"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" ~Psalm 22:1
These words we recognize. These are the words Jesus quoted from the cross just before He died. Thinking about this verse, I am reminded there are times in life when we feel these words ourselves. When a doctor tells you, you have cancer or when we lose someone very close to us. Reading through Exodus, the people of Israel was brutally oppressed by Pharaoh. When Moses confronted Pharaoh to free his people, Pharaoh responded by making life even harder. The people felt as if God had forsaken them.
In reality God was working in their behalf and in the end they world know He was God and they where His people. In life we don't always know what is happening and we feel abandoned. But God reminds us to be "strong and courageous" and "He will never leave us or forsake us". (Deu. 3:16) No matter where you find yourself we know God will never 'forsake' us. In those moments He is building our faith and we have to trust the outcome to God.
Dear Father thank you for never leaving or forsaken us. Thank you for always being there even when we feel overwhelmed by life. Lord help us in those moments to look to you and to trust you. Build our faith today Lord. Amen
Daily Reading: Exodus 5-8; Psalm 22:1-11
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A Name
"God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you." ~Exodus 3:14 HCSB
Names are important. Names establish who we are and say something about us. All of us have names, names our parents gave us and some names we have earned through our actions. When Moses was given the task to go to the Israelites, Moses asked, "Who will I say sent me?" God answered him with, "I AM"! Reading this stirs me, there is no greater name. God is "I AM", there is nothing he cannot do. In the New Testament, at the trial of Jesus the high priest asked Jesus if he was the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? Jesus answered him, "I am", at which time the priest tore this robes and Jesus was crucified for blasphemy. (Mark 14:61)
Just as God sent Moses to free the Israelites from slavery, God the Father sent the Son to free us from the slavery of sin. God took the initiative in the lives of people of Israel and God has taken the initiative in the lives of all people. God freed the Israelites from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh. Jesus sets us free from the chains of sin and gives us a new life. In the name of Jesus, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Praise God for His name!
Lord praise your name! Praise you Lord for taking the initiative in freeing us from our sins. Father praise you for sending your Son, Jesus. Thank you Jesus for freeing us from our sin and giving us a new life in you! May the name of Jesus be praised in our lives today! Thank you Lord! Amen.
Daily Reading: Exodus 1-4; Psalm 21
Pastor Steve
Names are important. Names establish who we are and say something about us. All of us have names, names our parents gave us and some names we have earned through our actions. When Moses was given the task to go to the Israelites, Moses asked, "Who will I say sent me?" God answered him with, "I AM"! Reading this stirs me, there is no greater name. God is "I AM", there is nothing he cannot do. In the New Testament, at the trial of Jesus the high priest asked Jesus if he was the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? Jesus answered him, "I am", at which time the priest tore this robes and Jesus was crucified for blasphemy. (Mark 14:61)
Just as God sent Moses to free the Israelites from slavery, God the Father sent the Son to free us from the slavery of sin. God took the initiative in the lives of people of Israel and God has taken the initiative in the lives of all people. God freed the Israelites from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh. Jesus sets us free from the chains of sin and gives us a new life. In the name of Jesus, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Praise God for His name!
Lord praise your name! Praise you Lord for taking the initiative in freeing us from our sins. Father praise you for sending your Son, Jesus. Thank you Jesus for freeing us from our sin and giving us a new life in you! May the name of Jesus be praised in our lives today! Thank you Lord! Amen.
Daily Reading: Exodus 1-4; Psalm 21
Pastor Steve
Monday, January 24, 2011
Take Refuge
"God- His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. His is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides Yahweh" HCSB Psalm 18:30-31
Life has many ups and downs and at times it can get over whelming. I love the Psalms for this very reason, because it gives me a place to go and find inspiration for hope. These verses are a perfect example. First thought I get when I read this is, God, He is the first thought. He is the reason for everything, God. His ways are perfect. Not our ways, not the way of a political leader, pastor or anyone else, God's way is perfect. How do we know this? God has revealed it to us in His word, which He says is pure. It can be trusted, because God can be trusted. It is a foundation of truth for us to stand on, to build our lives one.
