Worthy

January 25, 2015 / The Pastor

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

January 24, 2015January 24, 2015 / 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 -|—

Evening blessing and prayer

January 23, 2015January 23, 2015 / The Pastor

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. [Numbers 6:24-26]

I use these verses every week as a benediction to close worship. I started this “routine” mainly because that’s what was in our worship book, but I continue because of the beauty of these words. And what a wonderful words to ponder as we close our day:

Blessing
Keeping
Our Lord’s shining face upon you
Graciousness
The Lord’s countenance
Peace

Beautiful ~ Wonderful ~ Awe inspiring

Meditate on these words before you fall asleep. Ponder their meaning. And then give the Lord thanks and praise as you receive these words of blessing tonight.

And then may your dreams be peaceful, your sleep be restful and your body rejuvenated.

Oh God, thank you for another day. Thank you for the many ways you bless your children throughout the day. And thank you for the peace we can have through Jesus Christ. Amen

Have a blessed night and (God willing) I’ll “see” you tomorrow.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ THE War on Terror

January 23, 2015January 23, 2015 / The Pastor

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [Galatians 5:16-17]

We are at war.

No, I am not talking about the war on terror but it is close. This is the war against the flesh; sinful desires. And this is a war that has been going on since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden in Genesis 3. And it is a war in which Satan is relentless for he knows what he is up against: Weak human beings.

The problem for many is that they don’t realize they are at war. It is hard to fight a battle if you don’t arm yourself. But worse yet, you are not going to fight a war unless you first declare war. You need to be ready and that means knowing who your opponent is, where the war is being fought, what is at stake and what your assets are.

Opponent ~ Satan
Location ~ The flesh
What’s at stake ~ Your soul
Assets ~ Jesus

Your biggest weapon in this “war on terror” is walking in the Spirit; staying close to God in Jesus Christ. That means staying in scripture; being in prayer; living a life of worship; studying the Word; having regular fellowship with believers. If you arm yourself in such a way, you are giving yourself the upper hand, not because you are so smart or strong but rather, through faith, you are submitting to the one who already fought the battle and won the war.

That’s right, the war has already been won, but the battle still goes on. It’s a backwards way of doing things but Satan is still trying to take down as many people as he can before Jesus comes again to claim his prize once and for all. But don’t despair, God is not throwing you to the wolves in the interim. You are here to glorify God in this life and bring others to him. You’re not alone.

Fight this battle with the flesh as you walk along side the one who has won the war for you: Jesus Christ. Declare war on Satan and realize temptation is all around you. Stand strong and hold firm to hope of the resurrection.

So go into battle today, ready and willing to fight, all to the glory of God.

Praise be to God and Amen!

The Pastor -|—

Good night God

January 22, 2015January 22, 2015 / The Pastor

Loving Father, as another day comes to a close, I lift my thanks and praise to you. You are a glorious, creative and compassionate God. You are wise and faithful and Holy. You are patient and grace-filled and forgiving. You are a God worthy of our adoration.

And now, as I prepare to close my eyes, please watch over this body. May any evil spirits present be cast away in the name of Jesus. May You protect my family. May You place your hedge of protection around this home from the evil one. And if death does demand my life tonight may you take this soul up into your loving arms. If it be your will that I wake up tomorrow morning may I be well rested and ready to live another day glorifying your holy name.

Gracious Father, I lay my life in your hands; entrusting my body and soul to you. All praise, glory and worship to you, Holy Father, through Jesus Christ my risen Lord and Savior. Amen.

Good night God 🙂

The Pastor -|—

Something out of nothing

January 22, 2015 / The Pastor

One of the many joys for me as a pastor is seeing God create something out of nothing. No, I am not talking about anything magical here but rather the Holy Spirit bringing about a sermon when I had nothing.

Often times I enter Thursday not knowing where I am going with a sermon. I know the text, since I am preaching through the Gospel of Mark, but I don’t always know what the message is. And there are many times when I am anxious about this even though I know I shouldn’t be; even though I know I should trust God.

Today was such a day.

I did my reading and note taking before “relocating my office” to my favorite coffee shop down town. I do this every Thursday (for the most part) and at the same time. I set up my computer, ordered my lunch to be brought to me at 11 AM, got my coffee and scotcheroo and off to work I went. This is my routine.

As I started writing I noticed that my fingers started flowing across the keyboard faster and faster and with purpose. The message started to materialize in front of me like a Star Trek transporter. And as the message became clear I got more and more excited and felt more and more guilty. I was excited as the Spirit was working through me to create this message but guilty that I didn’t trust God enough to not be anxious about it. I have been a pastor for 10 1/2+ years and God has not let me down. Every Sunday I was scheduled to preached, I preached a sermon. Never once did I show up on a Sunday morning with nothing.

And God does this in other ways in our lives; creates something out of nothing:
~ Opportunities to share our faith
~ Opportunities to serve one another
~ Faith where there was no faith
~ Purpose where there was hopelessness
~ Life where there was death

If only I had the faith to see this more often.

Oh God, increase my faith and sharpen my eyes to see you at work in this world.

