SET FREE!

In one of the greatest wildlife movies of all time, the story of a particular killer whale is examined named Willy. The movie plot focuses around a particular plan with the potential outcome of freeing Willy from captivity so that he might return back into the wild from where he came from.

The Bible tells us that each and everyone of us are slaves to sin. We have become captives of our own actions that we have done against God.

In order for us to be "set free" we have to realize that we cannot set ourselves free. No slave ever set themselves free from slavery. Certainly they could run from slavery often times with a bounty upon their heads, but even in areas where they were considered "Free" they were still slaves.

As individuals that are slaves to our own sins, no matter how hard we try, we ourselves can never separate ourselves from our sins. The only way that a slave could ever be set free was if their slave owner allowed them to go free. By a slave owner doing so, no longer was the slave indentured or "owned" by another individual. It was the only way that a slave could truly be set free.

You and I as slaves can only be set free by our owner, and our owner Sin is definetly not going to set us free. Sin wants to keep us, and not let us go at any cost. Yet, it was 2,000 years ago, that a special individual stepped onto this earth. We celebrate his birth at Christmas time, and remember his death and resurrection at Easter. His name is Jesus. The Bible says in Romans 5:8 that "God showed us his love towards us in the while we were yet sinners Christ came and died for us." You see God loved his creation so much, particularly that of the human race, that although they had turned their back on Him, he still loved them. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son (Jesus) that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

God loves you and me so much, that he sent his only son to come to earth to die upon a cross for us. The Bible says that a sacrifice had to be offered so that our sins could be forgiven. No amount of money could be paid, or good works could have been accomplished for us to go to heaven. Only the blood of the perfect lamb of God could set us free.

When Jesus died for us, he bought us from sin with His own blood. We quickly found ourselves no longer owned by Sin but by Christ! And since we had a new owner, our new owner could willingly set us free from our sins.

The Bible clearly shows us that no matter who you are, we are all sinners.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." None of us are perfect.
Romans 3:10 "As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;" None of us are righteous, but we have to be righteous in order to go to heaven!

Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.." Because we have all sinned we are all destined to die.

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." You see we deserve to die and spend eternity apart from God forever, but God sent a special gift His son Jesus

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God showed us just how much he loves us by sending Jesus, long before we were even born! Before we were born God knew we were going to need our sins forgiven!

Romans 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." We are told in God's word that if we believe that Jesus died and rose again for us we can be saved! Our ability to have our sins forgiven and be able to go to heaven does not come from anything that we do, it doesn't matter how many times we go to church, how much money we put in the offering plate, how many "Hail Mary's" or saying of the Rosaries that we do. It matters whether or not we believe that Jesus came and died for you and for me.

Romans 10:13 "For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." All you have to do is believe and accept. Its a free gift. The only way that you get a gift is to accept it, and claim it as yours.

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Don't you think that if there was any other way that we could get to heaven, Jesus would have told us so that he didn't have to go through that horrific death upon the cross? If we could get to heaven by attending church, putting money in red kettles at Christmas time, being kind to others, or helping old ladies across the street, certainly Jesus would have told us rather than go through the torture that he did upon the cross.

Maybe as you read this you have begun to realize that you are still stuck in your chains, and that you are still a slave to sin.

The author of Amazing Grace (John Newton) , knew exactly what he was writing about. One of the most well known hymns ever written, and still today one of the most misunderstood.

"Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see."

We are lost in our sins, and we don't even realize it, but what Jesus did was come so that we might see the truth and be set free.

If you have any questions about being set free from your sins we would love to talk to you! Feel free to email or call!

"If the Son (Jesus Christ) therefore shall set you free, you shall be free indeed!" John 8:36

Confused By The World

As I sit here at my desk this afternoon, the weather outside is dangerously chilly with negative temperatures for highs, and even colder wind chills.

One might almost think that all the warmth and glow of not only the weather, but also society itself has been sucked into a void of darkness, coldness and nothingness as we contemplate the most recent events in our society. 