Through the revealed word we know God is a shield and a safe place for us to take refuge in. We know that no matter what happens in this life, we know God is in control. He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to take refuge in Him. When we do we quickly find out God does exactly what He says. We will never fully understand everything that happens to us or to those around us, but we know we can trust God. I take comfort in this, knowing God is God and I am not Him.
Lord thank you for being God. Thank you for your word, that is pure. Lord—You are my shield and my refuge, help me take shelter in you first. Help me seek you first in my life, to trust you with everything. Amen
Daily Reading: Mark 13-16 and Psalm 20
Pastor Steve
Life has many ups and downs and at times it can get over whelming. I love the Psalms for this very reason, because it gives me a place to go and find inspiration for hope. These verses are a perfect example. First thought I get when I read this is, God, He is the first thought. He is the reason for everything, God. His ways are perfect. Not our ways, not the way of a political leader, pastor or anyone else, God's way is perfect. How do we know this? God has revealed it to us in His word, which He says is pure. It can be trusted, because God can be trusted. It is a foundation of truth for us to stand on, to build our lives one.
Through the revealed word we know God is a shield and a safe place for us to take refuge in. We know that no matter what happens in this life, we know God is in control. He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to take refuge in Him. When we do we quickly find out God does exactly what He says. We will never fully understand everything that happens to us or to those around us, but we know we can trust God. I take comfort in this, knowing God is God and I am not Him.
Lord thank you for being God. Thank you for your word, that is pure. Lord—You are my shield and my refuge, help me take shelter in you first. Help me seek you first in my life, to trust you with everything. Amen
Daily Reading: Mark 13-16 and Psalm 20
Pastor Steve
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Sermon: Prepare for Battle: The Enemy (Eph 6:10-12)
We are at War!
The very first thing as Christians we have to understand is we are at war. There has been an uprising in the heavens and we have landed in the middle of it. In fact you could say we are in enemy occupied territory. We live like we are on a playground many times when we should live like we are on a battleground. In the letter to the Ephesians Paul outlines this most clearly at the end of the letter in chapter 6. For the last few chapters of the letter Paul tells us 'to live a life worthy of our calling" (Eph 4:1). He tells us to be 'imitators' of God (Eph 5:1), to 'walk in Love' (Eph 5:2), to 'walk as children of the light' (Eph 5:8), and finally to 'walk not as unwise people but as wise' (Eph 5:15). Next Paul outlines how we are to live this new life out in Christ with others, our church, home and work. He finishes the letter with dealing with the enemy. He knows if you are to live the Christian life in the world there will be opposition.
"Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens." Ephesians 6:10-12 HCSB
Reading Paul's word we soon realize we have been enlisted into the army of the Lord. He starts by saying "finally", the word would better translated "henceforth" or "for the time remaining". In others words we are going to struggle with this until Christ returns.
Christ has Overcome
It's easy to think we are in a losing battle. But we must not lose heart and we must always remember Christ has overcome. In John 16:38 Jesus tells the disciples "but take heart I have overcome the world". He has also overcome the flesh (Gal 2:20) and over Satan himself (Eph 1:19-23). We know who has won, we know the score of the game before it's finished. In the end Christ wins and Satan loses. So in reality we do not fight for victory—we fight from victory! And when you really think about it we don't fight all, God fights for us.
