Monday Morning 12/26/2011

Yes it’s true. It is December 26, 2011. I remember as a kid seeing the movie “The Poseidon Adventure.” In there was a song: “There’s got to be a Morning After.” Well here we are on the morning after. What do you remember from yesterday? Did everyone get the gift they wanted? Did the house get cleaned up? Was it a good Day? With all the celebration about gifts and giving, how many stopped just for a moment to thank God for His greatest gift? On this Monday Morning is Christmas done and over for another year? Or is Christmas something to be lived all year? God is still God, Jesus is still the Savior, and He will come again.

But Pastor John, it’s CHRISTMAS! Christmas is all about family, gifts, and giving. It’s about getting up at the crack of dawn to see excitement on the faces of our families and friends. It’s about gathering for worship. It’s about gathering for celebration and food, and football. That is all very true and good. Think about this: God is all about families too. He is about giving gifts. He never sleeps and longs to see our face light up with excitement when he gives us unexpected blessing. How many of us invited God into our celebrations? On a side note: Does God even have a favorite football team?

Now it’s the week between Christmas and New years. Our focus seems to put Christmas behind us and we start looking at the New Year. How will I pay the bills for Christmas? I spent more than I should have. I had an argument with someone at dinner, but I was right and I don’t care what anyone thinks. I know I have not seen my friend in church for a long time, but I will do better next year. Are you worried about making promises for the New Year and then failing?

Are you worried my friends? Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?” I have heard people say they worry about their faith. Really? Faith is the opposite of worry. Worry destroys faith. Think about this: If you are worried about your faith then you are putting faith in your worries. If you focus on worrying about having enough faith then you are focusing on the wrong thing.

Peter says in his letter that we are to “cast” (give up, let go of, set free, release, send away) our burdens ,worries, and those things which hold us back, up to God because He loves us and will take care of us. Jesus said to Peter one stormy night, “Come.” Jesus says, “Trust me, not the world.” Why Worry?

So, if we are worried about faith and put faith in worry how can we have faith and keep from worrying?

Simply, WORRY LESS AND TRUST EVERYTHING TO JESUS!

Many of us do go to God and tell him all about our worries, don’t we? But that is all we do. We don’t leave them with Him. When we get through praying, we reach over and take them back, then spend the rest of the day worrying. When we go to prayer, we must learn to leave our worries with Him.

We look at the problems in our lives and think they are so big and insurmountable, but in reality, our entire lifetime doesn’t last long enough to even be a blip on the radar screen. The devil makes us concentrate so much on the here and now, we forget about the there and then.

Worry meets faith at the place where heaven touched earth: The Manger. Faith meets worry at the place where earth meets heaven: The Cross.

But to be able to even go before God with our worries, we must first have been saved from this world by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior; the Son of God; the only way for worry to meet faith.

Monday Morning 12/19/2011

"You cannot give God a definite maybe. It has to be a definite "yes" or a definite "no." The issue is you responding to Christ, not Christ responding to you."
~ Billy Graham ~

Word Power – Our communication influences others. How does your speech, your Sign language, your Facebook, Twitter, or Videophone reflect the power of Jesus Christ – The WORD – in your life?

Words for Life – “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NLT) The Cross is our connection to God and Eternal Life. Are you connected to the source of power to be a light to the world? Do you need an extension cord? It does not matter what road you are on in your life. All roads lead to the Cross.

Words for Unity – Is your communication Christ-like? Jesus set aside the crown and glory of heaven to become one of us. God came to experience what we experience. God came to walk among us. Unity means together, one, finished, and complete. Jesus on the Cross made us one, together, finished and complete in God. Jesus said, “It’s done.” “It’s finished.” It’s signed, sealed, and delivered.” What more do we want? He rose from the grave to overcome sin and death and lives that we too can have eternal life.

Action Words – “The issue is you responding to Jesus Christ, not Christ responding to you.” (Billy Graham) So what are you going to do now? We have work to do. So if you tell Him, "I can't do that, Lord—what if I fail?" you're really saying, "God you are not able. If you are not able I am not willing.” The truth is about us responding to Christ not Christ responding to us. Or we can say the same as the prophet Isaiah, “Here am I send me.” It’s a “yes” or “no” question. It is not a “maybe I will” or “maybe I won’t” question. God wants us to obey His leading and then let Him work out the details. To say, “Okay God….you work out the details AND THEN I will obey” is backwards.

You might feel that you do not have enough faith to obey,
But the Lord isn't asking you to have faith good circumstances.
He's asking you to have faith in ALL circumstances and trust that He is who He says He is.
Do you believe that God is Faithful? Know that God is faithful to HIS WORD – Jesus Christ. He is faithful to HIS PROMISE – Eternal Life, deliverance from sin, past present and future. He is faithful to you and me – He will NEVER leave us alone or forget us.

God is in control. Live like we have the Power of God’s Word in us. Share the Words for Life for all those who are lost. Seek Words of Unity that show our unity with God and with each other. Get into ACTION.

Then we can stand before the world and say, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13 NLT)

Monday Morning 12/12/2011

We’ve talked about how our words have power. We’ve found the Words for life. But now these words need to be brought into unity. Unity means coming together. It means having a connection. It means thinking about things the same way because we know the truth.

If we understand the power of our words, how we use our words, our internet, our Video Phone, our Facebook and Twitter we know we need unity. If we understand the words of Life we would run to Jesus in every situation and seek how Jesus would do something BEFORE we think we can solve anything without Him.

