Some things are just plain deceitful; salesmen, politicians, kids that want something they are not allowed to have, and the devil. Politicians will say anything to get elected and it always pays to get a second opinion when purchasing something from a salesman, and I can not recall how many times I tried snookering my mother into believing that I was an angel in order to get her permission for one thing or another.

And how many times have you been deceived by Ole’ Sleuth Foot? Wasn’t it his deception that started all this garbage anyway? The reason why this world is in the shape its in is because there is one thing that is more deceitful than all things that I have mentioned – the heart.

The prophet Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” Jeremiah not only tells us that our hearts are more deceitful than the devil himself but that it is beyond cure! Incurable! Could you imagine going to the doctor and asking him if he can do anything for this heart of yours, and he asks you, “Well, what’s the matter?” “Well Doc, I’m not exactly truthful all the time and…” He interrupts you and asks, “Are you telling me the truth now?”

You see, that’s the trouble with a deceitful heart, how do you know when it’s not doing its thing? The Bible says there is no hope for the human heart; it is desperately wicked and beyond cure. There are many diseases that have plagued mankind since the beginning of time and every one of them has a cure – except the plague of deceit incurred by the human heart.

But there is a remedy and an answer to this great dilemma, a brand new heart! Now, I’m not talking about a repair job here. Some band aid to cover up the problem. I’m not even talking about some elixir that would slowly heal this terrible malady. I’m talking about going to the Great Physician and having Him rip out the old one and giving you a brand new one!

David cried out to the Lord, “Create in me a pure heart, O God.” He didn’t ask God to mend the old one. He didn’t want God to help deal with the handicap. He wanted God to give him a brand new heart. David knew his heart was wicked and there was no cure for it. He needed God to cut that old thing completely out and give him one that was totally different.

God promised that He would do just that for anyone who was tired of his or her hearts and old lifestyles. If you’re weary of the hardness of life due to the hardening of your heart, I have an answer for you! God spoke this prophesy to Israel and yet, at the same time, speaks it to all who would choose to “come out from among them” and be separated unto God.

“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Being a Christian, becoming born-again (which is really the only way of being a Christian) does not just mean that you try and become a better person. Becoming a Christian is accomplished by a heart transplant. God gives us His heart –it’s the only way to cure deceit!

This weekend we are to remember those who have fought for our freedoms and gave their lives for the cause. It does one good to remember such things because it reminds us that the freedoms we now enjoy did not come without a price, a great price.

These memories keep the heart humble and grateful, and it behooves us all to reflect in thanksgiving, that God has kept a watchful eye upon America. For no matter how many young men have fallen in battle, there is still the One who gave Himself freely for the one great cause –Jesus Christ.

The battle He fought was greater than all the battles ever fought; the fight was more intense, more stressful and way more costly if He would have failed. He had no army behind Him, no fortress to keep the enemy at bay. The battle waged on for all His life; while He was in His hometown or away.

The enemy was everywhere and attacked at the most inopportune times. He even offered Jesus a “peace treaty” that would have given Him all the kingdoms of the world. But Jesus fought the fight and would not give in to an easy way out. Jesus’ battle was in the spiritual realm and with entities that were invisible.

The powers and authorities that fought against Him had influenced family and friends. A traitor was picked right from ranks of those closest to this great Soldier. His capture led to a false arrest and trumped up charges. His closest comrades deserted and dispersed. He was tortured and crucified and it appeared that he had lost the war…

But this would not be the case! Everything went according to plan. This Soldier followed the orders of a perfectly thought out battle plan and secured victory for His kingdom.

Jesus didn’t walk into a trap. He knew who the traitor was and that all His followers would desert Him after His arrest. He knew that He would be bruised for our iniquities and pierced for our transgressions. The plan was that by the stripes on His back we would be healed. It was all in the plan and the plan was going just as it was supposed to.

