Romans 8:31
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Well it is another sleepless Saturday night. Sleep doesn't often come easy for me. (especially on Saturday) Usually by the time I get to sleep it's late and then it only last for couple of hours and I'm wide awake again. I am a pastor. God has placed it in me to love people and the fact is.... I truly do love people. My pastor friends and ministry partners who have surrendered their lives to God's call feel the same way. The calling to be a pastor is affirmed by the love that God grows in us for people. People are the reason for the calling of pastoral ministry. In my time as a pastor I have witnessed first hand how pastors become overwhelmed and overworked and burned out as a result of their love for people. I have seen them agonize over the fact that someone is upset with them and worry that they may leave the church never speak to them again. I have had these same worries many times over again. Then my thoughts turn to Jesus. He was perfect and sinless. He never made one mistake yet the only time He was popular was when He was healing or feeding people. Every time He started preaching the hard truths such as taking up your cross, "your own personal instrument of death," the masses would leave Him in droves! Oh some would stay behind to try and kill Him but for the most part they didn't like the things He was asking of them. Finally the haters got what they wanted. In the same city and within the time frame of a week. They cried out "blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," as Jesus rode into town. The very next weekend some of the same people cried out "Crucify Him!" Wow! Can this be true? Can people turn and change their minds so quickly about their leader?.... My answer.... "ABSOLUTELY!" I am not saying this to anger anyone or to guilt anyone in to taking their pastor to dinner, "although that would be a nice thing to do! After all it is pastor appreciation month, hint hint." I am certainly not trying to compare the crucifixion of our Savior to the trials I face as a pastor. I am saying that it is because of what Jesus did for me that I have the incredible call and strength to be a pastor. I know that God called me, hence He is for me! I know that since it is God who called me, it is God who loves people through me. I also know that He is perfect and I am far from it. My mistakes are many, my abilities are inadequate and my knowledge is limited. It amazes me that God uses imperfect people like me to carry out His perfect plan. I know that my hopes are high, my heart is to serve and my motives are pure. In the middle of my imperfection I am equipped by a perfect, awesome, unstoppable God! So I have a word of encouragement to all who have answered this call. Wether you are a pastor, youth pastor, deacon, sunday school teacher, children's minister or nursery volunteer. The bible tells us in Romans 11:29 that the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. He won't take them back. He has called so we have no choice but to answer! No matter what or who may not agree, God is for us! Stand in His strength! If it means facing the devil himself remember that no weapon formed against you will remain. Psalm 121 says, "I will lift my eyes to the hills. From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord who made Heaven and Earth. My prayer today is that the people of God will stand and not be moved! God bless you all and have a great day of worship this "Lord's Day."
In His service, Pastor Wade
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Love and Loyalty
Love and Loyalty
Luke 9:57- 58
Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
What is the price of loyalty? To say to our Savior that you will follow Him wherever He goes is to say that you have no ties to this world. It is to say that you are in a pilgrimage. To follow Jesus is to have a temporary view of earthly life and to realize that you have a permanent home in an eternal place called Heaven. This place is not make believe or something we just conger up in our imagination. It is the place prepared for all who follow Jesus. It is the very dwelling and presence of God. Heaven has a consistence and existence so real that it is more real than we could ever imagine. We are literally following Jesus to this place when we say that we will follow Him where ever He goes. Heaven is our ultimate destination! It is the ultimate destination not for selfish reasons like seeing loved ones, the perfection of paradise or even the streets of gold, pearly gates or crystal sea that are so vividly talked about. Although these things are all true and will be a great benefit to being in Heaven. It is the ultimate destination because of the one we follow, "JESUS!" How can we presume to love Jesus in Heaven if do not love Him here on Earth? And how can we say we love Him on earth unless we are willing to follow Him on a pilgrimage to Heaven? That is to live life as if Jesus is our ultimate goal. To become like Him, to love what He loves and to be heart broken over the same things that break His heart. To be totally selfless and love the person in front of you no matter who that person is. To be a risk taker and invest in people no matter if they hurt you. To be a God pleaser not worrying about the opinion or attitude of those around us as to weather they approve of our obedience to God or not. To be faith walker knowing that we are in the hands of a loving Heavenly Father. To be a gospel preacher so that others may know the good news of the cross. To be a prayer warrior so that you make your request known to God. To be a church goer so you may honor Him in worship and fellowship. To always place God at the top of the list so that no one or nothing is more important than Him. To be a disciple maker so that others may become the same. Our ultimate goal is Jesus. The riches of this goal are endless, their depth and width are beyond compare. His resources are endless, His love is enormous, His power is limitless and His call is without a doubt suited to all of these things. We can not follow Jesus unless we have a God sized heart for our future home. Let's do it church! Let's follow Jesus like this! Why should we keep a foot in this world while we know that this world has nothing to offer us. Let the foxes and the birds have it. We have much greater and bigger things to do than build earthly homes. We have a heavenly one!
