Oh God, raise up a prophet in this congregation; one who clearly hears Your voice, and command them to faithfully proclaim that word to Your church. May we then have ears to hear and the faith to obey and follow wherever You lead. May we boldly go when You call and may we not look back; keeping our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. This church does not belong to us. Oh God, to You be the glory in all that we do. In Jesus name, Amen.
Plowing Forward
Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” [Luke 9:62 ESV]
When Jesus calls you to follow, he is not looking for excuses.
When Jesus calls you to follow, he doesn’t mean finish your to-do-list first.
When Jesus calls you to follow, you are not to long for that which you left.
When Jesus calls you to follow, you are to follow with eyes wide open and focused on him.
For when Jesus calls you to follow, he is to be the priority above everything and everyone else. Yours eyes are to be firmly fixed on him; moving forward without hesitation. But why is this such a struggle for people? Why do people cling to what they have or look back at what they left? It is simple, really. They don’t truly trust that Jesus knows what he is talking about. When times got tough for the people of God that Moses was leading in the wilderness, what did they do? They started to long for their captivity in Egypt. This didn’t sit well with God (to put it mildly). God demanded trust and so does Jesus when he calls you to follow.
When you begin to follow Jesus but keeping looking back at what you left, you quickly veer off course. Jesus words about the hand on the plow and looking back are poignant. If you are plowing a field, your eyes need to be focused on a fixed object on the horizon, otherwise your row will be crocked – every single time. You WILL go off course.
Jesus is the fixed object on the horizon – AND – is the one who walks by your side. When He calls you to follow, trust the fixed destination and the one who walks with you. When your eyes are firmly fixed on Jesus you will never, ever go of course. The course may get bumpy and scary and troublesome. But come on, people, it’s Jesus. He’s got this.
When you put your hand on the plow and move forward with Jesus, keep going and do not look back. I promise you, you will not regret it and will never miss what you left.
The Intoxicating Word of God
By a word You created all that there is.
By a lying word the serpent deceives all.
By Your Word of hope You redeemed creation.
By Your Word of promise You sustain my life.
Therefore oh God…
The taste of Your Word is sweetness in my mouth.
The sound of Your Word is music in my ears.
For the power of Your Word defeats evil;
Giving hope, peace and life to a sin-stained soul.
Your Word is a delicacy that’s unmatched;
the value of which that can not be measured.
It is a treasure that is beyond all worth.
A gift in which, “Thank you” is just not enough.
So to consume Your Word is a daily feast;
A feast that my heart can never get enough.
Your Word, oh God, is so intoxicating,
That is keeps me coming back for more and more.
Praise Befitting
Praise the Lord ! Praise the Lord , O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
[Psalms 146:1-2 ESV]
Praise is befitting You for You are glorious.
Your beauty is beyond words,
for when I gaze at Your creation I stand in silent awe.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg,
for to see Your full glory and beauty would short-circuit my brain;
not to mention that as a sinner I can’t see You face to face and live.
Your beauty is beyond words,
and,
Your holiness is perfect.
And thus as a sin-stained creature I am nothing in Your sight.
But You, Oh Lord my God, are full of
Mercy
Grace
Compassion
Forgiveness
Yes, praise is befitting You for You do not give to me as I deserve.
But You gave me Jesus.
Oh wow, You gave me Jesus.
Your beauty is beyond words.
Your holiness is perfect.
and Your love is amazing.
Yes, Lord, Your love; for You are love.
Ohhhh,
I am at a lose for words as I meditate on You.
May even my groanings and sighings be praise befitting You.
Praise to You, oh Lord!
Praise to You!
Salvation and Submission
This is part of the Great Thanksgiving liturgy in the service of Holy Communion that I wrote for this morning. The inspiration comes from the Gospel text, Luke 8:26-39. To God be the glory!
It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, oh God, Kings of kings and Lord of lords.
You reign supreme over all creation, yet you are closer to us than we are to ourselves.
You are a God that knows our hearts better than we know ourselves.
You know our deepest and darkest secrets.
You know our longings.
You demand obedience.
You demand submission.
You demand holiness.
Yet, we fall short continually. We are sinners, but you are a God that saves. You have redeemed our lives through Jesus Christ; conquering the demon of sin. You have freed us and cleansed us. You have prepared our home. For this reason, we go and proclaim all that You have done for us. And so, with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we join in singing Your unending praise…
Beautiful Jesus
We worship God because he sent Jesus to reveal His love and grace to sinful people through his death and resurrection. As you prepare to worship on this Lord’s Day, reflect on the beauty of Jesus; the glory that shines forth revealing the Father. Don’t enter your places of worship out of a sense of duty to one another, but because of what God has done through Jesus Christ. As the psalmist says, in Psalm 27:4, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.“
The following poem is dedicated to the beauty of Jesus…
Lord Jesus you are beautiful,
And your heart is full of mercy.
Your love is all encompassing,
Your compassion has no boundary.
Your presence gives me holy peace,
Your comfort soothes my broken heart.
