Give Thanks

It's not always easy to be thankful.  In fact there are times that we just don't want to give thanks for what we are going through.  Please click the link below and listen to some practical tips for being thankful no matter what you experience.

Give Thanks

Too Busy!

“I’m just so busy”

It’s a common complaint of so many people.  We are running harder and faster than we need to.  Everyone seems to complain about it, but no one seems to really do anything about it because we are too busy to realize that there is another way.  After all there is always another tweet that needs posting, meeting to attend, person to talk to, movie or TV show to watch, phone call to make, or blog to write.  We go in to the office early and then stay late so that we can afford the gym membership or electronic toys that we don’t have time to use.  We are so busy, but are we really accomplishing more or just doing more?

Out of control

That’s the way we feel, out of control.  We keep ourselves so busy that we can’t mentally process everything that’s going on in our lives and as a result it feels like life is spinning out of control.  We do more, but sometimes accomplish less which makes us feel like we need to do more.  And the cycle continues.  Along with that the very things that were meant to make our lives easier like cell phones and the internet have made us so accessible that we can’t find a place to hide, rest, or think.  So, we fight through another call, meeting, or errand with increasingly less productivity and joy.  Something has got to change.

Abide in Me

Believe it or not, thousands of years before this problem engulfed our lives Jesus gave us the answer.  He simply said, “Abide in me (John 15:4 KJV).”  You see, the first thing we tend to neglect when we are busy is time with Him.  Like a branch that has been trimmed from the vine, when we cut ourselves off from Him we begin to die from the inside out (verse 6). We need Him and the power that comes from staying close to Him.  That is what abiding is all about, unplugging from the world and plugging into Him.  When we do we have the unlimited power of the God of the universe at work in every aspect of our lives.  As a result we are able to bear fruit, or accomplish more (verse 5). 

Simply put we will accomplish more if we will do something that on the surface sounds a little crazy.  Take some time out of your already busy day and spend it with God.  Put work, school, and everything else away for a few minutes and commune with your Creator.  It sounds unproductive, but the promise from His own lips is that if we will stay close to Him He will fill us and give us what we need to be more productive with the rest of our day.  It will also bring control back to a life that was spinning out of control. 

How?

The Sunday School answer to “how is this done” is prayer and Bible study.  That’s what we always say and, as it turns out that is what He wants.  Jesus said if we will obey His commands we’ll remain in His love (verse 10 NIV).  The only way to obey His commands is to learn what they are through His Word and prayer.  Taking time out of our busy day to read and pray is what abiding is all about; talking and listening to the One who created us and knows how best to navigate through the craziness that we have created in our lives.  So, take a few minutes each day to Abide in the His love.  Pour your heart out and listen to His comfort.  Communicate with the one who can bring order into the chaos of your world, and has the power to sustain you through the twists and turns that you encounter every day.  He promised that if we will spend some time with Him, He’ll help us accomplish more with the time that is left in our day.

God With Us

God created mankind for a relationship with Him.  In the beginning God literally walked with Adam and Eve in the garden and talked with them face to face, but their sin broke that relationship and separated us from our creator.  As time passed God continued to speak to His people, but no longer face to face.  Instead He spoke through his people and His written Word.  He used prophets, priests, and kings, along with other faithful men and women, to rescue His people in their time of need and to communicate His will.  

God was silent 

At some point something changed.  There was no prophecy, no new writtings, God was no longer speaking.  The people waited and prayed for help, but God said nothing.  For over 200 years the world waited, but God was still silent. When He did finally speak it wasn’t through a man.  Instead God robed Himself in flesh, stepped out of eternity, and again walked among us and spoke to us face to face.  Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Which means God with us. 

God Came

God's presence has always filled the earth, but now He came to us in a new and more personal way.  For the first time Light came into the world.  It was the Light of Life and the darkness could not overpower it.  The King of all creation was born in a humble manger.  His first hours were spent in a stable, and His first visitors were rough, smelly shepherds, but God had come and the world would never be the same.  In spite of the significance of this event there were many who missed His coming.  For various reasons their hearts were not ready for Him, and so His birth, life, and sacrificial death escaped their notice. 

No Room in the Inn

The City of Bethlehem was filled beyond it's capacity because of the census and so when Mary an Joseph tried to find a place to stay all that was left for them was a stable.  The town just didn't have room for them.  That is also true today.  There are those who do not have room in their hearts for God, not even for a God who gave himself for them.  Like the people of Bethlehem many in our generation are in danger of missing out on the life changing event that took place so many years ago.   The are two primary consequences of this.  First, is that when we miss out on Jesus entirely we miss out on the offer of salvation that comes with Him.  Faith in Him and what He has done for us is the only way to restore a relationship with the Father and gain eternal life with Him.  Second, when we who believe miss out on the presence of Jesus in our everyday lives we miss out on the power, freedom, and peace that He offers us right now where we are.  