The Enemy
So who is this enemy, what comes to mind when you think about him? When I posed this question on Facebook I got a variety of answers and they could be boiled down as "lair, cheater, murderer, divider, and thief. We have to know our enemy! Intelligence is vital to any battle and this battle isn't any different. We have to know our enemy to defeat him and also not to be caught off guard. He has many names, he is known as the Devil which means "accuser". He is called this because he stands before God accusing the saints (Rev 12:7-11). He is also known as Satan, which means the "adversary". He is known as the tempter, murderer and liar (John 8:44), compared to a lion (1Peter 5:8), a serpent in Genesis, and can disguised himself as an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:13-15) He is also known as the 'god of this age'. (2 Cor 4:4)
You look through the list of names and realize the enemy is very powerful, but we have to realize he was created. Many have debated how Satan fell from heaven and the Bible as passages that allude to it, but many scholars are divided. But I would encourage you to read Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-17, I tend to believe these passages are referencing the rise and fall of Satan, but I will leave that for another time. What we do know is he is limited in knowledge and activity. He is not all knowing, all powerful or everywhere like God. So the question quickly become how does he do so much? The answer is he has help, a lot of help.
The Bible tells us he took one-third of the angels with him (Rev 12:4), no one knows the exact number but that has to be a lot of angels. Secondly he has people in place, rulers and authorities. Daniel 10:13-20 tells us he battles in the heavens and interferes with the nations.
Don't Underestimate Him
Taking all of this into account we do not want to underestimate him. He has been around from the very beginning and we cannot defeat him on our own. And the worst mistake of all is to ignore or make him a myth. Jesus tells us in John 10:10 "A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy." I believe Satan wants to steal your peace, that is get you to believe that God doesn't love you. He wants to disrupt the peace you have with God through Christ. If he can get you to say you're not good enough, he can kill your joy. Losing your joy, takes away your hope and if we lose hope we will certainly doubt our faith. Once faith is gone there will be little talk from you about Jesus to others! This is why we must always remember the cross and the victory won there! It is at the cross where our sins were forgiven by the shedding of Christ blood. It is where God's wrath is settled and by putting our faith in Jesus we have salvation. It is on the cross we find peace with God. In the end Satan and his army with be thrown into the lake of fire, until then we stand and resist. But only through Christ can we have the victory!
I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory.
Chorus
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
The very first thing as Christians we have to understand is we are at war. There has been an uprising in the heavens and we have landed in the middle of it. In fact you could say we are in enemy occupied territory. We live like we are on a playground many times when we should live like we are on a battleground. In the letter to the Ephesians Paul outlines this most clearly at the end of the letter in chapter 6. For the last few chapters of the letter Paul tells us 'to live a life worthy of our calling" (Eph 4:1). He tells us to be 'imitators' of God (Eph 5:1), to 'walk in Love' (Eph 5:2), to 'walk as children of the light' (Eph 5:8), and finally to 'walk not as unwise people but as wise' (Eph 5:15). Next Paul outlines how we are to live this new life out in Christ with others, our church, home and work. He finishes the letter with dealing with the enemy. He knows if you are to live the Christian life in the world there will be opposition.
"Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens." Ephesians 6:10-12 HCSB
Reading Paul's word we soon realize we have been enlisted into the army of the Lord. He starts by saying "finally", the word would better translated "henceforth" or "for the time remaining". In others words we are going to struggle with this until Christ returns.
Christ has Overcome
It's easy to think we are in a losing battle. But we must not lose heart and we must always remember Christ has overcome. In John 16:38 Jesus tells the disciples "but take heart I have overcome the world". He has also overcome the flesh (Gal 2:20) and over Satan himself (Eph 1:19-23). We know who has won, we know the score of the game before it's finished. In the end Christ wins and Satan loses. So in reality we do not fight for victory—we fight from victory! And when you really think about it we don't fight all, God fights for us.
