I don’t know about you, but I had a real ah ha or maybe it was an oh no moment from one of the Scriptures Pastor Steve read yesterday. When Jeremiah told the exiles to live their lives as normally as possible he added, “but seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your own welfare.” We have been brought to a country, one that is far from perfect, but one in whose welfare “we find our own welfare.” As an exile, Daniel is one of the best examples of a Christian you can find and he didn’t even know Christ! He didn’t whine and complain, just did his best in all things. His integrity, his loyalty, his work ethic, to God first, could not be questioned and regardless of who the ruler was, he did his best to help that ruler and the country prosper. Can that be said of all Christians today? Regardless of who is in charge, do we want to see them succeed or do we degrade them and joy over their failures? Of course we don’t support their policies that go against Who we stand for, but are we building bridges or tearing them down? Our first priority is to bring people to Jesus but does our negativity toward certain leaders drive them away instead? We want to live in peace and prosperity and we want to obey God. So, before you get sent into exile somewhere, when you talk about our country and its leaders, think about what you’re saying and make sure it lines up with what God’s word says!
Profound words from Pastor Curt yesterday, “We become whatever we are committed to!” What are you committed to? No one becomes a professional golfer overnight. No one becomes a skilled woodworker because they cut a 2×4 in half. No one becomes a player in the NHL because they donned a pair of ice skates. No one becomes a concert pianist because they can play chopsticks. No one becomes skilled at anything until they choose to make a commitment and put in the hard work and hours in their field of choice. And no one will become the Christian God wants them to be without the commitment and work that it takes. Sitting in a pew every Sunday doesn’t make you a Christian. Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior and striving to become more like Him does! When the world looks at us, we want them to see Jesus. Someone that has a servant’s heart, that focuses on others instead of self, not a self righteous Bible thumper! We need to be “putting off the old man which grows corrupt with deceitful lusts” and be “putting on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and holiness.” We’re not going to be nor are we expected to be perfect, but we should be moving in that direction. We each need to make our own personal commitment to change, to grow, to become what He wants us to be, and He wants us all to be more like Him!
t’s important to remember, lest we forget. It is amazing how trivial things can take a prominent place in our minds while meaningful events can slip away. How many times in the Old Testament does it tell about building a memorial for an event (like when Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River on dry land) so the people wouldn’t forget and it would be a stimulus for the children to ask what had happen there. God wants us to remember what He has done for us. He wants us to remember the small things, the big things, the major miracle things! We should be making our own personal memorials, even if they’re only in a notebook, to remind us of all He has done. While it may only be once a year, so too, it’s good to remember what countless men and women have given to preserve our freedom, something too many take for granted. Take time to thankfully pray for all those who died that you may be free. Pray daily thanking God for all the memorials in your life. Thank Him for the ultimate memorial, the cross, on which Jesus provided access to spiritual freedom forever! Memorial Day, memorial every day, something we should celebrate, something we should honor.
How do you describe your life? How do you think God would describe your life? Do you approach situations and decisions from your own point of view or do you try to apply them to God’s perspective? The wrong perspective can distort a simple scenario in all directions, something the enemy loves to do. A good way to keep a proper perspective is to know where you are from. Citizenship is a precious thing, ask a Roman soldier or one of the homeless masses on our border! Knowing where you’re citizenship is from, where you belong, is truly a precious thing. We are only a vapor that appears for a short time and then vanishes. Our true place, our true home, our citizenship is in Heaven! We are simply aliens passing through! Keep that perspective in mind, think more of being an ambassador with a diplomacy plan to implement. Be obedient to the One that sent you, follow His rules of engagement, and do your best to make converts of the foreign peoples. We haven’t sang one of my favorite songs, “Where I Belong,” for some time but if you sing the chorus a couple times a day, It will definitely help you keep the proper perspective. “All I know is I’m not home yet, this is not where I belong. Take this world and give me Jesus, this is not where I belong!”
Mothers have been shaping civilization since it began. “All I am I owe to my mother,” stated George Washington, and I’m sure many other world leaders throughout the ages have made the same statement. Where would the Hebrews have ended up without the courage and caring of Jachobed? Ignoring Pharoh’s edict and loving her son more, Moses’ mother made a waterproof basket and set him adrift on the Nile. Of course God’s hand was with him and orchestrated the rest of the story, but it all began with a mother’s love. We could relate countless stories of a mother’s love and sacrifice throughout the Scripture, throughout history, but we won’t. Suffice it to say, the loving bond a mother feels for her child is a gift from God, both for the mother and the child. Men will never fully understand or appreciate it, we can’t obviously, but we can be thankful for it. One day a year isn’t much time to celebrate for someone who is emotionally vested 24 hours a day for their entire life. So be thankful for your mother, let her know you are more than once a year. Thank God for her. Pray for her daily, you know she is for you! When you can, spend some time with her. Time is the gift she wants more than any other. If you can’t, at the very least, as we say in New England, “call your mutha!”
Are you listening, hearing, or just rambling on to hear your own voice? Social media has been spawned by a culture that would rather talk about itself and its wisdom-less thoughts whether anyone else is listening to them or not. But are you listening? Everyone hears things, you don’t have to pay attention to hear, but it takes a concentrated effort to listen. When Elijah wanted to hear from God, he was told to go to the mountain. He heard the whirlwind, he heard the earthquake, he heard the roar of the fire, but if he hadn’t been listening, he may have missed the still small voice. Are you listening for God? Are you scurrying about trying to hear from Him or are you listening and being still? The world rushes, and it misses so much. Be still, be listening! Are you listening to others? When you talk to someone, especially about the Lord, are you listening to what they are saying to you? Great point Pastor Wes made yesterday was when you’re talking to someone, listen to understand not to answer a question that hasn’t been asked! We can be so quick to tell people what we think they need to hear rather than listen to what they are trying to tell us. Take time, make time to be still and listen. You never know what you may hear!
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By Tim Irving / Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team