In a perfect world all people would cooperate. In a perfect world there would be no argument, no obsessing about what someone else says. In a perfect world God would be in control.

Guess what…WE ALREADY LIVE in a perfect world! WHAT???? Pastor John is drinking too much Starbucks and its making him think not right. But IN TRUTH we ALL know God created the universe perfectly. God created you and me perfectly. God created our world perfectly. If this was not true, then God is not God. God only does things perfectly.

So why is the world not perfect? It is because we have turned our backs on God. When we turn our backs on God we turn our backs on each other.

Remember perfect means no blame, perfect means mature. Perfect means things are complete or finished. Many people are skilled at saying the world is not perfect because of other people. “Surely it’s not me!” They say Adam and Eve messed it up for everyone!

Where did we go wrong? It starts with you and me when we broke unity with God. Adam and Eve are only the example because they were the first. And we have been trying ever since to get the unity back. We cannot do it ourselves. Only Jesus Can! We must change our perspective back to God.

I don’t know if you have ever thought about it, but I have often wondered what it was like in heaven before the first Christmas. I have wondered what the conversation must have been within the perfect unity of the Trinity. It must have been difficult to watch from heaven and see the mess we were making. Our relationships with each other and with God are less than perfect because we are selfish. Not only that, God’s children over and over again reject God’s offer of unity with Him. How would that make you feel? I wonder if God thought, “Enough!” “It’s time to go and do something!” “It is time to straighten out this mess!”

Think for a moment…What was life like for Jesus before he came to earth?

Jesus is the Co-creator with the Father and Holy Spirit. Life in heaven was a picture of all that is perfect. It was a way of life characterized by true joy. Jesus had a limitless life with all the glory of heaven. And what did Jesus choose to do? Jesus had the courage to leave all that to be born a baby, to touch the earth, to experience how it felt to be one of us, living without unity. Because of the love He had for us, and to bring us together with heaven, He decided to come to earth for you and me. And He died so that you and I could be brought together for Eternal Life. He said from the Cross, “It is finished.” “It is perfect.”

In the person of Jesus, God experienced flesh and bones.
He suffered and grieved.
He got thirsty and hungry.
He was frustrated and disappointed.
He could no longer be everywhere at one time.
He had to have clothes to wear.
If you hit Him, it would hurt.
If you cut him, He bled

Jesus is God with us.
Jesus is God.
God lived and walked among us on the earth.
And we rejected Him.
Many still reject Him today.
Rejection is not unity.

Do you feel rejected? How do you think Jesus felt? Do you feel people ignore you? Jesus is involved in all creation. But He is interested in YOU. He has a plan for YOU. He loves YOU. He loves you enough that He put aside heaven for a short time and came to us to bring unity.

Let your heart declare today that Jesus is the Lord of your life.
Serve no other.
Love the One who loves you with unending love.

Monday Morning 12/5/2011

“And then he told them, “Go into the entire world and preach the Good News to everyone.” (Mark 16:15 NLT)

Jesus is speaking. Are we paying attention? This is a command. It is NOT a suggestion or a choice. It is NOT a command to go to some of the world and preach to all the people there. In the same way it is NOT a command to go to all the world and share the Gospel with some people and not with others. It clearly says Jesus TOLD them, “GO,” “ALL,” “SHARE GOSPEL,” “EVERYONE.”

What part of that is so hard to understand? There should be nothing hard to understand. So, either we do as Jesus says or we do not. We cannot do some of it, or parts of it, nor can we go only to some people. It is all or nothing.

Missionary/Evangelist Jim Sloan preached yesterday at Master’s Hands Deaf Church. He has spent more than 50 years traveling the world sharing Jesus Christ with Deaf. Many times he would go to a place where Deaf had never seen the Gospel shared in their own sign language or they had NO PLACE to worship or learn about the Gospel. Many times there was no one trained in sign language willing to teach things about Jesus. Many times Deaf were just there “doing what everyone else was doing.” They would stand, sit, kneel, raise hands, clap, because they saw people doing it around them. But they still did not know what was going on.

Bro. Jim estimates there are 400 million Deaf in the world. Estimates say 90% either have not been told the Gospel story, or do not understand it when they read it. It’s not because of being limited. NO WAY! Can you imagine a member of your family or your best friend with no one to tell them about Jesus, salvation, or even Grace? God asked the question several times in the Bible, “Who will go for us?” “Who is willing?”

What we fail to see sometimes is that it is not about being ABLE to do something. It is about saying YES and being AVAILABLE. “AVAILABLE” means “open,” “free,” “ready.” Are you AVAILABLE when God says to you, Will you “GO,” “ALL,” “SHARE GOSPEL,” “EVERYONE?”

Do you realize there are places in the United States, even in your own city or state, that has places where Deaf want to go to church but cannot because there is no one to come along side them and reach out to them. I know there are churches all over the place, but who will go to the Deaf?

Our answer should be that of the prophet Isaiah: “Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8 NLT)

Master’s Hands Deaf Church believes this is the call God has given us. We have been asked, “Who will go?” Our answer is, “We will go. Send us.” God answers in the hands of Jesus Christ in Sign Language, “Go into the entire world and preach the Good News to everyone.”

Our Holy Spirit command is to GO. “WE HAVE WORK TO DO!” This is not only for the members and friends of Master’s Hands. This is for each one of us especially now at Christmas.

Share the Savior. Share the Gospel. Share the story. “WE HAVE WORK TO DO!”

