Morning devotions

Morning devotions ~ No distinctions

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” [Acts 15:11]

In the early years of the church, they were struggling with how to deal with Gentile converts. There were many disagreements among the Jews on what the Gentiles needed to do to be saved. For them, faith wasn’t enough but you needed to be circumcised as well. So finally, the elders in Jerusalem were discussing this when Peter chimed in (he was the one called by God to preach to Cornelius, a Gentile, in Acts 10. There, Peter realized that salvation is for all people through faith).

So why make distinctions?
Why place requirements on some for salvation?
Why place a greater burden on some to enjoy the gifts of God?

I believe the simple answer was, and still is in some cases, that many in the church want to maintain a sense of power and control. And maybe even to help maintain appearances. You can’t have just any person off the street in here. If so, then live like we live and dress like we dress.

What a shame that some believe this. But Jesus says:

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
(Luke 15:7 ESV)

Salvation is through faith alone in the crucified and risen Jesus Christ; that through his death and resurrection you have forgiveness of sins and thus will live forever. And therefore the church needs to be a place for messed up sinners, not a museum for saints. And in case you haven’t figured it out, YOU are a messed up sinner.

Jesus didn’t make distinctions and neither should we. Celebrate and give thanks that you are saved through faith ALONE and that you are welcomed even though you are still a messed up sinner.

What an awesome God we have. Praise be to God through our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ “Poison” people

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. [Acts 14:2]

Paul and his associates were preaching the Gospel in Iconium where many hearts were being turned to the Lord. The church was growing and people were turning away from their previous ways of life. But there were many who opposed Paul and the others; opposing the Good New of Jesus. So they tried to “poison the minds” of those who believed. Eventually, those who opposed the message tried to stone Paul and his crew but when they learned of the plot they fled to Lystra. At Lystra Paul proclaimed the Gospel but people from Iconium came and stirred up the people and this time they stoned Paul to “death”. But of course Paul did not die. Instead he continued proclaiming the Good News and then moved on.

There are many today who oppose the Good News of Jesus by trying to “poison the minds” of those who believe AND don’t believe. There are many who are going to try to steer you away from serving Christ. There are going to be many who are going to try to convince you that regular Sunday worship is not important. The media will continue to “poison” minds through inaccurate and biased reporting of Christians. The government and other groups will “poison” minds through oppressive rhetoric and legislation. And believe it or not, there are and will be many within the church or those who claim to be Christians that will “poison” minds through false teaching.

So many detractors out there. So much poison.

But what should our response be to those who would oppose the Gospel? Paul did not fight or argue or fire unsavory words at his detractors. When people oppose the message of Jesus; when people try to “poison your mind”; fire back in kind; “poison” their mind and heart with the Gospel.

Continue to live your faith.
Continue to announce forgiveness.
Continue to show love.
Continue to be bold.
Continue to walk in the Way and don’t not bend to popular opinion.

Your determination (the Holy Spirit working in your life) will give power to your words and actions but don’t stoop to the level of those who would “poison” you. Instead, rise up and boldly proclaim the name of Jesus. Don’t let detractors dictate your message. Don’t let opposition steer your path. Don’t let the fear of man control you but rather the fear of God.

The Good News is that God can not be opposed. Actually, God has already won through Jesus Christ. The enemy has already been defeated. Opposition is irrelevant.

So choose your “poison”, but choose wisely; for only one leads to eternal life.

Praise be to God and Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Don’t wait to be asked

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” [Acts 13:15]

After reading from the Law and the Prophets, the ruler of the synagogue urges Paul to share words of encouragement with all those gathered. No doubt they had heard of Paul and his ministry, now they want to hear for themselves. And so Paul goes on to talk about Jesus, who was crucified and raised from the dead. Paul shares that through this man (Jesus) there is forgiveness of sins and freedom from that which the Law of Moses could not free you.

Upon hearing Paul’s words of encouragement and the Good News they begged him to stay and say these things again the next day. And why wouldn’t they? When you hear Good News you just can’t get enough of it.