God has come.  Don’t miss Him!   

95 Years of Wisdom

We just celebrated a pretty significant milestone in my family, my grandmother’s 95^th birthday.  There are not a lot of people who are able to do that.  It’s really quite an accomplishment.  To me, though, there is something more impressive here than the number of years she has lived.  More significant than her accomplishment is her perspective on life after living it for 95 years.  Much more important than the guests, food, gifts, or cakes was what she had to say about the event.  When someone of her longevity speaks its worth taking note of what they want to communicate.  And here is what she had to say.

“This is the best day of my life.”

That was her expression of gratitude as she said goodbye and thanked everyone for coming.  We say that kind of thing often, but she really meant it.  And when you think about it this is a pretty big deal because she has lived a lot of days; 34,675 of them to be exact.   Why would she pick this day above all the rest she has lived?  Priorities.  She said this was such an awesome day because her family was with her, and that is her priority.  She isn’t interested in gifts, though she appreciated them.  The food wasn’t her emphasis, though she enjoyed it.  She wanted to be surrounded by the people she loves, and the fact that she got that wish made not only her day, but her life.  I think we can learn something from that.

“Serve the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul.”

This was her answer when asked what wisdom she had to share.  For her, 95 years worth of wisdom pointed toward there being no greater thing in life than living for and serving the God who created us, and gave Himself for us.  Her heart’s cry has always been that her family would honor and love their God.  You can bet that someone who has been around that long has tried other things.  Its human nature to run after our own desires, try to handle things on our own, and to do what feels good at the moment.  My grandmother would tell you, though, that those things will not give you real and lasting joy in the long run.  It’s much better to just serve God.  That is what she has done, she’s done it for a long time, and she can testify that there is no better way to live.

Her wisdom has challenged my thinking and my priorities and I pray that it has yours as well.  Most of us won’t make it to 95, but we can learn from her wisdom.  Love those who are close to you and make them a priority.  Love and serve God above all else.  These two things will guide us in being the people that God made us to be, and by the way they are also priorities for God.  His own Son said that the most important things that we can do are: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Sounds like my grandmother has it right to me.

Unity Through Humility - Philippians 2:1-11

Several years ago I had the chance to coach 4-5 year olds in football.  Wow, what an adventure!  No matter how much you practiced you never really knew what would happen after the ball was hiked.  The main reason for this was because each one of those little boys was more focused on trying to be Tim Tebow than the success of the team.  Because of this most of our plays ended in chaos as the boys ran all over the field and the ball went anywhere except to the player who was ready to receive it.

In those rare moments when everyone did what they were supposed to, though, it was a beautiful thing (que dramatic music and slow motion camera).  Touchdown!  It cost some of the boys their personal spot light, but the team had success and they all could celebrate that.  This is what being on a team is all about.  Today God’s word challenges us to find unity through humbly looking to the needs of others first.  Division feeds on selfishness and pride, but loses its power when we are humble.  When we look to the interests of others first we fulfill Jesus’ command that we love each other, and we find a deep unity that better positions us for the mission that He has charged us with.

Paul’s challenge to the Philippians, and to us, is to be unified.  Jesus gave us our mission, “make disciples.”  In order for us to do that we have to work together.  The problem is that selfishness and disunity threaten us at every turn.  We feed that when we look only to ourselves, and that is why the Holy Spirit prompted Paul to write that we should look out for the needs of others first. 

If we will follow this instruction than we won’t: talk about others behind their back, we won’t criticize them, we won’t exclude them, or belittle them.  Instead we will help and encourage them even though it may cost us time, energy, and patience.  Above all we will love them.  One of Jesus’ greatest desires for us is that we love each other.  It is so important to Him that He gave this to the disciples as a new command, and He said that it is by that kind of love the people would recognize that we are His.  Love calls us to take care of others first, and that act of humility is the driving force behind our unity.

Paul says here that the ultimate example of this kind of humility is Jesus.  In every way He is God and yet was willing to set aside all the beauty of heaven to walk with us.  He became a baby, entering this world in a stable robed in nothing more than rags, and He did that for us so that He could give Himself to us through His life and His death.  If He would do that for us, how can we do any less for each other?  This is the kind of love He desires for us, and through it we will be unified and able to pull together for the mission He has given us.

For more on this listen online here:  Unity Through Humiliy

Surrender - Mark 8:31-35 (part 2)

              Give Up Control

     When we left Peter he was telling Jesus that His plan was all wrong.  The plan didn't fit Peter's idea of what God should be doing so Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes Him. 