Just two days ago, the state of New York passed a bill that permitted abortions all the way up until the day of birth to be performed. The passage of the bill was accompanied by a standing ovation of those in the chambers both congressmen and visitors alike. 
(https://www.baptistmessenger.com/n-y-abortion-bill-alarming-in-every-sense/)

Today it was announced that the government shut down that was in its 35th day has now ended, as a deal was struck funding the government until February 8th and back paying all non-paid furloughed employees. I'm thankful for the shut down being over, but dread what will come February 9th. 
(https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/22/us/politics/government-shutdown.html)

The Dooms Day Clock which is in reality a farce in itself was set just several days ago to just two minutes before mid-night which represented that the world was on the brink of self destruction. Never before had the clock been this close to midnight since the cold war. 
(https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/24/doomsday-clock-how-close-we-midnight/2666319002/)

In Iowa, the heartbeat bill was recently declared unconstitutional by a local county judge, even though it had been passed by our state legislature a year ago. Lawyers of the bill were fully anticipating this, but soon it will move on to the state supreme court and then hopefully onto the federal supreme court where the vote will go in favor of stopping the legal murder of unborn children. 
(https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge)

Immigrant caravans are entering our southern border, and an argument about a 30 foot wall has ensued. 
(https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-migrant-caravan-waits-to-cross-into-mexico-with-hopes-of-reaching-us/)

I look around and just have to wonder, "What in the world has happened to our society?" 
Parents torturing or killing their children, witch-hunts in our government, robberies and thefts, violence and wickedness, critics and complainers, and so much more. 

The Bible says, 
"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth."
2 Timothy 3:1-7.

Uffdah. I love how Paul writes, "...Avoid such people..." 
If there was ever a time that I wish I could be a hermit and live off in the woods somewhere, now would be the time. 

It is extremely hard to "avoid such people" when "such people" seem to be EVERYWHERE.

But as I type this, I'm also moved to remember that it was for "such people" that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die in our place. It was for "such people" that my Savior was crucified upon a cross. It was for "such people" that my Jesus bled and took his last breath, even though his death was a murder of an innocent man. 

Its a reminder to me, that at one time I also walked among "such people". 

---

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:13

---

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."

Colossians 3:1-10

----

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith."

Ephesians 2:1-8

There was a time that I was not much different than the rest of the world, and from time to time, I can find myself slipping back into walking the way of the world. 

I find myself forgetting that I have been bought with a price, for a debt that I could not pay myself. 

I forget that I had been a slave to sin, but only through the Savior's blood could I find redemption and freedom. 

Although the world around me may look like its falling, and it may look like its descending into chaos, the same God that created these individuals are is the same one that made a way of salvation for them, if they will only but hear and believe. 

In closing I say a post earlier today that I really appreciated. 

"When it seems like the chaos of the world is surrounding you, remember it is Christ who is surrounding you." - source unknown. 

Exciting Opportunities

Several weeks ago, I had something fun and exciting happen to me, and its something that I really "relished"...

I got to have an up-close and personal tour of the Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile.

Yes, folks, that makes me close to celebrity status.

I need to absolutely take a moment to tell you what happened and help you "catch-up" to my speed.

It was a Tuesday evening, and my wife and I were out for the evening while my kids were at home with a babysitter. While we were out, we came across two of the most wondrous sights my eyes had ever beheld.

Parked across from each other was the Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile and the Planters Peanut Car.
I ran over, stood between the two of them and had my wife take my picture!

That was just the beginning of my adventures for the weekend though...

The following week the Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile was parked at the grocery store just around the corner from my home! I got to go over, sit inside the vehicle, have my picture taken, and receive a sticker and a Wiener whistle!

Later that same day, I ended up taking my daughter Lily over to see the mobile as well.

Feeling bad that my older daughter didn't get a chance to see the vehicle, I realized that the Planters Peanut Car was going to be at another grocery store the next day, so she and I went and got to see the Peanut Car up close as well!

It was a fun excursion, and even more fun to share it with my daughters... but a thought has entered my head that I can't seem to shake.

Something as fun as the Weiner Mobile or the Peanut Car can sometimes make us excited and bring back childhood memories...but what about something as exciting and thrilling as the return of our Savior Jesus Christ?

