Nov 2008
Obtaining What You Want
30/11/08 20:22
As I was
seeking God, concerning the sermon for this week, and
thinking about this week’s Pastor’s Desk,
I chuckled at God’s timing – His perfect
timing. It is sort of like when you’re going
through something and God just ministers His Word to
you through the sermon or your Bible time. Do you
know what I mean? Well, what better way to realize
that those things that I thought I wanted
wasn’t really what I wanted, than the few
minutes right after I ate all that was on my
Thanksgiving plate! “O, that looks good.”
And “That smells delicious.” My eyes were
bigger than my belly this year and I paid the price.
I hate sitting there so uncomfortable because of my
own undoing! I shot myself in the foot with ham, yams
and potato salad and now I know why they call them
devil-eggs. So many times throughout my life I
obtained things that I thought I wanted only to
realize that after I obtained them it wasn’t
what I really wanted. Or else, what I thought would
be good for me actually turned out to be more of a
burden, or a bad habit that I later wanted to shake
off but couldn’t. For instance, pornography; as
a young man I thought that that sort of thing was
just what I needed, only to find out later that it
wasn’t. Getting drunk, getting high and having
illicit sex were all things that I thought I wanted,
only to find out years later and several problems
besides, that those things were actually killing me.
Even something as innocent as coffee; “Ah, just
a good cup of hot steaming joe.” Anyone who has
ever drank coffee for a number of years will tell you
that it’s not so easy to quit drinking it.
While the Apostle Paul was being transported to Rome, because of his arrest by the Jews, they were on a ship that was looking for a pleasant south wind to travel by. Listen to Luke describe it: “When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete…” Not too long afterwards though, a wind of hurricane force swept down from the island and the ship was caught in a terrible storm. They had to give way to it and just be driven along by the winds. Isn’t that just like us when we get ourselves into fine messes because we obtained something that we thought we wanted? Only to find out later that we don’t possess the thing – the thing possesses us! The crazy thing about this whole ordeal with the ship is that these experienced seamen knew that it was already dangerous to set out because of the time of year. What were they thinking? They were even warned by Paul not to set sail and yet they continued in their way to “obtain what they thought they wanted”. For years I have spoken to countless people whose lives are trapped by the same things mine was and I try so hard to warn them that what they think they want – they really don’t. The pleasures of this world are nothing! They are nothing! Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he gained the whole world and yet, in the end lose his soul. Ask yourself if those things that you have obtained in your life thus far, are they what you really want?
While the Apostle Paul was being transported to Rome, because of his arrest by the Jews, they were on a ship that was looking for a pleasant south wind to travel by. Listen to Luke describe it: “When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete…” Not too long afterwards though, a wind of hurricane force swept down from the island and the ship was caught in a terrible storm. They had to give way to it and just be driven along by the winds. Isn’t that just like us when we get ourselves into fine messes because we obtained something that we thought we wanted? Only to find out later that we don’t possess the thing – the thing possesses us! The crazy thing about this whole ordeal with the ship is that these experienced seamen knew that it was already dangerous to set out because of the time of year. What were they thinking? They were even warned by Paul not to set sail and yet they continued in their way to “obtain what they thought they wanted”. For years I have spoken to countless people whose lives are trapped by the same things mine was and I try so hard to warn them that what they think they want – they really don’t. The pleasures of this world are nothing! They are nothing! Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he gained the whole world and yet, in the end lose his soul. Ask yourself if those things that you have obtained in your life thus far, are they what you really want?
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Every day: Thanksgiving Day!
23/11/08 11:10
I am sure
you are aware of how our society has commercialized
Christmas; gifts and Santa Claus takes center stage
nowadays. The hustle and bustle of “Main
Street” amounts to the passing of credit cards
and traveling to parties. But underneath it all lays
the longing for the Christmas spirit that spreads
good will toward our fellowman. I think it’s
the snowy, quiet nights, the carols heard on the
radio, the colorful Christmas lights; it is all of
these things that excite us into stirring up those
nice warm feelings of Christmas spirit.
Then comes January 1st! Back to the real world of hard knocks. The snow can go and take your smiling face with it! It was Christians who noticed this little phenomenon and we have tried to erase it from our society by being just a little more loving, just a little while longer – at least until January 2nd! Just kidding. We know that Christ is the Christmas spirit and so we see the need to share it all year long, not just during the Advent season.