   Jesus' reply pointed out what Peter could not see, that he was stuck on his own desires and not what God was doing.  When we are focused on our will we aren’t available to follow God’s.  We all have our own plans for our lives.  We know how we want things to go and what we want to accomplish.  When you and I meet our crossroads and find that God’s will does not match ours we need to be willing to let go of our will and our desire for control.  That is the first step of surrender. 

   Jesus is clear about what His expectation is.  If we want to really be His we have to be ready to deny ourselves.  The picture that Jesus used to portray this self denial was taking up a cross.  The method of execution that would later be used on Him is now used by Him to illustrate death to self.  It’s a little crazy when you think about it.  Jesus looked out at His growing crowed and instead of a miracle or motivational speech He tells them that they are expected to give everything up for Him.

    Why would He do that?  Because He knows that people will run to miracles and gather around good sermons and inspirational leaders, but what we need is a Lord and Savior.  The Bible compares our relationship with God to a shepherd and his sheep, a father and his children, and a vine and its branches to name a few.  The idea is that we need Him.  We need His leadership, we need His provision, and we (whether we want to admit it or not) want His love.

   Now, before you start thinking that this is all very arrogant and self-centered of God consider this.  Whatever you and I place first and give top priority becomes our master.  Jesus said it this way:

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

If you don’t want to take His word for it consider these observations.

Those who put money and things first become greedy.

Those who put work or career first become workaholics.

Put another person first and become a slave to their desires.

Put yourself first and become self-centered.

Put religion first and become a fanatic.

Make feeling good your top priority and risk becoming an addict.

   Whatever you and I put first becomes our master, and the things of this world make cruel masters.  Only God can take first place in our lives without destroying us.  And only in the case of God does everything fall into its proper place when we put Him first.  Sometimes giving up control is the best thing that you and I can do.

   Every year people lose their lives in rip currents.  Sometimes these are called rip tides or undertows, but it is really just a current that flows away from the shore.  What kills people is that they struggle against it, fighting to get back to shore until exhaustion takes over and they drown.  The only way to survive is to stop fighting it.  Give up control and stop swimming toward shore.  If caught in a rip current your hope is to swim parallel to the shoreline until you get out of the current, or in cases when the current is too large to escape that way just give yourself over to its control until the current slows enough for you to swim out.  Giving up control can be the best thing for us, and it’s an absolute requirement when it comes to surrendering to God’s will.

       Follow Jesus

    The second part of surrender is to follow Christ.  Once we recognize that our will differs from His, and we have given up our desire for control what is left is to actually follow God’s will.  It’s easy to say that we will follow Him and go wherever He leads, but God wants us to actually do it.  He wants us to acknowledge Him and then go and do what He says.  In short He desires and deserves our obedience.

     We can’t follow Jesus without obeying Him.  He is already leading.  Mankind can choose to acknowledge that or not, but whichever we choose does not change the fact that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He is going to accomplish His will.  The question is, will we choose to be a part of it?

    Jesus said to those who stood in front of Him that day, and I believe He also says to us that if we really want to be His and be a part of what He is doing we need to deny ourselves (or give up our will and sense of control) and take up our cross and follow Him in what He is doing.  

    Adoniram Judson was a man who answered God’s call in spite of the cost.  I’m sure that it didn’t turn out the way that he planned, but he followed the plan of His Savior anyway.  Judson was a missionary in the 1800’s, one of the first to be sent out from America.  In his time there he spent years with no visible results, suffered the deaths of his wife and at least one child, and was a prisoner of war. 

    Looking at those things his ministry might seem like a failure.  However, through his hardships he managed to translate the Bible into Burmese, start mission agencies in Burma and the U.S. and see many, many of the Burmese people turn to Christ.  In the end it was His faithfulness to God’s call in spite of his circumstances that won him the hearts of the people and turned them to Christ.

   God’s way is always better even when it doesn’t seem that way to us.  Peter and the other disciples could not understand why Jesus had to die, but God’s way was better.  Changing the course of the world with a handful of fisherman, a tax collector, and a few other misfits seems impossible, but God’s way is better.  Leaving the comfort of home, suffering in jail, and watching loved ones die hurts immeasurably, but God’s way is better. 

     Adoniram Judson got it, and Peter would get it eventually.  For this moment, though, Jesus’ words to him were probably pretty hard to swallow.  Jesus continued on to tell Peter and the crowed that this self-denial that He requires, this death to self and the world, this following after the will of God would end not in death and misery, but in life and freedom.

