The Law is good

/ The Pastor

Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. [Romans 3:31]

Yesterday we explored the awesome grace of God as we briefly surveyed the 10 Commandments and found that we definitely stand condemned, but by the mercy of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, we have salvation.

Praise be to God!

The question before us now (and one that the apostle Paul answers) is this:
Now what?

If we are saved by grace apart from the Law, does that mean that faith in Jesus nullifies the Law. 

Basically, the implication here is that since we are saved by grace through faith, why worry about the Law. Why obey the 10 Commandments when God will forgive anyways? Why bother learning these Laws? The apostle Paul, in response to these questions, would slap you you up across the head and say ” You idiot” (but say it with all love of course) it’s because we are saved apart from following the Law that we are free to obey the Law with all joy in order to show love to our neighbor and to God.

You don’t abandon the Law because you are saved, but rather follow the Law because you are saved. Just read Psalm 119 and you will discover the joy the author has in learning and following God’s Law. He’s not seeking salvation but rather wants to learn more and glorify God.

Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. (vs 24)

The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes. (vs 64)

Teach me good judgement and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. (vs 66)

And there are many more such verses. The Law of God convicts us of our sin and therefore our need for a Savior (Jesus Christ). But the Law also shows us how to love God and neighbor. As Tom Brokaw once said, They are not called the 10 suggestions. They are Commandments. This is a holy tension; this grace and Law thing, but one that makes sense through faith.

If your faith is truly found in Jesus Christ, then said faith will find joy in obeying God for God is worthy. When one foolishly tosses the Law away because they are saved it makes me wonder if they are really saved at all.

So give praise to God for salvation through Jesus Christ and then seek to learn God’s righteous decrees more and more. Seek to know Him better through His Commands. Seek to honor God more through your obedience.

May God be praised and obeyed; served and worshiped; honored and glorified; always and forever. Amen.

May God bless your day 🙂

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions (a little late) ~ Awesome grace

/ The Pastor

[It’s Friday and therefore my day gets thrown off a little bit (in a good way). Being this is my day off, our family sleeps in and takes our time getting ready in the morning. But now the kids are sleeping and I get some quite time. Praise be to God.]

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 5:20-21]

Let’s take a moment, shall we, to ponder the Law. More specifically, let’s examine the 10 Commandments.

The Commandments state that:
~ We shall put nothing before God or fear anything/anyone more than God.
~ We are to refrain from misusing God’s name but rather use it in praise, worship and thanksgiving.
~ We are to remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy; separate/different than other days.
~ We are to honor our father and mother; for they have been called by God for a holy task.
~ We are not to kill in any way, shape or form.
~ We are to hold and speak of sex and marriage in all purity and honor; and husbands and wives are to remain faithful to each other and to God.
~ We are to refrain from stealing in any way and help our neighbor defend what is his.
~ We are to speak of people in the best possible way.
~ We are not to covet what God has blessed others with.

This is a tall order to say the least. And if you are honest with yourself, you have to admit that you are guilty of violating every single Commandment. I could go into detail how but that would have to be a series of other blog posts. The short of it is that we are sinful and disobey God every single day; single hour; every single second. According to Romans 3, all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.

And for me (and hopefully for you) the more I meditate on the Law and my shortcomings, the more amazing God’s grace in Jesus Christ is. I mean, we sin; all the time; over and over; repeating the same sins; and God still forgives. We turn our backs on God’s holy Law and God still forgives. We worship other gods and God still forgives.

The Good News is that when we run to him in faith in what Jesus did on the cross, then forgiveness is ours; every – single – time.

WOW, THAT’S AMAZING!!!

That should blow you away.
That should humble you.
That should drop you to your knees in worship.
That should lead you to thank God every single day.

God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ is incredible, especially when we think that without Jesus, we would be expected to follow the Law without fail in order to earn salvation. But instead Jesus took our sins to the cross and crucified them that we may have the hope of the resurrection to eternal life.

So ponder the Law. Think about your sinfulness. Confess your sins and know the amazing grace of God; giving thanks and praise to him always and forever.

