Morning devotions

Don’t Be a Frog (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you. [1 Timothy 6:20-21]

These verses from my morning Bible reading snacked me in the face; for this spoke volumes about what is going on in our culture and the Church. It’s a warning that desperately needs to be heeded today.

In these verses, the apostle Paul is warning his young companion and partner in the ministry to remember what he came to believe and whom he came to believe in:

guard the deposit entrusted to you.

Paul then goes on to warn Timothy to avoid the “knowledge” that some claim to be biblical and godly; for these people have swerved from the faith. People are trying to distort the Gospel for their own purposes. Some oppose the Gospel and are trying to make it something that it is not. There are many false prophets going around and some claiming to be speaking the truth.

And this is very dangerous. It’s the wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing thing. It looks and sounds good but really it’s irreverent babble and contradictions. As I have preached and taught before, anyone can stand in front of a group of people; wave a Bible around and make godly sounding claims that really have no basis in scripture whatsoever. The sure defense to this, though, is to guard the deposit entrusted to you. Remember what you came to believe and know your Bible. One of the joys of theology is that it does not change. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. So if a new thing about God is being taught; be very, very leery. If someone is trying to tell you what the biblical writers “really meant”, run away fast.

And this is exactly what is going on today. Thousands of years of Church teaching is changing. But the problem is that it has been changing at such a slow rate that many in the Church haven’t noticed a thing. Remember how to boil a frog? You don’t throw it into boiling water but rather into cool water and slowly increase the temperature so they don’t notice they are being boiled to death.

The Church is being boiled to death,

but very few people are taking notice. Instead they are engaging in irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”. We need to guard that deposit and remember what we came to believe in and whom we believe. We need to remember that the Bible (ALL of the Bible) is God’s word. We need to honest with ourselves but more importantly we need to be bold and courageous in our faith.

The time to jump out of the water is now, before it is too late.
Don’t be a frog.

guard the deposit entrusted to you
Remain faithful
Cling to and proclaim THE Truth
Don’t swerve from the faith

And…

Grace be with you.

Holy God, You have entrusted the Church with the Truth of the Gospel. May we cling to that Truth and proclaim that Truth, all the while avoiding irreverent myths and false knowledge. May You be glorified. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Doing Prayer Right (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [1 Timothy 2:1-2]

As a man of prayer, one of the things I struggle with is prayer. Sounds like a contradiction but if, as a Christian, you are not struggling with prayer, then you might be doing it wrong.

What do I mean by this?

Paul is teaching his young companion, Timothy, to pray for ALL people, not just family or the people you like. Not just for those you want to manipulate, but for ALL people. And Paul says that “all people” includes kings and those in high positions. Today, the “all people” would include our president, lawmakers, judges, state and local leaders, school board members, your church council/session.

All people, no matter how you feel towards them.
politicians
that cranky neighbor
that ex who cheated on you
ISIS
ruthless dictators
that parishioner who is spreading lies about you

All people

Paul says that we ought to do this that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. But also, we ought to be doing this because God desires to see all people saved. This doesn’t mean that all people will be saved, but God desires it. God knows whom he has elected for salvation but you and I don’t. So therefore we are to pray for all people. But your prayers shouldn’t be selfish in nature but rather that they may come to know God or have their faith strengthened or that they may not fall into temptation or that they may lead with wisdom or…(and you get the point).

We are to pray for all people not to get ahead but rather that they may come to know salvation through Jesus Christ.

But I have also come to discover a “selfish” side effect of praying for all people. Is there is a person in your life who has hurt you or raises your blood pressure to a point that you feel chest pains?

Pray for them.

I have discovered that it is really hard to be mad at someone that you are praying for. And if you are still mad while praying for that person, then you might be doing it wrong.

Pray for ALL people that GOD may be glorified.

Holy God, I desire to have a relationship with you but I also know that your heart is for all people. May my heart be like Yours, oh God, that I may see others as people worthy to be prayed for as You would like. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

What is Acceptable to God? (Psalm 19:14)

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord , my rock and my redeemer. [Psalm 19:14]

The words of my mouth.
The meditations of my heart.

Have you ever thought about those two things? Have you ever given any consideration about not only what comes out of your mouth but also what you are meditating on in your heart?