Monday Morning 11/28/2011

Have you ever thought to yourself, “There has to be a better way” to say something or to express a thought that words just cannot seem to say the right way? That happened to me. I was thinking about Thanksgiving.

I was thinking about the holiday. It’s the last Thursday in November. Then the day after is known as “Black Friday.” It’s not called that because of the weather, or the attitude of people waiting to claw their way to the front of the line to get the after-Thanksgiving Christmas specials. It is a business term. When a business is in the “red” they are earning less than they need for a profit. When they are in the “black” they are earning profits. “Black Friday” is the day many businesses earn most of their profit for the year. I saw this posted on Facebook and I shared it yesterday at church: “Black Friday is a day people go crazy buying things we do not have just one day after giving thanks for the things we do have.” We have truly lost our Thanksgiving perspective.

Thanksgiving is not only a holiday on the last Thursday in November. It is not the “start” of the Christmas season. Giving thanks is not a one-day event. Giving thanks is a way to live. Thanksgiving becomes “Thanks-living.”

In the Bible the Apostle Paul, and many others said more than one time that we are to give thanks in ALL situations: Good, bad, planned, unexpected, joys, sorrows, tears, and a Starbucks that is closed. Do you know if you translate the word “everything” from Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic in the Bible what it means? It means “EVERYTHING!” ALL means all. Forever means FOREVER.

So this is where a “special” word comes in. I used it yesterday at church and those paying attention asked me if I had forgotten to use spell-check on my computer. The word is “THANKSGLIVING.”

THANKSGLIVING is the combination of giving thanks, living our thankfulness, and celebrating the blessings God has for each of us. How many blessings do we receive each day? The answer is ALL of them. There are more blessings than we can count but not too many so we cannot count each one. We are blessed to have blessings of life, burdens of life, and benefits of life.

THANKSGLIVING has blessings also because it changes our view of a “normal” Thanksgiving.

- It helps us focus on what God provides more than what we want or what we DO NOT have.
- It helps us focus on God’s free gift of GRACE.
- It helps us to focus on the positive results of negative things.
- It gives us hope for the future. God has something BETTER planned for us.
- If we are “living” and “giving” our “thanks” in ALL things, Our THANKSGLIVING will affect and help those around us.
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Our thanks is to be lived and thanks is to be given. Everyday should be spent in an attitude of THANKSGLIVING.

Christmas is the season of Jesus Christ. THANKSGLIVING is done in HIS name. Celebrate THANKSGLIVING every day.

Thanksgiving Morning 11/24/2011

I am in England for Thanksgiving this year where it is presently 339am. This devotion is based on a devotion that I read today.

How quickly do we forget God's blessings when bad things happen?

When we lose our jobs, do we thank God for a loving family? Do we thank God for a loving church family? This is why God created the church. Do we thank God that He has a better plan for us?

When we lose our health, do we thank God for the comfort of His Word? Do we thank God that he can use us to show others how to minister? Do we thank God that He can use us to show others how to pray for each other? Do we thank God that when we receive bad health news, that His promise of eternal life and glorified bodies has not changed one little bit? This is why Jesus needs to be Lord and Savior of your life. Trust Him.

When we lose a loved one to sin, do we thank God for His forgiveness? Sons, daughters, parents, friends, have all made mistakes and disappointed us in some way in the past. But God forgave you first. So why not forgive others? I remember an old saying: “Hate the sin. Love the sinner.” Separate the sin from the person. Forgive because we are forgiven. The sin is dead. It went to the Cross with Jesus. The Bible says that while we were still sinners Christ died for us and gave his life for us. Can’t we see past a person’s sin and see the person God created?

Sadly, our eyes can often focus on the trials of life rather than on God's blessings in life.

Matthew 6 shows us Christ's words about God taking care of His children. Jesus' simple answer was, "If I care for the smallest of birds, don't you think I will care for you?" Jesus tells us not to worry about what will come tomorrow. He tells us not to be concerned about how we will get through a difficult time. He tells us not to focus on what we think others are doing to us in their sin or how that person has hurt us by their sin. How many times did Jesus say, “Your faith has healed you? He has promised to provide for our every need.

Many Christians fail to trust God because they cannot see Him working. As human beings, we like to have a plan. We want to know what to expect. We do not like surprises in life. We like to know ahead of time how things will work out, and what will happen. For example, how many of us often peek to the end of a good book? We like to know the ending. How many of us will plan a trip down to the last minute of detail?

But when it comes to things that happen in everyday life, God often requires us to trust Him without knowing how He is going to work out the things He has planned for us. Notice that does NOT say how WE want Him to work things out in HIS plan. He requires us to place our faith in Him alone for what we need.

Do you have some need that must be met? Are you stuck worrying about how things will work out? Don't bother worrying; God already has a plan! Take time to give God your worries, and allow Him to take care of you. Remember Jesus' words, "Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things." Thank God that He knows our needs and promises to provide for them in His time.

Monday Morning 11/21/2011

We live in a society where most times we allow others to label us by what we say and what we do. We are easily controlled by some and easily impressed by others. Likewise, we often allow others to tell us what to do and how to live. But as children of God, we need to develop a lifestyle that lines up with the Word of God.

Think about an electric lamp. By itself it is nice to look at. But it needs three things to give us light. First it needs a connection: a plug and a place to plug it in. Second, it needs some source of power: electricity. Third it needs someone who knows what to do: knowledge. If you have a plug and a cord but cannot find a place to plug it in, it won’t work. If you have the cord and you know where there is a place to plug it in, but there is no electricity, it won’t work.

