I am meditating this morning on tomorrow's sermon. We are studying the life of Moses tomorrow and next week before moving on to study David.
Moses starts out living in the lap of luxury in Pharaoh's house hold. He gives all that up to be with his people the Hebrews. The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt and were considered by the Egyptians to be a lower class of people. They cried out to the Lord and the Lord heard their cry. He set Moses apart to lead the liberation effort. But Moses had a list of excuses as to why he could not fulfill the roll. Moses wrestled through all those insecurities and eventually went on to fulfill his divine destiny.
Moses fulfilling his divine destiny started with a choice.....it was a choice to forsake the world.
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The world has such a strong pull. It is alluring. Most are not able to overcome the tug of the world on their heart strings. As a result they end up missing most of what God has for them. Worldliness prevents people from walking in the plan that God has for their lives.
No one achieves their divine destiny until they settle this issue in their hearts: Am I going to pursue God or the things of the world? You will waste your life if you choose to pursue the world.
By the way...you can not do both. We desperately need to have a Joshua moment who said in Joshua 24:15 when he was speaking to the people "choose this day whom you shall serve......but as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord."
Joshua was determined to not fall into the world but to follow God. We need more of that kind of gritty resolve to follow Jesus in the church today.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Put on love
I am using a devotional this year that I received as a Christmas present. It has been such a blessing. I would like to share today's devotional thought with you.
Colossians 3:14-15 Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
We are told to put on love, as if it were a garment. How do you put on a garment? It starts with a decision. Before I put on a shirt in the morning I walk over to the closet, choose one, and make a conscious decision as an act of my will to put it on. Paul is telling us that love is the same way.
Yet our culture does not teach us that love is something you put on or take off. Our culture teaches us that love is something you "fall into" or "fall out of". Our culture emphasizes the emotional aspect. Elvis had a popular song (some of you are old enough to remember him) called "I can't help falling in love with you". The title of that song grasps the essence of the prevailing cultural ideas about love. It is something that either happens or it doesn't. If it doesn't you can't help it, if it does you can't help it either.
Totally different idea of love is presented in scripture. Scripture teaches us that when it comes to love, you can help it! Furthermore, we are commanded to help it! Love according to scripture is a choice!
The awesome thing is that when we choose love, we are able to let the peace of God rule in our hearts too! That's the icing on the cake.
Now let's face it, it is easier to love some people than it is others. When it comes to loving the unlovable, that is where God really gets involved. Is there anybody in your world you are struggling to love? Ask the Lord to help you. He will. He never commands you to do anything that He does not help you do!
Colossians 3:14-15 Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
We are told to put on love, as if it were a garment. How do you put on a garment? It starts with a decision. Before I put on a shirt in the morning I walk over to the closet, choose one, and make a conscious decision as an act of my will to put it on. Paul is telling us that love is the same way.
Yet our culture does not teach us that love is something you put on or take off. Our culture teaches us that love is something you "fall into" or "fall out of". Our culture emphasizes the emotional aspect. Elvis had a popular song (some of you are old enough to remember him) called "I can't help falling in love with you". The title of that song grasps the essence of the prevailing cultural ideas about love. It is something that either happens or it doesn't. If it doesn't you can't help it, if it does you can't help it either.
Totally different idea of love is presented in scripture. Scripture teaches us that when it comes to love, you can help it! Furthermore, we are commanded to help it! Love according to scripture is a choice!
The awesome thing is that when we choose love, we are able to let the peace of God rule in our hearts too! That's the icing on the cake.
Now let's face it, it is easier to love some people than it is others. When it comes to loving the unlovable, that is where God really gets involved. Is there anybody in your world you are struggling to love? Ask the Lord to help you. He will. He never commands you to do anything that He does not help you do!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Hard to watch
Today my 14 year old son Davis who will start the 9th grade at Kempsville High School on Tuesday of next week had surgery to remove a growth from his right middle finger. A couple of months ago he mentioned that he felt a knot on the side of his finger. It kept getting larger so we made an appointment to have his primary care physician take a look at it. The primary care physician referred him to a hand specialist. We went to see the hand specialist who examined him and said, "I need to take some fluid from this thing." He exited the room and re-entered with a needle. He inserted the needle and said, "It is rock hard. Can't get any fluid out of it. I don't know what it is. It needs to come out." So he set the date for surgery.
