1 Kings 4:29 Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.
I have another one of those Monday morning hangovers. No, I did not go out drinking last night. I gave that up a long time ago. I am talking about a different kind of hang over where I can't get Sunday's sermon out of my system yet. It is difficult when you pour yourself for several days into a text, a teaching outline emerges from your work, key thoughts and life application of the text also. Then you deliver the sermon and give the invitation. Then it is over. Church is over and it is time to go to Golden Corral. Time to start thinking about next Sunday's message. Typically though I get a sermon hangover and it sticks with me into Monday. I try to write a blog entry about another subject and nothing flows out of my spirit, except what I preached about yesterday. It takes me until Tuesday to get over it. Why do I share all this? Because some may ask, "He just preached about this stuff yesterday, why is he writing about it today?" Now you know.
Solomon was a wise man, and there were some reasons why he was wise.
1) He was a man who wanted to please God. Solomon asked God to give him wisdom to know good from evil. He wanted to always do the right thing and please God.
2) He was humble. He recognized his need for God. Reminds me of the words of Christ: John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." Solomon recognized he could do nothing apart from God.
3) He was not self centered. When given the chance to ask anything from God, Solomon did not ask for something that would be a direct benefit to himself. He did not ask for riches, or political favor, or good health......he asked for wisdom to be able to lead the people well. His concern was for others, not for himself.
Now these are three reasons why Solomon was a man to whom God desired to impart HIS wisdom. I am sure there are more than just three reasons why God gave Solomon wisdom, but if we could just get these three down our lives.........maybe God will want to impart HIS wisdom to us as well.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Wisdom vs Knowledge
Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
It's been said, "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit but wisdom is knowing not to put tomato in your fruit salad." Wisdom and knowledge are not the same thing, but they are connected. Knowledge is information. Wisdom is knowing what to do with the information you have. You can know something, but if you don't know how to apply what you know in the practical world, then your knowledge does not help you too much. If we are going to be fruitful Christians we need both. Solomon tells us that the Lord is the source of both.
I am doing some study on Solomon since I am going to be preaching on his life in our morning services for at least the next two weeks. He is synonymous with wisdom because when God gave him the chance to ask for anything, he asked for wisdom. The bible tells us Solomon received wisdom from the Lord. 1 Kings 4:34 Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
Solomon does not take credit himself for his wisdom, but recognizes God as his source. In the New Testament, James affirms what Solomon tells us when he says, "If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask God."
So if you need some wisdom, take some good advice from Solomon and James.....ask God.
It's been said, "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit but wisdom is knowing not to put tomato in your fruit salad." Wisdom and knowledge are not the same thing, but they are connected. Knowledge is information. Wisdom is knowing what to do with the information you have. You can know something, but if you don't know how to apply what you know in the practical world, then your knowledge does not help you too much. If we are going to be fruitful Christians we need both. Solomon tells us that the Lord is the source of both.
I am doing some study on Solomon since I am going to be preaching on his life in our morning services for at least the next two weeks. He is synonymous with wisdom because when God gave him the chance to ask for anything, he asked for wisdom. The bible tells us Solomon received wisdom from the Lord. 1 Kings 4:34 Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
Solomon does not take credit himself for his wisdom, but recognizes God as his source. In the New Testament, James affirms what Solomon tells us when he says, "If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask God."
So if you need some wisdom, take some good advice from Solomon and James.....ask God.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Slow to anger
Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.
Please forgive me for stating the obvious, but you are going to be wronged in this life by other people. It is not a matter of if, but when, how, and by whom? The real test of spirituality is not "What are you going to do about it? You are not going to actually going to let them get away with it are you?" The real test of spirituality is this one "Are you a big enough person to let it go?"
There is a time for anger. I am not telling you to be a door mat all your life. The bible says be angry and do not sin. Jesus got mad and turned over tables. Nobody got in His way either. There is a time for righteous indignation.
I was watching a football game a couple of Sunday afternoons ago. A defensive lineman pushed an offensive lineman after the play was over. The refs did not see it. The offensive lineman retaliated. The ref saw that one and threw a flag. The offensive lineman caused his team to get a 15 yard penalty.