I was weak, blind and oh so lost,
From you I’ll never be apart.
You shine forth the Father’s glory,
Your face glows brighter than the sun.
Your beauty takes my breath away,
And with you I am so undone.
I long to gaze upon your face,
And to bask in your loving glow.
Lord Jesus you are beautiful,
And its you that I want to know.
Thy Will Praying
Your Word is truth.
Your Word is life.
Your Word is powerful.
Your Word is right.
Your Word illumines.
Your Word reveals.
Your Word convicts.
Your Word heals.
Your Word teaches.
Your Word guides.
Your Word is wisdom.
Therein Your will resides.
And yet…
I am often repetitious in praying according to MY will and not Yours. Teach me to pray rightly, oh God. Show me by Your Word how to pray according to Your will. Guide my heart in seeking Your will continually.
Teach me, oh God, teach me.
I know that Your Word is perfect; without flaw.
I know that Your Word is eternal.
Forgive me for when I seek my flawed will.
Forgive me for I am selfish.
Help me, Oh God, help me.
Help me to know Your will.
Your Word is THE excellent starting point;
The very Word I profess to hold high.
So open my heart and send Your Spirit,
That I may engage Your Word.
May I hear Your will and pray thus.
May I know Your will and seek thus.
May my selfish ways fall away.
Oh God, THY will be done.
Amen.
Peace-Filled Sleep
As You stand watch over me,
I can rest in peace this night.
I can close my eyes and sleep,
And Know that I’ll be alright.
For Satan will not distress,
Nor demons ever annoy.
Evil will not disturb me,
Nor devils ever destroy.
So,
I rest secure,
And You ensure,
That my life is surely Thine.
I sleep in peace,
Your love won’t cease,
Thus Satan should just resign.
Oh Jesus died for my sins.
My life is most surely His.
I will not fret,
And won’t forget,
Through him I certainly win.
So if death comes near to me,
Looking for this life to take.
I still won’t fear,
For You are near,
And with You I’ll always be.
So yes I will close my eyes.
In peace I will surely sleep.
My life is claimed,
In Jesus’ name,
Thus my life has no demise.
Why Praise is Due
You are my sunshine,
Though the clouds roll in.
You are my shelter,
That I live within.
You are my buckler,
Who defends my soul.
You are my strong shield,
You that I extol.
You are my safe place,
A place of true peace.
You are my comfort,
My life will not cease.
You are my Savior,
Lord Jesus he saves.
You’re my Redeemer,
I fear not the grave.
You are my strong Rock,
On You I’ll not fall.
You’re my foundation,
On You I’ll stand tall.
You are my Father,
Whose arms I run to.
You are my Keeper,
You’re always in view.
You’re my everything,
Your love is so true.
You’re my awesome God,
That’s why praise is due.
We Will Praise the Lord
“Praise the Lord ! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.” [Psalm 111:1 ESV]
I pastor a congregation who can be described as a “church in a box”. What I mean by that is each and every Sunday a trailer is backed up to the building we rent at a county park. The trailer is then unloaded so we can set up for worship. Following our 9:00 AM worship, the take-down crew gets to work as we need to vacate the building by 11:30 AM. As long as this pastor doesn’t get too long winded, we still have plenty of time for Sunday school/Coffee fellowship time. For 10 years this congregation has had that routine. I’ve been part of that routine for the past 3 years.
Now, we are investigating a former church building that is up for sale. The location is a little farther away, but the size is great, the lot is big enough for expansion and the price is in our ballpark. There are still many questions that need to be answered, but the excitement is high. What is God up too? That is the question we are trying to discern. Is this God gift-wrapping a property for us that He may be glorified or is Satan presenting a stumbling block to trip and derail this congregation? Questions, questions and more questions. God help us.
Whatever the outcome I echo the psalmist in the verse above. Praise the Lord ! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Yes, Sundays are a challenge, especially considering this is an aging congregation. We don’t have the freedom to do certain things when we want to do them because the building is not ours (i.e. When funerals happen, we have to make phone calls to find a venue). But where ever God places us, we will worship and praise the Lord. We will praise the Lord in the company of the upright. The upright made that way through our common faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We will worship corporately as a congregation because we love the Lord and we love to be together:
– whether it is at a building in the park or in a school or in someone’s pole barn, we will praise the Lord.
– whether we have to meet in living rooms, basements or garages, we will praise the Lord.
– whether we have to share space in someone else’s fellowship hall, wander from place to place, or meet in a tent outside, we will praise the Lord.
With that said, my prayer is that we keep our eye on the ball and remember who we are and whose we are. We are not here to build our kingdom but we are here to advance THE Kingdom. I can not say that enough. If this place is being gift-wrapped by God for us, I will gladly unwrap it and give glory to God. If this is Satan putting a stumbling block in our way, then I say to him, “Go back to hell. We will worship the Lord where ever God places us.”
Praise the Lord where ever you are, for it is right to give God thanks and praise in all places and at all times. Praise the Lord, all you people – the upright, the congregation – praise the Lord.
The Heart of a Pastor 