Prayer

Morning devotions ~ What you really need to hear

/ 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 -|—

Food for the dogs

/ The Pastor

The sermon text for this morning is Mark 7:24-30 (The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith) and the following is the prayer I wrote to precede the message. Let us pray together…

God of glory and wonder, we seek you this morning as dogs unworthy of even a morsel of your grace from your holy banquet table.

We scavenge this life for self-fulfilling food while ignoring the fact that you have sent Jesus to give us the bread of life. We ravage others of dignity through selfish pursuits.

But holy God, you don’t turn your backs on us. You don’t withhold the glorious morsels of your grace. You don’t treat us as the dogs we are.

Rather, you wait for us and offer your forgiveness.

Loving God, may we curl up in the arms of your grace and bask in the glow of your love. May we be filled with the Bread of Life and may we find all we desire in you. Heal us of pride. Restore us to Life. Strengthen us to live a life of repentance.

All glory to you, holy Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May this Lord’s Day bring glory to God as you offer your worship and praise; and while doing so, I pray that the Word take root in your hearts. May faith be created or strengthened. May you be send forth to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. And may you be at peace as you cling to the hope of the resurrection.

God bless you this Lord’s Day and beyond.

Praise be to God!

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 -|—

Defiled and cleansed

/ The Pastor

The opening prayer for the sermon today on Mark 7:14-23.

Holy Father, we are defiled. We are unclean. We are sinful. And the depths of our sin is so deep we can not and will not even think about it. We even have the mistaken notion that we can do something about it. We look at the sin in the world and think we can stop it or at least reign it in through legislation or rules. But the fact remains, sinful people can not stop sin; only the holy, which is you. And so we are thankful that the holy, Jesus, died and rose that our defilement might be taken away and thus making us restored in your eyes.

Oh God, grant us the faith to be honest with ourselves; that we may run to you for help. Grant us ears to hear and a heart to receive the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Loving God, we praise your holy name as we lift our voices in worship and hear Your Word proclaimed. Through Jesus Christ our LORD we pray, Amen.

May God bless your day.
May your worship bring glory to God.
May your faith be strengthened to serve Him.

Praise be to God!

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 ~ God is more than enough

/ The Pastor

Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord ?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. [Proverbs 30:8-9]

I find this an interesting prayer and one I am only half good at. I can pray all day long for God NOT to give me poverty. I mean, isn’t that the prayer of most people? But the next part I can’t say I have ever prayed before:

God, please don’t make me rich.

If you were to pray that line in public you might get some strange looks. Right? But then consider what else the author says:

lest I be full and deny you and say ‘Who is the Lord?’

Dear God, may I never say that. May I never deny you. May I never place riches as my god. My I never become so content that you are nothing more than a vapor in the wind to me. But don’t we already do this? Don’t we already become complacent at times with ease of life? Don’t we already forget to thank and praise God for good things. I guess this prayer is more important than I thought.

But what if you are living in poverty or are very rich. What then? Has God cursed you by placing you in poverty or by making you rich? By no means. Consider what the author prays next:

feed me with food that is needful for me.

This is no doubt the Word of God. This is the faith to know and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is asking for the eyes to see our sinfulness and the faith to acknowledge such. This is the faith to bring our sins before the throne of grace. This is feeding on God; that which we truly need. As scripture says, man shall not live on bread alone but from every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord (Deuteronomy 8:3).

What a powerful and convicting prayer. It is one that directs our attention to where it should be. Poor or rich let God be God and may we praise him as such. Let us pray this together:

Holy God, may I not be distracted with poverty or riches but rather feed me with your Word. And may I never feel so full of your Word that I stop feeding and receiving from you. O God, you are my God no matter the circumstances in my life. May you always be praised and worshiped. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Christmas prayer

/ The Pastor

O God, loving Father, what a beautiful morning to wake up and contemplate your amazing love. For Jesus was born for us that we may come to know more of you. Not that we don’t think about your love on other days but Christmas seems to heighten our awareness of this awesome gift. May this awareness not weaken throughout the year. May we not drift back into being complacent. May we not take this gift of all gifts for granted.