Luke 9:57- 58
Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
What is the price of loyalty? To say to our Savior that you will follow Him wherever He goes is to say that you have no ties to this world. It is to say that you are in a pilgrimage. To follow Jesus is to have a temporary view of earthly life and to realize that you have a permanent home in an eternal place called Heaven. This place is not make believe or something we just conger up in our imagination. It is the place prepared for all who follow Jesus. It is the very dwelling and presence of God. Heaven has a consistence and existence so real that it is more real than we could ever imagine. We are literally following Jesus to this place when we say that we will follow Him where ever He goes. Heaven is our ultimate destination! It is the ultimate destination not for selfish reasons like seeing loved ones, the perfection of paradise or even the streets of gold, pearly gates or crystal sea that are so vividly talked about. Although these things are all true and will be a great benefit to being in Heaven. It is the ultimate destination because of the one we follow, "JESUS!" How can we presume to love Jesus in Heaven if do not love Him here on Earth? And how can we say we love Him on earth unless we are willing to follow Him on a pilgrimage to Heaven? That is to live life as if Jesus is our ultimate goal. To become like Him, to love what He loves and to be heart broken over the same things that break His heart. To be totally selfless and love the person in front of you no matter who that person is. To be a risk taker and invest in people no matter if they hurt you. To be a God pleaser not worrying about the opinion or attitude of those around us as to weather they approve of our obedience to God or not. To be faith walker knowing that we are in the hands of a loving Heavenly Father. To be a gospel preacher so that others may know the good news of the cross. To be a prayer warrior so that you make your request known to God. To be a church goer so you may honor Him in worship and fellowship. To always place God at the top of the list so that no one or nothing is more important than Him. To be a disciple maker so that others may become the same. Our ultimate goal is Jesus. The riches of this goal are endless, their depth and width are beyond compare. His resources are endless, His love is enormous, His power is limitless and His call is without a doubt suited to all of these things. We can not follow Jesus unless we have a God sized heart for our future home. Let's do it church! Let's follow Jesus like this! Why should we keep a foot in this world while we know that this world has nothing to offer us. Let the foxes and the birds have it. We have much greater and bigger things to do than build earthly homes. We have a heavenly one!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
"Jesus Calling"
Matthew 4:18-20
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them,"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Is this how it's supposed to be? Jesus calls, we drop everything? How do we know it's Jesus that is calling? What exactly are we supposed to do? How do we even get started? "Jesus calls" Big questions always come behind these two words. The truth of the matter is, it's not that complicated or difficult. It is really about faith and trusting that the Holy Spirit is in the lead. God never gives us all the particulars before we follow Him. He simply puts what He would have for us to do on our hearts. We don't need all the particulars, Proverbs 3:5-7 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct a your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil." God will always be the initiator of His work and He is the one who will show us if we are looking. Jesus told us in scripture that The Holy Spirit would come and teach us and lead us. Jesus has led countless people to radical, faith trying, world denying work for Him. He can do it without programs, seminars or classrooms. Our knowing what God has called us to do; always has and always will come by one way. If we truly want to know what God has called us to, it is as simple as an individual intimate relationship with Him! How can we possibly know what God wants us to do without first knowing God? If we study the scripture we will see that when Jesus called Peter and Andrew this was not the first time they had heard of Him, they had already experienced Him. They had heard Him teach and they had seen Him perform miracles. (Luke5)
We have to know Him as He reveals Himself to us. We have to seek and find. Christ call to a radical life seldom comes to the "Sunday Morning" one hour a week Christian. We have to learn from Him and depend on Him. In Luke 9:23 we read, " Then He said to them all,"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." The key word here is "DAILY." following the call of Jesus has everything to do with a daily walk with Him! Psalms 119:105
says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path."