Do we look forward to His return as much as some of the things that we experience in life?

As a teenager growing up, one of our youth events was held at a local amusement park, and every year I would wake up with nervous anxious anticipation of the day, much like a small child on Christmas morning.

Do we get excited at the prospect and proper understanding that our Savior could come back for us at any moment? Am I living with that type of interest and hope?

Christ says at the end of Revelation 22:12 "Behold, I come quickly, and my reward with me, to render to every one as his work shall be."

May we live in a state of anxiety and anticipation as we await His imminent return for His bride.

Frustrations Part 2

As I was spending the past weekend thinking about what I might write again today, I have been thinking quite a bit about what I said last week.

Maybe by comments last week were a bit more complaining about my own personal frustrations more than anything, but this morning, something struck me that I've actually been quite aware of for quite some time, but more so this morning.

In voicing my complaining and frustrations, I'm actually in all reality voicing my complaints and frustrations against God.

Because things are not going the way that I believe they should be, what I am saying is that God's ways for me right now are not good enough for me, and that I deserve better.

When you get down to the matter at hand, you suddenly realize that that is exactly what I'm saying.

Yet, to take it a step further, should not then God be angry with me for not being grateful for the life and breath that He has bestowed upon me? I find myself rather at an impasse of quick burdened humility.

How dare I tell God that I'm not content with his hand of blessing. Certainly I may not be a millionaire, but I do have a roof over my head, food on my tables, and education for my children, cars in which to transport, and so much more. Yet, I have the audacity to voice to myself, others and God my discontentment with not receiving what I think are "better blessings" from God. How selfish can I be? I'm sure I'm not alone in this train of thought, but to examine the better part of my discouragements, it has nothing to do with what God has provided for me, but much more about what I think I should be having instead.

Every good and perfect gift comes from above...

Why am I not content with His gifts? Why must I tell Him that I think I deserve more?

May I learn to be like Paul...

 Philippians 4:11
     "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:"

Frustrations...

What do you get when you add "no gumption" to "discouragements"?

I don't know what it actually is, but its what I'm currently experiencing!

Right now I have absolutely no desire to do anything...well okay, sleep would be a nice thing, but right now I have no ambitious aspirations to accomplish anything.

When you couple that attitude along with a sense of discouragement in seemingly every aspect of life, you quickly have accumulated lots of frustration, much of which you can do nothing about.

Scripture is coming to my mind today which simply says, "Rejoice in the Lord, always, again I say rejoice." (Philippians 4:4)

In all honesty, at this point, I would rather wallow in my frustrations and misery than rejoice.

I realize it may sound like a pity party, and maybe to a degree it is, but it can be very nerve wracking to not have anything seemingly go your way.

Do you ever have those types of days?

I hate to admit the fact, that these words are coming from my heart. Trust me, I know what I am supposed to be doing. I know that I'm supposed to be loving the Lord with all my heart, mind and soul. I know that I am supposed to be glorifying my God and Savior all the time. I know that I'm not supposed to be anxious or worried about anything, I understand quite clearly that God will not give me anything beyond that which I am tempted.

Yet, our human/carnal side of life can quickly emerge in times when we don't feel as if things are going in our right direction.

More about this next week...

Books...

If you were to walk into my office you would see several of my walls covered in bookshelves, full of books. Most if I can be completely honest with you, are unread.

Books that have been given to me, books I've picked up really cheap, books that I've had good intentions of reading, but most I have to admit have not been cracked open...at least by me.

There used to be a time that I loved to read. I could finish a book in just a night or two, staying up until the late, late hours of the night. As a pre-teen/teenager some of my favorites which are considered antiques now were the Happy Hollisters, and the Hardy Boys. In fact I try to still collect them today. I have a number of them on my shelves which I plan to one day let my own children read when they get to be the appropriate ages...but words such as "keen" or "jalopy" don't really stick in their English vernacular right now.

I have books on church growth, counseling, grieving, commentaries, dictionaries, relationships, music, preaching, and other topics that are spread across my shelves.

There is one particular book though that I'm much more familiar with, and that is the Bible.