Well, I was thinking about how the world has marginalized the Christmas spirit and I wondered if we did that with Thanksgiving. I think we do! I think that is one day where just about everybody says grace over the meal. Even if they don’t want to, they are respectfully quiet while their grandfather prays what tradition demands. Mothers are heard saying things like; “Shut up and eat your cranberry sauce – you should be thankful that you have cranberry sauce to eat,” and “You should be thankful you have food on that plate young man, there are a lot of children in this world who don’t have it as nice as you.” I think that is why we make such a feast on Thanksgiving –the bigger the feast, the more thankful we’ll be. But it just doesn’t work out that way does it? I’ll prove it.
Here is a test; gorge yourself this coming Thursday with anything your little eyes and hearts desire. Go for that second piece of turkey, the ice cream on the pie, and two after dinner mints! Stuff yourself more than the cook stuffed the turkey when she baked it. Then see how thankful you are…
There is this intrinsic law within us that regulates our thankfulness of spirit. It works something like this: The more we have – the less thankful we become. It’s really a no-brainer; when a child is given everything he wants, he grows up thinking that the world owes him anything he wants. I remember reading a testimonial of a young girl in the impoverishment of war-torn Bosnia. She remembered sitting underneath a cherry tree with her friend eating cherries and thanking God that no one had bombed this particular tree. She remarked at how delicious those cherries were and wondered if she would have appreciated them as much if her situation had been different.
I’ve been thinking, we might be shooting ourselves in the foot here. You know, by taking one day and setting it apart to give thanks to God for His mighty bounty, then eating all that bounty in one sitting! We might tend to not be as thankful next time when we go to the refrigerator and see that there is only one piece of lunchmeat left for our sandwich!
Thanksgiving is an honorable holiday and I am thankful for our founding fathers who established a day when the citizens of this great country thank God for His providential care. (I read an article the other day that they want us to take time and thank this, that and the other thing, but there was no mention of thanking God. They even wanted us to thank the four winds for blowing out the impurities in the air. What? Since when did the four winds get ears to hear?)
The secret to being thankful lies in the treasury of contentment. “Be thankful…” the apostle says; that is an act of the will. I choose to be contented with what God has given me. And so, I shall become thankful – everyday!
Then comes January 1st! Back to the real world of hard knocks. The snow can go and take your smiling face with it! It was Christians who noticed this little phenomenon and we have tried to erase it from our society by being just a little more loving, just a little while longer – at least until January 2nd! Just kidding. We know that Christ is the Christmas spirit and so we see the need to share it all year long, not just during the Advent season.
Well, I was thinking about how the world has marginalized the Christmas spirit and I wondered if we did that with Thanksgiving. I think we do! I think that is one day where just about everybody says grace over the meal. Even if they don’t want to, they are respectfully quiet while their grandfather prays what tradition demands. Mothers are heard saying things like; “Shut up and eat your cranberry sauce – you should be thankful that you have cranberry sauce to eat,” and “You should be thankful you have food on that plate young man, there are a lot of children in this world who don’t have it as nice as you.” I think that is why we make such a feast on Thanksgiving –the bigger the feast, the more thankful we’ll be. But it just doesn’t work out that way does it? I’ll prove it.
Here is a test; gorge yourself this coming Thursday with anything your little eyes and hearts desire. Go for that second piece of turkey, the ice cream on the pie, and two after dinner mints! Stuff yourself more than the cook stuffed the turkey when she baked it. Then see how thankful you are…
There is this intrinsic law within us that regulates our thankfulness of spirit. It works something like this: The more we have – the less thankful we become. It’s really a no-brainer; when a child is given everything he wants, he grows up thinking that the world owes him anything he wants. I remember reading a testimonial of a young girl in the impoverishment of war-torn Bosnia. She remembered sitting underneath a cherry tree with her friend eating cherries and thanking God that no one had bombed this particular tree. She remarked at how delicious those cherries were and wondered if she would have appreciated them as much if her situation had been different.
I’ve been thinking, we might be shooting ourselves in the foot here. You know, by taking one day and setting it apart to give thanks to God for His mighty bounty, then eating all that bounty in one sitting! We might tend to not be as thankful next time when we go to the refrigerator and see that there is only one piece of lunchmeat left for our sandwich!
Thanksgiving is an honorable holiday and I am thankful for our founding fathers who established a day when the citizens of this great country thank God for His providential care. (I read an article the other day that they want us to take time and thank this, that and the other thing, but there was no mention of thanking God. They even wanted us to thank the four winds for blowing out the impurities in the air. What? Since when did the four winds get ears to hear?)