You see…

These two things are intimately tied together; for what you are meditating on in your heart is going to eventually come out in your words and/or actions. So it only makes sense that we ask God to let that which is in our heart be acceptable to God. What comes out of our mouth can be judged by others but only God can judge what is in your heart. But then again, if what is in your heart eventually comes out in your words and actions then eventually people are going to judge your heart as well. Right or wrong, they (and you) will judge the heart.

So do a preemptive strike and commit your heart to God.

Ask that your meditations be acceptable to God.
Ask that your words glorify God.
Ask that your actions point to our Rock and Redeemer.

Begin with your heart because that will direct your words and actions. When you don’t know what to say or what to do, what you truly believe in your heart will come out. When you are in moments that demand words then what you are meditating and dwelling on will be the first to emerge.

If you are dwelling on a hurt
If you are dwelling on a sin
If you are dwelling on hate
If you are dwelling on someone else’s mistake(s)

These things will eventually show its ugly head in your words/deeds.

So…

Meditate and dwell on God and His wonderful mercy and grace and compassion and love and forgiveness. If you are meditating on this then that which Satan would rather you meditate on will be pushed to the back burner and squashed.

May your heart be found acceptable to God.

Father God, heal my heart that it may meditate on that which is good and acceptable to You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

I Call Upon You (Psalm 18:3)

/ The Pastor

I call upon the Lord , who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. [Psalm 18:3]

Oh Lord, I call upon You this morning as I rise from bed to enjoy another day; for this is indeed the day You have made so therefore I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Oh Lord, I call upon You this morning as I rise from bed to face another day; for it will be filled with temptations to run away from You. May You grant me strength and courage and faith to seek Your lovely and beautiful face and run into Your mighty arms.

Oh Lord, I call upon You this morning as I rise from bed to face another day to immediately commit everything to You. There is much to be done in Your kingdom and on my own I would be overwhelmed with the tasks that I would certainly bring all to ruin.

Oh Lord, I call upon You this morning as I rise from bed to face another day; knowing that I am afflicted with the spiritual cancer of sin. In the name of Jesus, please heal me and forgive me and lead me in ways of holiness and righteousness that I may glorify You today.

Oh Lord, I call upon You this morning as I rise from bed to face another day; ready to battle the forces in this world that are hell-bent on leading as many people away from You as possible. Help me to see that I don’t fight alone but rather as David faced Goliath so I face this world with You.

Oh Lord, I call upon you this morning as I rise from bed to face another day; ready to receive those who You will place in my path. May I make the most of every opportunity to share my faith in You through Jesus Christ.

Oh Lord, I call upon you this morning as I rise from bed to face another day because You and You alone are my Lord and Savior and God; and you have saved me from my enemies. All praise to You this day and always. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

May God bless your day as you enjoy and bask in His awesome love.

The Pastor -|—

Don’t be Shaken; be Stirred (Psalm 16:7-8)

/ The Pastor

There are times, like the apostle Paul in Philippians 1:23, that I want to hasten my departure from this world in order to be with the Lord (and not in a suicidal way). There are times I just want to be done with the anti-Christian rhetoric that seems to be growing. There are times I just want to be done with stories of ISIS reigning terror on many people. There are times I just want to be done with politicians who don’t get it; who don’t care or understand the concept of freedom OF religion and instead hold to the concept of freedom FROM religion. There are times that I just want to throw my hands up in the air and say,

“Lord, come and take me home. Come, and establish your kingdom in this world. Come, and begin your eternal reign.”

Yes, that would be nice, to be with the Lord; away from sin and death and persecution. But then there is the other side of me (like Paul in Philippians 1:24) that says I need to remain here for the benefit of others. And when I think about that I am overwhelmed.

Who am I to think that I can be a benefit to anyone?
Who am I to think that I have anything to offer?
Who am I to think that I can make a difference?

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. [Psalm 16:7-8]

It is NOT you who can do anything but the Lord who gives counsel.

Last night I posted some verses from Proverbs 16 about committing everything to the Lord. This came after a church council meeting as we are discussing and exploring who we are, what we believe and where God is calling us to go. It’s a daunting task to consider this, and therefore one that needs to be committed to the Lord because it is the Lord who will give us counsel.