Whereas I haven't read most of the books on my shelves, the Bible specifically gives the instruction:

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Joshua 1:8

There are many manuals and self-help books available today, and some people may memorize those, but those books only covered the particular topic that is being addressed. The Bible on the other hand, gives instructions in every part of our lives.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

I heard once that the Bible is an acronym that stands for "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth".

As helpful as other books might be, and as enjoyable as they might be to read, make sure that you are first and foremost planting yourself in the reading of God's Word.

For in that, and that alone you will have "good success".

Caffeine? Two For Me Please...

In an old television show called Full House, one of the main characters named Joey Gladstone who was a comedian, had a puppet that was a dressed up woodchuck. The woodchuck's favorite line was always, "Did you say 'Wooooood'?"

Lately for me its been Caffeine. COFFEE...or as some of my friends call it, "Baptist Beer".

I don't know why I've had such a hankering for caffeine often in the form of coffee lately, but its been almost as if its the only thing that will get me going each day.

When I was younger I avoided coffee like the plague, and I will admit that even today, I have more cream and sugar in my cup than I do actual coffee, but it seems to be my "picker upper" each day and lately also in the afternoons.

I don't think I'm addicted to the stuff like some people might be, and I'm most definitely not a buyer of expensive coffees unless its a special occasion. I've found that my Keurig seems to be sufficient, and knowing that I have a Keurig with K-cups provided by a wonderful family in my church keeps me from being tempted to buy coffee elsewhere.

I don't like to say that I "crave" coffee, but there are times that I do wake up and think about how nice it would be to have a cup.

Lately my cup of coffee has turned into my "God and I time." Yes, I open my Bible... I really can't believe that thought just ran through your mind! :) Yes, my God and I time.

Saturday morning I sat on my back deck with my Sunday sermon notes in hand and my blue M&M guy mug and enjoyed the warm weather and my time with God.

There are times that I wished I lived near a pond or had a swing on a dock!
Each summer my family attends a family camp, and the lake there is perfect to have my daily time with God!

But you know... there are days when I forego the coffee. It could be for whatever reason, but I notice that I have not had it by early afternoon when I'm starting to fall asleep at my desk.

Yet, you know, there are days that I have become so busy so quickly that I have foregone my God and I time, and sadly I don't realize that I've missed it like I can with caffeine.

I've learned that if I don't make my God and I time a priority, then I can quickly place God on a back burner and ignore the fact that I haven't met with Him.

My attitude can turn sour, bitterness can reign in my heart, and discouragement will rule supreme.

King David said in the Psalm 63:1 "O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water."

I'm sad to say that often my soul doesn't thirst for God like it might crave caffeine.

My time with God is something that I should long for, something that I should desire. Something that I should crave.

Do you crave God's Word each day?

Oh The Wonders Of Spell Check

 Lamentations 3:40 "Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD;"

Recently I have been the victim of the grammar police here in the church office. :P
Actually, its been my own fault for not being more careful in my spelling and punctuation, but it always causes just a twinge of guilt when someone does point out my spelling errors.

Scripture says that we should be accountable to one another, "As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." (Psalm 27:17)

Even through all the precautions that I take and editing software that I use mistakes still do slip through the cracks. Whether it is a word that is not correctly spelled out such as "exam" when I meant to say, "examine", or the wrong use of spelling in a word like, "there, their, or they're" I still find myself messing up.

I use the spell check, and a program called Grammarly (yes, that is the correct spelling...I checked) that helps point out punctuation errors as well.  Yet, like I said I still find myself including misspelled words on our church website, or in our church bulletin. I will say that it is a very good thing that nobody sees my sermon notes! They might be quite horrified!

Nevertheless, spelling and grammar mistakes are not nearly as bad and as consequential as that of times in life when we mess up. Whether it be a simple misunderstanding, a large blunder, or a habitual sin problem, the consequences that we must face are much different then a little bit of red ink on a school paper.

Scripture encourages us to search ourselves out and to examine our ways.

Often times, I think we find ourselves only doing that at certain times, such as when we are about to participate in the Communion table like our church family will be doing this coming Sunday evening.