So it is in our life every day. Yes this would include those days that end in the letter “Y”. Yes it would include all the days on the calendar from Monday to Sunday. We need a connection to God, our Creator, and our Salvation.

The place we find our connection to God is the Cross. What happened there changes lives. We are forgiven. We are made new. We are redeemed. Our debt is paid. When we connect with Jesus Christ, all of heaven opens up and God’s power can flow into our life. But we must make the connection.

The source of power is God: One God period. Because He is God He is ALL power, ALL knowing, ALL around us, and He loves us ALL more than we can understand. God is the source of everything. Everything begins and ends with God.

The person with knowledge is you and me. Yes, it’s YOU. Many of us have been told how to have eternal life, but we never make the connection. Maybe we know about Jesus and Eternal life, but nobody has told us how. God knows YOUR name. Jesus died for YOU.

Sometimes we set up a lamp and the cord is not long enough to reach the outlet. What can we do? We go and we find an extension cord. God has that planned for us too. In fact we don’t need to look far. Our extension cords are those people that God places in our lives for the purpose of helping us connect with the Cross. The Holy Spirit is an extension Cord. When we cannot quite connect with the Cross because of pride, because we think we cannot because of being Deaf, or because of rebellion, the Holy Spirit will show us the way to a person chosen by God to help us to connect. And the Holy Spirit will show the other person the way to get to us. That, my friends is a connection made in heaven.

And so the question is, what does your life look like when you make the connection? What does it look like without the connection? It is the difference between light and dark. It is the difference between future and past. It is the difference between gain and loss. It is the difference between heaven and hell.

You ARE forgiven. You ARE made new, You ARE redeemed. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

Now you KNOW. You have the POWER. Now go and make the CONNECTION.

Monday Morning 11/14/2011

Yesterday we heard God’s preaching from James Chapter 3. James was tired of hearing people talk about his brother Jesus in a way that brought shame to Jesus. He was trying to tell people to control their tongues. He is not telling us what to say. He is telling us to think about what we say. Why? He used the word “tame” in the same way we talk about trying to tame a wild animal. We need to bring our tongues under control, teach it limits, and change its use from acting without thinking of what happens to using our “tongues” in a way that glorifies God.

Sounds easy, right? Not so much…..

The word James uses for “tongue” is the word γλῶσσα “glossa.” If one studies the word it has three meanings.

1. The physical tongue in our mouths.
2. What we use to communicate.
3. Language

We need to realize that we not only use words or Sign Language to communicate. Our “tongue” gives a “voice” to what we are thinking. Think of how we do that. Some people use their voice, some people use their hands. Is that all? No, there is also body language and facial expression. Think about it. Usually our bodies will tell others what we are thinking even before we use any words.

Again, is that all there is? Let’s go to another level. When we cannot “talk” to another person, what do we do? We use computers, laptops, cell phones, video phones, and yes even Facebook. All of these things become our “tongues” in one way or another.

Do you say one thing on Facebook to someone and then say something different on the videophone?

You see, our tongue can either burn the Kingdom of God, or it can build it. Simply by what comes out of our mouths can destroy what God is trying to accomplish in and through a ministry, or it can build it. So this morning I want to ask you, “Is your tongue productive or destructive?”

The Bible compares an untamed tongue to hell’s fire. But there is another fire. It is the burning fire of the Holy Spirit. That is the kind of fire God’s church is hungry for and desperately needs.

I have always heard that “the best way to fight fire is with fire.” So we are going to worship the Lord, and ask the Holy Spirit to burn out all the junk and restore relationships, friendships, marriages, and yes restore HIS church.

This week, focus on how God can use our “tongues” not to destroy or discourage, but to build up and encourage. In that way God is glorified.

Deaf Devotion 10/18/2011

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NLT)

James says when our faith is tested our endurance will grow. Do you remember we learned how James talked about not wavering? He talked about having faith that does not show doubt. The more we depend on Jesus in faith the more our faith becomes solid. Endurance is being patient and staying focused knowing that God is working in the background to help us. That is really cool! Because God is working sometimes in ways that we do not even know, we are free to focus on sharing the Gospel with others. We do not even need to worry about the situation that is causing the trouble. God is taking care of it. All we need to do is obey what God says and then let God work out all the details.

James also says we will be perfect. Most people think perfect means that a person does not sin. My friends, we are all sinners. NONE of us are "perfect" in the sense we do not sin. However, in the Greek, the word means to be complete. It means to experience everything alongside God, then to let that experience become wisdom and the wisdom to become patience. Wisdom is taking what we learn and using it in a way God wants us to use it.

What does God want of us? He wants us to experience everything that is Jesus Christ. We learn from His love for us, His sacrifice for us, His joys, His tears, and His character. The way for this to happen is to experience times of trouble and testing. Can we be patient during this process? If we are like most people, we want what we want and we want it now. We become like children who don’t know the difference between “no” and “not yet.” If you say to a child who wants a cookie now, “Wait a while,” to them it is the same as saying “no” because they want it now. But God is interested in developing our rock solid faith in Him alone. Times of trouble and testing bring patience, and patience teaches us wisdom and wisdom makes our faith rock solid.

Is there something you are waiting on? Is there something you are struggling with? Give it to Jesus. Trust in His timing and if you need wisdom just ask.