Christian, do you really know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you believe that your sins have been forgiven through faith in Jesus? Do you cling to the hope of the resurrection? I mean, do you really? Does this excite you and give you encouragement? Then don’t wait for people to find you and ask you to share words of encouragement, because chances are they won’t. If the Good News is really Good News then share words of encouragement without being asked.

And sometimes you don’t need to start out saying words. Sometimes your life is enough to get people’s attention. But don’t let that be enough for you. Don’t simply do things for others but also say words. Paul writes in Romans that faith comes through hearing (not seeing alone). Faith comes through words (not actions alone). Faith comes through YOU speaking words so therefore, do so without being asked.

But what am I saying, if Jesus is the Word of Life; I mean really the Word of Life for you, then you are probably already doing what I have said. If Jesus is not the Word of Life for you then I pray that the Holy Spirit infects your hearts with hope and leads you to faith in Jesus as your Savior.

And once you have said these words of encouragement, say them again and again because if people are anything like me, you just can’t get enough of the good stuff.

So in the words of TobyMac from his hit song Speak Life:

So speak Life, speak Life.
To the deadest darkest night.
Speak life, speak Life.
When the sun won’t shine and you don’t know why.
Look into the eyes of the brokenhearted;
Watch them come alive as soon as you speak hope,
You speak love, you speak…
You speak Life

Speak life and praise God always and forever. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Dare to believe

/ The Pastor

So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. [Acts 12:5]

King Herod has Peter thrown into prison and the Church begins earnest prayer for Peter. What we are NOT told is what they were praying for. Reading what happens next; that an angel rescued Peter and returned him to his church, one can surmise that they were praying for his release, but we don’t know.

The church might have been praying for his well being. They might have been praying for God to strengthen his faith to stand strong before Herod. They might have been praying for God’s will to be done. And maybe, they were praying for his release. Who knows. But when Peter knocks on the door of the house and it is reported that he is there, they don’t believe. The church is praying for Peter but don’t believe that he could possibly be there.

What a shame.

Yesterday before worship I got a report about a man that we have been praying for. He had a brain tumor (notice the tense of that last verb) but after 30 radiation treatments there is no sign of the tumor. The doctors at one time did not have much hope for this man but apparently God has other plans. He still has chemo to go through, but the tumor appears to be gone.

I just love giving the congregation reports like this. We had been praying for him to be healed in anyway that God sees he needs to be healed but deep down inside we were still hoping for a miracle.

Praise be to God!!!

It is OK to dare to pray for miracles. It is OK to dare to believe that God will do something amazing. But also:
~ Dare to believe that God is God and that His will, will always be done.
~ Dare to believe that God’s will is always perfect (even though it may not seem perfect at the time).
~ Dare to believe that God sees the big picture and knows what is best.
~ Dare to believe that God is in control.
~ Dare to believe that God is your Father and that you are His child.
~ Dare to believe that God will give you what you NEED, not necessarily what you WANT.

But also, dare to believe the miracle of all miracles:
Jesus Christ dying on a cross and then rising from the dead that you may be forgiven and thus live forever with him.

If nothing else, dare to believe that.

Holy Father, grant us the faith to believe and trust in your wisdom and mercy. Help us to see that as a loving father provides for his children, that YOU do so and more. May we dare to believe that you can do the miraculous and may we praise and worship you always and forever, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Don’t be offended

/ The Pastor

And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” [Matthew 11:6]

What kind of people offend you? Rude people? People who tell racist jokes? Those who gossip about your friends or family? Those who make fun of your looks or heritage or religion? Those who say you are not good enough?

No doubt you have been offended by someone and probably not too long ago. And when someone offends you, what do you do? Run away? Confront them? Go on the offensive trying to offend the offender? Get violent?

Sometimes the offense is unintentional but whatever the case, when we are offended; a wall has been built and a relationship has been cut off. You want nothing more to do with that person since they obviously don’t understand you or care about you.