May this awesome news of grace and forgiveness drive you to your need for a Savior and may you know a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Have a blessed day living in the glow of God’s glory. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Good but short

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” [Mark 8:4]

Much like me, these disciples have good but short memories. In chapter 6 they witness the incredible miracle of Jesus feeding 5,000 men (add in the women and children who were there and you have close to probably 10,000 people). But numbers aside, this was an awesome miracle and display of God’s power through Jesus in which the disciples were amazed, but I wonder if they were really paying attention.

Now they are back in the wilderness with Jesus and have been there for three days with 4,000 people on some kind of retreat, as it were. Apparently there was no food committee because at the end of three days the people were hungry. But being the compassionate person Jesus is, he wasn’t going to send them home hungry, lest they faint on their way.

What shall we do? [of course Jesus knows]

Jesus, how can one possibly feed these people in such a desolate place?

Really? Did they just ask that question? Did they just wonder if Jesus is able to provide for a group of people much smaller than the one he fed earlier? Do they not remember the feeding of the 5000 (and then some)?

But we shouldn’t come down too hard on these guys because really, we’re no different. I mean, think about it. Aren’t there times you wonder if God will actually forgive you? Don’t you ever wonder at times if God is actually with you? Don’t you have moments of fear and anxiety over a situation, wondering if God will provide? Do you ever worry or doubt?

Of course you do.

And this is nothing more than sinful people forgetting about this awesome God of ours. You see, sin has a way of shortening our memories of the Gospel and therefore leading us astray. When we forget about God we turn inward and become selfish. When we forget about God we disobey and wander. When we forget about God his awesomeness and holiness becomes nothing more than a theological concept.

So what does one do? More fish oil to improve your memory?

Not exactly.

Rather you spend time with God every single day.
~ Keep His Word in front of you.
~ Set your mind on the things that are above.
~ Surround yourself with other believers.
~ Make sure that the Gospel is being proclaimed to you on a regular basis.
~ Ask someone to listen to your confession and pronounce the Gospel of forgiveness to you.
~ And, of course, read your Bible and pray.

Do these things and more on a regular basis to help with short-term Gospel memory loss. But be careful and don’t lose the sense of wonder. The disciples may have forgotten about the feeding of the 5000 but they had a chance to be amazed all over again. Don’t let familiarity with the Gospel take away the wonder.

Be amazed that God, through Jesus Christ, would forgive a sinner like you.

May you bask in the glory of God. May you remember his love and compassion. May you always know the hope of the resurrection through faith in Jesus.

And may God bless your day 🙂

In Jesus name, Amen!

The Pastor -|—

Theologizing

/ The Pastor

For the past few weeks I have had the growing fear and sadness that my little girl (21 months old) was growing out of wanting to be rocked to sleep.

Our typical bedtime routine is that after she brushes her teeth and gets her jammies on we go into her room to read books (usually she wants daddy to do this, which of course I don’t mind). We read for a while and then pray together (it is uber cute when she folds her hands in mine). I then turn on her night light, start the CD player of lullabies and turn off her light. We then sit in the rocking chair and rock. If she isn’t sleeping by the end of the third song I lay her down in the crib. At nap time, the routine is similar except we just turn on the CD player and shut the lights off and then rock.

Well, this rocking thing hasn’t happened for a while…

…until nap time today.

For some reason my little girl wanted to rock (and who am I to question that). So my little girl curled up in my arms; all comfy in her blanket, and as very quickly off to sleep.

And we rocked and rocked and rocked…

Actually, she was out before the middle of the first song, but I didn’t lay her down then. I just continued to gaze at her and rock and rock and rock…

I didn’t want it to end.

I waited until the full three songs; and probably would had stayed longer if I didn’t need to get back for Wednesday classes at church.

It was such a beautiful moment and I was absolutely thrilled my little girl wanted daddy. But of course this pastor brain of mine started theologizing (I know that’s not a word but I think you get my drift). And it’s hard for a pastor to turn that off. We are always looking for sermon illustrations and teaching points and often times children provide the fodder.