The secret to being thankful lies in the treasury of contentment. “Be thankful…” the apostle says; that is an act of the will. I choose to be contented with what God has given me. And so, I shall become thankful – everyday!
“Therefore,
since we are receiving a kingdom
that cannot be shaken
let us be thankful, and worship God
acceptably…
Trusting in a Stronghold
16/11/08 08:14
From the
old westerns to the greatest of war epics, the good
guys always found safety in their fortresses and
castles. These buildings were designed for one
purpose – to keep the enemy out! Castles had
moats and forts had their high walls. Impenetrable
sanctuaries where the forces defended themselves
against the onslaught of enemy fire. Christians also
have a stronghold, a fortress impenetrable, a refuge
in a time of trouble. We have Jesus who has become
for us a strongtower, where we not only find shelter
but strength in our time of need. The Bible says that
the Name of the Lord is a strongtower and the
righteous run to it and they are safe. There is no
other Name. There is no other fortress; no, I know
not one. Money is definitely not a refuge, the Bible
says it’s worthless in the time of wrath. Fame,
charm and beauty is as fleeting as a rabbit running
from its predator. Power is deceiving and as far as
the Bible speaks; “Let the weak say, ‘I
am strong.’”
In these days of economic upheaval, societal collapse and international amalga-mation, we must flee to our Fortress and find mercy in our time of need. Now, I realize that many Christians may disagree saying that now is not the time to retreat, now is the time to fight, but there comes a time (and has now come) when we need to make sure that we are sure of the calling. During wars and battles lasting longer than anticipated, sometimes the troops lose vision of the goal. Renegades forget their orders and set out to fulfill their own cause. Oftentimes, these soldiers hurt the cause of the whole and even become traitorous. I think there are a number of renegades within the ranks of the modern Church. These false teachers are leading God’s people away from the true Word for the sole purpose of financial gain. They are wolves in sheep clothing and they are scattering the sheep. People are running after worldly treasures, corporeal pleasures and personal sovereignty. Why is it that “doing my own thing” is the latest mantra of the self-confident Christian? Where has God told anyone, “Do your own thing?” Nowhere, friend, nowhere. Just because you think that you have a good idea, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a Godly idea. The fight against evil does not belong to the individual. It’s God’s and He is the Commander and Chief. If you and I were outside the Church looking in right now, what would we see? Some Christians preach prosperity as if that is why God wants us to become His children. Some Christians are solely concentrated on dietary health and physical well-being as if this was the only body they are getting. Some are building their own fortresses right here on earth. Some are hiding away in mountains, storing up food and supplies in fear of what they think may happen. And they all seem to have lost the main reason why Jesus came – to seek and save that which was lost.
Saint of God, there is nothing wrong with retreating back into the arms of the Lord; receiving counsel from His Word and mercy from His hand. “Be still,” says the Lord “and know that I am God.” It is at this place God can revive us and give us hope. Hope gives us strength and it is by hope that we are saved. The writer of Hebrews gives us this admonition; “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful… Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another –and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Have a great week!
Pastor Jim
In these days of economic upheaval, societal collapse and international amalga-mation, we must flee to our Fortress and find mercy in our time of need. Now, I realize that many Christians may disagree saying that now is not the time to retreat, now is the time to fight, but there comes a time (and has now come) when we need to make sure that we are sure of the calling. During wars and battles lasting longer than anticipated, sometimes the troops lose vision of the goal. Renegades forget their orders and set out to fulfill their own cause. Oftentimes, these soldiers hurt the cause of the whole and even become traitorous. I think there are a number of renegades within the ranks of the modern Church. These false teachers are leading God’s people away from the true Word for the sole purpose of financial gain. They are wolves in sheep clothing and they are scattering the sheep. People are running after worldly treasures, corporeal pleasures and personal sovereignty. Why is it that “doing my own thing” is the latest mantra of the self-confident Christian? Where has God told anyone, “Do your own thing?” Nowhere, friend, nowhere. Just because you think that you have a good idea, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a Godly idea. The fight against evil does not belong to the individual. It’s God’s and He is the Commander and Chief. If you and I were outside the Church looking in right now, what would we see? Some Christians preach prosperity as if that is why God wants us to become His children. Some Christians are solely concentrated on dietary health and physical well-being as if this was the only body they are getting. Some are building their own fortresses right here on earth. Some are hiding away in mountains, storing up food and supplies in fear of what they think may happen. And they all seem to have lost the main reason why Jesus came – to seek and save that which was lost.