Deaf Devotion 9/21/2011

"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” (James 1:5-8 NLT)

Notice two words James uses in his letter that some people have a hard time understanding. The first is “rebuke.” To “rebuke” means to criticize or to show disapproval. When God invites us to ask Him for wisdom He does not get upset with us or shows disapproval for us asking. As the verse points out, God wants us to ask.

The other word is “waver.” James says we cannot let our faith in God “waver.” This means our faith in God needs to be rock solid. To “waver” is to show doubt. We are always faced with living in two worlds: The spiritual and the flesh. We are to show those around us that our faith is in God alone. We cannot show that we cannot decide between what God says and does and what the world offers.

If we believe that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He has promised, why, when we pray, do so many of us back away from God’s throne like a shy child asking for something he is afraid to ask for? Instead of coming before our Heavenly Father with bold faith, we come to the Lord "hoping" He will hear us and answer our requests, but we're just not sure He will. With this kind of thinking, we cannot expect to receive anything from Him.

Once when Jesus was visiting Cana in Galilee, a man from Capernaum came looking for Jesus with an urgent request. The man's son was dying, and the man begged Jesus to come heal him. Instead Jesus told the man to return home, for his son is healed. The Gospel of John says the man believed Jesus’ Word and left to go home. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. This man had heard Jesus speak, immediately turned and walked away by faith, and Jesus had already done as He said he would do. You and I can only imagine the amount of faith and trust this man had in Jesus to just turn around and go home only with Jesus’ words in his mind.

One reason we are sometimes doubt too much is that we fail to see God at work in our circumstances. We asked, and nothing happened. But God is not some order taker who is just waiting to fill our order when we pray. God sees past, present, and future and knows the right time for every answer. His invisible hands are working on our request before we even ask. We may not know it. He is arranging our situations to reach the goals He has for us. He is opening hearts, and at the same time, preparing us to receive what He wants to give.

Another cause for doubt is lack of knowledge. If we don't know God's ways, we will be disappointed in His answer. All too often when we pray we also tell God how we expect Him to deliver what we ask for. Then, when He fails to act at the time and in the way we expect Him to answer, we start to doubt. But placing our faith in the Lord and trusting in His good and perfect ways gives us strength and peace as we wait for His answer.

To get past our doubts, we must let God lead us. Spend time in reading the Bible to learn what’s important to God, and not so much important to me. Then we can begin to understand what He wants to achieve in our life and how He plans to do it. Examine the past from the point of view of what God says in the Bible. Faith will grow as we see the unexpected ways God has already answered prayers. This will also show how He plans to do it in the future.

Deaf Devotion 8/29/2011

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!“ (Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT)

Suppose someone asks you to choose between a million dollars and a candy bar.
That seems to be an easy decision to make.
Suppose you are asked to choose between a million dollars and two million dollars.
Again, the answer seems pretty obvious.
Easier yet!
Now suppose someone asks you to choose between a million dollars and a penny, or choose between a candy bar and a penny.
One would say that is a “no-brainer.” The answer would be automatic. We would not need to put much thought into our response.
It’s no big deal.

But suppose someone asks you to choose between two of your favorite candy bars? Now we would need to think a little harder about that. How many choices do we make every day?

If you could estimate how many choices the average person makes per day, what would you say? 5? 10? 100? 1000? Probably the higher one goes, the closer we get to the correct number of decisions are required every day. Sometimes our choices even have choices! When did it get so complex?

There are big choices and little choices. Sometimes we make big decisions about little things and easy decisions about something important. No matter how big or small, each choice will affect us in some way.

Now, God fully knows that we face choices every day. The Bible makes it very clear that we have some decisions to make, and that the decisions you make will very much affect you.

Pastor Adrian Rogers writes:

“Years ago I was witnessing to a young lady in Florida. I asked her if she had received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She became teary-eyed and said, “I just don’t seem…no…I can’t do it today.” I asked her, “Don’t you realize that if you don’t receive Him, that you’re going to deny Him?” She said, “Oh, I wouldn’t deny Him for anything.” I said, “But there’s no middle ground.” And yet she refused.

I said, “Before you go, would you shake hands with me?” And she said, “Well, certainly.” And so I said, “If you’ll take Christ as your Savior, take my right hand. If you’ll take hell and refuse Christ, take my left hand.” She refused to take either of my hands.”

Choosing between life and death is like choosing between a million dollars and a candy bar. It seems like the decision is obvious, right? As obvious as the answer may seem, no matter that the answer is right in front of our faces, there are those who are still waiting to make a decision between life and death. Waiting can be the same as refusing or denying what is right in front of us.

So, there it is. To choose life, is to have a relationship with the Savior. Jesus said in John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

So, in choosing Jesus, we do not just have an ordinary life, but we have a life that is tremendous, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, plentiful, extraordinary, above the ordinary, and more than sufficient. Choose life. Choose Christ.

Don’t waste the life we have in Jesus Christ. Don’t settle for second best. Don’t go through life just existing, coping, or getting by. We are not put here on earth to just get by. God created each of us for a reason, for a mission, a purpose. That starts by asking the question, “Is this the best use of my life?”

Deaf Devotion 8/22/2011

“I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt that I might be your God. I am the LORD your God!” (Numbers 15:41 NLT)

At times, I have heard someone say, "I've made Jesus a part of my life." But this statement really misses the point. The truth is, Jesus can never be simply a part of life. At salvation, Jesus becomes our life. Everything revolves around Him and His finished work at the Cross, once and for all people, all because He is the central focus.