In any case…

There are so many things about that moment today that remind me of God. But, I don’t think I am not going to share them with you.

Nope, I’m not.

I think I am just going to leave the moment as it is and let you imagine ~ and theologize. If you know God through Jesus Christ then you see it. You understand. You know what I am talking about. So I don’t have to say anything. To say anything more risks ruining the moment so I’ll let the Spirit continue where I leave off…

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Flesh vs Spirit

/ The Pastor

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. [Romans 8:6-8]

The prosperity gospel…

[Oh no, here goes the Pastor again :-)]

…tries to convince people that peace is found in this life; through the flesh. It says that in order to “have your best life now” all you need to do is get your flesh in order. Meaning ~ thinking right, believing right, dreaming right, saying the right things and doing the right things. All of this, they claim, will curry God’s favor and therefore you will live “your best life now“. In essence, the prosperity gospel is trying to sell peace when it is actually bringing the wrath of God.

Those trying to sell this crap (excuse my language but this is what it is) have their minds set on the flesh and not on the Spirit and therefore they themselves are really not at peace. But when you are in the midst of what you believe is “your best life now” you don’t know you’re really not at peace. The flesh has a way of shielding one’s eyes from the truth.

So what is true peace if it is not found in this life? That answer seems pretty simple: By keeping your mind set on the Spirit which is faith in God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
~ A mind set on the flesh thinks only of this life; but a mind set on the Spirit thinks of the promised life to come through Jesus.
~ A mind set on the flesh can only achieve a temporary peace; but a mind set on the Spirit receives true, everlasting peace from the only true peace-giver: Jesus Christ
~ A mind set on the flesh can only achieve a fleeting happiness, that comes and goes and comes and goes; but a mind set on the Spirit has a joy that is not fleeting.
~ A mind set on the flesh CAN NOT please God; but a mind set on the Spirit has salvation.
~ A mind set on the flesh lives in death; but a mind set on the Spirit lives in Life.

And you probably get the point. When you have true faith in God through Jesus Christ then you submit to God’s Law and follow him in complete joy, for God is worthy. Your focus is on pleasing God, not the flesh. The prosperity gospel does not get this and therefore will never preach this. The true Gospel is understanding we can do nothing to achieve peace in this life but rather its submitting to God who is the only peace giver. It’s placing your faith in Jesus and believing your best life is yet to come, not now.

So set your mind on the Spirit and be at peace.

May God grant you a peace that totally blows your mind so that you may see and experience true peace in Him. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Growing up

/ The Pastor

One of the joys of serving at a church for as long as I have (10 1/2 years) is that you get to see kids grow up. I have a confirmation student, that as a preschooler, used to hide behind her mom’s leg because she was scared of me. Now she is a spiritually mature confirmation student that babysits my children. I have a crop of 5th graders that will be starting confirmation in the fall as 6th graders. This group contains some of the kids I baptized when I first arrived, including my first baptism.

But last night things hit me a little harder when I attended our local high school’s Winter Fest coronation. A young lady voted to serve as the 10th grade representative in the royal court is a former confirmation and release time student of mine. She looked so grown up last night in her formal dress and her hair all done up. And I found myself wondering how this was possible since it seems like just last year she was one of my 3rd grade release time students.

Wow, where has the time gone?

And then I started to think again about those 5th graders starting confirmation in the fall…

Didn’t I just baptize them?

Don’t get me wrong, I can hardly wait until that 5th class starts this next phase in their faith journey. And I am thrilled to see this 10th grade student of mine grow up, but I can’t help but have conflicting feelings about the passage of time. The good ole days always yields to new, uncharted days; neither good or bad ~ yet.