We all have a tendency to want to "push back" when wronged. But we need to ask ourselves, "is this worth me getting angry?" If the answer is yes then we need to make sure we express it in the right place, and in the right way.
Let's be reminded that our scripture for the day says it is is to our glory to overlook it when we have been wronged. We should be much quicker to be angry when injustice happens to others, very slow to anger when it happens to us, and quick to overlook it when it happens to us.
Lord help us to show the same grace to others you have shown to us.
Please forgive me for stating the obvious, but you are going to be wronged in this life by other people. It is not a matter of if, but when, how, and by whom? The real test of spirituality is not "What are you going to do about it? You are not going to actually going to let them get away with it are you?" The real test of spirituality is this one "Are you a big enough person to let it go?"
There is a time for anger. I am not telling you to be a door mat all your life. The bible says be angry and do not sin. Jesus got mad and turned over tables. Nobody got in His way either. There is a time for righteous indignation.
I was watching a football game a couple of Sunday afternoons ago. A defensive lineman pushed an offensive lineman after the play was over. The refs did not see it. The offensive lineman retaliated. The ref saw that one and threw a flag. The offensive lineman caused his team to get a 15 yard penalty.
We all have a tendency to want to "push back" when wronged. But we need to ask ourselves, "is this worth me getting angry?" If the answer is yes then we need to make sure we express it in the right place, and in the right way.
Let's be reminded that our scripture for the day says it is is to our glory to overlook it when we have been wronged. We should be much quicker to be angry when injustice happens to others, very slow to anger when it happens to us, and quick to overlook it when it happens to us.
Lord help us to show the same grace to others you have shown to us.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
A picture of intimacy
Revelation 2:17 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.'
Some do not believe in a personal God. Some believe that God has treated the universe much like you would treat a wind up watch....just wind it up and leave it alone. Some adhere to the idea that God has "wound up the universe" and He is letting it wind down without intervening.
But in contrast to that idea, the verse I have shared with you today illustrates the personal nature of our relationship with Christ and His direct involvement with those who know Him perhaps as well as anything else in all the scripture. We are told that when we get face to face with Jesus, He is going to give each of us who know Him a white stone. That white stone is going to have a name on it. Names in the bible had significance. Names meant something. The name on the stone will reflect something about the recipient. Only the recipient and the giver of the stone will understand the significance of the name.
It brings me comfort to know that as I am walking through this journey called life, Jesus is walking it with me. One day I will be able to see Him face to face and He will give me a "nick name" on a white stone that reflects some intimate part of my journey with Him.
That thought helps give me encouragement to press on.
Some do not believe in a personal God. Some believe that God has treated the universe much like you would treat a wind up watch....just wind it up and leave it alone. Some adhere to the idea that God has "wound up the universe" and He is letting it wind down without intervening.
But in contrast to that idea, the verse I have shared with you today illustrates the personal nature of our relationship with Christ and His direct involvement with those who know Him perhaps as well as anything else in all the scripture. We are told that when we get face to face with Jesus, He is going to give each of us who know Him a white stone. That white stone is going to have a name on it. Names in the bible had significance. Names meant something. The name on the stone will reflect something about the recipient. Only the recipient and the giver of the stone will understand the significance of the name.
It brings me comfort to know that as I am walking through this journey called life, Jesus is walking it with me. One day I will be able to see Him face to face and He will give me a "nick name" on a white stone that reflects some intimate part of my journey with Him.
That thought helps give me encouragement to press on.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Silence can be golden
Proverbs 17:27-28 He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered wise.
In the 1966 case Miranda vs Arizona the Supreme Court of the United States held that an elicited incriminating statement by a suspect will not constitute admissible evidence unless the suspect was informed of the right to decline to make self-incriminatory statements and the right to legal counsel (hence the so-called "Miranda rights"), and makes a knowing, intelligent and voluntary waiver of those rights. In other words, if you get arrested, you have the right to remain silent. Even though everyone has the right to remain silent, not everyone has the ability. They therefore often end up making incriminating statements that are used against them in a court of law.