The Enemy
So who is this enemy, what comes to mind when you think about him? When I posed this question on Facebook I got a variety of answers and they could be boiled down as "lair, cheater, murderer, divider, and thief. We have to know our enemy! Intelligence is vital to any battle and this battle isn't any different. We have to know our enemy to defeat him and also not to be caught off guard. He has many names, he is known as the Devil which means "accuser". He is called this because he stands before God accusing the saints (Rev 12:7-11). He is also known as Satan, which means the "adversary". He is known as the tempter, murderer and liar (John 8:44), compared to a lion (1Peter 5:8), a serpent in Genesis, and can disguised himself as an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:13-15) He is also known as the 'god of this age'. (2 Cor 4:4)
You look through the list of names and realize the enemy is very powerful, but we have to realize he was created. Many have debated how Satan fell from heaven and the Bible as passages that allude to it, but many scholars are divided. But I would encourage you to read Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-17, I tend to believe these passages are referencing the rise and fall of Satan, but I will leave that for another time. What we do know is he is limited in knowledge and activity. He is not all knowing, all powerful or everywhere like God. So the question quickly become how does he do so much? The answer is he has help, a lot of help.
The Bible tells us he took one-third of the angels with him (Rev 12:4), no one knows the exact number but that has to be a lot of angels. Secondly he has people in place, rulers and authorities. Daniel 10:13-20 tells us he battles in the heavens and interferes with the nations.
Don't Underestimate Him
Taking all of this into account we do not want to underestimate him. He has been around from the very beginning and we cannot defeat him on our own. And the worst mistake of all is to ignore or make him a myth. Jesus tells us in John 10:10 "A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy." I believe Satan wants to steal your peace, that is get you to believe that God doesn't love you. He wants to disrupt the peace you have with God through Christ. If he can get you to say you're not good enough, he can kill your joy. Losing your joy, takes away your hope and if we lose hope we will certainly doubt our faith. Once faith is gone there will be little talk from you about Jesus to others! This is why we must always remember the cross and the victory won there! It is at the cross where our sins were forgiven by the shedding of Christ blood. It is where God's wrath is settled and by putting our faith in Jesus we have salvation. It is on the cross we find peace with God. In the end Satan and his army with be thrown into the lake of fire, until then we stand and resist. But only through Christ can we have the victory!
I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory.
Chorus
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Conflict
Ok I got a secret, I really do. I want to share something startling and downright scary, conflict! Many of us hear this word and we are terrified. I have to tell you I have gone to great lengths to avoid this beast and many times I have had to settle it with a greater cost. Think about how many times things went horribly wrong when you sat on something and hoped it would go away. The longer you waited the bigger the thing got and before long you got Godzilla marching through your life.
So how do you handle conflict, firstly you have to realize conflict is going to happen especially in a church. Wait you mean there are conflicts in church, but everyone is so nice and friendly. I have learned church people can be very unfriendly if you mess with things they love. Add in ages differences, no generational differences, cultures, gender, not to mention sin and a host of other factors and you have a potentially biohazard on your hands. So you have to realize conflict is going to happen and it's ok. Yup, it's ok. In fact if you don't have conflict I think there is something wrong with the church. It's like when your three year gets quiet, when that happens I'm scared! So conflict is going to happen and it's ok, so how do I handle it?
As soon as a conflict starts the person who is offended needs to go to the offender. As soon as humanly possible the person in question needs to be gentle and respectfully confront. Keep this in mind, 97% of what people say and do are done with the best intentions at heart. I know you think I'm naïve, but I truly believe that, they simply don't have the skills or the ability to get it right. I can't tell you how many times people say things to me that I could easily take offense to, but I know they have my best interest at heart. They just said it wrongly, or they didn't know all the facts involved. If you do this you will solve almost all of your conflict issues, even if it is just agreeing to disagree.
In the end you will learn the other person better, they will learn something about you and everyone will benefit. So next time someone hurts you, offends you or whatever you want to call it, deal with the person directly. Don't talk about them for months to everyone else, or let it build up inside you until you burst. Deal with it and accept the outcome. We must always remember what is at stake. It's the gospel of Christ. Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35) We don't want to do anything that would tarnish, take away from or harm the gospel of Christ. The world is watching and many people will turn away from or embrace Christ by the way we treat each other, think about it!