Do you not realize that this is how love breaks through into the enemy’s camp?! The weapons of righteousness in the hands of Jesus were being wielded right before the enemy’s eyes; they were mercy and truth. Though He died a horrible a death, He did so because of His love for us.

“No greater love has anyone than this; that a man would lay his life down for his friends.”

When I remember all that Jesus Christ went through to secure the price paid for my redemption, there is no sweeter memory than the one that reminds me that His death was not in vain. Because three days later, He arose from the dead and won the Victory!

Actually, if we would remember correctly, Jesus triumphed with his death; His resurrection was the consequential proof for us all! The resurrection is a sweet memory that says, if anyone would trust in Him, they would have a hope of living forever. It was God’s intention, that in bringing many sons to glory, He would make the Captain of their salvation perfect through suffering!

Thank you Jesus, for the memories.

I bought Robin a dozen roses for Mother’s Day and she placed them in the windowsill just above the kitchen sink. When I looked at them the other day I was disappointed at how quickly they had wilted. I thought that I had picked out the best of the bunch on the day that I bought them. I looked for colorfastness, vibrancy and an all around robustness in the blooms themselves. When I placed them in their vase I even had a couple of ladies from the church giving me good advice on what to do for them so that they could maintain their appearance of life.

That’s right, their appearance of life. You see, I didn’t buy Robin a dozen live roses; I bought her a dozen dead roses, or rather, a dozen dying roses. As soon as those roses were cut from the bush, they began to die. Now, the nursery shipped them as quickly as possible to the store where I purchased them and the florist stuck them in refrigerated compartments to keep them as fresh as possible until I plopped my money down on the counter. They finished dying in the windowsill last week.

So goes the life of a rose. But, when I think about the life of those roses I saw how they illustrated so nearly to the life of mankind as we know it today. For you see, our lives are like the lives of those dozen roses.

Paul tells us that before we knew God we were dead in our trespasses and sins. The law of sin and death works 24/7 until we breath our last and our bodies are covered with the dust that we shall return to. In Adam, we were all cut off from the Branch. From the expulsion from the Garden, humanity resembled that bouquet of dying roses.

Now, the Gardener did, and does what He can in order to maintain the life of the bouquet of humanity, but He does not stop the inevitable. When the flower is cut from the vine, it begins the process of death. The only way that I could possibly save Robin’s roses would be if I could somehow attach them back to their life-giving source, if I could graph them back into the vine. Then, the nutrients from the vine would once again flow to the flowers and I could say, “These flowers are no longer dying.” When you and I gave our lives to God through Jesus Christ we were grafted back into the true Vine.

All of man’s efforts to keep up the appearance of life are like my futile attempts to maintain the life of that bouquet of roses. Humanity is dying and it needs a Savior, a Life-giving Savior. Through Jesus Christ we have been accepted into the Beloved and grafted into the life-giving Spirit. We have been set free from the law of sin and death and we go from glory to glory.

“The thief cometh but to kill, steal and destroy, but I am come that you may have life and that to the full.” Jesus said these words while He lived a perfect life completely “attached” to His Father. Jesus was never bound by the law of sin and death; He lived perfectly in God.

So, why did He die? Because He was willing to be cut from Life in order for God to justly graft us (who were already cut from Life) back into the Life-giving Vine. Because of that one Perfect Life, God shall enjoy a living bouquet of humanity–forever!