The bible teaches that silence is often the best policy. My Granny Hester used to say, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."
Have you found Proverbs 17:27-28 to be true in your experience? Have you noticed that "know it all" types seem to have much to say and that those who really do know a lot sometimes are the quietest ones in the bunch? Have you also noticed that people who know what they are talking about can remain calm while they share their viewpoints? In contrast have you noticed those who are not as confident about the subject matter try to intimidate others with their tempers and easily get hot under the collar? If only people who are quick to speak and quick to weigh in under any circumstances knew how they were perceived by others........they might choose silence more often.
I am not sure where this originated, but one of my personal favorite sayings is this one: "It is better to keep silent and let people think you are an idiot, than to speak and remove all doubt."
In the 1966 case Miranda vs Arizona the Supreme Court of the United States held that an elicited incriminating statement by a suspect will not constitute admissible evidence unless the suspect was informed of the right to decline to make self-incriminatory statements and the right to legal counsel (hence the so-called "Miranda rights"), and makes a knowing, intelligent and voluntary waiver of those rights. In other words, if you get arrested, you have the right to remain silent. Even though everyone has the right to remain silent, not everyone has the ability. They therefore often end up making incriminating statements that are used against them in a court of law.
The bible teaches that silence is often the best policy. My Granny Hester used to say, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."
Have you found Proverbs 17:27-28 to be true in your experience? Have you noticed that "know it all" types seem to have much to say and that those who really do know a lot sometimes are the quietest ones in the bunch? Have you also noticed that people who know what they are talking about can remain calm while they share their viewpoints? In contrast have you noticed those who are not as confident about the subject matter try to intimidate others with their tempers and easily get hot under the collar? If only people who are quick to speak and quick to weigh in under any circumstances knew how they were perceived by others........they might choose silence more often.
I am not sure where this originated, but one of my personal favorite sayings is this one: "It is better to keep silent and let people think you are an idiot, than to speak and remove all doubt."
Friday, October 21, 2011
Words to live by
I came across these words attributed to Mother Teresa. She had them written on one of the walls in the home for children she ran in Calcutta, India:
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
These words ministered to my heart this morning.....thanks for allowing me to share them with you. Hope you have a blessed day.
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
These words ministered to my heart this morning.....thanks for allowing me to share them with you. Hope you have a blessed day.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wisdom
Proverbs 3: 5 Trust in the Lord with all you heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
Over time our lives become the sum total of our daily choices. Foolish choices over time can lead to a life that is at best - simply wasted and meaningless, or is at worst - a huge mess. To keep from wasting our lives, or to keep from making our lives a total mess, we need the wisdom of God.
Proverbs helps us to recognize two very important first steps in receiving the wisdom of God......
1) Trust in the Lord. You have to believe that HIS wisdom is what you need or you will trust in everything but Him. Trusting God in this verse is presented as the opposite of trusting yourself. Your understanding of things may not be accurate. You need to seek God's understanding of things.
2) Acknowledge Him in all your ways. Give Him access to all your life. Some people compartmentalize their lives and have certain parts of their lives where it seems as if they are saying to God, "Hands off this area, I can do this on my own." Is there any area of your life in which you have shut out God? You have to open up every area of your life to God if you want His wisdom.....
Lord, teach us to know Your wisdom.
Over time our lives become the sum total of our daily choices. Foolish choices over time can lead to a life that is at best - simply wasted and meaningless, or is at worst - a huge mess. To keep from wasting our lives, or to keep from making our lives a total mess, we need the wisdom of God.
Proverbs helps us to recognize two very important first steps in receiving the wisdom of God......
1) Trust in the Lord. You have to believe that HIS wisdom is what you need or you will trust in everything but Him. Trusting God in this verse is presented as the opposite of trusting yourself. Your understanding of things may not be accurate. You need to seek God's understanding of things.
2) Acknowledge Him in all your ways. Give Him access to all your life. Some people compartmentalize their lives and have certain parts of their lives where it seems as if they are saying to God, "Hands off this area, I can do this on my own." Is there any area of your life in which you have shut out God? You have to open up every area of your life to God if you want His wisdom.....
