Whom do you follow?

/ The Pastor

It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
[Psalm 118:8-9]

Sound advice but one that is hard to put in actual practice especially during an active political season where promises are being made left and right by individuals trying to earn your trust and get your vote.

And these promises grab our attention because:
~ We see the economic struggles around us.
~ We see poverty and homeless in our communities.
~ We see people struggling to find work.
~ We see people scraping to get by each month.
~ We see troubles all around us.

Or…you may find yourself smack dab in the middle of the chaos and are looking for a savior.

But then ~ someone comes along who promises they can fix things; turn the economy around; create jobs and put more money in our pockets. When that person (or political party) makes these promises we are tempted to give them our “worship”.  After all, if they can fix what is wrong in our lives, why shouldn’t we follow them.

But here’s the problem…

…when we follow man we will be lead astray for they can only take us so far; for they are mortal and will not last forever.  If we put our trust in man/princes alone we may be happy for a season but it won’t last.

But…

…when we put our trust in the Lord we will have a joy that WILL last forever despite any hardships we may face now.  For only God can give us what we truly need: forgiveness and everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So put your faith in the Lord.
Find your refuge in God our Creator.
Place your trust in Jesus Christ.

And know true JOY ~ all the while praying for those who are in elected office and running for office; praying that God may use them.

But place your trust in the Lord, not in man.

edh -|—

Eyes of Faith

/ The Pastor

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
[1 John 5:13-15]

A big misconception I keep running into about the Christian faith is that we can somehow get what we want from God when we pray.

If we live the right kind of life.
If we are kind to others.
If we volunteer enough.
If we serve in the church.
If we bring hot meals to the home bound.
If we are “good” people (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that one).
If we ask in the right way.
Etc, etc, etc…

And when people don’t get what they want they become disillusioned  about God and the whole point of even trying to be a Christian.  The problem isn’t that God is being a bully but that we are not understanding who God is and what our relationship looks like.  We are not understanding our place in this creation and what God has called us to be.  Despite what Joel Osteen says we can’t get what we want from God if we try really hard or have the right attitude.

It’s not about us or getting what we want when we want it, it’s about giving praise and glory to God.

Scripture repeatedly talks about praying according to God’s will.  The problem is that sometimes our will doesn’t line up with God’s will.  In that case we need to pray for understanding and patience.  We need to have eyes of faith to see what God is up to.  We need to understand that we are to draw others to God and we do that by living according to God’s will.

It might not be God’s will that you get that promotion or new job.
It might not be God’s will that your child get’s into that Ivy League school.
It might not be God’s will that healing comes.

But God’s will…whatever it is…WILL be awesome, because, well…it’s from our sovereign God.

So the next time you pray open your eyes of faith and watch God do His thing.  And the more we do that the more we come in line with his will.  And what a place to be.

edh -|—

Majestic!

/ The Pastor

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
[Psalm 8:1]

What a great refrain.

It is a phrase of submission to God.
It is a phrase of humility (on our part).
It is a phrase of worship.
It is a phrase of Truth.

Our God is majestic…and wonderful…and great…and loving…and forgiving…and merciful…and sovereign (and the list could go on).  So that phrase from Psalm 8 just seems appropriate.  God is our Creator so no one or no thing is above God for what created thing can be above that which created them.

Our Lord is majestic and worthy of all praise.

So the question is: How are you praising God today?
Or maybe the question is: Are you praising God today…and everyday?

For me ~ there is no one who can do what God has done or will do.  No one can save me like God through Jesus Christ.  No one is as patient with me as God is.  No one loves me as God does. No one is as mindful of me as God.

No one!

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

May God bless your day as you bask in the glow of His radiant love.  Praise be to God…Amen!

edh -|—

Starting your day

/ The Pastor

How do you start your day?  Maybe the coffee maker is set up the night before so you can wake up to the sweet nectar that is coffee.  Maybe you roll out of bed and turn Sports Center on.  Maybe you turn on the radio or the CD player.  Maybe you are an early morning runner (like I am sometimes) or hit the fitness center.  Maybe you start by feeding the kids.

Whatever the case, we have our routines that we like and (sometimes) very much depend on.  For me…my routine varies throughout the week depending on the day (don’t worry…I won’t bore you with the details):
~ Sunday has its own morning routine for obvious reasons.
~ Monday – Wednesday routines share a common thread.
~ Thursday is slightly different since it is sermon prep and scotcheroo day 🙂
~ Friday is my day off (Sabbath Day).
~ Saturday is just different.

But whatever is going on; whatever is happening; where ever you are, there is one common thread I would suggest you adopt or strengthen:
Prayer and scripture

I used to be an ESPN guy in the morning but I have noticed that starting my day with God has made a huge difference.  Instead of sports flooding my thinking I am focused on God as a tackle a new day.  Instead of reflecting on my fantasy football players I am thinking about my Salem and Belmont members.  Instead of looking ahead to the next game I am looking ahead to who needs a pastoral care visit.  My morning routine definitely effects the way I see my day.

“This is the day the Lord (not Sports Center) has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.“  (Psalm 118:24 ~ with “Sports Center” being my addition…obviously).

Let us praise the Lord for this new day!

edh -|—

Creative cross

/ The Pastor

This is too cool not to share.

My release time kids were using crayons to write prayers to God and then seal them in an envelope to read later.  After we were done I asked a couple of the kids to round up the crayons and put them away.

This is what I found 🙂

I love it that these kids thought to do this.

