sincere in his beliefs. But no matter how sincere or convinced a person may be about their beliefs, it is entirely possible to be sincerely wrong.

The past two weeks messages have been pretty tough for some of us to deal with because they address areas of sin in our lives. Although those messages are hard to hear and to receive, they are necessary to keep us from becoming overtaken by our own poor judgment and sins. Paul reasoned with Felix of "righteousness, self-control and judgment to come". Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that judgment day will come for everyone. I not only want to make sure that I and my household are saved, but I also want to make sure that others understand the truth of Christ's return and that we aren't being lulled to sleep by the fact that He hasn't returned yet.

Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. I am convinced of that by the body of evidence in the bible and all that creation and life teach me to confirm that it is true. Therefore I preach so that men might believe. Please pray with me that God will raise us up as a standard, light and salt in a dark and dying world. Pray with me that we would separate ourselves from sinful behavior in order that others might see and believe. The child Jesus grew in "wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man." In other words, he lived righteously in this present world. We are the most blessed nation on earth today. No one has experienced the level of blessing that we have received at the hand of God. I hope we don't ever forget where it came from!

Faith Stories

Psalms 102:18 (NASB) 18 This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
Passing on stories from generation to generation is an important thing. It is how family history is preserved. It is how future generations learn. Sometimes the stories get passed on or the learning gets passed on without the explanation. Then it becomes a pointless ritual. Like the girl who was watching her mom fix lunch one day and she cut off the end of the roast before she cooked it. The girl asked "mommy. Why do you cut off the end of the roast?" The mom replied, "Because that's the way your grandma taught me to do it." Curious, the little girl took it upon herself to ask her grandma why she cut the end off the roast. She replied, "Because that's the way my mom taught me to do it." Not willing to settle for this answer, the little girl asked her great-grandmother why she cut the end off the roast. She replied, "Because my pan was too small and the roast wouldn't fit. So I cut the end off of it." A tradition had been passed on but perhaps not the right kind of tradition or for the right reasons.

We need to pass along the stories of our faith and the stories of God's working in our lives so our children will have a reference to draw from in their own lives. If they know that God provided for mom and dad in their time of need, they are better equipped to believe and depend on Him to provide in their time of need.

Make it your priority to pass along those faith stories to your kids and grandkids so that people yet to be created may praise the Lord.

Why The Desert?

Galatians 1:15-17 (NASB) 15 But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
Yesterday I was on the phone with a good friend who had been spending their quiet time contemplating the subject of "the desert". The question they asked was "What is the purpose of the desert in my life?" I've been thinking about that question ever since.

The bible is filled with stories of the desert. The best known story is the exodus. As Israel quickly approached the "promised land" one reason for the desert became known: In the desert we learn to depend on and listen to God rather than our friends, family or advisors. Because the Israelites hadn't learned to believe God's advice over their own common sense, they listened to the 10 spies and spent 40 years learning to be totally dependant upon God. The desert delayed their entrance, but it taught them the most important lesson in life.

Prior to this event, Moses had taken matters into his own hands and had killed a man. Because of his sin, he was forced to retreat to the backside of the desert for 40 years. Here we see another reason for the desert: The reality of my sin and the fear of the consequences cause me to retreat to a place where I can cry out for God's forgiveness. Moses knew what he had done was wrong, but he didn't feel remorse until he "got caught". That fact forced him into the desert where he obviously "dealt" with his sin with the only person who mattered: God.

Paul went to the desert after his Damascus Road experience to sort out what he had learned all his life about God and the law and his new experience with a very real Son of God. He didn't want to hear other men's opinions about the claims of Christ to be the Son of God. He wanted God to show him everything their was to know about Christ from the same Old Testament writings that Paul had used to condemn Christianity. It was in the desert that Paul received divine truth: divine truth that would form the basis for all his arguments in defense of Christ as the Son of God.

You may be going through your own personal desert. I can relate. The past six months of my own life have been a real "desert experience". I am learning that the real blessing, the real victory comes when we embrace the desert as an opportunity for God to deepen and broaden us. Praise God for the desert in your life. Let him teach you in ways on He can.