For the believer, the real meaning of living is to follow Jesus with the simple un-questioning faith of a child. We must fully trust Jesus and what He has done. That means we point toward His righteous life simply by living by faith in Him. To do this, we depend on the power of the Holy Spirit for showing us God’s plan for us, and God’s grace for forgiveness when we stumble. And we will make mistakes because we live in between two kingdoms that are in constant conflict. On the one hand, there's the pull of the world, and on the other, the pull of God. In other words, Satan throws temptations our way, but from God comes the appeal of holiness, peace, and joy in Christ. You and me are somewhere in the middle.

That's why Jesus taught as written in Matthew 6:33, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

And what is God’s desire for us? “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NLT)

The battle is ongoing. And it is not happening just in the areas of education, science, politics, and finances but also within every human heart. The only way to sort out what is happening in the universe is to keep Christ at the center of our universe. He is not a part of the universe. He is the universe. He is the breath and life and salvation of the universe. There is simply no way to make it in life if Jesus is not the center.

Jesus is not a part of our life. JESUS IS our life. JESUS IS our today and our tomorrow. JESUS IS our eternal life.

If Jesus is your Savior, He is everything. There is no other. It has already been done. If Jesus is not your Savior, He may only be a “part.” What are the other “parts” doing? Jesus says to come to Him and give Him your everything. He has already said He is THE way, THE truth, and THE LIFE. Not one of many, but THE only. Once Jesus is Savior and Lord, we cannot lose what He has promised.

It's critical that we keep God's priority as our own seeking His will and His righteousness to keep us focused on the center of our universe: Jesus Christ Alone.

Deaf Devotion 8/15/2011

“And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.”
Hebrews 9:27 NLT

Jesus came to save all people but it’s a sad reality that only “many” will choose to accept the offer of God’s grace and salvation through Jesus Christ.

One of the most important things to remember about life as we know it is this: We are not living the life God created us to live. After Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden due to their sin in Genesis Chapter 3, everything changed. And no change is bigger than death. Mankind was created to live eternally; but that eternal life is to be interrupted by death as the ultimate result of sin, followed by resurrection to eternal life. The question is, "Where will one's eternal life be spent?"

What is death? Death is eternal separation from God. Eternal life is living, breathing, and worshipping in the presence of the creator and Savior Forever!

Again, the Garden of Eden is the model. God created mankind to fellowship with Him for eternity. Therefore, the Bible speaks of only two options for eternal life: with God (heaven) or not with God (hell). The question is not "if" we live eternally, but "where."

I received an email from a good friend:

“Hi John,
I have those rare mom/daughter times sometimes. Ever since she got home from her mission trip to WVA, she has totally changed (for the better!), and of course I swell with pride...and oh yeah, of course, love. :)

Anyway, after I picked her up from her friend's, we got home and just sat in the car, parked in front of my building. It happens every now and then for us to just sit there and enjoy. You know? So we were just chatting and she shared with me how she's changing so much for the better, growing in her relationship with Jesus (she has stopped listening to certain types of music!!!) and how she's been having a couple friends (atheists) coming to "Uth Night" (Youth Group) with her on Weds....and she said, "I'm workin' on 'em mom. They need Jesus!"

Then I shared about going to a funeral and how sad it is to know that the person wasn't saved and hard to stand there looking at the empty shell of the body but knowing where his soul might be right now. If one truly know the person was NOT saved, they are in hell. Eternal.

The question she asked, "Mom, wasn't there somewhere where you are given a 2nd chance? Anyway, her question was if a person not saved, but shows up before God, he/she will still be sent to hell, because they haven't accepted Christ, right? Isn't there another place they go? If they were really sincerely sorry? I did say there are only 2 places--- Heaven or hell. No ifs or buts about it.

I told her I'd ask you to clear that up a bit, to make sure I was clear about that, and she is clear and we all are clear!

Thanks, Pastor John. “

Wow. Can you imagine forever separated from God? Here is my response:

That's a tough question because we all want hope. Doctrine teaches there is no "second chance."

The story Jesus told about the rich man and Lazarus point to this. The rich man in hell was looking for the "second chance" to save himself and find the "water" to quench his thirst and thus save himself and also to warn his family and others about hell. All this while Lazarus was safe in the "bosom" of God. God pointed out that basically Dead people can't talk. God pointed out that he did nothing about salvation while he was alive and had the chance, what makes him think anything would be different now. The man protested and said then let me go tell my family. God said that because people (including the rich man) would not listen to the truth when they were alive, they most certainly will not listen to a "ghost."

Also, if there were a second chance, then it would mean one could lose their salvation over and over again. Jesus died one time for all people. In that same thought, If there were a second chance, then it would mean that Jesus died only for the people needing the "second chance" and not for all people as God had originally planned. Jesus came to save all of God's creation from hell.

A "second chance" is based on people's own idea and interpretation of righteousness. I will change so I DESERVE the "second chance" and God should give it to me. God does not see it that way. Everything was finished BY GOD, BY JESUS, AT THE CROSS. Righteousness is based on God and what He does through grace and what Jesus Christ did through love. We cannot become righteous. We are MADE righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Some religions preach "Purgatory" as the second chance. This is defined as the place someone's soul goes until things are made right by those who are still living. The living can "buy" what are called indulgences. They pay to light a candle. They donate to this or that. Once they feel that God is satisfied, then they can be assured that their loved one has entered heaven. This also is not true. No one can buy their way into heaven or can buy forgiveness from God. Again this is based on people "buying" their way into heaven. It is based on people's works rather than God's gift and Jesus finished work at the cross. The problem is, there is never enough "assurance." And also, how much is enough to "buy" God's forgiveness?