 

But enough said…praise be to God!

edh -|—

Flowing words

/ The Pastor

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
[2 Peter 1:16-21]

I was asked one time by a family member: “How do you come up with all those sermons?”  [He was amazed that for as long as I had been a pastor that I could still come up with a sermon each and every week.]

My response: “God”
Family member: “Yes, I know that, but how do you write one every week?”
My response: “God”

I could tell he wasn’t getting the answer he either wanted or expected as the conversation quickly shifted to another person and another topic.

Peter here is saying the same thing.  He, and the rest of the apostles, are not making this message of Jesus up.
~ It did not come from clever arguments.
~ It did not come from misdirection.
~ It did not come from witty one liners.
The message of the Gospel came from their eye witness experience.  But not only should people rely on the apostles’ eye witness experience of Jesus but on the prophetic word itself that comes from Jesus.

I am not an actual eye witness of Jesus but I have met him.  I do know him.  I do have a relationship with him. So I share and proclaim what I know.  But even more than that the Holy Spirit speaks this prophetic word through me.  It is not me who “comes up with these sermons” but rather they are inspired by the Holy Spirit (some weeks I listen better than others).  I know this to be true because I am NOT a good writer, preacher or speaker and if it were left up to me I would surely bring it all to ruin.

You see…what we share with others, as Christians, is the prophetic word that has been passed down to all who believe.  We share what we know.  We share what JESUS said.  And the word we hear from the Holy Spirit we would do well to listen to.  Why?

This Word is life.

So preaching (whether it is the pastor or a lay person sharing their faith) is not about trying to come up with a clever message, but about trusting the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the prophetic word that needs to be proclaimed.  If you know Jesus then you know his Word, and therefore there is nothing to make up.  Share what you know; trusting the Holy Spirit.

So just listen and pay attention to JESUS’ Word of life…and let the words flow.
Amen!

edh -|—

Encouragement in the Psalms

/ The Pastor

Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry come to you!
Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress!
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call!
[Psalm 102:1-2]

I like the Psalms. The range of emotion helps me put things into perspective.

There are Psalms of praise.
There are Psalms of lament and complaining.
There are Psalm of whining.

And then these Psalms usually end with some statement of God’s faithfulness.
Often times these Psalms follow this pattern:
“Where are you God”
“How long O God?”
“Why aren’t you listening to me?”

And then…

“God, you are awesome!”
“God, you are great!”
“God, you are worthy of praise!”

I read these Psalms and I am encouraged in my faith journey.  I am encouraged because I often feel the same way these psalmists feel…but I sometimes forget about God’s love and faithfulness.  You see…the God that the psalm’s is talking about is the God I want to get to know.  That is the God who I want to be close to.  That is the God I want to worship.  Scripture doesn’t promise an easy road, but Scripture does promise a faithful and loving God.

So lift your complaints, laments and whining to God but also know that God will not abandon you.  God will be faithful for you are his beloved child;  redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ.

That’s the God I want to know better.

edh -|—

Worship God…not yourself

/ The Pastor

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
[Psalm 95:1-5]

If you ever needed a reason to go to worship, Psalm 95 lays it out for you. The problem is that many people would prefer to write a Psalm about themselves and talk about what their exploits and what they believe God should do for them.  For many…worship is all about them.

We have a messed up view of worship…hence the many “worship wars” that congregations experience.  The wars come from an attitude of “entertain me“.  If something doesn’t entertain them then it should not be done.  And in the midst of the worship wars, the true reason for worship gets lost.

For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

When was the last time you went to worship with no other reason than to sing praise to God, thank God for His awesome love in Jesus Christ and to lift up His holy name for His awesome deeds?

When was the last time to went to worship FOR GOD and not FOR YOU?

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
[Psalm 100]
God is holy.
God is worthy.
God is…well…God…so worship God and God alone for God has been and always will be faithful.
Praise be to GOD, always and forever.
Amen!
edh -|—

Don’t be like a demon

/ The Pastor

“But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” [James 2:18-19]

It is one thing to sit in worship on Sunday morning; singing, confessing, listening and the like but quite another to practice what you say you believe outside the walls of the church building.  Complacent and apathetic Christians are not what God has called us to.  Sitting on our butts as spectators watching a sporting event is not the Christian life. I love that phrase “even the demons believe” that God in Jesus exists.  The difference is that they do not reflect God’s glory on their actions.

So the real question is this:
Are you like a demon?

Ouch!

It’s a harsh truth to face but it is one we need to see.  Live your faith…don’t just talk about it.

edh -|—

Ask

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

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. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
[James 1:5-8]

How many times have you gone to God asking for wisdom?
“God…grant me wisdom.”
“Help me to understand what to do.”
“Guide me.”

I have uttered those prayers many times.  I have asked God to lead me.  I have asked God to give me wisdom  The problem is that God wants to do this and when God does we often times don’t listen, believe or trust.  I think it is because that we don’t like the answer we get.

“Really God?  That’s what you want me to do?”
“I can’t do that.”
“That is going to be too hard.”

Sound familiar?

Imagine if we actually listened and trusted God when we prayed those prayers.
Imagine all that we could accomplish for the glory of God if we used the wisdom that God has for us.

Believe it or not, God knows what God is doing.  God has been around the block a few times.  God sees the whole picture (and we don’t).

So pray and believe…

…and imagine….and then pray some more…and listen…and trust…and then do.

God will be faithful.

edh -|—