Part of me wants to turn back time (if I actually could) and prevent these kids from growing up and cling to the good ole days. But to do that would mean losing who these kids have become and who I have become today because of them. Watching these kids grow up has had a big impact on my life. I have learned a lot about my own faith through their questions and searching; questions that only a child-like faith can ask. I have seen these kids grow from standing up in the pew during the offering (one of my 5th graders did this when she was 3 or 4) and shouting, Pastor Eric, I got your money! to wanting to pray for an individual during release time. These kids have grown up and in so many ways. So maybe this is not a bad thing. Maybe I just need to reign in these conflicting emotions and “let them”grow up.

The life of a pastor is filled with so many joys and sorrows; ups and downs; major life moments; and the list goes on. It’s all part of the calling. It’s all part of serving in a congregation for “long time”. It’s all part of the passage of time. The good ole days can’t stay the good ole days forever. They need to yield to a new set of days so they too have a chance to become the good ole days for someone else, maybe even me.

So I praise God that He has allowed me to experience these conflicting emotions. May God grant me what I need to savor the good ole days and welcome the new ones that are coming. May God bless the days that are coming that they may become new good ole days. And I thank God that He has given me these days to enjoy with these kids and I look forward to many more.

And by the grace of God may I continue to grow up as well.

Morning devotions ~ Such a time

/ The Pastor

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” [Esther 4:14]

Haman has unleashed an evil plot to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom, but Mordecai finds out the plan. Upon his discovery he tells Queen Esther (a Jew herself) but she is unwilling to go and tell the king. You see, there is a law on the books that states: if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. (Esther 4:11) And at this point Esther had not been called in to see the king for 30 days. So Esther fears for her life. But Mordecai reminds Esther not to be so foolish to think that she will escape this judgement, besides, who knows whether she has been brought to a time such as this.

Long story short, Mordecai finally gets through and Esther agrees to help. She secures an audience with the king and Haman’s plot is revealed; where he is eventually hanged on the very gallows that he was going to hang Mordecai (the man who earlier saved the king’s life). God DID bring Esther to a time such as this and therefore millions of lives were saved.

Have you ever wondered what God is doing in your life? Have you ever wondered why you were in a certain place at a certain time? Have you ever wondered why you were called to suffer in a certain way? Well, maybe you were called to a certain place and time for such a time to bring glory to God. Maybe, just maybe, God had His reasons and was using you to do something special and amazing.

Esther’s story is pretty incredible and maybe God won’t call you to save millions of lives, but he might call you to save one. I believe in the depths of my heart that God calls us to moments to share the Gospel and with a particular person, in order to bring that person to faith. But how many times do we miss those moments or not trust God to be faithful. I also believe that God calls us to suffer in order that we may witness to others. What a powerful way to witness when you do so through suffering; a time when many people would curse God or turn away from God. What an opportunity to proclaim God’s love and faithfulness and the hope of the resurrection through Jesus Christ.  Maybe you have been called to such a time.

So instead of wondering why God is doing what He is doing or wondering why here, why now; just witness. Make the most of the opportunity and situation to bring glory to God. Share the Gospel of Jesus Christ; that through his death and resurrection you can have forgiveness of sins and thus eternal life. Live your faith and show your trust in God because who knows, someone might hear the Gospel for the first time and be saved.

And thus God using such a time for His glory.

May God open your eyes to see opportunities and may you have the faith to accept God’s call.

Praise be to God, always and forever. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Wisdom

/ The Pastor

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [James 1:5-6]

God directed Solomon to ask for anything. He didn’t ask for riches or good health or long life or the death of his enemies but rather, asked for wisdom. Being a young king, he was concerned about how to rule such a people as God had directed him, so he asked for a discerning mind to lead God’s people. God was thrilled and pleased to grant such a request.

James , here, also directs Christians to ask for that which people might not think of asking. The conventional thinking and the ways of this world is to ask for success or good health or many friends or purpose in life or the athletic success of our children. But hearing this text, one may even be tempted to think ~ if I ask for wisdom then I can kill two birds with one stone; with my wisdom I can become successful and rich and have lots of friends and buy the best coaches for my kids. I think I got it. God, please give me wisdom.

Nope, still missing the boat.

