Stories

This morning as I sat in the coffee shop many thoughts went through my mind. Many of you may not know this but I am a pastor and I also lead a discipleship ministry called Off the Wall Ministry. And this morning I was thinking about all the recent conversations I have had with both students at the ministry and people in the church. As I recalled many of the conversations I was struck by the difficulty of life, how so many people are facing really hard situations. But what really struck me was the realization that there was only one thing I could do to really help, and that was to point them to God and His word.

You see I know in my head that it is only God who can make a difference in matters of the heart, in overcoming sin, and in not living defeated. But for some odd reason that truth was clearer than ever before this morning. As I recall the stories, I found myself praying that God would do that which only He can do; I found myself asking for a miracle. There was nothing I could do to really make a difference other than to cry out to the God of all of creation to intervene. 

And as I thought about my own life and my own struggles, I was also reminded that only when I cry out for God’s intervention can I have victory in any and all life. If I am to overcome sin, or if I am to defeat the lies of Satan, or if I am to not live beaten down, I need God. Only when I ask God for His help can I be the man God has called me to be. God used the stories of others to remind me of my incredible and ongoing need for a Savior, a Redeemer, and an Awesome God.

So today if you feel like your life is hopeless or you feel overwhelmed, or you just feel empty, cry out to God and let God do what only God can do. Let God bring you Hope. As King David states in Psalm 43:5

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God. 

So cry out to God; He will help you.

His Favor is For a Lifetime!

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Have you ever thought about it, I mean really thought about the fact that God’s favor towards you will last a life time.  Psalm 30:5 states, “for his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for a night, but joy comes in the morning. The more I think about that, the more in awe of God I become. You see if you’re anything like me

it can be hard to really believe that no matter what, God has us and he will never let us go. It is not based on how good we are, or how much we do, or how little we sin, or how many times we read the bible. It has to do with how great His love is for us, and how great His salvation is towards us. How completely His blood has cleansed us, and how strong His hand will keep us. You see His favor towards us is for a lifetime, both this life and the life to come. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, once we accept Him as our Savior God’s favor will never leave us. We don’t have to worry, we don't have to fear; God is for us. So what does it mean to you today that the God of the universe, yes the God who created all things, the God who overcame death, that God has your back. How shall we respond to such a great truth, how do we repay such a great gift?  Well we can’t repay it, but we can respond. We can live our lives in a manner worthy of such a great God. We can love Him with all our hearts, our minds, and our strength. We can show His love towards all those that we encounter, and we can be in awe of our God. Yes, the God whose favor is for a lifetime.

Growing

I am starting to really understand what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ. You see, following Christ changes everything about your life. You no longer have the right to just do what you want, say what you want, or act how you want. You have to place the things of Christ above the things of this world.

Most of my life really has been about me.  Lately, God has made it clear to me that I have to change.  My sin can no longer be comfortable or acceptable in my own eyes.  I must allow the Holy Spirit to work in me so I hate sin as much as He hates it. My friendships must now be more intentional.  They must be there for God’s glory before being there for my felt needs. My possessions are no longer mine. My house, my car, my stuff, and my food ALL belong to Christ. 

Yes, it may sound like I’m upset over all of this, but I’m not. I am thankful that the God of Creation is changing and transforming me, not leaving me to the man I would become if left on my own.   

2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 

Ezekiel 36:26 states, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

So you see, God is doing just what He said He will do.  He is making me new.  He is giving me a new heart. I could not be the man God wants me to be without the process that God is taking me though.  Even though there are times that I want to make this life about me; my wants, my desires, and my needs. My God makes it clear to me, that this is about Him and what He is doing.  It is about how He knows what’s best for me and how best to live my life. 

You may think that God is arrogant. I have come to know that this it is just God being God. He is not arrogant, He is good and kind and loving, and He only does what is best for those who chose to follow Him. 

Mom

As a young boy there are a few things that I really loved. I loved ice cream and potato chips.  I still love those things. I loved to play football and I loved to help others. But most of all I loved my mom. 

My mother was my hero.  She was a kind, loving women. She loved to talk about the things of God.  She loved to sing about Jesus and she loved me. I wanted to be with her all the time, and she always seemed to make time and space for me no matter what. Now let me tell you, I was an active child.   As I look back, I realized that I had to be a handful for my mom. But she never complained. 

She was the best example of Jesus Christ I have ever had.  She lived her life to show others Jesus.  What I have come to understand now is why she did what she did.  Why she lived for Christ no matter what was going on, how bad her husband treated her, how others talked about her, or how poorly her 11 children behaved. She lived not out of her circumstances, but out of her identity. 

You see, my mother knew who she was in Jesus Christ.  She understood that if we are to follow Christ, we would have to face many of the things he faced.  She understood that we would have to suffer and life would not be easy. But she KNEW that Jesus was worth it . It is not as if she was better than anyone else, she just lived what she knew to be true.

She lived her faith, she prayed often, she forgave much, as she knew she was forgiven of much. She believed that a follower of Jesus Christ should live like Jesus as to the best of their ability. She did not make excuses, she made choices.  Choices to follow Jesus. 