His word gives us step by step instruction to live and walk by, a lamp to our feet. Jesus said to take no thought for tomorrow but today is enough to worry about. We spend too much time over analyzing, over emphasizing and over amplifying the call of Jesus when He is just saying, "Drop what your doing that is earthly and start working toward things that are Heavenly. What is God calling us to do that is a radical move of Kingdom building proportions? It starts with a radical move of earth shattering denial of self! There is not a program, seminar or a class we can take that will make us do that. It is as simple as obedience. Jesus told the pharisees and the law makers that He desires obedience and not sacrifice. (Matthew 9:13) Our mindless, heartless routine traditions do not impress God but He blesses our obedience to Him! My challenge to every believer today is nothing less than absolute surrender to Him. Be willing, He will not forsake your willing obedience to follow Him. He will guide you in every step of your journey! John 16:13-14 says " When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you." What greater confirmation can we possibly need than this?
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them,"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Is this how it's supposed to be? Jesus calls, we drop everything? How do we know it's Jesus that is calling? What exactly are we supposed to do? How do we even get started? "Jesus calls" Big questions always come behind these two words. The truth of the matter is, it's not that complicated or difficult. It is really about faith and trusting that the Holy Spirit is in the lead. God never gives us all the particulars before we follow Him. He simply puts what He would have for us to do on our hearts. We don't need all the particulars, Proverbs 3:5-7 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct a your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil." God will always be the initiator of His work and He is the one who will show us if we are looking. Jesus told us in scripture that The Holy Spirit would come and teach us and lead us. Jesus has led countless people to radical, faith trying, world denying work for Him. He can do it without programs, seminars or classrooms. Our knowing what God has called us to do; always has and always will come by one way. If we truly want to know what God has called us to, it is as simple as an individual intimate relationship with Him! How can we possibly know what God wants us to do without first knowing God? If we study the scripture we will see that when Jesus called Peter and Andrew this was not the first time they had heard of Him, they had already experienced Him. They had heard Him teach and they had seen Him perform miracles. (Luke5)
We have to know Him as He reveals Himself to us. We have to seek and find. Christ call to a radical life seldom comes to the "Sunday Morning" one hour a week Christian. We have to learn from Him and depend on Him. In Luke 9:23 we read, " Then He said to them all,"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." The key word here is "DAILY." following the call of Jesus has everything to do with a daily walk with Him! Psalms 119:105
says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path."
His word gives us step by step instruction to live and walk by, a lamp to our feet. Jesus said to take no thought for tomorrow but today is enough to worry about. We spend too much time over analyzing, over emphasizing and over amplifying the call of Jesus when He is just saying, "Drop what your doing that is earthly and start working toward things that are Heavenly. What is God calling us to do that is a radical move of Kingdom building proportions? It starts with a radical move of earth shattering denial of self! There is not a program, seminar or a class we can take that will make us do that. It is as simple as obedience. Jesus told the pharisees and the law makers that He desires obedience and not sacrifice. (Matthew 9:13) Our mindless, heartless routine traditions do not impress God but He blesses our obedience to Him! My challenge to every believer today is nothing less than absolute surrender to Him. Be willing, He will not forsake your willing obedience to follow Him. He will guide you in every step of your journey! John 16:13-14 says " When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you." What greater confirmation can we possibly need than this?