Lord, teach us to know Your wisdom.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Demolition and construction
Jeremiah 1:9 Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. 10 "See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant."
Several years ago I remember driving by a a spot where some old abandoned office buildings used to be. They had been removed. The area looked strange without those old buildings. It was several months before I happened to be in that area again. By now erected in place of those run down buildings were some beautiful condominiums. Those old office buildings had been neglected and were falling apart. They were really an eye sore to the neighborhood. The new condos totally transformed the area. It was a mini ghost town before. Now there were people out on the sidewalks walking dogs, jogging, sitting in chairs drinking tea and coffee......signs of life existed where there had previously only been an empty shell of a building.
It reminds me of what God does in us spiritually speaking. When the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, we learn what that word does. It plucks up, breaks down, destroys, and overthrows. There are some things in us that need to be plucked up, broken down, destroyed, and overthrown. There are attitudes that need to change, there are habits that need to be discarded, there are thought patterns that need to be abandoned.....and it is the word of the Lord that does that.
I often get people who tell me after a message, "Pastor that message really stepped on my toes this morning." What is really going on here? Did I sit in my office while I was preparing and say, "I am going to really nail them to the wall this week!" No, that's not what is going on. What's going on is that the word of the Lord has just been presented and applied, and the word of the Lord (not the preacher) is tearing down something that needs to be torn down in their lives.
The good news is that it does not stop there. Jeremiah said the word of the Lord also builds and plants if you look at the last part of verse 10. The word of the Lord is not just to tear you down and make you feel awful. In place of what God tears down in you through the word, HE wants to build something new into your life. But He can not do it until the demolition project is over. The folks that built those condos could not build them until the old office buildings were out of the way.
Embrace the process.....it is a process.....do not resist it, do not resent it and God will tear down in you the things that need to be torn down and rebuild you into something beautiful and full of life.
Several years ago I remember driving by a a spot where some old abandoned office buildings used to be. They had been removed. The area looked strange without those old buildings. It was several months before I happened to be in that area again. By now erected in place of those run down buildings were some beautiful condominiums. Those old office buildings had been neglected and were falling apart. They were really an eye sore to the neighborhood. The new condos totally transformed the area. It was a mini ghost town before. Now there were people out on the sidewalks walking dogs, jogging, sitting in chairs drinking tea and coffee......signs of life existed where there had previously only been an empty shell of a building.
It reminds me of what God does in us spiritually speaking. When the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, we learn what that word does. It plucks up, breaks down, destroys, and overthrows. There are some things in us that need to be plucked up, broken down, destroyed, and overthrown. There are attitudes that need to change, there are habits that need to be discarded, there are thought patterns that need to be abandoned.....and it is the word of the Lord that does that.
I often get people who tell me after a message, "Pastor that message really stepped on my toes this morning." What is really going on here? Did I sit in my office while I was preparing and say, "I am going to really nail them to the wall this week!" No, that's not what is going on. What's going on is that the word of the Lord has just been presented and applied, and the word of the Lord (not the preacher) is tearing down something that needs to be torn down in their lives.
The good news is that it does not stop there. Jeremiah said the word of the Lord also builds and plants if you look at the last part of verse 10. The word of the Lord is not just to tear you down and make you feel awful. In place of what God tears down in you through the word, HE wants to build something new into your life. But He can not do it until the demolition project is over. The folks that built those condos could not build them until the old office buildings were out of the way.
Embrace the process.....it is a process.....do not resist it, do not resent it and God will tear down in you the things that need to be torn down and rebuild you into something beautiful and full of life.
Monday, October 17, 2011
The Potter and the Clay
Jeremiah 18:2 Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will announce My words to you. 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
I just got back in from a mission trip to Argentina. God did amazing things while we were there. He used our team to reach many people with the gospel. Dozens were saved. I stopped counting. I figure that God's score keeping is what really matters anyway. I would have thought it was worth it if nobody got saved. We are simply called to be faithful. He is the Lord of the harvest and the results are in His hands. But it was a blessing to be able to see visible fruit for our efforts.