Today we celebrate and honor our mothers. But I have always questioned this practice. Should we honor all mothers? What if a woman didn’t want to be a mother and has always resented the fact of being one? Would we be rubbing salt in the wound by calling attention to her motherhood? Over the last few years I have seen many a woman in the news, that I can definitely say, “She really didn’t want to be a mother.” But I do not want to go into the morbid and macabre on a day that I want to thank all mothers who have taken their calling with seriousness and delight. I am amazed at the juggling abilities, not only of those in the cleaning of the house, taxing, being nurse and counselor, but also of the emotions that they juggle within themselves. My mother was the perfect example of loving you through her toughness. She could slap you into next week and meet you there with a big hug, unless of course you were like me, and deserved another slap. My mother taught me there was a God at a very early age, I prayed to Him often when she was exacting her judgment. If one thing was for certain (and determined by her) Jimmy wasn’t growing up to be a criminal.
Helen Rowland once said, “It takes a woman twenty years to make a man of her son, and another woman twenty minutes to make a fool of him” Mothers want the best for their children but sometimes don’t always get what they strive for. A mother ought not to blame herself because her child grows up deciding not to listen to her instruction. She should never calibrate her motherhood by another’s free-will. So, what makes a good mother? She is that woman who has determined the best for her children and works to that end with no thought of self. She rises early, she stays up late and she sets about her work vigorously, she never eats the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed. And so, every mother who determines this and works to that end is a mother that we honor today. Thank you Moms, everywhere! You know, Paul said that he was in the pains of childbirth until Christ be formed in the Church of the Galatians. In a sense, he was relating to the very struggle that mothers live everyday. She goes into labor and delivers her child and yet, she continues to labor as her child grows to maturity. Oh, what am I saying; Florida Scott-Maxwell said it best, “No matter how old a mother is, she watches her middle-aged children for signs of improvement.” So mothers, we salute you for all your selfless efforts, your sleepless nights filled with prayers and tears, the giving and forgiving and every little thing that went “unseen.” We love you, we truly do!

Have a great week!
Pastor Jim

Hosea was in love with Gomer and it wasn’t long before he asked for her hand in marriage. They set up house and began their family, two sons and a girl. The boys were named Jezreel and Lo-Ammi, the girl was Lo-Ruhamah. By the way, baby name books were not published back then.

Hosea felt he was in the will of God and everything was going great. But Gomer’s past began calling on her again and soon she left Hosea high and dry with the three children. She went back to the streets, she went back to her former lovers, she went back to her old lifestyle, she went back to…nothing.

What I mean by nothing is that the world offers us nothing, the devil’s promises are nothing and sin leaves us with nothing. God offers us eternal love, faithfulness and life. Why would anyone turn away from that to receive…nothing!?

Now, Hosea must have gone through a sea of emotions when his wife left him, but what would soon take place revealed his true heart for her. Maybe he got family to watch the kids. Maybe the kids were now old enough to watch themselves. Maybe he hired a nanny for them, no one knows for sure, but what we do know is that Hosea began to search the streets for Gomer.

He would visit the brothels, the temples and every street corner with red lights. “Have you seen my wife, her name is Gomer?” What did he feel when he asked people that? Did he know that they were talking behind his back? Was he the brunt of their jokes and sarcasm? Did anyone just say to him, “Hey, Hosea, she doesn’t want you.”

How many nights did he go home alone because he couldn’t find her? How many nights did he go home alone because he couldn’t talk her into to coming back with him? Did he kneel at his bed at night mouthing the prayer, “Maybe tomorrow Lord, maybe tomorrow.”

One thing is for certain; Hosea’s love seized the day. Hosea would not be deterred and Hosea would not quit. Hosea loved Gomer and she would be the beneficiary of a love that just wouldn’t quit.

You and I and everyone else who has received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, have also received a love that just wouldn’t quit. He has found some of us in the dark streets of this ugly world. Some have been delivered from much oppression and affliction. Some of us were lovers of ourselves, proud, abusive and disobedient to our parents. Some of us were ungrateful, unholy, without love. Some of us were unforgiving, without self-control, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

But God loved us and He hunted us down and He cornered us in His grace and corralled us in His mercies. He never quit. You see, God was using Hosea and his life to illustrate for Israel the love that He had for them –and us. God spoke to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel and said this: “Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.”

God has bound Himself to you with an oath and the love that moved Him to do that is the same love that keeps you and I even now. It’s a love that just won’t quit!

Have a great week! Pastor Jim