Monday, December 13, 2010
Breaking the Silence
Luke 1:5-7
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
How do we deal with silence? I believe it is in times when it seems that God is silent that we experience great growth as believers. We must trust and patiently wait for God to show up. We have to trust Him enough not to act under our own power and understanding. Sometimes we try to influence and even force God's hand to work when He just wants us to wait patiently. God is always the initiator of the work! We can not force or create revival. God must bring revival. We can not force or create salvation God must bring salvation. We can not force or create peace. God must bring peace. Our part is to seek and pray. Abraham tried to intervene and force God's promise for a son. You know, he just wanted to help God along.... Like the Creator of the universe needs help creating! That's what we tend to think! However in a way it is natural for us to want to force things along because we have a creative nature. We have an embedded desire to make things happen. God placed that in us. We just have to learn to control that desire and place into submission under His leading. That is why I love the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth. They were faithful servants of the Lord. He was a priest in Israel under the oppression of Roman law. God had not revealed Himself through any one in four hundred years. That's the time frame between the old and the new testaments of the bible. He was silent! He was still working, He was still in control, He was still on His throne, He was still God yet He was silent. It is in the silence that our God will find those who will faithfully serve Him and when God breaks the silence He will use those who faithfully serve Him! Zacharias and Elisabeth became instruments of God's breaking the silence in a BIG BIG WAY! They became the parents of John the Baptist. The forerunner of Jesus. After four hundred years of saying nothing God would send word through His messenger. To preach repentance to His people! Malachi 3:1 says,"Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,"Says the LORD of hosts." This prophesy was written four hundred years earlier and was fulfilled through Zacharias and Elisabeth. The news came by way of the Angel Gabriel as he announced in Luke 1:13-14,"Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. Wow to hear those words, "your prayer has been heard." The silence is over God is at work! He is breaking the silence! Salvation is coming, Deliverance is coming, Revival is coming, peace is coming! Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid in the silence! Stay faithful, stay hopeful and keep your heart open. God always breaks the silence with life changing, world changing purposes. Are you ready? I hope so. May God use us to change the world!
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
How do we deal with silence? I believe it is in times when it seems that God is silent that we experience great growth as believers. We must trust and patiently wait for God to show up. We have to trust Him enough not to act under our own power and understanding. Sometimes we try to influence and even force God's hand to work when He just wants us to wait patiently. God is always the initiator of the work! We can not force or create revival. God must bring revival. We can not force or create salvation God must bring salvation. We can not force or create peace. God must bring peace. Our part is to seek and pray. Abraham tried to intervene and force God's promise for a son. You know, he just wanted to help God along.... Like the Creator of the universe needs help creating! That's what we tend to think! However in a way it is natural for us to want to force things along because we have a creative nature. We have an embedded desire to make things happen. God placed that in us. We just have to learn to control that desire and place into submission under His leading. That is why I love the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth. They were faithful servants of the Lord. He was a priest in Israel under the oppression of Roman law. God had not revealed Himself through any one in four hundred years. That's the time frame between the old and the new testaments of the bible. He was silent! He was still working, He was still in control, He was still on His throne, He was still God yet He was silent. It is in the silence that our God will find those who will faithfully serve Him and when God breaks the silence He will use those who faithfully serve Him! Zacharias and Elisabeth became instruments of God's breaking the silence in a BIG BIG WAY! They became the parents of John the Baptist. The forerunner of Jesus. After four hundred years of saying nothing God would send word through His messenger. To preach repentance to His people! Malachi 3:1 says,"Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,"Says the LORD of hosts." This prophesy was written four hundred years earlier and was fulfilled through Zacharias and Elisabeth. The news came by way of the Angel Gabriel as he announced in Luke 1:13-14,"Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. Wow to hear those words, "your prayer has been heard." The silence is over God is at work! He is breaking the silence! Salvation is coming, Deliverance is coming, Revival is coming, peace is coming! Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid in the silence! Stay faithful, stay hopeful and keep your heart open. God always breaks the silence with life changing, world changing purposes. Are you ready? I hope so. May God use us to change the world!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Greatest Gift
John 1:2-4
2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