However, what stands out to me about this trip is is the dramatic work that God was doing in the hearts of the people who went. There were 12 of us on the trip, 11 people from Bethel (including me) and one pastor friend of mine. Out of the group one sensed a call to preach while on the trip. One couple sensed a call to the mission field. One witnessed for the first time. One gave testimony that he had grown cold in his relationship with God and that the fire is now rekindled in his heart. One lady overcame great anxiety to even go on the trip. Pretty incredible stuff happened in the lives of the participants.
They went to be a blessing, and they were blessed. They were clay on the potter's wheel. The potter is the Lord, and we are the clay. Last week God did some reshaping and remolding of the vessels on the trip.
It reminded me that God is continually shaping us into what He wants us to be. How about you? Are you letting your life be shaped by the potter's hands? What is it that God wants to do to make you a vessel that is more useful in His hands?
I challenge you to ponder these thoughts in your quiet time.....
I just got back in from a mission trip to Argentina. God did amazing things while we were there. He used our team to reach many people with the gospel. Dozens were saved. I stopped counting. I figure that God's score keeping is what really matters anyway. I would have thought it was worth it if nobody got saved. We are simply called to be faithful. He is the Lord of the harvest and the results are in His hands. But it was a blessing to be able to see visible fruit for our efforts.
However, what stands out to me about this trip is is the dramatic work that God was doing in the hearts of the people who went. There were 12 of us on the trip, 11 people from Bethel (including me) and one pastor friend of mine. Out of the group one sensed a call to preach while on the trip. One couple sensed a call to the mission field. One witnessed for the first time. One gave testimony that he had grown cold in his relationship with God and that the fire is now rekindled in his heart. One lady overcame great anxiety to even go on the trip. Pretty incredible stuff happened in the lives of the participants.
They went to be a blessing, and they were blessed. They were clay on the potter's wheel. The potter is the Lord, and we are the clay. Last week God did some reshaping and remolding of the vessels on the trip.
It reminded me that God is continually shaping us into what He wants us to be. How about you? Are you letting your life be shaped by the potter's hands? What is it that God wants to do to make you a vessel that is more useful in His hands?
I challenge you to ponder these thoughts in your quiet time.....
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Rejoicing, patience, and prayer
Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
Romans 12:12 is in the middle of a shotgun style set of instructions for believers from the Apostle Paul. It is easy to miss the details when you get a whole lot of instruction in a short space. As I was doing some reading in Romans 12 this morning this verse tucked away in the middle of a passage loaded with commands jumped out at me. That's the way it always seems to be for me. I can just be reading along in a passage of scripture that I have read hundreds of times before, and a verse or portion of a verse will jump out at me with fresh new meaning.
I often preach three point outlines. Someone asked me once, "Why do all your sermons have three points?" I had no good explanation. The next Sunday I preached four just to break up the monotony. The following Sunday I went back to three. It just seems to work with the allotted time. I have trouble handling more than three thoughts at a time. Three seems to be my limit. I can go to the grocery store without a list if I need three things. Add a fourth and I need a list or I'll forget something. So maybe it has more to do with the limitations of the preacher than anything else.
So maybe Romans 12:12 jumps out at me today because it contains three thoughts: 1) rejoicing 2) patience 3) prayer. I have never seen the connection between the three ideas as clearly as I do today in this verse. These are not three isolated items. Paul is connecting them here, weaving them together. How can you be patient in the middle of a trial? If you are rejoicing in the hope that you have in Christ it will make it easier. If you are continuing to pray consistently it will help you with both 1 and 2.
I have been fortunate to be exposed to some believers along the way who had really consistent prayer lives. One key ingredient to all of their prayer lives was extended times of private praise and adoration of the Lord. I have come to understand that the element of praise and adoration flows naturally for the person who has a consistent prayer life. Praise and adoration of the Lord leads to rejoicing. You can not praise God for who He is and what He has done without rejoicing! It will will get you happy! Once a person gets up off their knees and reengages the material world, they can not just cut off that rejoicing that they were doing while they were praying. The attitude of rejoicing and gratitude before the Lord lingers. It then affects how they handle the difficulties that come along.