Holy God, I am also reminded of those who are grieving this Christmas season; people who are mourning the death of a loved one or the ending of a relationship. May they be reminded of your amazing grace and love. May they be granted strength and courage to meet the days ahead. May they cling to that which will never end; You, O God.

God of healing, I am especially mindful this morning of those in my own community who are sick. There seems to be a lot of people dealing with the flu or some other ailment. Please don’t let Satan win but rather grant healing, strength or whatever is needed so that those not feeling well, here in Jackson or elsewhere, may remember the joy of this day.

O God, you are great. You are awesome. And words fail to describe you to the fullest. Bless this day and all our days that we may glorify you and shout from the mountain top that Jesus Christ is born and is Lord of all. All praise to you, O God.

Amen!!!

The Pastor -|—

Christmas blessing from The Pastor

/ The Pastor

image

From my home to your home…

We hope and pray that your Christmas is one filled with joy and great expectation as you worship this awesome God of ours. May the Holy Spirit strengthen or create the faith in you to see Jesus as your Lord and Savior. And May the God of all creation, create in you the passion to shout from the mountain tops that Jesus has been born for all. Let us pray…

Loving, holy and amazing God, I thank you for this incredible gift, Jesus Christ our Lord.
May those who are grieving find hope.
May those who are lost be found.
May those who are oblivious come to know.
May those who hunger be fed.
May those stray be carried back.
And may the hope of Christmas be our strength as we cling to the hope of the resurrection. All praise to you, O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

The Pastor -|—

God’s enduring love

/ The Pastor

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1 ESV)

I read Psalm 136 this morning. It has 26 verses and 26 times this refrains repeats: for his steadfast love endures forever.

That caught my attention.

The psalmist could have easily started with verse one and then continued with the next 24 verses describing this awesome God of ours and what he has done. The psalmist could have then closed with something about God’s enduring steadfast love (just in case we forgot). But to read Psalm 136 in that way; taking out the “for his steadfast love endures forever” refrain, just doesn’t seem right. God’s steadfast is so much more awesome than that and therefore it needs to be repeated over and over and over again. Because, let’s face it, we have bad memories therefore we need this refrain; in the good times and the bad.

God created everything,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Jesus was born for you and for me,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Jesus forgave sins,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Jesus suffered beatings, mockings and the cross,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Jesus died,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Jesus rose,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Jesus lives,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

And Jesus will come again,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

That’s sounds about right.

Thank you God, for your amazing, enduring steadfast love. Thank you for enduring with me even though I am a sinner. Thank you for enduring with me even though I stray away. Thank you for enduring with me when I become complacent in the good times. Thank you for enduring with me when I feel lost in the bad times. May all give you praise and glory for your enduring steadfast love, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

 

Pure and holy ways

/ The Pastor

Holy God…

You are an awesome, amazing, powerful, compassionate God. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. You put all other gods and other ways to shame.

You demand holiness for you are holy.
You demand righteousness for you are righteous.
You demand perfection for you are perfect.

And if that were not enough, the prophet Isaiah says:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV)

Holy God, this is awesome and somewhat scary, and how can I attain to this?
How can I be holy as you are holy since I am so sinful?
How can I keep my way pure since I walk in other ways?
How can I keep my mind and eyes and thoughts on the things that are above since I am so easily distracted by the worries of this world?

By guarding it according to your word. (Psalm 119:9 ESV)

Help me to run to your Word.
Open my heart to hear.
Open my eyes to see.

May I find joy in your Word and may I see your holiness in your Word.
May you guard my ways and protect me from Satan’s power.
May I find joy in your presence.

May I always seek you that I may strive to be holy as you are holy.

Holy God…I thank you and praise your holy name.

Amen!

 

The Pastor -|—