   Giving everything to God results in our freedom, dying to ourselves and following Him leads to life.  It seems to go against logic, but the truth is that the tighter we hold on to things the quicker we lose them.  The more we try to protect our life, the more likely we are to lose it forever.  But when we let go of things we become free and when we let go of our life and give it over to Him we get to live, it’s true in the here and now and it’s true in eternity.

    When we give ourselves to Him He sets us free from the grip of sin and its consequences of death.  We also are free to accomplish what He designed us for when we surrender ourselves to His will for our lives.  From the little decisions we make each day to the big things that guide the direction of our lives when we chose His way we receive His blessing and the joy and peace that comes with complete surrender. 

Surrender - Mark 8:31-35 (part 1)

    No one likes to surrender. We see surrender as giving up and giving in.  The reality is it’s excepting defeat.  We hate the idea of losing and letting go of control so we resist surrendering with all that we are.  God, however, wants us to surrender.  He wants us to waive the white flag, raise our hands, and surrender ourselves to Him.  When we surrender to God it is the best thing that we can do.  Giving up control and trusting Him to lead us will lead to life, protection, and peace.  In this case it is resisting surrender and keeping control for ourselves that is dangerous. 

The Crossroads. 

    Mark 8 is a transition in Jesus’ ministry.  Mark writes that at this point Jesus began to speak clearly about His coming death, burial, and resurrection.  Jesus chose this crucial moment to openly reveal to His disciples His plan to restore us to our God through His sacrificial death.  This scene comes just a short while after Peter’s great confession, “You are the Christ.” (Verse 29)

   While the words were still swirling in the disciples' heads Jesus takes the time to let them in on the plan.  Their world was shattered.  He wasn’t going to be a physical savior who would rescue them from the Romans, instead He had come to be a spiritual Savior who would rescue them from sin and restore them to God.  Not with a fight or political takeover, but with His death.

  

    Just moments after saying something really smart, Peter says something really… not smart.  Isn’t that just like us?  We could easily fit in Peter’s sandals here recognizing that Jesus is Lord one moment and then refusing to follow His will the next.   What was the problem?  Jesus’ plan didn’t line up with Peter’s.  Peter, along with the other disciples and probably every other Jew, was looking for a Messiah who would save them from the Romans.  We have different reasons behind it, but the underlying problem that Peter had then and that we have now is the same: conflicting wills.  Peter found his crossroads.

    Then, just like now, God is not obligated to give us what we want and His will for us is not influenced by our desires.  The question is, then, how do we respond when God’s will differs from ours? Mary had a different kind of reaction when she came to her crossroads.  She had her life planned out.  Her fiancé had his own business and was getting their future home ready.  Within a year they would be married, and life would be wonderful, or so she thought.  All those plans were shattered the night the Angel visited.

    His message was simple, but life changing.  She was chosen by God and a very special baby was on the way.  This was a huge problem because she wasn’t married yet, and Joseph could have chosen to break things off with her or have her stoned.  The life she planned was gone, but her response was one of great faith and courage.  

Luke 1:38

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

  Some choose to resist God, Mary chose to follow Him, and Peter… well Peter told the Lord of the universe that He was wrong.  He pulled Him aside and attempted to tell Him the problem with His plan.  Peter meant well, but was still wrong.  Next time we'll look at Jesus' response to him.

Believe - Hebrews 11

My kids share my love of swimming now, but that wasn't always the case.  Each one of them began with a huge fear of the water.  So, teaching them to swim was an exercise in patience that involved panic and cries for help, not all of which came from the kids.

The worst part for each of them was when they were required to put their head under water.  The fear for them and the frustration for me came because they couldn't trust me more than their circumstances.  If they had really thought about it they would have realized that I love them, would not let them drown, and can more than handle keeping them safe in a 4 ft deep pool.  The problem was that they focused on the big scary water so much that they couldn't see the safety they had in their father’s arms.  In the end they made it harder than it had to be because they wouldn't just believe.

  Definition of Faith 

Faith is the core of our relationship with God.  It requires faith to believe that He exists, that He made us in His image, and that He gave His Son as a sacrifice for our sin. Without faith we cannot know Him or please Him, but what does it really mean to have faith? 

Most people consider faith to be blind.  They think that faith is believing something without any proof, but what does the author of faith say about faith?  At first, He seems to confirm that no evidence is required.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see is blindly following something with little or no proof, right?  Wrong, if the passage stopped there it could seem that way, but next comes the evidence on which faith is built.  You see faith isn't built on thin air, instead it is built on God’s character and the rest of this chapter is dedicated to displaying just that. 