-ps
So how do you handle conflict, firstly you have to realize conflict is going to happen especially in a church. Wait you mean there are conflicts in church, but everyone is so nice and friendly. I have learned church people can be very unfriendly if you mess with things they love. Add in ages differences, no generational differences, cultures, gender, not to mention sin and a host of other factors and you have a potentially biohazard on your hands. So you have to realize conflict is going to happen and it's ok. Yup, it's ok. In fact if you don't have conflict I think there is something wrong with the church. It's like when your three year gets quiet, when that happens I'm scared! So conflict is going to happen and it's ok, so how do I handle it?
As soon as a conflict starts the person who is offended needs to go to the offender. As soon as humanly possible the person in question needs to be gentle and respectfully confront. Keep this in mind, 97% of what people say and do are done with the best intentions at heart. I know you think I'm naïve, but I truly believe that, they simply don't have the skills or the ability to get it right. I can't tell you how many times people say things to me that I could easily take offense to, but I know they have my best interest at heart. They just said it wrongly, or they didn't know all the facts involved. If you do this you will solve almost all of your conflict issues, even if it is just agreeing to disagree.
In the end you will learn the other person better, they will learn something about you and everyone will benefit. So next time someone hurts you, offends you or whatever you want to call it, deal with the person directly. Don't talk about them for months to everyone else, or let it build up inside you until you burst. Deal with it and accept the outcome. We must always remember what is at stake. It's the gospel of Christ. Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35) We don't want to do anything that would tarnish, take away from or harm the gospel of Christ. The world is watching and many people will turn away from or embrace Christ by the way we treat each other, think about it!
-ps
Friday, January 8, 2010
The Power of the Cross
This continues the discussion from the entry "The Person of the Cross". We talked about how Paul's life was forever changed by his encounter with Christ. Paul turned from being the chief persecutor of the early church, to being one of its leaders. How could this radical change take place in a person? Yet this is what we see in Paul. As Paul deals with the many theological issues and questions about life in general, he always comes back to Jesus on the cross. Paul knew the person of the cross and he knew the power of the cross. The cross in Paul's time was an object of shame. It was a place of weakness. No one would have worn a cross around their neck. If you were to have had a family members crucified, you would never mention it to anyone. Yet we see Paul boast in the cross, because for Paul it was a place of liberty. Paul saw the cross as the source of freedom, freedom from self, freedom from the flesh, freedom from the world around him.
In the cross Paul recognized the source of its power rested in the humility of Jesus. Jesus who was God, humbled himself to the point where being God wasn't something to be grasped. He humbled himself to the point of becoming human servant. As a servant he was obedient to death, death on a cross. Paul saw this and was greatly humbled. When we see Jesus on the cross we should hear him saying, "I am here because of you, it is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying!" In light of this, the cross is the ultimate source of humility. At the foot of the cross we all shrink. In doing so we are freed from the burden of self, flesh and the world. How can we live our lives selfishly knowing what Jesus did for us on the cross?
The power of the cross that changed Paul, it is also what drove Paul. In the letter to the Galatians he said this, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20 NIV) If we want to live the life God has called us to live, we must be crucified with Christ, and he must live through us. The way we allow that to happen is to understand what he did on the cross. Jesus loved you and gave himself for you, that is the power of the cross. In this we find the ability to live out our lives to the glory of the Father, which will bring us to the next point in this line of thought, "The Purpose of the Cross".
-ps
In the cross Paul recognized the source of its power rested in the humility of Jesus. Jesus who was God, humbled himself to the point where being God wasn't something to be grasped. He humbled himself to the point of becoming human servant. As a servant he was obedient to death, death on a cross. Paul saw this and was greatly humbled. When we see Jesus on the cross we should hear him saying, "I am here because of you, it is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying!" In light of this, the cross is the ultimate source of humility. At the foot of the cross we all shrink. In doing so we are freed from the burden of self, flesh and the world. How can we live our lives selfishly knowing what Jesus did for us on the cross?