When the worlds were framed and spoken into existence. Jesus was there. He said,"let there be light" and there was light. He formed man out of the dust in His own image and breathed the breath of life into him. God is love therefore God is creator. If you have ever wondered why God created you it is because of His great love. He created us out of His desire for a relationship with us! It is true that He created the angels before He created us but the relationship is different. If they fall out of fellowship with God they have no opportunity for restoration! Lucifer is a fallen angel who will never be reconciled to God. But we who are born in sin, begin life out of fellowship with God. We have an opportunity to love God in return. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love Him because He first loved us." God's love draws us to Him and we have the choice to love Him or to reject His love. God will not force Himself upon us. This is what makes our relationship to Him so unique. We come into a relationship with Him knowing that He is first choosing us so that we might choose Him. This makes for a very special bond. This bond has incredible deep origins. This bond started at creation and has been exhibited down through the ages as God interacted with His people. There have been many defining moments and people in this bond. If we read the stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, King David, Ester, or Job we will truly see the common thread of a loving God. However the most defining person of this bond is Jesus. When God became a person! No one has ever or will ever compare to Him! His timing was perfect and His mission was clear. Save mankind! Restore the love relationship once and for all! Galatians 4:4-6 says, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out,"Abba, Father!" Jesus was born to finalize the bond and those who trust Him will be with Him forever! Every time I think of this fact I am always amazed..... How could God love us so much? He made the perfect world, We messed up the world with our sin. He entered the sinful world with a special delivery of personal love and righteousness to all who would receive Him. He gave His own life on the cross for all of humanity. Taking the penalty of sin upon Himself so that we may come into a love relationship with Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, 'For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." He became our sin so that sin could be defeated and in return we can become His righteousness! God wants to trade! You give Him your sin so that He may do away with it. He will give you His righteousness which can never be done away with! Thus sealing bond and becoming a child of the most High God! Our opening verses say that in Him is the life and the light of men. That is who He is and who He must become in every person who wishes to seal this bond of love! This is the season that we celebrate the birth of Jesus! It is not very often that we think past the manger, the wise men and the shepherds! We don't often consider the Creator and His love for us. He created you so that He could love you. That has never changed and it never will. So I invite you to enjoy the greatest gift that has ever been given! It was given on the first Christmas and has been offered and given everyday since! It is an expensive gift, however it has already been paid for. Jesus paid for it with His own blood.
"What's the gift ?" you ask. It is the gift of an eternal love relationship with the one who created you. All you need do is call upon His name, Romans 10:13 For"whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
When the worlds were framed and spoken into existence. Jesus was there. He said,"let there be light" and there was light. He formed man out of the dust in His own image and breathed the breath of life into him. God is love therefore God is creator. If you have ever wondered why God created you it is because of His great love. He created us out of His desire for a relationship with us! It is true that He created the angels before He created us but the relationship is different. If they fall out of fellowship with God they have no opportunity for restoration! Lucifer is a fallen angel who will never be reconciled to God. But we who are born in sin, begin life out of fellowship with God. We have an opportunity to love God in return. 1 John 4:19 says, "We love Him because He first loved us." God's love draws us to Him and we have the choice to love Him or to reject His love. God will not force Himself upon us. This is what makes our relationship to Him so unique. We come into a relationship with Him knowing that He is first choosing us so that we might choose Him. This makes for a very special bond. This bond has incredible deep origins. This bond started at creation and has been exhibited down through the ages as God interacted with His people. There have been many defining moments and people in this bond. If we read the stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, King David, Ester, or Job we will truly see the common thread of a loving God. However the most defining person of this bond is Jesus. When God became a person! No one has ever or will ever compare to Him! His timing was perfect and His mission was clear. Save mankind! Restore the love relationship once and for all! Galatians 4:4-6 says, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out,"Abba, Father!" Jesus was born to finalize the bond and those who trust Him will be with Him forever! Every time I think of this fact I am always amazed..... How could God love us so much? He made the perfect world, We messed up the world with our sin. He entered the sinful world with a special delivery of personal love and righteousness to all who would receive Him. He gave His own life on the cross for all of humanity. Taking the penalty of sin upon Himself so that we may come into a love relationship with Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, 'For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." He became our sin so that sin could be defeated and in return we can become His righteousness! God wants to trade! You give Him your sin so that He may do away with it. He will give you His righteousness which can never be done away with! Thus sealing bond and becoming a child of the most High God! Our opening verses say that in Him is the life and the light of men. That is who He is and who He must become in every person who wishes to seal this bond of love! This is the season that we celebrate the birth of Jesus! It is not very often that we think past the manger, the wise men and the shepherds! We don't often consider the Creator and His love for us. He created you so that He could love you. That has never changed and it never will. So I invite you to enjoy the greatest gift that has ever been given! It was given on the first Christmas and has been offered and given everyday since! It is an expensive gift, however it has already been paid for. Jesus paid for it with His own blood.