This morning as they prepped Davis for surgery and took him back, I thought to myself, "I sure wish that was me on that stretcher getting ready to have surgery and not my son." Watching my children suffer is harder than suffering myself.
Then the thought occurred to me, I wonder what God the Father must have gone through as He watched His only begotten Son suffer on the cross. I am sure that the Father suffered tremendous heart ache as He watched His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased (Mark 1:1) endure the cross. For me it added a new level of appreciation for my Heavenly Father today.
Thank you Father God for loving us enough to watch your Son suffer. Because you were willing to endure that heart ache, we have a living hope.
This morning as they prepped Davis for surgery and took him back, I thought to myself, "I sure wish that was me on that stretcher getting ready to have surgery and not my son." Watching my children suffer is harder than suffering myself.
Then the thought occurred to me, I wonder what God the Father must have gone through as He watched His only begotten Son suffer on the cross. I am sure that the Father suffered tremendous heart ache as He watched His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased (Mark 1:1) endure the cross. For me it added a new level of appreciation for my Heavenly Father today.
Thank you Father God for loving us enough to watch your Son suffer. Because you were willing to endure that heart ache, we have a living hope.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
More about Face Book
I am not done with my Face Book soap box. I want to get back on it for a bit.
2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
An ambassador is someone who represents someone else. We most often think of people who represent nations to other nations. The bible teaches us that we are representatives of Jesus to those that do not know Him. God pleads through us to bring others to Christ.
Some Christians seem to forget that they are representatives of Christ when they get on Face Book. Remember for those of you who Face Book that the content of your Face Book page makes a statement to everyone who can see it about who you are. The content of your page either confirms that you are a godly person who walks with Christ, or it exposes your carnality and worldliness. Can people who see the content of your Face Book page tell that you are different because Jesus is in your life? Or would the content of your Face Book page have little difference from that of any pagan?
Remember Children of God that you are representatives of Christ, even on Face Book.
2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
An ambassador is someone who represents someone else. We most often think of people who represent nations to other nations. The bible teaches us that we are representatives of Jesus to those that do not know Him. God pleads through us to bring others to Christ.
Some Christians seem to forget that they are representatives of Christ when they get on Face Book. Remember for those of you who Face Book that the content of your Face Book page makes a statement to everyone who can see it about who you are. The content of your page either confirms that you are a godly person who walks with Christ, or it exposes your carnality and worldliness. Can people who see the content of your Face Book page tell that you are different because Jesus is in your life? Or would the content of your Face Book page have little difference from that of any pagan?
Remember Children of God that you are representatives of Christ, even on Face Book.
Monday, August 29, 2011
I don't like Face Book drama
I know that many think that I am antiquated and out of touch for what I am about to say. I don't do Face Book. Don't hear what I am not saying. I am not condemning those who do Face Book. In fact every one in my family does Face Book except me and Ross (he's 10 and too young to do it). My wife and my two teenagers think I am a weird kook who needs to get with the times. They are continually extolling the virtues of the Face Book lifestyle. I know that Face Book is a very popular way for people to keep up with each other these days, and can serve to help people stay connected in a fast paced society. That is a good thing. My perception of Face Book from the outside looking in is that it can be really time consuming, and quite frankly I have been reticent to involve myself in anything that will take up more time in my life that is already overflowing with things to do. That fear is my primary reason for avoiding it.