The power of the cross that changed Paul, it is also what drove Paul. In the letter to the Galatians he said this, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20 NIV) If we want to live the life God has called us to live, we must be crucified with Christ, and he must live through us. The way we allow that to happen is to understand what he did on the cross. Jesus loved you and gave himself for you, that is the power of the cross. In this we find the ability to live out our lives to the glory of the Father, which will bring us to the next point in this line of thought, "The Purpose of the Cross".
-ps
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Lot Hesitated
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is found in Genesis 19. In it we find Lot and his family living in the wicked city. Angels appear to sleep in the square and Lot is concerned. He begs them to come in and sleep in his house. The Angels agree. Men both young and old start to assemble outside his door. They want the two visitors brought out so that they can have sexual relations with them. Lot begs them not to carry out this wicked deed and even offers his daughters to the mob!
The Angels see what is happening and rescues Lot and blind the crowd. They tell Lot to get his family out of the city imminently. He contacts his two future son-laws and they think he is joking. The Angeles start to insist on Lot to leave the city now, but Lot "hesitates".
Lot is in the middle of a terribly sinful place and yet he hesitates to leave. The Angeles have to take Lot and family by the hands to get them out of the city! Several thoughts go through my mind. First Lot had lived so long in the city that he was more like the people than a person of God. Secondly, Lot must have liked what he had in Sodom. He like his house his wealth, the people knew him. Lot was no longer shaping his environment, but was being shaped by it. Lot was no longer a witness of God!
Can you see where I am going? I think there is a lesson for us here in America. We have everything and we like what we have, so much so that we are willing to give up our witness to keep it. I see it all around us. We turn a blind eye to sin so that we don't 'rock' the boat. We keep quiet because someone might label us hateful or a bigot. So we hesitate, so we keep quiet, so we are silent.
There is only one problem with this and it's the Word of God. Jesus said, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38 NIV) We are not to be ashamed of our Lord. We are to live our lives in such a way that we shape our environment around us not vice versa. Lot was rescued despite his hesitation. God rescues us from the world around us. He has placed his Holy Spirit in us. Peter says, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3 NIV) God gives us the ability to stand up for his name sake. He helps us when we hesitate. We just need to let him lead us by the hand!
-ps
The Angels see what is happening and rescues Lot and blind the crowd. They tell Lot to get his family out of the city imminently. He contacts his two future son-laws and they think he is joking. The Angeles start to insist on Lot to leave the city now, but Lot "hesitates".
Lot is in the middle of a terribly sinful place and yet he hesitates to leave. The Angeles have to take Lot and family by the hands to get them out of the city! Several thoughts go through my mind. First Lot had lived so long in the city that he was more like the people than a person of God. Secondly, Lot must have liked what he had in Sodom. He like his house his wealth, the people knew him. Lot was no longer shaping his environment, but was being shaped by it. Lot was no longer a witness of God!
Can you see where I am going? I think there is a lesson for us here in America. We have everything and we like what we have, so much so that we are willing to give up our witness to keep it. I see it all around us. We turn a blind eye to sin so that we don't 'rock' the boat. We keep quiet because someone might label us hateful or a bigot. So we hesitate, so we keep quiet, so we are silent.
There is only one problem with this and it's the Word of God. Jesus said, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38 NIV) We are not to be ashamed of our Lord. We are to live our lives in such a way that we shape our environment around us not vice versa. Lot was rescued despite his hesitation. God rescues us from the world around us. He has placed his Holy Spirit in us. Peter says, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3 NIV) God gives us the ability to stand up for his name sake. He helps us when we hesitate. We just need to let him lead us by the hand!
-ps
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
2009 Review
Here it is 2010. As I look back over the last year, it was most likely the greatest year of spiritual growth I have ever had! It all started with a phone call from a doctor in April and the word cancer. Doctors had discovered growths on my neck and after a battery of test I got a call from Dr. Cushard himself. I can still remember the conversation like it was yesterday. He said I had tumors and they needed to come out immediately. He then proceeded to tell me I was being refereed to a surgeon at the Sacramento Cancer Center. Which prompted me to ask the question, "Do I have cancer?", to which he responded, "yes". The weight of that moment was incredible, I paused and said, "ok, I'll do whatever I have to do". At the end of the conversation I walked out back and sat down and opened my Bible, I was speechless. Right about then I read this verse "He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return" (Psalms 78:39 NIV).