"What's the gift ?" you ask. It is the gift of an eternal love relationship with the one who created you. All you need do is call upon His name, Romans 10:13 For"whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
Monday, November 29, 2010
Satisfaction
"Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:"
Contentment, easy to say but hard to practice. We always seem to be able to envision ourselves as having a better house or a better car. How about better clothes, furniture! We can always use a better job and more money so we can afford to buy better things. We want more. It is so sad that in our cold hard culture, if we are not satisfied, we just discard the old and bring in the new! This way of thinking has found its way right into our families, our marriages and our churches. Even our most important and vital relationships have fallen victim to our discontentment. It seems that there is nothing to satisfy, no matter how much we have we want more. Our pursuit is truly tireless and there is no end to the chase. More, more, more, we want more! Ecclesiastes 5:10 says,"He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity." God created us to seek Him and to serve Him and to fill our lives with Him. Every person has a vast eternal void and the only way fill that void is to filled with The Holy Spirit of God. Proverbs 14:14 says, "The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above." This is how Paul found contentment and it is how we will find contentment. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit our joy is complete. This means circumstances, material things and even people can not bring us to the point of discontentment. John 15:11 Jesus says, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." If we find it in ourselves to be discontent it should only be for the reason of our own life and how we live for Jesus. If we are going to go after better things may it be a better life lived in service to Him! Philippians 3:14 says, "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." I believe God has placed in us a desire to attain a better and higher objective. The problem comes in to play when our objective of a life in Christ is replaced by things that will never satisfy. I love what Jesus says about our heart. He says, wherever our treasure is our heart will also be. (Matthew 6:21) We put our heart and soul into the things we think to be valuable. Our time, money, emotions and talents are invested in the things that we hold dear. Doesn't it stand to reason to invest in the one who satisfies. We are promised in scripture that He will fill us to the full. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly! (John 10:10) We don't have to look very far to find real contentment. It is found at a place called Calvary. It was carried out on a Roman cross upon which they crucified our Jesus. All the sins of the world were placed upon His shoulders as God the Father accepted the payment of death for sin. It was in that defining moment when our Lord Jesus cried out, "It is finished!" Our debt has been paid! Our sins erased! Our lives forever changed! What more is there to buy? What more is there to own? The riches of Heaven are ours! The joy of our eternity has already begun! And The word "Contentment" can't even come close to describe what we know to be true. Thank You Jesus! You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
Contentment, easy to say but hard to practice. We always seem to be able to envision ourselves as having a better house or a better car. How about better clothes, furniture! We can always use a better job and more money so we can afford to buy better things. We want more. It is so sad that in our cold hard culture, if we are not satisfied, we just discard the old and bring in the new! This way of thinking has found its way right into our families, our marriages and our churches. Even our most important and vital relationships have fallen victim to our discontentment. It seems that there is nothing to satisfy, no matter how much we have we want more. Our pursuit is truly tireless and there is no end to the chase. More, more, more, we want more! Ecclesiastes 5:10 says,"He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity." God created us to seek Him and to serve Him and to fill our lives with Him. Every person has a vast eternal void and the only way fill that void is to filled with The Holy Spirit of God. Proverbs 14:14 says, "The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above." This is how Paul found contentment and it is how we will find contentment. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit our joy is complete. This means circumstances, material things and even people can not bring us to the point of discontentment. John 15:11 Jesus says, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." If we find it in ourselves to be discontent it should only be for the reason of our own life and how we live for Jesus. If we are going to go after better things may it be a better life lived in service to Him! Philippians 3:14 says, "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." I believe God has placed in us a desire to attain a better and higher objective. The problem comes in to play when our objective of a life in Christ is replaced by things that will never satisfy. I love what Jesus says about our heart. He says, wherever our treasure is our heart will also be. (Matthew 6:21) We put our heart and soul into the things we think to be valuable. Our time, money, emotions and talents are invested in the things that we hold dear. Doesn't it stand to reason to invest in the one who satisfies. We are promised in scripture that He will fill us to the full. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly! (John 10:10) We don't have to look very far to find real contentment. It is found at a place called Calvary. It was carried out on a Roman cross upon which they crucified our Jesus. All the sins of the world were placed upon His shoulders as God the Father accepted the payment of death for sin. It was in that defining moment when our Lord Jesus cried out, "It is finished!" Our debt has been paid! Our sins erased! Our lives forever changed! What more is there to buy? What more is there to own? The riches of Heaven are ours! The joy of our eternity has already begun! And The word "Contentment" can't even come close to describe what we know to be true. Thank You Jesus! You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Drama Proof Church
Colossians 3:15
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."