And as I consider my role in this messed up world, once again, it is the Lord who gives counsel and therefore I shall not be shaken. This doesn’t change my desire to be with the Lord, but these verses do give me hope that God is still doing something through me, and the Lord is doing something through you.

I believe the day will come when I will be with the Lord; praising and worshiping him forever, but it is just not now. Apparently God believes it is to someone’s benefit that I remain. And therefore, unlike James Bond, I DON’T want to be shaken but rather stirred (to action). And with the Lord, giving counsel, this will indeed be the case.

Lord God, may my faith not shaken by what goes on around me but rather stirred to glorify Your holy name. Give me counsel, oh Lord, and lead me in paths of righteousness. Give me counsel, oh Lord, and strengthen me. Give me counsel, oh Lord, and grant me wisdom. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Living Easter (Romans 5:6-11)

/ The Pastor

[From the Easter prayer breakfast at the White House]
“We live our faith when we nurture the hope and possibilities that have always defined us as a country,” Biden said. “We live Easter — and to live Easter is to live with the constant notion that we can always do better.”

NO, NO, NO!!!

That is not living Easter; not even close.

This is living Easter:
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. [Romans 5:6-11]

The hope of Easter is not about the notion of us doing better (don’t get me though, we should want to do better all the time), but rather living with the joy that we have been reconciled to God through faith in Jesus. Jesus did better and therefore we should rejoice and celebrate that. And because Jesus did better I strive to be more like him; striving to be more Holy. But the fact of the matter is I know I will fall short. I will takes steps forward but then take steps back. Living Easter is about God and the promise of the empty tomb.

Living our faith?

“We live our faith when we nurture the hope and possibilities that have always defined us as a country,”

What a vague statement. Living our faith is following Jesus and obeying him. If that is what Biden means then great but I have my doubts whether that is what he is getting at. Call it what it is. Living our faith, Easter faith, is living in joy that despite this messed up and fallen world (which will pass away), though faith in the crucified and risen Jesus, we will not pass away. Living our faith is about glorifying God.

That is Easter faith
That is Easter hope
That is Easter joy

If it is about you getting better in this life then you will be sorely disappointed. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and on his perfect obedience that lead him to the cross because we are not better.

Praise be to God that we can have this TRUE Easter faith and hope.

Holy God, thank You that Jesus came to save an imperfect and disobedient people. Help us become more like Your son that we may glorify You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Dwelling and Gazing

/ The Pastor

image

This here is the Easter hope:

Dwelling in the house of the Lord
Gazing upon the beauty of Lord
Inquiring in his temple

I mean, really, this is the Good News and our hope. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave that we might dwell with him. He didn’t die and rise that we might have a good life now. It really bugs me and worries me when preachers try to sell this message of hope in this life. Scripture says that if in this life we have hope in Christ only then we are most to be pitied. Jesus didn’t die that we may have a temporary hope; a limited hope; a shortsighted hope. Jesus died that we may have eternal life; dwelling in his temple and worshiping him forever.

But something else to think about. Not only will you, through faith in Jesus, dwell in his temple, but you will gaze upon a beauty that is absolutely mind blowing. There is nothing in this universe that can compare. If someone tries to sell you a worldly hope you need to respond:

That’s not good enough. I want more.

And Jesus gives you more.

Praise be to God that our hope is more and better and wonderful and beautiful.

Holy Father, I praise you that death has been defeated and that I can live this life with hope of something more. And I look forward to that day when I am dwelling and gazing on your beauty and inquiring in your temple. All praise and worship be to you, oh God. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Holy Wednesday ~ No Ceasing

/ The Pastor

Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge. [Proverbs 19:27]

For a couple weeks leading up to Holy Week, I started seeing my YouVersion Bible app advertise Holy Week and Easter Bible reading plans and devotions. There are also a number of videos, in the app, being offered on the life of Jesus. On TV, I have been seeing a number of Bible based movies and other informational shows about the Bible, Jesus and the times. So much stuff being thrown at us this time of the year.

But why only this time of the year?

The easy answer is that it is Holy Week and Easter. This is deemed to be the most important week of the year for Christians (along with Christmas minus the commercialization). And so it makes sense that information is thrown at us to help Christians prepare for this holiest of all weeks.

But I ask again, why only this time of the year?