In every instance those who are commended for their faith believed God’s word and followed Him in spite of their circumstances.  They did what I was trying to get my girls to do, they trusted their Father and focused on Him instead of what they could see with their eyes.  As a result their lives have become the illustration of God’s character that acts as the foundation on which our faith is built.  As we see God’s faithfulness to them it strengthens our belief that He will do the same for us.

So, you see faith is not blind.  It gazes wide-eyed into the face of God and trusts that though He is going to let you go under the water He will not let you go and He will bring you back up again.  Faith is believing what you cannot see because of the evidence that you do see leaves you with no other logical conclusion, but to believe.  The same God who formed everything out of nothing (V3) is the same God who walked with the Old Testament Saints (rest of Chp 11) and He will be with you too.  That is something you can believe in. 

  Examples of Faith

Trust is built by experience.  My wife trusts me now because I have built a track record with her.  Fifteen years ago, I was just a guy she met through a friend, but now I am the man who has been with her for most of her adult life.  My investment of time and faithfulness has gained me her trust, and her mine.

God has built a record that is so much more worthy of our trust.  The author of Hebrews begins in verse 3 with creation and spends the rest of the chapter outlining case study after case study displaying God’s faithfulness to His people.  Though many of them experienced uncertainty, pain, and loss God was still faithful to His promises.  There is much more here than we can cover this morning, but we’ll look at a few examples and see what we can learn from them about faith.

A common thread that runs through the lives of each of these saints is that God called them to uncomfortable places in order to build their faith.  He told Noah to build an ark that would save him from a flood, but it had never rained.  He called Abraham to go to a land that he had never seen and didn't know the way to.  He promised him a son even though he and his wife were well beyond child bearing years.  God also called a teenage boy to lead a powerful nation and used slavery and prison to prepare him for it, and then through Joseph prophesied the exodus hundreds of years before it happened.

 Through faithful men and women God has built his track record.  As we read their accounts we can see God’s character displayed in His actions and His words.  From the beginning God’s desire has been that we take Him at his word.  That is what He wanted from Adam and Eve, that’s what He wants from us, and that’s what He got from Abraham.

     

God called Abraham to leave everything he knew and asked him to believe big things.  He asked him to follow him to a place that he had never seen and only led him there step by step.  As if that was not enough he also promised to make a great nation out of his family line even though he had no children and was, humanly speaking, too old to have children.

Why would someone do what Abraham did?  Our passage reveals two reasons.  Abraham believed God’s promises and He was able to look to the future.  Abraham did what I wanted my little girls to do, he looked to his Father instead of his circumstance. The awesome thing is that he is praised for his belief even though he faltered.

Abraham was not perfect.  He lied about his wife, twice.  He became impatient and tried to fulfill God’s promise on his own by sleeping with a servant.  In spite of his failings he is considered faithful because he obeyed God and endured to the end.  What kept him going through the hard times was his ability to look beyond the here and now.  There is no doubt that there were times he wanted to quit.  We’ve already seen that there were times he strayed from God’s call.  In the end, though, he hung on through the bumps and wrong turns because he trusted God and looked to the future.

We struggle with faith largely because we struggle with impatience.  This generation, probably more than any other, thinks it cannot wait because most things we want are at our reach almost instantly.  Google, microwave ovens, and satellites put our desires in our hands many times within seconds.  So, when God speaks to us, but tells us to wait we struggle and lose faith.  The truth is, though, that God almost never moves quickly.  He took decades to give Abraham a son, Joseph probably waited almost 15 years for his dream to come true, Noah waited nearly 100 years for the rains to start, and according to verse 13 all of the Old Testament saints lived and died without their hope in a Redeemer being fulfilled.

God moves slowly and purposefully and acts only on His schedule.  Faith is holding on and waiting for Him.  It doesn’t mean that you do nothing, but that you continue to act on what you know He expects of you while you wait on more info.  Joseph was faithful as a slave and a prisoner and in God’s time he made a ruler who answered to no one else except Pharaoh.  Like Noah and Abraham Joseph held on because he was looking toward the future and believed that God would fulfill what He had promised.

What has God called you to?  Believe that God will be faithful to His promise.  Understand and accept, though, that fact that God will answer that promise on His time table.  It may be months or years, but He will do it.  Hang on by trusting Him, and looking toward that future promise.  Prepare for it, train for it, and seek after it.  Whatever you do don’t give up on it.  Wait and believe, and above all else obey.       

The key to real faith is obedient action.  It is one thing to say that you believe something.  It is something else when you act on it.  True faith in God’s words leads to obeying God’s words.  When God called Abraham he obeyed and went.  He was willing to face the risk, he was willing to except the cost, and he was willing to keep going when things got hard.  He obeyed because he believed.   