This verse opened my eyes to reality, life is short and what are you doing with it? From that moment on I gave everything to God. It was the most freeing moment of my life. Over the next few months life slowed way down and I had to learn to lean of God everyday. I graduated from college on May 16th and the following week had surgery. Everything went great, better than expected. In the months afterward God had been strengthen me in ways I never knew. He lifted me out of the pit and put a new song in my mouth and praise song to my Lord. Is everything perfect not at all, but my out look is totally different. I see every day as a gift and I can't wait to proclaim Christ in my life and to the world around me.
So as I look back 2009, it was challenging to me in ways I never imagined and Christ carried all the way. As I look ahead to the coming year I can't wait to see what happens next, already things are happening. I have seen Christ at work in our church, people's lives are being changed and it's all because of Him.
Thank you Lord!
~ps
This verse opened my eyes to reality, life is short and what are you doing with it? From that moment on I gave everything to God. It was the most freeing moment of my life. Over the next few months life slowed way down and I had to learn to lean of God everyday. I graduated from college on May 16th and the following week had surgery. Everything went great, better than expected. In the months afterward God had been strengthen me in ways I never knew. He lifted me out of the pit and put a new song in my mouth and praise song to my Lord. Is everything perfect not at all, but my out look is totally different. I see every day as a gift and I can't wait to proclaim Christ in my life and to the world around me.
So as I look back 2009, it was challenging to me in ways I never imagined and Christ carried all the way. As I look ahead to the coming year I can't wait to see what happens next, already things are happening. I have seen Christ at work in our church, people's lives are being changed and it's all because of Him.
Thank you Lord!
~ps
Monday, January 4, 2010
The Person of the Cross
As I study the Bible and especially the writings of Paul, I notice something. Paul's answer to any question is always Christ, especially Christ on the cross. In our lives we are always looking for answers. We want answers about our families, about life. Why is there such evil in the world? Why are people the way they are? Why am I the way I am? The list goes on and on and we are no different from people of the past. From the very beginning we have struggled to find these answers and more. In Paul's day it wasn't any different and Paul's answer was always the same, Christ. Christ is the answer to all of our questions. He is either answer or the solution. Evil and sin are in the world, there is no denying it. Christ is the answer! Relationships are broken, Christ is the answer. We are selfish and greedy with our time, money and everything else, Christ is the answer. We are out of touch with our Father in heaven, lost and astray, Christ is the answer!
Paul also glorified the cross. The cross was the ultimate place of shame in Paul's time. No one would have ever worn a cross around their neck. The cross was a place of scorn and ridicule, yet Paul boasted in the cross, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14 NIV). The reason Paul could make such a claim is because Paul knew the person of the cross.
Paul had spent his life dedicated to becoming a Pharisees. He went to the finniest schools, he was up and coming. He prided himself in being the most knowledgeable, the most loyal, and the most 'religious'. If anyone could boast in his own righteousness it was Paul, in which he said he was 'faultless'. But on the road to Damascus all of that changed. In meeting Christ Paul's whole life was changed forever. He was never the same again, in fact in Philippians he would say this, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8 NIV). Paul looked back and considered everything he had learned, everything he had accomplished rubbish, trash, garbage! Compared to knowing Christ, nothing else mattered for Paul.
In my own life the closer I draw to Christ the more my life changes. I start to see people the way Christ sees them. In the battle with sin, I see my sin more like Christ sees my sin and I am disgusted and humbled. The person of the cross changed my life forever. I have never been the same and I can't live without him. Paul knew this and thus boasted in the cross and preached the gospel with boldness. In your life remember the person of the cross, Christ and boast to the world in knowing him.