Pray consistently. It will help your attitude, which will help you cope with the trials life brings in a way that brings glory to God.
Romans 12:12 is in the middle of a shotgun style set of instructions for believers from the Apostle Paul. It is easy to miss the details when you get a whole lot of instruction in a short space. As I was doing some reading in Romans 12 this morning this verse tucked away in the middle of a passage loaded with commands jumped out at me. That's the way it always seems to be for me. I can just be reading along in a passage of scripture that I have read hundreds of times before, and a verse or portion of a verse will jump out at me with fresh new meaning.
I often preach three point outlines. Someone asked me once, "Why do all your sermons have three points?" I had no good explanation. The next Sunday I preached four just to break up the monotony. The following Sunday I went back to three. It just seems to work with the allotted time. I have trouble handling more than three thoughts at a time. Three seems to be my limit. I can go to the grocery store without a list if I need three things. Add a fourth and I need a list or I'll forget something. So maybe it has more to do with the limitations of the preacher than anything else.
So maybe Romans 12:12 jumps out at me today because it contains three thoughts: 1) rejoicing 2) patience 3) prayer. I have never seen the connection between the three ideas as clearly as I do today in this verse. These are not three isolated items. Paul is connecting them here, weaving them together. How can you be patient in the middle of a trial? If you are rejoicing in the hope that you have in Christ it will make it easier. If you are continuing to pray consistently it will help you with both 1 and 2.
I have been fortunate to be exposed to some believers along the way who had really consistent prayer lives. One key ingredient to all of their prayer lives was extended times of private praise and adoration of the Lord. I have come to understand that the element of praise and adoration flows naturally for the person who has a consistent prayer life. Praise and adoration of the Lord leads to rejoicing. You can not praise God for who He is and what He has done without rejoicing! It will will get you happy! Once a person gets up off their knees and reengages the material world, they can not just cut off that rejoicing that they were doing while they were praying. The attitude of rejoicing and gratitude before the Lord lingers. It then affects how they handle the difficulties that come along.
Pray consistently. It will help your attitude, which will help you cope with the trials life brings in a way that brings glory to God.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Facing the truth
Psalm 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.
Someone shared this verse with me today. It relates to what I preached yesterday. It is Monday and I am still marinating in it. To nutshell yesterday's message, David fell into sin, but confessed that sin in Psalm 51. As a result he grew in the Lord. If we are going to grow in the Lord, we too need to confess our sin. We will all fail God at some point. When we do we should not run from Him but run to Him in confession and repentance. In this context, failures can actually become a spring board to spiritual growth. God can take our failures and bring good out of them that way.
But the key ingredient to it all is truth. This does not happen if we are not truthful. If we are not willing to admit where we have failed God then we are not being truthful. We are deceived. The Lord is not near us as long as we are living deceived.
It is so easy for us to live self deceived. We as humans are so good at justifying our wrong behavior and our wrong attitudes. When we do that we are refusing to face the truth of the matter, and the result.....God is far from us. The only way to bring Him near is to face the truth about ourselves, confess and repent.
In order for us to do this, we must have help from the Spirit of Truth. HE is the one that must reveal it to us. This should be our prayer: "Lord help me to see through the power of your Holy Spirit anything in my life that does not bring glory to you. If there is an attitude I have that needs to go, or a habit that needs to go show it to me. Help me not to make excuses for it or justify it, but just simply to confess it. Lord help me to not only see it and confess it, but I need you to help me forsake it."
That is the stuff that spiritual growth is made of......
Someone shared this verse with me today. It relates to what I preached yesterday. It is Monday and I am still marinating in it. To nutshell yesterday's message, David fell into sin, but confessed that sin in Psalm 51. As a result he grew in the Lord. If we are going to grow in the Lord, we too need to confess our sin. We will all fail God at some point. When we do we should not run from Him but run to Him in confession and repentance. In this context, failures can actually become a spring board to spiritual growth. God can take our failures and bring good out of them that way.