1 Corinthians 11:28 encourages us, "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup."

But what about the rest of the month when we are out living beyond the walls of the church building. What about in our places of employment, in our homes with our families, or even when we are behind the closed walls of our own private space alone. Are we still at those times searching ourselves and examining our walk of life? Are there times throughout our lives when we are constantly having to re-evaluate and "turn back to the Lord?"

There should be...

I John 1:9 says, " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

We must be honest with ourselves, and admit that sin does get into our lives, and we need to correct it before it becomes a problem in our daily lives.

It would be a blatant problem to continue to let there be obvious spelling and grammar errors appear in a church bulletin or on our website, so why would we allow sin to reign in our lives? As followers of Jesus Christ, those who have placed our faith in the saving work of our Savior, we should walk in accordance with His Word and His command, constantly following His example.

Although we don't have a "spell checking" program in our lives to prevent us from sinning, we do have God's Word that clearly defines for us how we ought to live our lives in newness of life. The question is, "Will we allow it to impact our lives, or will we just ignore the obvious?"

Time...

Well, I've tried so hard to keep up with my regular Monday blogs, but with funerals, Resurrection Sunday and my own responsibilities its obvious that time has gotten away from me.

Speaking of "Time Getting Away" isn't it incredible how each and every single person has the same amount of exact time in a day as everyone else? I've always wondered how some people are able to be so productive with their time, and all I ever feel like I do is stare at a computer screen...

In a Psalm of Moses, he says, " So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)

Teach us to number our days... I know perfectly well how to count the minutes...especially when I was working under a time clock! But, "Teach us to number our days".

If I can read into a little of the context of the passage, what I think Moses is hinting at, is that he is asking God to remind us that our lives do not last forever.

As a young person, I've often felt like I have my entire life to achieve things. I'll be honest after having turned 35 this year, I'm beginning to get a little bit nervous! I'm not really where I thought I would be at the age of 35, nor does my family live the way that I thought they would be either. I often find myself consumed with the things of this world, and the "days" and "moments" I have left to live.

When I tuck my 2 year old son into bed each night and he gives me kisses and hugs each night, and each night I hold him a little longer knowing that before long those kisses and hugs will be a thing of the past.

My oldest daughter is now 8 almost 9, and she is to much of a big kid to sit on my lap, or want to really do things with dad. Usually the things that I think she will enjoy turn out to be a dud, and I feel like we haven't bonded at all.

This year my wife and I will be married for 13 years in December. I can't believe that I have spent 13 years of my life married to this special woman.

"So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Time is slipping away through the spaces between my fingers...

At the same time though as we realize that time here is escaping away from us, we look forward to an eternity without end.

Satan does such a wonderful job constantly causing us to forget the coming future that believers in Christ have. He causes us to take our eyes off the finish line, off the prize, and look at the things around us. Much like Peter walking on the water, when he took his eyes off of Christ and placed them on the waves and wind around him he immediately began to sink.

I want to encourage you today, yes time is fleeting. Yes, soon the day will be o'er but Look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of the Faith. Remember as time seems to flash away before you, that a time is coming in the very near future where time will be no more.

---

"Come to Jesus, Come to Jesus and live."

The Glorifiers

One might quickly ask what does it mean to be a "Glorifier".

Well to be quite honest, at first I was a bit worried that I had actually made the word up. It doesn't immediately pop-up on the Webster's Meredith Online Dictionary page, but after some searching it is there!

The dictionary defines glorify as "to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise or admiration".

The "Glorifier" is one who glorifies.

What are the things that we glorify?
Today we glorify our homes, our businesses and careers, our cars, our relationships, our hobbies, we glorify each other, our possessions, our sports teams, our money, our time, and so much more.

We glorify the most though, ourselves.

We often find ourselves bestowing honor, praise or admiration on ourselves, and if it is not we ourselves bestowing those traits upon ourselves, it is we ourselves working hard to get others to pour these accolades upon us.

We seek popularity, we seek raises, we seek promotions, we seek honored promotions and recognition.

Much of what we do in this life is about obtaining honor for ourselves.