  

Too many of us are offering God dead faith.  It’s just lip service.  We say we believe Him, but there is not action to back it up.  That kind of faith is not really faith, it cannot save, it cannot please God, and it is dead; useless.  For clarity, I am not saying that our work could ever save us.  It can’t, only faith in Jesus’ work on the cross can save us, but that faith should have actions that follow it.  Those actions should always be centered in obedience to Him.

It’s like my girls saying they trusted me, but refusing to let me take them under the water.  Their actions, or lack of, showed a lack of trust.  What about you?  Are you going to fight, plead, and negotiate?  Or, are you ready to take a deep breath, close your eyes, and trust God as He plunges you into His will for you?

Results of Faith

Believing and following God will change everything.  It will take you far beyond your comfort zone.  You will find yourself waking in uncertainty and facing fear.  In spite of your fear and weakness you will have the privilege of seeing God overcome obstacles and take down giants. 

Now as we look back at the lives of the heroes in this chapter they become a witness to us of God’s faithfulness.  The author begins chapter 12 by saying that because of this great group of witnesses we should run the race marked out for us even harder.  Their lives, the things that they accomplished, their perseverance in hard times, their recovery from failure, and repentance from sin serve as an encouragement for us that we can do the same if we too will believe and act on that belief.

In Hebrews 11:4 it says that Abel’s testimony of faith continues to speak even though he is dead.  That’s a legacy.  He is remembered because He believed and honored God.  What will you be remembered for?  So many people are concerned with the physical inheritance they will leave.  They run after accumulating wealth by climbing the corporate latter.  Family gets sacrificed on the altar of success and in the end it all passes away.  Instead, leave a legacy of faith. 

That kind of legacy will far out live you.  It can’t be spent carelessly, tied up by the court, or taxed by the government.  Instead you can know that it will impact lives and change them for eternity.

Without faith it is impossible to please God.  It’s that important to Him.  So much so that He led the author of Hebrews to write an entire chapter on the subject.  He wants us to know what faith is, see the examples of it, and then go and live in it.

Come Clean-Psalm 24

Imagine that you are working outside and it's hot.  Just when you think you are about to collapse from dehydration someone is kind enough to bring you an ice cold glass of water.  Just as you are about to take a big gulp you see something floating in it, a small bug is doing the backstroke. 

Or you’re wearing that brand new shirt (or dress).  It’s ironed and ready to go, but just before you walk out the door your child (or grandchild) who just finished breakfast gives you a great big hug.  It’s not until they let go of you that you realize they were wearing more breakfast than they ate.   

Life is messy.  As much as we like clean things dirt, grime, and germs always seem to find us.  We have the same problem spiritually.  We want to do the right thing and honor God, but often find ourselves choosing sin instead.  Like a bug in your drink, or the grape jelly on your new shirt our sin stains us and contaminates our lives which is a huge problem because we serve a God who is absolutely Holy. 

Our culture wants to believe that there is no God.  They want to believe that the universe happened by some kind of wonderful coincidence.  They want this because if we just happened and there is no creator behind our existence then there is no accountability.  I can believe and do what I want and so can you, and in the end if we enjoy life and try to be “good” then that is all that matters.

David begins Psalm 24 by shattering that myth.  There is a God, He created the universe and everything in it, and as a result He is LORD over it all.  The millions of stars that we are still discovering to the billions of one-celled organisms that we don’t even know about yet all have the finger prints of the God who created them and owns them. 

Because of all this whether we like it or not, even if we refuse to acknowledge it, God is in charge.  That is why David says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”  David understands that we are under the rule of the one who created us and so as He considers that he wonders who would be worthy to come into the presence of such a great God.  

When you consider the greatness of the One who created all of this, who can possibly stand before Him?  Or on a more personal note, “if God is completely holy and I am not, can I come before him?” “Can a race that is tarnished by the impact of our sin hope to have any kind of fellowship with God?”

The answer is simple. If you want to come before a Holy God, you must be clean.  In order for us to be in His presence we must be totally pure. That is a problem for us because we are not clean. 

David clarifies that the one who hopes to come to God must do so with, "clean hands and a pure heart" (V4). 

Clean hands = outside or physical sin.  God’s holiness cannot tolerate our sin.  Lying, cheating, stealing, sexual sin, murder, these are all obvious.   We know that they destroy lives, numb our hearts, and drive us in the wrong direction and yet we still often prefer them to God. 

The second part is less obvious.

A Pure Heart = deals with inward sin, the sins of our mind.  We are responsible to God not just for what we say and do, but also for what we think.  The sins we hide in our minds are equal to those of our bodies in God’s sight.  Jesus taught this and that these sins will also be judged in Matthew 5.