But the key ingredient to it all is truth. This does not happen if we are not truthful. If we are not willing to admit where we have failed God then we are not being truthful. We are deceived. The Lord is not near us as long as we are living deceived.
It is so easy for us to live self deceived. We as humans are so good at justifying our wrong behavior and our wrong attitudes. When we do that we are refusing to face the truth of the matter, and the result.....God is far from us. The only way to bring Him near is to face the truth about ourselves, confess and repent.
In order for us to do this, we must have help from the Spirit of Truth. HE is the one that must reveal it to us. This should be our prayer: "Lord help me to see through the power of your Holy Spirit anything in my life that does not bring glory to you. If there is an attitude I have that needs to go, or a habit that needs to go show it to me. Help me not to make excuses for it or justify it, but just simply to confess it. Lord help me to not only see it and confess it, but I need you to help me forsake it."
That is the stuff that spiritual growth is made of......
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The gospel is not broken
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
On Thursday of this week I board a plane and take a mission trip to Argentina. It will be my 5th trip to Argentina working with Eduardo Bouldain who runs a church planting ministry there. It will be my 11th international mission trip overall. All of the trips I have taken so far have been to places with third world conditions. One of the things that is so refreshing about taking mission trips to the third world, is you see what Christianity is like without the heavy influences of materialism. It is budget time at our church. Different departments are presenting their budget requests for 2012. The Finance Committee will compile all the requests, make projections about expected income for 2012, and then present a budget to the church to be voted on in December.
If I can make an observation after 11 years of walking through this process as a pastor.....in the American church we don't think we can get anything accomplished for God without money. When you go to Argentina you see that they get so much done with so little. In the American church we seem to think that expensive gimmicks are necessary to build the church. Some times I think we are in the "Six Flags Over Jesus" mentality in the church in America. (Six Flags over Georgia is an amusement park just in case you don't get the reference). It seems that we think that you have to entertain people and spend lots of money amusing folks before you can get them to Christ in America. There it seems that they just rely on the gospel to build the church. It seems like a purer form of Christianity to me.
I believe we are deceived in the American church. We don't need gimmicks to get people to Jesus. The gospel still works. It is still the power of God unto salvation. When the bible says it is "the power of God" it literally means that there is supernatural power associated with the simple gospel.
Every time I have been to Argentina, we have spent most of our time sharing the gospel. It is the way that they build the church. Every time I go, I see people who were led to Christ on previous trips serving in the churches. They prove that the gospel isn't broken. It still works. We could learn a lot from our brothers and sisters in the churches in Argentina.
On Thursday of this week I board a plane and take a mission trip to Argentina. It will be my 5th trip to Argentina working with Eduardo Bouldain who runs a church planting ministry there. It will be my 11th international mission trip overall. All of the trips I have taken so far have been to places with third world conditions. One of the things that is so refreshing about taking mission trips to the third world, is you see what Christianity is like without the heavy influences of materialism. It is budget time at our church. Different departments are presenting their budget requests for 2012. The Finance Committee will compile all the requests, make projections about expected income for 2012, and then present a budget to the church to be voted on in December.
If I can make an observation after 11 years of walking through this process as a pastor.....in the American church we don't think we can get anything accomplished for God without money. When you go to Argentina you see that they get so much done with so little. In the American church we seem to think that expensive gimmicks are necessary to build the church. Some times I think we are in the "Six Flags Over Jesus" mentality in the church in America. (Six Flags over Georgia is an amusement park just in case you don't get the reference). It seems that we think that you have to entertain people and spend lots of money amusing folks before you can get them to Christ in America. There it seems that they just rely on the gospel to build the church. It seems like a purer form of Christianity to me.
I believe we are deceived in the American church. We don't need gimmicks to get people to Jesus. The gospel still works. It is still the power of God unto salvation. When the bible says it is "the power of God" it literally means that there is supernatural power associated with the simple gospel.
Every time I have been to Argentina, we have spent most of our time sharing the gospel. It is the way that they build the church. Every time I go, I see people who were led to Christ on previous trips serving in the churches. They prove that the gospel isn't broken. It still works. We could learn a lot from our brothers and sisters in the churches in Argentina.
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