Now certainly scripture gives us guidelines about honoring others.

Ephesians 6:2 "'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with promise:"

Leviticus 19:32 "‘You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord."

Romans 13:1 "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God."

Hebrews 13:7 "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive (speaking of pastors and other church leaders)  for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."

But never do we find scripture that tells us to honor ourselves.
We live in a world where people are encouraged to honor themselves, and put themselves first, but scripture clearly says to think about the needs of others before we think about our own needs.

Yet, even while we obey scripture and honor the Word of God, we actually in fact are obeying and glorifying God.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11). 

God is the one that should be glorified and we glorify Him as we obey His Word and do as He has commanded us.

We as believers are called to be the God Glorifiers. To exalt Christ and magnify our God and honor Him, and Him alone.

As we contemplate our walk with Him today, we need to ask ourselves, "Am I a God Glorifier or a Self-Glorifier?"

 

The Unknown

The Vast Unknown

Often times when I sit down in front of this computer to type out my Monday blog, I stop for a moment and pray just to ask the Lord for something to write about. 

I don't purpose to write about anything in particular when I sit down many times, but I just let my hands float over the keys and type about what the Lord might bring to mind. 

Some might say that is dangerous, others might praise me for the freedom to write about whatever I chose, but to be honest, as I sit down today, I really am unsure of what to write about. 

I sit here with many different things on my mind, and I'm thinking forward to planning our church's Vacation Bible School coming up in July, I'm thinking about the upcoming Faith Baptist Bible College Choral Program on April 2nd, and our Faith Baptist Bible College Orchestra and Handbells Concert Program on April 9th. I'm thinking about our special Resurrection Sunday Sunrise Service at 6:45 AM on April 16th followed by our breakfast at 8:30 AM and our Regular Morning Service that day at 10:30 AM. My mind wanders to the upcoming Business Meeting we will have in April as well. 

Also on my thoughts are the upcoming New Church Members class I will be teaching, which will be followed by our Baptism Class, and then a new Men's Class starting later this spring that I will be organizing and teaching. 

My heart is also being tugged by the recent home going of a friend of mine's wife, as well as a wife of one of our church members who has recently been placed in hospice waiting to see her Savior face to face. I'm struggling with the fact that although it is for the Lord's glory I will soon be saying, "Good-bye" to a good friend of mine that I have grown close to over the past three years as he and his wife will be going to the mission field of Peru, and another wonderful family of our church will be moving to Denver the exact same week in April. 

To admit that I'm a little overwhelmed might be an understatement. 

Unless you are a pastor, you may never completely know the heartache and types of struggles that leaders of a flock of God can go through. 

Yet, as scripture says, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Sufficient... an interesting word to chose... definition: "enough or adequate"

In my personal opinion, I would almost say, "More than enough for the day is its own trouble." 

To think about the number of decisions that we make on a daily basis, and the woe and consequences often times that those decisions alone can provide to combine that with the decisions that we have to make yet for tomorrow, the day after, and as far into the future as we are planning, more than enough are those problems! 

Obviously planning is a big part of our lives, and things must be taken into account.... but how often do we worry about something that we have absolutely no control over? 

I'm thankful that regardless of the mistakes that I make, the consequences that I might face in my daily life, and my downfalls that I'm still held in the hand of my Savior, and nothing can seperate me from His love. 

x

The Big Question...

For most people, when they hear someone say that they are going to ask the "Big Question", it refers to a marriage proposal, but I would argue that there is an even bigger question that gets asked much more often, and much more frequently by both married couples and singles alike.

It is the question, "What if?"

These two simple words, combined together in this short phrase are the instigators of hundreds, thousands if not even millions or billions of hours of worry in the lives of people today. 

These two words spark curiosity, doubt, worry, fear, and so many other mixed emotions. 

They tend to spur within them individual emotions that then lead to irrational motives of actions, often disrupting their lives and relationships over the fear of something that has never even actually happened. 