And then we have Jesus; the great offender. Seems kind of strange to say that but it is true. One of my favorite seminary professors told us early in our seminary education that the Gospel is offensive to some. And how true that is. The Gospel tells you that:

~ YOU are a sinner
~ YOU are worthy of death
~ YOUR good works do nothing to make God love you more
~ ALL your best efforts still fall short of God’s expectations
~ YOUR heart is full of evil and sin
~ YOU will die on your own

A sinner hears statements like that and it’s offensive. People want to hear the “good stuff”; how they can be successful not how bad they are. So it is no wonder why people are offended by the Gospel, especially in a culture where many so-called preachers are saying that everything will be alright if you just believe correctly or think correctly or dream big enough. That’s not the Gospel. And actually, it’s quite offensive to this pastor.

The fact of the matter (the Gospel) is that YOU are not good enough but JESUS is.

YOU fall short but JESUS does not.
YOU displease God but JESUS does not.
YOU are filled with sin but JESUS is not.
YOU are not worthy but JESUS is.

And the Gospel is that through faith in Jesus you are connected to him and thus live. If this offends you then you will be lost forever, but blessed is the one who is not offended by Jesus.

Holy God, grant us the faith to receive this Gospel. Help us to see that we fall short and that our only hope is to run into the arms of Jesus. May we never be offended by you, instead may we see you as our loving Father, wanting us to live with you forever. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Messing with heads

/ The Pastor

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [Romans 5:8]

Isn’t this awesome; that God would show such an amazing love even though we are sinners. But better yet, God shows this amazing love because we are sinners. This is what is called unconditional love. And praise be to God for that because we would never live up to God’s demands and expectations.

So if God shows us this kind of love shouldn’t we show this same kind of love to one another; especially our enemies?

[In case you’re wondering, the answer to the previous question is ~ YES]

Too often we make our love for people conditional. If they are nice to us then we are nice to them. But Jesus says, what reward is there in that, even the Gentiles do that; even those outside the faith. But when you show unconditional love to those you feel don’t deserve it and those who are not expected it, you proclaim the love of Christ and show people that there is something “usual” about you.

I have always enjoyed this fun-loving quote:
Love your enemies. It messes with their heads.

I giggle at this but there is Gospel truth there. Your enemies are not expecting love from you. They expect revenge or apathy or coldness from you but not love. So try it sometime. Show Christ’s love to an “enemy” and see what happens. It may tick them off at first, but keep at it. Keep at it and proclaim Christ’s love. Keep at it and Praise God always and forever.

God of love, your love is amazing. You love is life-giving. And your love is something I don’t deserve. Help me to receive this love into my heart so that I can show this love to others; not to my glory but to your glory Oh God. Thank you, God, for showing me unconditional love, in Jesus name I pray. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ No day off

/ The Pastor

For this pastor Friday is a day off but not a day off. It is a day off as it pertains to my “work” but not a day off as it pertains to my faith journey, as there is never a day off in that regard.

As you pursue God you should never get tired. If you are then you might be doing it wrong. Pursuing God should be a joy. It should be life giving. It should be faith building. It should be a constant and consistent part of your life.

So pursue, enjoy, grow, worship and live. And do so without a break, because when you think about it, God never ever takes a day off from you.

And with that I am going to continue MY day off but not day off as a enjoy God with my two beautiful children.

Praise be to God, always and forever. Amen

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Unclean and then clean

/ The Pastor

And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. [Matthew 8:2-3]

I love this interaction between this leper and Jesus; for here I see my own sinfulness but also the grace and love of God.

Here we have the unclean; humbly and faithfully and boldly, coming to Jesus even though it was not socially acceptable for him to do so. Actually, it was against the Law. This unclean outcast desperately seeking cleansing, healing and restoration. And he demands nothing but rather throws himself at the mercy of Jesus.