She made a choice to show us Jesus no matter the cost.  I am thankful God lead her to do so. At times, I have not done the best job of looking like Jesus.  I’m thankful that my mother even taught me about that.  When my mom made a mistake, when she sinned, she would get on her knees and plea for forgiveness. I have had to do that more times than I care to admit.  But every time God has been faithful to forgive.

So I thank God for my mom.  But even more, I thank God for Jesus, the one my mom lived her life to please.

Clarity

If you really think about life, really take a step back to consider what makes life worth living, you end up in the same place that King Solomon found himself. In the book of Ecclesiastes he states, “ The end of the matter, all has been heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” You see, we live our lives, we work hard, we try to make a difference, we love our family and our neighbors; yes we do all the things that we think we should. And all those things are good, and they are important, but if we miss the most important thing, if we fail to get eternity, what have we done? We are just living to die. 

Now some will say that while we were here, we made the world a better place, and that may be true. Some will say our family and friends are better off because of us, and that may be true. And some may say that the poor are better off because of us and that may be true. 

But the question we must answer is, ‘but did we miss the main purpose of life?’ Did we do all those things, but fail to honor the One that made it possible for us to do them? What if we could have done all those things, and also the most important thing? What if we would have also added the love of God and added eternity to our lives? What if we would have lived, in such a way, that others would have known that all the good we do, is because the God who created us is good? When we recognize that life is not life if we are only living to die, we can’t say we are doing our best, and that we really love others when we teach them to only live to die.

When one of the lawyer’s asked Jesus what the greatest commandment is, He said, “ You shall Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Jesus went on to say, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” So if we really think about it, clarity tells us that living life without God is to live life outside of the very reason that God gave us life. He gave us life so that we would love Him and love others 

He gave us life so that we would be with Him forever, not to be separated from Him. So enjoy life, work hard, make a difference, help the poor, care for the sick, love your family and neighbor, but love God first so that you do all those other things with a hope of eternity.

The Storm

If your anything like me, you love storms.I especially love thunder and lightning storms.I love the loud clashes of thunder and the bright flashes of lightning. When the storm is at a safe distance and I can sit in a safe place and watch and listen to it I really enjoy it. But when the storm comes into my safe space when it comes right into my world. That’s when the enjoyment of storms is no more. There are so many questions when the thunder and lightning have invaded my life. Questions like will I be able to make it though this, how did I ever get here, does God care, and is He going to do something. Even when the storms are a result  of my own sin or foolishness, I want God to do something. I ask for forgiveness, I repent and cry out. I promise not to fall again. But often time the storm rolls on. The thunder is loud and deafening, the lightning is overwhelming. And then I remember that often time it is in the storms, that I lean on God the most. It is in the hard time that I cry out to God the most. Now I’m not saying to live a sinful life, The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Are we to continue to sin that grace may abound?, By no means, how can we who died to sin still live in it.  But what I’m saying is this: If you are in the mist of a storm, either of your own making, or of no fault of your own, know that God has not abandoned you. Know that God will allow the storm to do its cleansing work, no matter how long it takes. Yes, God will allow the storm to do its healing work, no matter how long it takes. So the next time your in a storm, ask God to help you see what you need to see. To help you learn what you need to learn. To help you grow how you need to grow. Because God does not bring storms, or allow storms, for no reason. So trust the God that allows the storm to come, to work the storm out for your good and for his glory. And whether the storm is of, or not of your own doing remember the words of the Apostle Paul in
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 

So grab yourself a strong umbrella walk with your head up and let it rain.

God is Good

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!  Psalms 34:8

Over the past few months I have become increasingly aware of God's goodness. Now don't get me wrong, I have known that God is good for most of my life, but recently that truth has overwhelmed my heart. The little things in my life now remind me of how good God is. From the fact that I have clean water to drink, that I can turn a thermostat and control the temperature in my house. I have a house to live in, food to eat, and a car to drive. If I don't feel well I can call the doctor, I can get the medicine I need that helps me get over what ever it is. And I can take a hot shower that feels so good I just stand there and feel the warmth of the water. Yes all these little things that I once took for granted, now make me stop and thank God for his goodness to me. I know these things are not what makes God good, He is good because that's who He is. He does not have to become good, by doing anything, He is good, and that's what my heart has come to know. God does good things because He is good. It is part of his character. I have often wondered why I have been blessed so much, while others have seem not to be as blessed. Why did God choose to allow me to live in a country where we have so much. Everything I need is often at my finger tips. Why has the creator of all things been so good to me? And then it hit me, God is good to all, because He is good. The circumstances of our lives cannot, and do not change the fact that He is good. He is not less good to others in less fortunate places, he simply shows his goodness in other ways. It might be His presence feels more near to them, or His mercy appears more real to them, or his love seems more close to them. You see, I'm not sure how God's goodness comes to others, but I know it comes because He is good. So I am grateful that God is good to all who are his, no matter the circumstance or situation, and I am blessed that God has chosen to make me more and more aware of the truth that He is Good. So for all of you who may be in a place that has caused you to doubt, open your heart and open your eyes and know that God is good, whatever He is doing it will be for your good, because He is good.