Faith in the name of Jesus

Acts 4:10-12 (NASB)
10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health.
11 "He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone.
12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

Faith. We all have it, at least according the bible, but admittedly some people have more than others. It's of great importance to have faith, but even greater to have it in the right place. I have faith that the computer is going to work till I finish this devotion. I have faith that my wife and daughter will come home at the end of the day. I have faith that the brakes on my car will work when I need them. I have faith in a lot of things, but that faith is minor compared to the kind of faith that is being spoken of in this passage.

Faith in the name, authority and reputation of Jesus Christ is the kind of faith that changes circumstances. It is the belief that Jesus Christ really is the Son of God and that He died for our sins because He loves us and He presently intercedes on our behalf with the same love. If I were to go the Capitol building in Jefferson City and ask to speak to the governor, I would most likely be denied. Even if I told the receptionist that it was a matter of extreme urgency she would politely take my name and number and have someone get back with me. That's if I'm just "Scott". But if I came as an ambassador for the President of the United States and was carrying papers granting me the full authority of his office, I would not only get in to see the Governor, I would get the royal treatment. On my own authority, I'm not very impressive. But when I come on the authority of the Son of God, I gain great authority. If I can learn to accept that position and walk in it with quiet confidence, doors will open that had previously remained shut. Opportunities will avail themselves that before weren't even a dream.

Jesus said, "you believe in God. Believe also in me". Place yourself in the position of the subordinate to Christ instead of expecting Him to be yours. See if God doesn't do amazing things in your life.

Give Thanks

2 Corinthians 9:15 (NASB)
15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

On the day that has been set aside in our nation to give thanks, I pray that today will be a wonderful day for you. We have so much to be thankful for! As I write this, I realize that life, with all it’s disparity finds each of us at different places. For some, you are celebrating the birth of a new child while others are mourning the loss of their father. Some are enjoying a year of prosperity while others are unemployed and struggling to get by. For many, today is a “family day” while others are alone or estranged from their families. For some, it is “easy” to be thankful. For others it may be very hard.

Paul encouraged us to remember that life, with its ups and downs, affects us all. We will all find ourselves in “good times” or “bad times” at some point in our life. Our thankfulness should not be controlled by the constantly changing circumstances of our lives, but rather by this one unchangeable truth: As Christians our sins are forgiven! We are in good standing with God. Not because of our goodness, but because of God’s indescribable gift! That fact remains the same no matter the circumstances of my life! That fact makes it possible to give thanks in everything. May this Thanksgiving Day be filled with peace and gladness in your hearts!

Blessed

Blessed

Proverbs 17:17 (KJV)
17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

It seems as though there are times when we get hit with seemingly one wave of adversity after another. You know what I’m talking about. A friend dies, or a pet, or something less tragic but still disheartening like the transmission goes out or the refrigerator quits. Have you ever noticed how it sometimes seems that these things come in multiples? It’s times like the ones I’ve mentioned and others that you may presently be experiencing, that we need each other. We need our friends; our brothers.

We are blessed to be a part of a congregation of believers and we need to leverage that blessing to its maximum potential. Friendships within the body of Christ are important for a number of reasons.

1. It gives us a support system when things go wrong
a. You and I need the prayers, love and support of other believers when things seem to be swirling out of control in our lives. We need that trusted friend or group of friends that we can confide in and share our burdens with. “Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

2. It provides accountability
a. Even though my relationship with my friends may keep me from doing some things that are considered “fun” by a large segment of our society, it preserves my integrity with them and with my Heavenly Father. Being responsible or accountable to my friends around me helps keep me from straying from the path

3. It provides positive peer pressure
a. When I surround myself with a group of Christian friends, I am less subject to temptation and it becomes much easier to simply “be Christian”.

We are blessed that we have a group that we can call our friends. A friend “loveth at all times”. It’s really easy to take the low road and become critical or judgmental of others, but a friend loves when it isn’t the popular thing to do. A brother is born to be there during adversity. In the worldly culture it is common place that friends abandon friends when the level of adversity rises. But a true friend; a Christian friend, was “born” to stick with the brother during those adverse times.

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Daily Living God's Way

James 5:13 (NASB95)
Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.

The Bible declares itself to be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. But how does that 'flesh itself out' in my daily life?