God's cost of forgiveness was His Son. Our cost of forgiveness is obeying in faith and trusting our lives to the risen Savior. Jesus' cost was His life, given for us not taken from Him, to satisfy once and for all the sin-debt mankind owes to God. Once it is satisfied by faith and trust in Jesus, while the person is alive and has the opportunity to respond and act, it is a done deal. It is sealed by God's Word.”

What are you and me to do now? Make sure you and those you know have answered the question of "where" you and they will spend eternity by believing in Jesus Christ.

Pastor, writer, and evangelist J.C. Ryle said, “The beginning of the way to heaven is to feel that we are on the way to hell.”

Deaf Devotion 8/1/2011

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT)

Even though the Bible clearly states that every believer receives a spiritual gift, some people nevertheless think they were overlooked. So these men and women wander through life refusing opportunities to serve. Other folks are so busy wishing they had a different ability that they do not use the one bestowed by the Holy Spirit. Both of these attitudes are sinful.

God has a specific purpose and ministry for every Christian. Our spiritual gifts help us to fulfill His plan. Our spiritual gifts are also meant to keep us busy until the day Jesus calls us home. We learn which gift we have been given by getting involved in the life of the church. Sometimes it is more than one gift we are given. What a blessing! In other words, a believer will know their God-given abilities when they begin to use them in the life of the church and in service to others.

Moreover, God has a general purpose for handing out spiritual gifts.

Christians are to use their special skills for the common good. “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” (1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT) Everyone profits when believers do God's work though the power of the Holy Spirit.

We're to use our gifts for equipping, teaching, and encouraging one another. “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13 NLT)

To appreciate how this works, it may be helpful to better understand words like evangelist, prophet, and teacher. Biblically, these terms describe co-laborers who share Christ with others. They are spiritual mentors who explain biblical truths to new believers. They are friends who uplift the discouraged, and others doing similar work. Butthe "titles" can be used for any person also. You do not need to be a Pastor to spread the Gospel. You do not need to be a teacher to tell someone about Salvation in Jesus Christ. You just need to be willing.

Every member of the Christian fellowship is important, and each one has a work to do. There are no excuses for ignoring God's plan for us. Where He has gifted us and opened doors of opportunity for ministry, He also provides the strength and courage when He calls us to use our abilities.

The gifts He gives us are not to be used to build us up, but to serve others. His purpose is not that we should use our gifts to please ourselves or to hide, but to help and bless other people.

As we wait for Christ to return, keep using whatever gift or gifts God gave us to help and bless others.
What can we do until Jesus comes back?
We can stay focused and keep praying.
We can love others with our attitude and actions.
We can serve God by using the gifts He has given us to help and bless others.

Jesus has given us plenty to do. He does not want us to be sitting around, complaining about how we wish He would hurry and get here. He wants us about our Father’s business, until it is time to go home.

What are you doing for God and how are you using the gift or gifts He has given you as you wait for Jesus to come back?

Deaf Devotion 7/28/2011

“Truly I tell you; today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43b NLT)

Are there any other words that can bring peace and relief to the soul of the sinner? Jesus did not say today you CAN be in paradise. He did not say wait until baptism. He did not give out a list of rules and requirements to have eternal life. Jesus, based on one person’s simple confession said, today you WILL join me in paradise. That’s all! Jesus went on to say, “It is finished.” It’s done. It’s complete.

God's grace is revealed in His willingness to welcome anyone at anytime into His kingdom, even at the moment of death. The thief who hung on a cross next to Jesus had absolutely nothing to offer the Lord—no good works, no faithful service. He couldn't even be baptized. In his utterly helpless condition, the only thing he could do was believe. But that was all it took, because faith is the only way to be saved.

Remember that there were two thieves were crucified with Jesus. Both thieves began their crucifixion by hurling verbal abuse at Jesus. As the minutes passed, one of them had a change of heart. His anger against the Savior turned to criticism of the other criminal, and then to defense of Jesus, the admission of his own guilt and a helpless plea for a place in Christ's kingdom.

It wasn’t by accident that those men were in that place in the presence of Jesus. It wasn’t by accident that Jesus was crucified in the middle of these two men. It was the divine plan of God. God arranged the meeting of Jesus with these two men. Both of the thieves hanging on the cross were still thieves when one of them cried out to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” But this man was no longer a thief when Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”

What was it that turned this mocker into a believer? Even if he himself had even heard about the name Jesus Christ, the crowd's mocking of Jesus supplied him with the information he needed to be saved. Scornful onlookers accused Jesus of being exactly who He was: the King of Israel, the Savior of others, and the Son of God. As the condemned man watched and listened, he turned in faith to the only One who could save Him. Not the one dying with him, but the One dying FOR him.

What happened to the other man? The other thief, although he knew who Jesus was, never asked Him for salvation and because of his decision he is right now crying out for mercy in hell.

On the hill that day, one man died in his sin, one Man died for sin, and the other was saved out of his sin. There are only two responses to the inevitability of death. We can either accept or reject Christ's payment for our sin. There is a change that takes place when we are in the presence of God. What has been isn’t what always has to be. The despair and helplessness melts away in the presence of God. The problems that confront our lives become possibilities. The fear that sometimes grips us melts into strength and courage in the presence of God. And the filth of sin is washed away in the presence of Jesus.