~ps
Next we'll look at the "Power of the Cross"
Paul also glorified the cross. The cross was the ultimate place of shame in Paul's time. No one would have ever worn a cross around their neck. The cross was a place of scorn and ridicule, yet Paul boasted in the cross, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14 NIV). The reason Paul could make such a claim is because Paul knew the person of the cross.
Paul had spent his life dedicated to becoming a Pharisees. He went to the finniest schools, he was up and coming. He prided himself in being the most knowledgeable, the most loyal, and the most 'religious'. If anyone could boast in his own righteousness it was Paul, in which he said he was 'faultless'. But on the road to Damascus all of that changed. In meeting Christ Paul's whole life was changed forever. He was never the same again, in fact in Philippians he would say this, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8 NIV). Paul looked back and considered everything he had learned, everything he had accomplished rubbish, trash, garbage! Compared to knowing Christ, nothing else mattered for Paul.
In my own life the closer I draw to Christ the more my life changes. I start to see people the way Christ sees them. In the battle with sin, I see my sin more like Christ sees my sin and I am disgusted and humbled. The person of the cross changed my life forever. I have never been the same and I can't live without him. Paul knew this and thus boasted in the cross and preached the gospel with boldness. In your life remember the person of the cross, Christ and boast to the world in knowing him.
~ps
Next we'll look at the "Power of the Cross"
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
December Newsletter
Humility is an interesting word. The dictionary defines it as “the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance.” I look around me and there seems to be a lack of humility in our culture. Everyone seems to have an inflated view of their self importance. As we come into the Christmas season, you will experience long lines filled with people more important than you. As I look at the Christmas story there is one word that jumps out at me more than anything else, and that is humility.
Jesus was born, the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is praised and worshiped by all the heavenly bodies and yet came to us as a defenseless child. He wasn’t born in large mansion, surrounded by the luxuries. He was born in a manger surrounded by livestock and straw. He should have been wrapped in the finniest linen, but he was wrapped in simple blanket. The Word became flesh in the humblest of ways. All of the world leaders should have been there and worshiped him, but it was the shepherds who were invited.
Not only was Jesus humble in his birth but he lived his short life in deep humility. Jesus, God in flesh emptied himself and made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant, in the likeness of a human being. As a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death, the death of a common criminal, nailed to a cross!
So this Christmas season as you start to get caught up in the season, remember the humility of Christ. Reflect on Him and what He means to your life. It is through Him Christmas has its meaning and purpose. It is through Him we have the greatest gift of all and that is forgiveness of sin and promise of everlasting life. With Him we receive in abundance all the joy, peace, love we all long for. The greatest gift given at Christmas isn’t something bought in a store, it is Jesus. So as you gather with friends and family, take time to share the Christmas story. Tell them of our great King who was born in manger and how he gave his life for you and I. Share the greatest gift ever given, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Amen.
-ps
Jesus was born, the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is praised and worshiped by all the heavenly bodies and yet came to us as a defenseless child. He wasn’t born in large mansion, surrounded by the luxuries. He was born in a manger surrounded by livestock and straw. He should have been wrapped in the finniest linen, but he was wrapped in simple blanket. The Word became flesh in the humblest of ways. All of the world leaders should have been there and worshiped him, but it was the shepherds who were invited.
Not only was Jesus humble in his birth but he lived his short life in deep humility. Jesus, God in flesh emptied himself and made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant, in the likeness of a human being. As a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death, the death of a common criminal, nailed to a cross!
So this Christmas season as you start to get caught up in the season, remember the humility of Christ. Reflect on Him and what He means to your life. It is through Him Christmas has its meaning and purpose. It is through Him we have the greatest gift of all and that is forgiveness of sin and promise of everlasting life. With Him we receive in abundance all the joy, peace, love we all long for. The greatest gift given at Christmas isn’t something bought in a store, it is Jesus. So as you gather with friends and family, take time to share the Christmas story. Tell them of our great King who was born in manger and how he gave his life for you and I. Share the greatest gift ever given, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Amen.
-ps
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