With that being said, mankind is in big trouble.  God cannot permit sin in His presence because of His holiness and we are covered in it.  Like us the Old Testament saints were saved by faith, but their sin was temporarily dealt with through the sacrificial system.  The sacrificial system provided a temporary covering for sin, taught that sin has a price (death) and also pointed to the permanent atonement for our sin – Jesus.

In ourselves we can never be as clean as we need to be in order to reach God, but thank God we don’t have to be.  His holiness demands that He deal with sin and that He keeps His distance from it, but His great love for us caused Him to destroy sin and death through the sacrifice and resurrection of His Son. His gift to us should cause us to want to live for Him.  In light of Him sacrificing His Son for us it is not unreasonable that we sacrifice our life for Him in the form of holiness. Come Clean.

 

Love Obeys - 1st Samuel 15:1-23

    

I have four daughters and they are my world.  We love to play and talk.  They like to be silly so we laugh a lot.  Each one of them has the ability to melt my heart with just a look or smile.  My wife insists that I am wrapped around their little fingers, and she is probably right. 

           As much as I love the fun we have there is something that I appreciate even more.  As much as I treasure getting hugs and kisses, and hearing my little girls say that they love me, it means even more when they obey me.  I know that it sounds a little crazy, but if you think about it it makes sense.  Picture this.  I’m at the store.  The parking lot is busy and one of my little girls is two steps ahead of me.  The most important thing in the world at that moment is knowing that at the word, “stop” she will stay right where she is until all the traffic passes.  You see, I know what is best and what is safe for my little girls.  I want to protect them as much as I can.  Every time they obey me it shows me that they understand that, and that I can trust them.  It means I can leave them with someone else and not fear for their safety because I know that they will obey.  It also means that I can give them more freedom because I know that they won’t just go crazy with it.

            Why do we think that it is so different with God?  Why can’t we see that His commands are for our protection?  Everything that He commands us is for His glory and our good.  Not only that, but when we obey Him we show that we love Him.  Jesus said Himself that we can show Him our love by obeying what He commands.

            Here is another thought, not only does obedience show our love, but also that we can be trusted.  Jesus said that the one who is faithful with a little will be given much.  It seems reasonable then that if we are obedient in small things then God can trust us with larger things.    

            Saul learned all this the hard way.  His disobedience cost him everything.  God gave him a simple task and yet his greed kept him from following through the way he was supposed to.  His decision showed where his devotion really was.  He chose possessions and prestige over His God.

            Each day you and I have the same opportunity.  We may not be faced with the same situation as Saul, but we share his opportunity.  We can obey God and in affect give Him the kind of worship He really desires, a life devoted to Him.  Or we can worship Him on the outside for everyone to see and inside we can set self up as god.  Which one will you choose today?  In the words of Joshua, “…choose this day whom you will serve…as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Dressed for Battle - Ephesians 6:10-18

Protective equipment of all kinds exists to keep people safe from injury and death. Firefighters have special uniforms to keep back the flames, medical personnel have gloves that protect them from diseases, cyclists wear helmets, boaters wear life vests, and divers wear masks. Soldiers, though, have a different kind of need.



While others need protection from fire, water, infection, or falls soldiers need protection from an enemy who seeks their destruction. Because of this they need gear that protects their vital organs, but also allows for speed and flexibility in movement while holding up under harsh conditions. In addition to this they also need a weapon so that they can counterattack.



Paul’s words to the Ephesians serve as a reminder that Christians are soldiers at war. Not a war of bullets and bombs, but of lies, temptation, and confusion. Our enemy is real and he will relentlessly pursue our destruction and the frustration of God’s plan. In light of this Paul says that we should stand. Stand your ground in spite of the evil one’s attacks. Not in your own strength, but by the power of God seeking the protection of the Armor that He provides and using the Sword of His word to fight back.



The Battle Gear that God provides has been specifically designed to give us maximum protection if we will put it into use. The first piece of equipment is the Belt of Truth. Like a belt, truth holds everything together. As Christians we gain truth from God’s word. Knowing it and applying it skillfully is our best defense against the lies of the enemy. Along with it is the Breast-Plate of Righteousness. It is designed to protect the vital organs of the chest, especially the heart. A life of doing right helps set boundaries that protect us from the trap of sin and it’s hardening of our hearts.