I love the Church, God ordained the church, He gave His only Son for the Church and His Holy Spirit indwells the Church! The Church, it seems, is always on my mind. Especially the Church that God has given me the privileged to shepherd. I pray for my church daily and am always striving to be the leader God has called me to be. I know I fall short all too often, and it is in my own imperfections that I find a great solitude and peace. I find comfort and hope. I find refuge! At this point you may be asking the question, " How in the world can a person find all those things in his own imperfections?" The answer is simple. My imperfections drive me to rely on the One who is perfect! "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9) If I am dependent upon myself, I can not and will never be the man God has called me to be. However, depending on Jesus, while recognizing my own weakness and imperfection, I come to realize the source of my ability. Therefore, I find a refuge beyond human understanding as I depend on Jesus. This is how all believers should live. We should let the peace of God rule our hearts and it's this same peace that has called us to unity in one body! There will always be imperfections in the church. There will always be someone who is gossiping or trying to create problems. There will always be "drama!" the larger the church, the more "drama" there is! How do we deal with it?........ How about letting the peace of God rule our hearts. How about the full understanding that in the weaknesses and imperfections of the Church our Mighty God is shown to be perfect! The only way church can possibly work is in the fact that we have a prefect God who rules over imperfect people. He is in charge of His church! Please do not be discouraged. Please don't let strife or gossip worry you, let the peace of God rule over your heart. "Drama" in the church does not surprise God. When Jesus gave His life and paid our sin debt, He knew there would be problems in the church! And even in all of this knowing, He loved His church so very much that He gave Himself for it! There or a lot of nay sayers that proclaim the church is hypocritical and unsuccessful. I say be careful of your words. Jesus did not pay such a costly debt for something that would fail! In Matthew 16:18 Jesus spoke these words, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." My friends His church will succeed in spite of the imperfection that humanity has brought into it! Please be encouraged and let the peace of God rule your Heart. Encourage those who lead and those who follow. Encourage those who gossip and those who love the "Drama." Encourage those who have left and those that stand strong. The Church will accomplish exactly what God has called us to do!
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."
I love the Church, God ordained the church, He gave His only Son for the Church and His Holy Spirit indwells the Church! The Church, it seems, is always on my mind. Especially the Church that God has given me the privileged to shepherd. I pray for my church daily and am always striving to be the leader God has called me to be. I know I fall short all too often, and it is in my own imperfections that I find a great solitude and peace. I find comfort and hope. I find refuge! At this point you may be asking the question, " How in the world can a person find all those things in his own imperfections?" The answer is simple. My imperfections drive me to rely on the One who is perfect! "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9) If I am dependent upon myself, I can not and will never be the man God has called me to be. However, depending on Jesus, while recognizing my own weakness and imperfection, I come to realize the source of my ability. Therefore, I find a refuge beyond human understanding as I depend on Jesus. This is how all believers should live. We should let the peace of God rule our hearts and it's this same peace that has called us to unity in one body! There will always be imperfections in the church. There will always be someone who is gossiping or trying to create problems. There will always be "drama!" the larger the church, the more "drama" there is! How do we deal with it?........ How about letting the peace of God rule our hearts. How about the full understanding that in the weaknesses and imperfections of the Church our Mighty God is shown to be perfect! The only way church can possibly work is in the fact that we have a prefect God who rules over imperfect people. He is in charge of His church! Please do not be discouraged. Please don't let strife or gossip worry you, let the peace of God rule over your heart. "Drama" in the church does not surprise God. When Jesus gave His life and paid our sin debt, He knew there would be problems in the church! And even in all of this knowing, He loved His church so very much that He gave Himself for it! There or a lot of nay sayers that proclaim the church is hypocritical and unsuccessful. I say be careful of your words. Jesus did not pay such a costly debt for something that would fail! In Matthew 16:18 Jesus spoke these words, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." My friends His church will succeed in spite of the imperfection that humanity has brought into it! Please be encouraged and let the peace of God rule your Heart. Encourage those who lead and those who follow. Encourage those who gossip and those who love the "Drama." Encourage those who have left and those that stand strong. The Church will accomplish exactly what God has called us to do!
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