Saint of God, there is nothing wrong with retreating back into the arms of the Lord; receiving counsel from His Word and mercy from His hand. “Be still,” says the Lord “and know that I am God.” It is at this place God can revive us and give us hope. Hope gives us strength and it is by hope that we are saved. The writer of Hebrews gives us this admonition; “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful… Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another –and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Have a great week!
Pastor Jim
The Greatest…
09/11/08 17:58
It
wasn’t the first time that a quarrel broke out
among Jesus’ disciples and it wouldn’t be
the last. In fact, they were even arguing among
themselves on the night Jesus was betrayed. What
could these disciples be arguing about even while
Jesus was with them? They were debating about who was
the greatest, that’s what!
Don’t you find that amazing? Even though these disciples knew exactly who Jesus was, they still had aspirations to outdo one another. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took time to teach them that he who wanted to be the greatest would be the least among them. Jesus told them that those who lead within His kingdom would be those who serve.
It was the Gentile rulers that lorded over their people and continued to remind them that they should serve their leaders. Jesus told the twelve, “No, I want the opposite from you.”
If you think about it, Jesus never did anything that the world associates with greatness. Sure, he did miracles, but you have to believe that He did them, and the post-modern mind does everything in its power to discredit what He did. But they cannot argue or discredit His service.
In the thirteenth chapter of the gospel of John, we see Jesus and His disciples at the last meal they would share together before He gave His life for them:
“The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and the he had come from God and was retuning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” John 13:2-5
Can you imagine the look on their faces when He did that?! They knew that He was the Messiah, the Christ. For Pete’s sake, He was the Son of God! They should have been jumping to wash His feet. But no, they were more interested in arguing over who was Jesus’ favorite. Here’s the King of kings bending over with towel and basin and these guys are busy measuring for their thrones next to Him in Heaven. Did you notice that in the text, none of the disciples asked Jesus if He needed any help? That’s typical, for when people are looking to exalt themselves, they’re not looking to serve.
Take note of the first thing Jesus did when He realized that all power and authority was His and that the Father put all things under His feet. He knew that He came from God and that He was going back to God. So what did He do? He served.
He could have reprimanded the apostles. He could have scolded them and then told them what they should have done. But Jesus knew that people who want to exalt themselves never see the dust that has accumulated upon themselves – His beloved disciples needed their feet washed!
Those who want to serve, do so because they are thinking about others before themselves. I think this is what Jesus was trying to get His disciples to understand. He wants you and me to understand too.
True joy is found in serving, it is better to give than receive, and if you lose your life for the sake of Christ – in the end you shall keep it!
Who will be the greatest in Heaven? That’s a “no-brainer”; it is the one who serves the most. And do you know Who served the most? Yeah, you got it, Jesus.
Who is filled with joy here on earth? It’s not the one who thinks that he should be waited on hand and foot. It’s not the one who is constantly looking out so that his “rights” aren’t infringed upon. It’s not the one who is always looking for the blessings. No, the one with the truest joy is the one who is serving, who is looking out for the needs of others and working to be a blessing. He will not only receive joy here on earth but he will receive his reward in Heaven.
Let us serve the Lord in gladness, let us come before Him with joyful songs.
Have a great week!
Pastor Jim
Don’t you find that amazing? Even though these disciples knew exactly who Jesus was, they still had aspirations to outdo one another. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took time to teach them that he who wanted to be the greatest would be the least among them. Jesus told them that those who lead within His kingdom would be those who serve.
It was the Gentile rulers that lorded over their people and continued to remind them that they should serve their leaders. Jesus told the twelve, “No, I want the opposite from you.”
If you think about it, Jesus never did anything that the world associates with greatness. Sure, he did miracles, but you have to believe that He did them, and the post-modern mind does everything in its power to discredit what He did. But they cannot argue or discredit His service.
In the thirteenth chapter of the gospel of John, we see Jesus and His disciples at the last meal they would share together before He gave His life for them:
“The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and the he had come from God and was retuning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” John 13:2-5
Can you imagine the look on their faces when He did that?! They knew that He was the Messiah, the Christ. For Pete’s sake, He was the Son of God! They should have been jumping to wash His feet. But no, they were more interested in arguing over who was Jesus’ favorite. Here’s the King of kings bending over with towel and basin and these guys are busy measuring for their thrones next to Him in Heaven. Did you notice that in the text, none of the disciples asked Jesus if He needed any help? That’s typical, for when people are looking to exalt themselves, they’re not looking to serve.