The Gospel of Peace serves as the solid foundation on which we stand. The Gospel is the message of salvation and hope that leads to peace with God through Jesus. Any other message would dilute our purpose and cause us to stumble. When the enemy attacks with lies and temptation it is the Shield of Faith which allows us to withstand the attack. It is our faith in God and His word which gives us hope. Not a blind faith, but trust in God’s character and His promises will defeat the enemy. The Helmet of Salvation provides us with the assurance of God’s presence in this life and in the life to come. Belief in this makes us fearless. Knowing that we belong to God means that the enemy can only do to me what the Father allows and even if he takes my life he doesn’t win because the moment I exit this world I will rest with my God.





It’s not all about defense, though. We can also take the offensive the Sword of the Spirit and Prayer. These weapons bring to bear the power of Almighty God in our lives and will overpower anything that the devil throws at us, if we will put them to use. Every soldier is taught the value of care for and use of His equipment. Yours has been issued to you, but it will do you no good if you keep it on the shelf. You are at war and the enemy will bring the fight to you. Are you ready? Take up your Armor and your Sword and fight the fight with prayer and faith in God. Honor Him and you will see your foe defeated and left powerless. One day we will be able to lay our weapons down, but until then stay in the fight.





...Listen to audio sermons and find out more about our church at www.fbchighlandcity.com

The Fall - Genesis 3

Some call it a fairy tale or a myth, but I believe it is a true story of love, failure, and redemption.  It began in the cool of the day as God bent down and formed a man out of the ground, and then made a wife for Adam out of his rib.  Later he gave them responsibility for the garden and one simple command.  It wasn't meant to be a setup for failure, but an opportunity for obedience.  God wanted them to choose Him, but the sad reality is that they chose something else.  The impact of their disobedience has been earth shattering; everything has been impacted by it. 

  

Loss of Innocence.  In the beginning Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed, but that didn't last long.  Sin brought shame, guilt, and grief into their lives, not quite what the serpent had promised them.  Sin always brings with it a higher price tag than we anticipate, and in this case it cost them everything. 

Loss of Intimacy with God.   Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the garden.  They saw Him face to face, but sin changed that.  A Holy God cannot allow mankind’s sin to be in His presence.  It has been a barrier between us and our creator ever since.

Pain in Childbirth.  Enough said.

Conflict in Marriage.  Eve was formed from the rib of her husband signifying their unity.  That was forever changed by the choice of self over God.  From that point on their unity would be challenged by the desire to put self first, and we still struggle with it today.  Fights, affairs,  and all the other struggles that couples face share the common thread of selfishness, it is the biggest threat to unity that a husband and wife will face.

The Ground is Cursed.  It no longer produces food without effort.  Every time you fight to get weeds out and struggle to get flowers or crops to grow it’s because of sin.  The ground is no longer our friend and will fight against us to the very end.

Death.  The final curse will one day claim us all.  This was the crux of the serpent’s deception, “you will not surely die,” he told them.  They bought the lie and we have all suffered its effects.  They did not die immediately, but they did die and so will we.  It is the constant enemy who seeks to claim us all.

If things ended there it would be tragic, but the God of love could not allow that to be the case.  In the midst of passing judgment He also tells of the coming hope.  There would be One who would come to once and for all break the curse of sin relieving us from all of these crippling consequences.  In His death on the cross Jesus did that.  He set us free from all that sprang from the serpent’s deception, even death.  Three days later as He walked out of the tomb He guaranteed that we are no longer bound by the curse.  Faith in that breaks the curse and sets us free.  That my friend is the Good News.  

Trial by Fire- James 1:2-5

It's easy to be thankful when good things happen, but what about the times that are hard, painful or uncertain?  James says that those are the times that we should thank God.  The same God is with us during the pleasure and the pain, so if He allows a trial to enter your life it makes sense that there is a purpose for it and it is that purpose which James challenges us to be thankful for.

 So when your next trial strikes remember:

Attitude is Everything. The attitude you have can make the difference between success and failure during a trial.  Be ready.  Expect that bad things will happen.  This isn't being pessimistic, just realistic. Peter says that we shouldn't be surprised trials will come, they are a result of sin and also work to revel God's glory as we endure them (1 Peter 4:12-13)

There is a Purpose. Trials can have a positive result when we respond well to their attack.  They reveal what we are made of, build our strength for the next trial, and add power to our testimony.  God allowed this to enter your life for a reason.

Rely on God. That is the only way to survive.  The natural responses of running, giving up, or getting angry lead to defeat.  When we rely on God we gain strength to endure and overcome, and also learn how to better rely on Him for the next storm.

Ultimately when a trial drives you to your knees that is right where God wants you.  Remember that faith pleases God.  When a trial helps you rely on God, grow in your faith, and build your testimony it's worthy of your thankfulness.  So, don't run from your next trial.  Thank God for it, and embrace it for His glory.