I know that Face Book has many healthy, and positive uses, but I am watching a growing, disturbing trend even among Christians and the use of Face Book. I am watching a proliferation of what I have come to refer to as "Face Book drama". People go after each other on Face Book. In Christian circles they don't often name each other. They post general comments about things that they don't like, or types of people that they don't like. They speak in veiled language so that only their closest friends can "read between the lines" to understand to whom they are really making reference. Often there is a specific set of circumstances they are addressing that those closest to the poster of the material are familiar with. The face book posts become a way for angry people to blow off steam, and take cheap shots in front of their friends when they don't have the back bone or the spiritual maturity to actually go to the person they have the issue with and have a discussion one on one.
How do I know that all this goes on when I do not do Face Book? I hear other people talking about it. I could pay off the note on the Roberson Center if I had a dollar for every time I have heard people in the last year say something like, "Did you see what so and so put on Face Book yesterday?" What usually follows is some cheap shot that one person took at someone else. I know I have heard at least 20 times in the last month about Face Book drama in different forms.
The bible gives a command in Matthew 18. "If your brother sins against you, go to him." Some Christians are living out a revised version of that verse, "If your brother sins, Face Book about him."
Come on folks, grow up. Enough with the Face Book drama please.
I know that Face Book has many healthy, and positive uses, but I am watching a growing, disturbing trend even among Christians and the use of Face Book. I am watching a proliferation of what I have come to refer to as "Face Book drama". People go after each other on Face Book. In Christian circles they don't often name each other. They post general comments about things that they don't like, or types of people that they don't like. They speak in veiled language so that only their closest friends can "read between the lines" to understand to whom they are really making reference. Often there is a specific set of circumstances they are addressing that those closest to the poster of the material are familiar with. The face book posts become a way for angry people to blow off steam, and take cheap shots in front of their friends when they don't have the back bone or the spiritual maturity to actually go to the person they have the issue with and have a discussion one on one.
How do I know that all this goes on when I do not do Face Book? I hear other people talking about it. I could pay off the note on the Roberson Center if I had a dollar for every time I have heard people in the last year say something like, "Did you see what so and so put on Face Book yesterday?" What usually follows is some cheap shot that one person took at someone else. I know I have heard at least 20 times in the last month about Face Book drama in different forms.
The bible gives a command in Matthew 18. "If your brother sins against you, go to him." Some Christians are living out a revised version of that verse, "If your brother sins, Face Book about him."
Come on folks, grow up. Enough with the Face Book drama please.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
You got to be kidding me
I have been tuning in from time to time today getting updates on the hurricane. The television stations were all reporting about a couple that refused to evacuate their sail boat in the Ocean View area near 9th View. One reporter said that people pleaded with them, warning them to evacuate, but they would not heed the warnings.
The outcome was predictable. The sail boat broke from anchor and washed up on the shore. The boat flipped on its side (probably totaled) and the inhabitants had to be rescued to save their lives. They put their own lives in jeopardy, as well as the lives of those that had to come to their rescue. I found myself angry with them because of their foolishness.
Acts 20:25 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
The Apostle Paul spent three years in Ephesus warning people to repent and follow Jesus. He knew full well the consequences of rejecting the gospel message. He was heart broken to the point of tears that many would not heed the warning, repent and be saved.
Sad but true, many that we try to share the glorious gospel of Jesus with will not receive the good news. When someone rejects the gospel, we ought not get angry with them. If we are thinking about this with the right attitude, we will be heart broken for them and we will continue to pray earnestly that they would open their eyes to the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have we warned someone to receive Christ that has rejected Him? Have we shed a tear for them? Does it break our heart? It ought to.
The outcome was predictable. The sail boat broke from anchor and washed up on the shore. The boat flipped on its side (probably totaled) and the inhabitants had to be rescued to save their lives. They put their own lives in jeopardy, as well as the lives of those that had to come to their rescue. I found myself angry with them because of their foolishness.
Acts 20:25 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
The Apostle Paul spent three years in Ephesus warning people to repent and follow Jesus. He knew full well the consequences of rejecting the gospel message. He was heart broken to the point of tears that many would not heed the warning, repent and be saved.