IF you will…

And before Jesus even says a word Jesus lets his actions speak love and mercy by reaching out to touch that which no one would have dreamed of touching. And after the leper feels the touch of Jesus he hears those life giving words:

I will; be clean

And that’s it. This outcast is clean and restored and healed and brought back into communion with God. I imagine there was much joy for the leper following this act of love and mercy…

…and GRACE.

And you too, O sinner, are unclean. That’s right, I’m talking to you; the one reading this.
YOU are unclean.
YOU are a sinner.
YOU are separated from God.
And YOU are in need of healing. If you don’t agree with me then too bad, for you can’t escape this fact. But there is hope for there is Jesus. Just call out to God in the name of Jesus and you too will be cleansed.

So will you, O sinner, join me in calling out to God?

O God, if you will, you can forgive me. I am a sinner. I have hurt others and especially you. And I especially want to confess_________. Have mercy on me. Touch me. Restore me. Make me whole again. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

And now, O sinner, hear the words of God:

My beloved child, I am more than willing, you are forgiven.

O sinner, rejoice and be glad. Through faith in Jesus you are made whole.

Praise be to God and Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Don’t be lazy

/ The Pastor

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [Matthew 7:21]

Dear Christian, it is a dangerous thing to be so secure in your salvation that you become complacent. It is a dangerous thing to think you can coast through life without “working out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2). It is a dangerous thing to think that the Christian life is a spectator sport. For if this is what you are doing, then you don’t know Jesus.

May you not find yourself in a position where the door is being shut in your face because you traveled down the wrong road. I imagine (because I can’t say for certain since I am not God) many a “Christian” have lived a “secure” life because they have “put their time in” or because they thought they were already through the door and then found themselves being rejected by the one they through they were following, because they really did not know Jesus. That is a terrifying thing to think about.

Instead, O Christian, work out your salvation with fear and trembling (as the apostle Paul so eloquently says).  See your salvation through faith in Jesus as a wonderful gift and then seek to do the will of God. Search him out and listen. Listen and then do. Do and rejoice. Rejoice and glorify God.

When you truly know your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and what he has done for you, then you are not going to want to sit on the sidelines. When you realize what salvation truly means you are going to want to “get into the game” in order to glorify God and share with others this awesome God.

So dear Christian, don’t be lazy. When you say, Lord, Lord” actually mean it. Get to know the real Jesus and work out your gift of salvation with fear and trembling.

Praise be to God, always and forever. Amen

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ God can handle it

/ The Pastor

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
[Matthew 6:33-34]

Oh dear Christian, there is so much to worry about in this life and so little that can be changed by worrying. There is so much to worry about in this life and so much that can be lost by worrying. There is so much to worry about in this life but we have such a big God to handle our worries.

But what can be lost by worrying?

First off, we are not guaranteed tomorrow so worrying about tomorrow seems to be a waste of time. Deal with what you can control now and go from there; placing tomorrow in God’s hands.

But second, worrying now takes you away from a great and joyous pursuit: Seeking God’s Kingdom and enjoying all that God is.

When you worry about things that you have no control over you are placing such pursuits over God and actually making said worries a god over God almighty. But you are also robbing yourself the opportunity to enjoy God and see God’s mighty hand at work in your life; however that may look.

When I worry too much and get anxious about the many ministry demands in my life everything is effected. My chest starts to hurt as my heartburn kicks into high gear. I get distracted by such pains thinking that this might be “it”. So I stop what I am doing and maybe go home for a while to rest and calm down, all the while worrying about what I should be doing. I vicious cycle. Grrr.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

What if you actually did that and sought God’s kingdom and his righteousness? I am not giving you permission to be lazy and neglect your to do list, but what if you spent more time enjoying God’s promises and less time worrying about things you can’t control. When you can do that then you can spend more time witnessing to others as you live for God.

Now that sounds like a good plan:
(1) Seek and pursue God
(2) Enjoy God’s promises
(3) Watch God do His Mighty thing in your life
(4) Receive all you truly need

Deal with today and let tomorrow rest in God’s hands. Trust him, God can handle it.

Praise be to God, always and forever.

The Pastor -|—