"What if I had been there?" says the father who lost a daughter in a car accident.
"What if I hadn't paid that bill?" says the mother who has no money for food for her children.
"What if I had said this differently?" says the young woman who just lost a job interview.
"What if she is cheating on me?" says the newly married husband.
"What if I had just been different?" says the child who's parent just put them in a foster home. 

They say that "Hindsight is always 20/20 vision," and sometimes it is, but it can also leave us grasping for answers to questions that are unknown. 

Scripture says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." Prov. 3:5-6

If you're familiar with the Bible you have probably heard this passage referenced before, and may even have it memorized.

To trust in Him means to put our faith in Him unwavering. There is another passage of scripture in the New Testament that says something very similar. 

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, or "Don't worry". 

I don't know about you reader, but even for this pastor, that is a hard thing. 

Why is it a hard thing? Because we have that so trendy little two-word statement we were referencing a moment ago. "What if"?

Part of the problem is is that we don't necessarily NOT trust God, but we question our circumstances. 

We find ourselves willing to submit ourselves to God for the eternal preservation of our souls, but we then hesitate to believe that He will provide our needs, or lead us through the valley of death. 

We need to learn not to question God and His plans for us. We will never this side of heaven understand why He has us go through...but we know that for whatever His plan is, it's for His glory.

Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

9 

“For as the heavens are higher than the Earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways

And My thoughts than your thoughts."

A Catalyst For Change

Catalyst:

"def. - an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action"

(Webster's Dictionary)

With the understanding of what a catalyst is, we have to decide something for each of ourselves.

When it comes to change in our lives, in our families, and in our churches are we a positive catalyst or a negative catalyst. We need to understand that each of us, no matter what our thoughts or opinions might be, are a catalyst of either one or the other. The choice though lays upon our shoulders.

The world is constantly in flux with change. Change in technology, change in medical advancements, change in economies, change in governments, etc. Change is always around us, and we too are agents of change.

Imagine being an individual that discovered the cure for cancer. You would be a HUGE positive catalyst in the medical field, but you would also be a huge catalyst of change in almost other area of life as well! Technologies would change, economies would change because people would no longer be dying from cancer, governments would change in regards to leaders and healthcare, even our families would change because even now so many families have lost loved ones because of cancer, or have families members suffering because of it.

Imagine having the desire to have the knowledge to change the world in such a way!

Now imagine having a desire on a personal level to lose weight and be in better health.

Your desire doesn't affect the medical world, or the technology world, nor world economies or governments...but it does affect you and your family. Your desire to change comes with a catalyst. Some might call it a will power. You have a desire to change your world, and it is a positive catalyst. Yet, at the same time, although you have that desire, maybe you don't have the personal will power to get off your couch and exercise and eat healthy. Your lack of will power would be a negative catalyst.

Did you know that its true also in the body of Christ the church?

Each and every one of us affects the church. We may notice it, and we may not, but individually as individuals, we all impact the church, and we impact it with either positive catalysts or negative catalysts.

Imagine where the church of Christ would be today if every believer in the church were a positive catalyst of change. Not just change for change sake, but they truly honestly, and personally wanted to make an impact for God upon this earth for His glory and for His honor. Imagine if every believer were totally sold out for the gospel, and they served in the church, the shared the gospel with their family and friends, they built relationships at work with people to find opportunities to share the gospel, they did everything within their ability to glorify God. Imagine where the church would be today.

Now let's focus on the reality. In our real world today, not everyone in the church is a positive catalyst of change. There is unfortunately, plenty of negative catalysts present as well. Comments such as, "We've never done it that way before." or "That's not the way Pastor so and so used to do it." I don't believe I really need to give you more examples because I think you already know what I'm talking about.

Often times in our churches today we struggle to find people to serve in different capacities simply because they are refusing to be positive catalysts of change. If as positive catalysts we were all in this together for the glory of God, there would be no negative catalysts to hold the church of God back.

So the question has to be asked, and answered then by each individual person... "Which am I?"

Am I a positive catalyst that helps change happen quicker, or am I a negative catalyst that causes the church not to change?

Ephesians 4:15-16

"But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."

Ephesians 4:11-13

"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

QUESTION: Are we building or tearing down according to the type of catalyst that we are?