Sad but true, many that we try to share the glorious gospel of Jesus with will not receive the good news. When someone rejects the gospel, we ought not get angry with them. If we are thinking about this with the right attitude, we will be heart broken for them and we will continue to pray earnestly that they would open their eyes to the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have we warned someone to receive Christ that has rejected Him? Have we shed a tear for them? Does it break our heart? It ought to.
Friday, August 26, 2011
A hard call
I watched the news off and on for the last several days and struggled to determine if we should cancel church services Sunday. The property Bethel is located on is prone to flooding. We have several inches of rain standing in the parking lot typically after a hard down pour. They are calling for 10 inches of rain...I shudder to think what that may have the potential to do to the church. Also there is the high probability that we will be without power at the church and in the surrounding communities after the storm.
Yet I remember a storm about fourteen or fifteen years ago that was hyped every bit as much as Irene, and we braced for the impact. At the last minute the storm took a sharp right hand turn and missed us for the most part. We hardly got any rain at all. The greatest winds we saw were only 20 mph. So with that memory running in the back of my mind I thought, "I would hate for us to cancel services and have nothing happen."
Then I remembered Isabel. She packed a serious punch. Crippled this area for several days. I thought, "If this is like Isabel, I don't want people out in this stuff trying to get to church. It will be dangerous." After hours of praying, thinking, and wrestling before the Lord with this decision, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "It is time to get some counsel from the members of the Church Board." So I did. When I spoke to the members of the Board, Bill Kidd, Tim Bean, Frank Elkins, Lee Simmons, and Darryl Orell something funny happened. God was speaking to their hearts the same way he was speaking to mine. They too had all been prayerfully wrestling with the issue, and God knit our hearts together with the decision. Now I have peace about it no matter how it turns out.
Decisions, decisions, life is full of decisions. It dawned on me that this situation provided a pretty good pattern to follow for difficult decisions. Some good things to do when you need to make a decision: 1) Prayerfully reason it out. Pray and ask God to guide your thoughts. Ask for wisdom. It is not a sin to use the noodle God put up between your ears. Some times it becomes abundantly clear to you in your spirit what the Lord wants you to do just as you think it through prayerfully. 2) Seek Godly wisdom from people you know love Jesus and have your best interest at heart.
Proverbs 16:16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
Pray through your decisions, seek advice from mature Christians and the Lord will reveal His wisdom to you. When you have the wisdom of the Lord, you have something money can't buy!
Yet I remember a storm about fourteen or fifteen years ago that was hyped every bit as much as Irene, and we braced for the impact. At the last minute the storm took a sharp right hand turn and missed us for the most part. We hardly got any rain at all. The greatest winds we saw were only 20 mph. So with that memory running in the back of my mind I thought, "I would hate for us to cancel services and have nothing happen."
Then I remembered Isabel. She packed a serious punch. Crippled this area for several days. I thought, "If this is like Isabel, I don't want people out in this stuff trying to get to church. It will be dangerous." After hours of praying, thinking, and wrestling before the Lord with this decision, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "It is time to get some counsel from the members of the Church Board." So I did. When I spoke to the members of the Board, Bill Kidd, Tim Bean, Frank Elkins, Lee Simmons, and Darryl Orell something funny happened. God was speaking to their hearts the same way he was speaking to mine. They too had all been prayerfully wrestling with the issue, and God knit our hearts together with the decision. Now I have peace about it no matter how it turns out.
Decisions, decisions, life is full of decisions. It dawned on me that this situation provided a pretty good pattern to follow for difficult decisions. Some good things to do when you need to make a decision: 1) Prayerfully reason it out. Pray and ask God to guide your thoughts. Ask for wisdom. It is not a sin to use the noodle God put up between your ears. Some times it becomes abundantly clear to you in your spirit what the Lord wants you to do just as you think it through prayerfully. 2) Seek Godly wisdom from people you know love Jesus and have your best interest at heart.
Proverbs 16:16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
Pray through your decisions, seek advice from mature Christians and the Lord will reveal His wisdom to you. When you have the wisdom of the Lord, you have something money can't buy!
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