The message of Easter is not only proclaimed one time a year and then we’re done. Jesus shouldn’t only make an occasional appearance in our mind’s eye. Faith development and spiritual disciplines shouldn’t only be encouraged once a year. We need instruction 24/7; 365/366 days a year. At least for me I need the Easter message everyday and my faith encouraged everyday.

When you cease to hear instruction; when you cease to receive the Gospel/Easter message; when you cease to feed your faith, you WILL stray, as Satan leads you off on dangerous rabbit trails into deadly snares. But, when you keep yourself in the Word, you will not only grow in knowledge about God but you will grow closer to God in Jesus Christ as your faith is nurtured and strengthened.

So as you reflect during this Holy Week, commit yourself to keeping you eyes on Jesus and your ears inclined to the Word; even after Easter. Don’t cease to hear instruction. Don’t cease to hear the Gospel. Don’t cease to pursue God in Jesus Christ.

Lord God, heavenly Father, may your Word draw us in and capture our souls with hope and peace. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Holy Tuesday ~ Fiery furnaces

/ The Pastor

[16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. [17] If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. [18] But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18 ESV)

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were faced with a difficult situation; bow before a false god or be thrown into the fiery furnace. But no matter what they did, they faced a death…

…with one key difference:
One of the deaths would actually be Life.

What these three faithful men exhibited was an Easter faith. In the face of worldly pressure they did not give in. They did not bow under pressure (pun intended). They did not fear the king despite the rage he was showing. For Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, they feared God and trusted God. Nebuchadnezzar’s god was not going to save them in the end; but their God (and ours) would.

This is Easter faith.
Is that your faith?

As we reflect on this Holy Tuesday; looking forward to Manudy Thursday and Good Friday, let us think about this Easter faith. It’s a faith given to us by God through the Holy Spirit; a faith that defies worldly death; and a faith that gives hope. You may never be threatened with a fiery furnace as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were, but you will face a “fiery furnace” of some type in this world. Your faith will be threatened. You will be told to abandon your faith in order to embrace a new world order. You will be told to compromise your faith in the name of equality. You will be tempted to look away from your faith in order to avoid punishment or persecution.

You will stare down an angry Nebuchadnezzar and be forced to make a decision: His fiery furnace or God’s.

Remember your Easter faith and what Jesus did to secure said faith. Hold tight to the hope of the resurrection and let the fiery furnaces of this world heat up; knowing that God will make sure that not a hair on your head is singed.

God of Life, grant us strength as we face the fiery furnaces of this world that we may stand strong in order to bring You glory. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Holy Monday ~ Victory Is Coming

/ The Pastor

And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
[Mark 11:7-10]

Yesterday was Palm Sunday; the beginning of Holy Week; as Jesus rode victorious into Jerusalem. But as you begin this holiest of weeks I invite you to ponder this triumphal entry.

Think about it…

…Jesus rode into the city as a king returning from battle, but in this case, Jesus was claiming victory before the actual battle.  The cross (Good Friday) is still a few days away and his resurrection a couple days after that, but yet, Jesus is claiming victory now and giving hope to a hopeless people.

For you, here in 2015, the cross has happened; death has been defeated; and the victory definitely has been won and given to you through faith in Jesus. But now we wait. We wait for Jesus to return with a trumpet blast to bring us home. And as Jesus knew the outcome of the battle before it was fought; through faith we too can know the outcome of our battle in this life. For you see, we still battle Satan, sin and death. We still battle sorrow, pain and sadness. We still battle temptation.

But…

…through faith in Jesus you can know the final victory that is to come. Through faith in Jesus you can know that forgiveness will be declared when you confess your sins. Through faith in Jesus you can know that death will not be the end. That right there is hope in a chaotic and scary world.

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 15:56-57 ESV)

Your glory in Jesus Christ is coming; so ride into and through this life, claiming the victory Jesus claimed for you through his death and resurrection; all the while, submitting to Jesus as Lord and King. You will still ride through dark valleys, but because of Jesus and faith in him, you can rest assured that green pastures and still waters are waiting for you (Psalm 23).

Isn’t it comforting to know victory is coming before and during the battle?
Praise be to God!

Awesome God, Jesus won the victory over Satan, sin and death through the cross. May that victory give strength and hope to us in this world as we look forward to and long for the day that we rejoice and worship You forever. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Pastor -|—