Simply stated, I can trust the instruction from the Word to guide my thoughts and actions throughout the day. For instance: "Is anyone out there suffering?" Well, according to the Bible, you must pray. The cure for suffering is prayer. We can suffer from any number of maladies, but the answer to all suffering is prayer. Whether the suffering is emotional pain from a broken relationship or spiritual suffering from unconfessed sin, God says the answer is prayer. Notice that it wasn't a simple 'suggestion' but rather a command, "he MUST pray".

What the bible is telling me is that my suffering can ONLY BE RESOLVED THROUGH PRAYER. If there were other 'options' available, the bible would have said, "Is anyone out there suffering? You might try praying." However, there are no other options to conquer our suffering other than to take it to the one who can put an end to suffering. We MUST pray. The suffering that is spoken of here is the kind of suffering that robs us of our peace. The reason we take our suffering to the Lord, according to scripture is that "the chastisement of our peace was upon Him". Jesus has already paid in blood to take away the suffering of His children.

Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. The direct opposite of having lost our joy is to be joy-filled. That's what the word 'cheerful' means. It means that my inner countenance is bubbling over with happiness. But why would the bible instruct me to sing when I'm cheerful? It is difficult to offer hope to others when you yourself are suffering. It is difficult to encourage someone else when your soul needs encouragement.

Colossians 3:16 (NASB95)
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.


When I am singing, the bible isn't talking about just any old song. It is talking about spiritual songs that are born out of the "word of Christ". When I sing those songs, it not only continues to promote my cheerful heart, but it also instructs and admonishes those around me. Those songs serve as instructions for daily living.

So, If I'm suffering, I MUST PRAY. If I'm cheerful, I am to sing. In whatever condition you find yourself today, try the appropriate biblical response and see what great things God does in your life!

How My Sin Looks To God

Saturday we had a "Crud War". We built a big 'slip-n-slide' on the hill in front of the church, put a pit at the bottom and filled it with spaghetti sauce, honey mustard dressing, cranberry sauce, peas, corn, hominy, tomatoes..... you get the idea. Then, the Turn Life kids had fun sliding into the pit. A few observations about that exercise.

The pit represented sin. The slide down the slope into the pit was pretty easy and seemed to build up speed as you went. So it is with sin. The slide down the slope seems pretty slow and managable at first, but then it gets out of control.

Once you landed in the pit, you were covered with some really nasty, really smelly stuff. That's what sin does to us in the eyes of God. It makes us really dirt, really smelly and really unpresentable.

If you hadn't been in the pit, everyone really smelled bad to you. On the other hand, if you had "pit-stuff" all over you, you really couldn't smell how bad it was. After awhile you got used to it. Again, so it is with sin. It's easier for me to recognize sin in someone else's life than it is in my own because after I've worn my sin for awhile, I get used to it.

Finally, we hosed everyone off to get them clean again. That's where Jesus is so important. I was dirty and filthy in the yuck of my sin and Jesus came and washed it all away so I can stand before God "clean".

It may have seemed like a really dumb idea to some, but the spiritual application will really stick with the kids who participated.

Create a Free Slideshow

Are you Tempted?

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB) 13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Are you tempted? Well, if you’re human you are! I was reading my devotion this morning and this was the subject. We are all tempted in certain ways, but temptation in itself is not sin. Temptation is just proof that I am human. In one sense, we tend to think of temptation as “bad”. Temptation is really just a ‘short-cut’ to what I want to do or be in my life. It is Satan’s attempt to get me to take matters into my own hands rather than trusting God.

How are you tempted? The temptation that comes your way often speaks of something on the inside of you. What is truly in your heart is the area in which you are tempted. If I am tempted by sexual images or stories, I need to beware that the sexual desire within me needs to be tamed or it will lead me on a shortcut that will be harmful. Sexual desire in itself isn’t bad. God made us sexual beings. But that physical attraction is to be harnessed within the framework that God has provided, which is marriage. If I allow my temptation in this area to control my life, I am prone to look for short-cuts. And those short-cuts are generally sinful. Rather than cursing the temptation, I need to learn to understand that this is a spiritual condition; a heart condition. And as such, I need to treat it. I need to saturate it with the salve of the Word. I need to admit it to myself, rather than denying that it exists and learn to channel my energy in the direction that God has provided.