Take note of the first thing Jesus did when He realized that all power and authority was His and that the Father put all things under His feet. He knew that He came from God and that He was going back to God. So what did He do? He served.
He could have reprimanded the apostles. He could have scolded them and then told them what they should have done. But Jesus knew that people who want to exalt themselves never see the dust that has accumulated upon themselves – His beloved disciples needed their feet washed!
Those who want to serve, do so because they are thinking about others before themselves. I think this is what Jesus was trying to get His disciples to understand. He wants you and me to understand too.
True joy is found in serving, it is better to give than receive, and if you lose your life for the sake of Christ – in the end you shall keep it!
Who will be the greatest in Heaven? That’s a “no-brainer”; it is the one who serves the most. And do you know Who served the most? Yeah, you got it, Jesus.
Who is filled with joy here on earth? It’s not the one who thinks that he should be waited on hand and foot. It’s not the one who is constantly looking out so that his “rights” aren’t infringed upon. It’s not the one who is always looking for the blessings. No, the one with the truest joy is the one who is serving, who is looking out for the needs of others and working to be a blessing. He will not only receive joy here on earth but he will receive his reward in Heaven.
Let us serve the Lord in gladness, let us come before Him with joyful songs.
Have a great week!
Pastor Jim
Home at Last
02/11/08 19:22
Friday was one of those busy days that just didn’t seem long enough for everything that needed to be done. It doesn’t help when things don’t go as you expect them to or want them to. It seems to me that daily stress makes me tired sooner than I should be. Go figure; it only took me fifty years to figure that one out! My last chore was to run to the grocery store for milk, eggs and a few other items. I finally got there about 6:30pm. While I was there I ran into a few folks I know and one asked me how my day was going (and he actually stopped to hear what I had to say) and was I done for the day. I told him that all I had left to do was to rake some leaves up and get them burnt before it rained. (I thought it was supposed to rain just after midnight.)
Home again with rake and leaf blower in hand, I started gathering up those little devils that sneak into your house on the bottom of your shoes. Guess what happened before I got started raking? I tried to talk myself right out of doing it. “I was too tired.” “It wasn’t going to rain.” “I can get up early tomorrow…” But, as I began working and saw that the job wasn’t that big, it seemed that I was getting energized by the minute. I had the pile up and burning just a little after eight. I even threw fixing my dinner in the mix. (Robin was still out for the day and didn’t get home until after ten.)
We all have busy lives, don’t we? And tomorrow will be just as busy. One can get really weary, not only mentally but physically as well. Actually I love getting into bed after a good hard day of toil and sweat. The body seems to sigh in harmony with the rustling of the bed sheets. Mental thoughts mellowing into songs of thanks to the One who kept me throughout the day with the hum of the humidifier and the peaceful sounds accompanying Robin as she falls to sleep. All these sounds orchestrate a sweet lullaby that sings of rest and peace.
Sure, in this life we have trials and tribulation, but God has given us each day, the opportunity to experience just a foretaste of that blessed time that awaits us when we shall enter into our final Rest. No, I’m not talking about dying. I’m talking about that Day when you and I will cross the threshold of the Holy City of New Jerusalem, the Day when we shall see the King in all His glory and majesty, the Day when He speaks to us face to face and says, “Enter now child, into thy rest. You are Home forever.”
I like coming home after a long day. I like coming home after vacation. I like coming home. There’s something invigorating about. It’s like, “Hey, I’m home now. I won’t be judged here. I am accepted here. I can throw on some very unstylish close and nobody’s going to laugh at me. I can let my hair down, let my guard down, kick off my shoes, eat like a pig! I think that these little enjoyments that we experience when we get home each night are a shadow of the great peace and joy that we will feel when we get to Heaven.
While I was raking the leaves, I was giving God much thanks for the day but also at the same time I was praying for Robin and the girls who were still out on the road. I know that Robin has a hard time seeing after dark and this tends to worry me. So as, I was praying, the thought occurred to me that there is a Day coming when I will never have to be troubled about her safety again. A Day is coming when we will part no more from our loved ones. I lifted up my thanks again to God. I can’t wait until I get to Heaven and spend eternity with all my loved ones. Yeah, I can’t wait until we’re Home!
Have a great week!
Pastor Jim