God is pleased to grant wisdom (and a discerning mind) but wisdom in this sense is not something that is selfish but something that will glorify God. God is not opposed to people being successful and rich and the like. What saddens God is when God does not get the glory.

It’s one thing to be intelligent but a completely other thing to be wise. But it is one thing to be wise and a totally other thing to be wise when it comes to God. Godly wisdom glorifies God and leads people into deeper understanding of the ways of God. And a truly wise person knows that God can never be fully understood in this life so the wise person continues to pursue God; knowing that that pursuit is what gives true peace through Jesus Christ.

So when you ask God for wisdom, believe that God will give it.
Believe that God will lead you into greater understanding.
Believe that God will take you deeper.
Believe that God will help you grow closer to him.
Believe that your heart will be changed.

And believe that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ you have everything you truly need to know ~ The forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life.

So ask and believe. God’s wants nothing more than for you to know Him better in Jesus Christ.

May God grant you wisdom and draw you closer to Him. May God give you peace in knowing His love. May God give you opportunities to share the Good News and may God give you a discerning mind to see those opportunities.

Praise be to God, always and forever. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Worthy

/ The Pastor

worship11

Let us prepare our hearts to worship God…

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
(Revelation 4:11 ESV)

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 
(Revelation 5:12 ESV)

Worthy is God, creator of all that is seen and unseen, for his glory shines forth in creation.

Worthy is God our Father, who opens his arms to his children and receives them with love and compassion.

Worthy is God for through the death and resurrection of Jesus, gives hope eternal and peace that surpasses all understanding.

Worthy is God, the holy One, who through Jesus Christ sanctifies us that we may be perfect someday as God is perfect.

Worthy is God, who is closer to us than we are to ourselves, for he listens to our prayers and grants us our daily bread.

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Amen!!!
(Revelation 5:13 ESV)

May God bless you on this Lord’s day as you worship and praise His holy name. May you know the hope of the resurrection and may you be equipped to continue to worship throughout this day and everyday, for God is worthy.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Wait

/ The Pastor

Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. [Matthew 24:42]

I can only imagine that when my kids get older and start going out with their friends, I am going to be one of those worrying parents. I imagine that I will be staying up until they get home; and especially if they are past curfew. I can’t imagine that I would fall asleep and not wait anxiously until they are safe and sound in their bed. I am going to want to see them face to face whether they are late or not.

Jesus uses an image, in chapter 24, of a master of a house and if they knew when a thief was coming to break in, they would stay awake and wait. Nobody would be so lazy as to fall asleep, right? I think I would be anxious. I can imagine I would make sure the doors are locked, and then checked again. I would lower the blinds and pull the curtains. I would check on my family and make sure they are safe; and check again and again. I might even call the police and let them know I am afraid something may happen tonight. And then I am going to stand watch and be ready for the thief. I can’t imagine I would become lazy and complacent and be taken by surprise.

And yet, when it comes to Jesus, many people do just that. It has been so long since Jesus walked this earth that many people take Jesus for granted. Oh, he’s not coming in my lifetime. I’ll get ready later. But whose to say that Jesus won’t come before you finish reading this devotion.

stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

~ Parents anxiously await for their children to return home.
~ Children anxiously await for Santa to bring their presents.
~ Some sit by the phone and anxiously await the arrival of some news.
~ Maybe you sit by the window and wait to the postal worker to deliver a package.
~ A master of a house prepares and waits for a known thief to come.

And so as Christians doesn’t it make sense to wait for Jesus; for he comes to bring the great gift of all: Eternal life for those who place their faith in Jesus. I for one can hardly wait until that day. What will the trumpet blast sound like? Will I fall to my knees? Will I dance for joy? Will I weep tears of happiness? But as the song goes, “I can only imagine”. What a day it will be.

Oh God, may I be “awake” and ready.

Don’t let him find you lazy. May Jesus find you preparing for his arrival. May he find you anxiously awaiting his glorious return. May Jesus find you ready.

My friends, Jesus IS coming. Just wait and see 🙂

Praise be to God and Amen!

The Pastor -|—