If I can view my temptation as a tool to gauge my heart, I can learn to diagnose my spiritual condition by the kinds of temptation I face. Then I can address those things with God; asking for His help in overcoming them. God’s goal for my life isn’t to rid it of all temptation. It is to carry me through every temptation.
Hebrews 2:18 (NASB) 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

Living in Contrast

As I said Sunday, there is a stark contrast displayed in the bible that sets the stage for a life of tension to be lived by Christians in the last days. 2 Timothy 3:1-9 shows the self-absorbed, rebellious attitude of end-time earth dwellers and Titus 2 show the life of a believer. The believer is expected to live in this tension. But they are also encouraged that they can do it successfully. Today we look at the reality of end-time Christian existence and how we can successfully be different in this present world.

The Life of Contrast

2 Timothy 3:12 (NASB) 12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Just for the record, I don't think "Rosie" is the anti-Christ! I just think she represents much of the mindset and heart that are spoken of in 2 Timothy 3. Paul wrote to Timothy and told him that a day would come when the majority of people would be selfish, greedy, proud arrogant, rebellious, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God. All of these attributes are referred to as "end-time", and would be evident inside and outside the church. Paul didn't say "brethren" would have these attributes, but "men", meaning in general "society". In fact, Paul goes on to say that if we desire to live a godly life we will be persecuted for it.

Now I don't now about you, but I don't really like the sounds of "being persecuted". Because we live in the times predicted by Paul, we don't want to do without or to sacrifice for our faith. But Paul said this would be our lot in life. Doesn't sound like a very effective recruiting method to me! It's almost as effective as Jesus saying "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me". That doesn't sound very appealing either! Not to the natural man. But Paul goes on to tell Timothy that the key to successfully navigating these perilous times lies in the Word. Paul told Timothy to know the Word, stand on the Word, live by the Word, and preach the Word. He also told Timothy that just as God had delivered Paul in every circumstance, He would deliver us if we would follow his advice.

To that end, the first and most important command that we need to "live by" is this: Love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength. Love God more than anything else in this world. Then, love your neighbor like you love yourself. This instruction from Christ will guard our hearts from the wickedness of the day in which we live and it will cause us to be different than the rest of the world.

For those who were interested, here's the link to the episode of "The View" when Rosie said that "Radical Christianity is much more of a threat to America than radical Islam".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIoDTzvEdGw

So What Are You Made Of?

Thanks for another great weekend! I hope everyone was blessed and was a blessing. As I thought about the devotion this morning, I couldn’t escape what I read in Oswald Chambers’ “My Utmost For His Highest”. So, I share it with you today. I hope it challenges you as it did me, so that we can all better serve Christ.

Don’t forget the “Crud War” is this Saturday at 2PM. We need your ‘stuff’ to go in the pit. Also, kids, don’t wear anything ‘good’. It may be a real mess before we’re done!

Pastor Scott




September 10 -- MISSIONARY MUNITIONS

"When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee" (John 1:48).

Worshipping as Occasion Serves. We imagine we would be all right if a big crisis arose; but the big crisis will only reveal the stuff we are made of, it will not put anything into us. "If God gives the call, of course I will rise to the occasion." You will not unless you have risen to the occasion in the workshop, unless you have been the real thing before God there. If you are not doing the thing that lies nearest, because God has engineered it; when the crisis comes instead of being revealed as fit, you will be revealed as unfit. Crises always reveal character.

The private relationship of worshipping God is the great essential of fitness. The time comes when there is no more "fig-tree" life possible, when it is out into the open, out into the glare and into the work, and you will find yourself of no value there if you have not been worshipping as occasion serves you in your home. Worship aright in your private relationships, then when God sets you free you will be ready, because in the unseen life which no one saw but God you have become perfectly fit, and when the strain comes you can be relied upon by God.

"I can't be expected to live the sanctified life in the circumstances I am in; I have no time for praying just now, no time for Bible reading, my opportunity hasn't come yet; when it does, of course I shall be all right." No, you will not. If you have not been worshipping as occasion serves, when you get into work you will not only be useless yourself, but a tremendous hindrance to those who are associated with you.

The workshop of missionary munitions is the hidden, personal, worshipping life of the saint.
—My Utmost For His Highest