Praise be to God!

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ A Prayer of Holiness

January 22, 2015January 22, 2015 / The Pastor / 1 Comment

But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. [Ephesians 5:3-4]

Holy God, I thank you that my eye lids opened to see this day you have made. I thank you that I am here in this world to glorify you. I thank you that you are using me to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But I need help; we need help.

There is so much filthiness around your children. So much impurity, sexual immorality, crudeness and foolishness. There is so much temptation and Satan is too strong for us.

Forgive your Church.
Strength your Church.
Purify your Church.
Send out your Church.

May this filthiness not be named among us and may we flee from its presence. May we run to you and may we seek refuge in your arms. Then, Oh God, lift us up that we may give you praise and speak of your goodness and holiness and grace and love. May we proclaim with boldness the death and resurrection of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins.

May we be holy as you are Holy.

Loving God, this task is too great for us and if it were left up to us then we would certainly bring it all to ruin.

May you be glorified and praised and worshiped; through Jesus Christ our Lord I pray, Amen.

May God bless your day as you strive for holiness and serve Him.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ What you really need to hear

January 21, 2015January 21, 2015 / The Pastor

And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” [Matthew 21:21-22]

Oh how these verses have been misunderstood and misapplied.
Oh how these verses have been abused and therefore have caused many people to go astray.

If you believe right and have enough faith you can get what you want and “live your best life now”. This is the mantra of the prosperity gospel (not THE Gospel of Jesus Christ). The likes of Joel Osteen have championed this theology and have garnered many adherents, thus leading many people astray. And the reason these prosperity theologians are so “successful” is that this message is something people think they need to hear.

Give me the secret to success.
Tell me how I can be happy now.
How can I feel fulfilled?
How can I live my best life now?

Everything is about this life, now, and nothing about the life to come. It’s about manipulating and controlling God to get what you want. Throw in talk of Jesus and faith and you have enough to trick people into thinking this theology is legit; from the Bible.

Lord have mercy.

But what was Jesus really teaching in Matthew 21 about faith and prayer? Was he giving us a magic formula to get what we want out of prayer?

Absolutely not!

Two things are being shown:
(1) You may have faith, but you still doubt.
(2) If you truly know God you will ask according to God’s will, not your own. It’s then that you receive what you pray for.

The big difference here is that it is not about your happiness now (your will) but your eternal joy (God’s will). It’s about aligning your will with God’s will. It’s about humbling yourself and admitting that you are a sinner. It’s about realizing that without Jesus you can not get out of this world alive. It’s about realizing that you are meant to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This life may be crappy but you still can have joy; that is if you believe Jesus is your Lord and Savior.

So don’t be fooled by false prophets and self-serving prosperity theologians by trying to reach for and cling to happiness in this life now but rather place your faith in Jesus Christ and cling to the hope of the resurrection. Don’t be fooled into thinking that it is about how you have faith rather than who you have faith in.

Jesus is life and salvation and therefore the source of true joy. That right there will give you peace. And THAT my friends is what you really need to hear.

Have a blessed day enjoying God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Be nice and love…EVERYONE

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 / The Pastor / 2 Comments

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. [Luke 6:35-36]

Wow, that’s a tough one. Love my enemies? Do good to them and lend to them? Expect nothing in return? This seems to be asking a lot. And why should I do all of this since my enemies have very little interest in loving me or doing good to me or even lending to me?

In a culture of, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”, we are not used to returning good for evil. If someone hurts you then you withhold love and goodness as a form of punishment. But more than that, we often withhold love and goodness as a way to protect ourselves from further injury and pain. We have a tendency to distance ourselves from our enemies

But this is not the way of the Gospel.

Instead, Jesus says love your enemies. What better way to proclaim the Gospel than to show love to those who are not expecting it or to those the world is not expecting you to show love to. This is the whole “heaping burning coals on their head” (Romans 12:20-21) thing; that we should not be overcome by evil but over come evil with good. A tall order. A difficult task. An awesome command.

Lord have mercy and help me.

But consider something else: Who are we to call people evil when we ourselves are evil? That’s right, God shows love and goodness and mercy to you and me; filthy sinners; evil; enemies of God. God sent Jesus to die for us because we are evil and sinful. God did not withhold his love from us even though in the economics of this world he had every right to do so. This, my friends, is what makes God’s love through Jesus Christ so amazing…

It’s undeserved.

Therefore, what better way to show God’s love than to love those we consider enemies, because who knows, we might win a new friend. Better yet, we might win a new brother/sister in Christ.

As God loves you through Jesus Christ, love one another…EVERYONE, to the praise and glory of God our Father.

Have a glorious and blessed day 🙂

The Pastor -|—

The Heart of a Pastor

"My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe." (Psalm 45:1)

Worthy

Morning devotions ~ Wait

Evening blessing and prayer

Morning devotions ~ THE War on Terror

Good night God

Something out of nothing

Morning devotions ~ A Prayer of Holiness

Morning devotions ~ What you really need to hear

Morning devotions ~ Be nice and love…EVERYONE