MAY GOD BRING US INTO HIS PRESENCE TODAY. GOD BLESS!

Deaf Devotion 7/18/2011

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

If someone thinks they are going to get to heaven by good “works,” it is pretty clear that one will always wonder if they’ve done enough. It will not be a “know-so” salvation. It will be a “hope-so” salvation.

Rather than standing up straight in confidence like an exclamation point, you will be bent over and wondering like a question mark. That is, until we understand that it’s all by grace. Suppose everybody who wanted to be saved had to run around the block. Some can’t run. What if you had to read a chapter in the Bible to be saved? Some can’t read. But there is one thing that can make the promise sure, and that is grace.

When we are saved we are transformed. Most people think we become righteous before God. That is impossible for us to do. Becoming something means we change something about ourselves. When I was younger I wanted to become an airplane pilot. Some want to become Doctors, Pastors, Moms or Dads. Each of these is important but we must change something to get there. School, marriage, etc. are all things we change in our lives to become something “different.” But it is something done on OUR part.

Righteousness is another thing. God is the only one righteous. Therefore we cannot become righteous. Adam and Eve tried that and we have been separated from God ever since. Since God is the only one righteous, and we have no hope of ever “becoming” righteous, something must change and it is something we cannot do ourselves.

In Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone are we MADE righteous. Doctors are not “made.” Moms are not “made.” But in the image and likeness of God are we all created and we are made righteous through Jesus Christ.

Who can we share this Good News with today? Think of at least one person, and ask God to give us a bold love and a divine opportunity to do just that.

Deaf Devotion 7/11/2011

Greetings from the high desert Antelope Valley region of southern California. I am at the Spiritual Leadership Conference hosted by Lancaster Baptist Church. I am meeting many wonderful people. I will be back in the Flint area on Saturday July 15.

We are on the edge of the Mojave desert and there is not much grass, many trees or much shade. Makes me think of things "more or less."

I love you all and miss you dearly!

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 NLT)

When you stop to think about it, "Less" plays a big role in our lives. On the one hand, it's good to be fearLESS, wireLESS, ageLESS, cordLESS, errorLESS, guiltLESS, painLESS, and odorLESS.

On the other hand, we don't want to be jobLESS, friendLESS, homeLESS, penniLESS, fruitLESS, spineLESS, aimLESS, careLESS, or lifeLESS--especially lifeless! But of all the things we don't want to have less of, none is as important as hope. We definitely do not want to be hopeLESS!

In Romans 5:3-5 the apostle Paul had a way of explaining why hope is so important in our life. It is so important because hope comes from a strange place. It comes from tribulation or times of trouble.

Paul wrote: “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."

When we lose hope in the face of trouble, it means we need to strengthen our faith in God's love that was poured out in our heart. To be afraid can mean we should check just how much we trust God. It can be that we are becoming faithLESS. FaithLESS becomes hopeLESS because we feel God has given up on us. To be faithless diminishes how much we understand and believe that God really does love us. And to lose touch with God's love--to be loveLESS--is to lose touch with the greatest thing of all. “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Hope, then, is a measure of our realization of God's love. Grasp His love today, and you will grasp hope as well! If we are faithFULL, we are made hopeFULL, and when God’s love fills us and we overflow in the FULLness of His love we have a love that is MORE than we can understand.

God knows nothing of hopeless people or situations.

Become “faithMOREFULL,” “hopeMOREFULL,” and God will “loveMOREFULL” than we can understand or even question.

Deaf Devotion 6/6/2011

“The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise.” (Isaiah 43:21 NASB)

When was the last time that we praised God for the blessings in our life?
• Our family - spouse, children, grandchildren;
• Our home - car, furniture, appliances;
• Our job - the ability to work, the place at which we work, our co-workers;
• Our life - the air that we breathe, food that we eat, the ability to walk.

But wait Pastor…..I am divorced, I don’t have a job and cannot find one, I’m unable to have children, I’m old, I’m Deaf. How and why should I praise God? What’s the point?

We should be thankful to God for everything we have, but how often do we praise God for the things we do not have? Some of us are given things that others are not. Yes, thank God for the blessings, but praise and worship Him for the things we do not have. When we say we cannot do something because we do not have it, God tells us to obey Him first and trust Him with the details to provide what we do not have. Each thing we do not have is an opportunity to look to God for the opportunity to share His greatness.

This is hard for us humans to understand.

Why is it so important to praise God? Why is it so important to worship God? What does it accomplish for us?

Worship is what we do when we offer ourselves over to reveal our love for God. It is an essential part of being a Christian, offering our praise, love and our life to God. Worship is not just an act that happens in church on Sunday mornings. It is a lifestyle that drives us to desire becoming more like Jesus.

We have been called to lift up the name of God, to humble ourselves and adore Him. The problem is that we come to worship with other concerns that have nothing to do with genuine worship.

The Lord has made us a special people in order that we may fulfill a special purpose. An important part of worshiping the Lord is proclaiming His greatness. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28 NLT) Notice there is nothing left out of this statement. This means the things we are blessed with and those things which God has not yet revealed.

To praise our Father is to celebrate Him for who He is and what He has done. This involves the release of our emotions, which frees us to express wholehearted adoration of the Lord. When someone loves another person, the most natural response is to speak highly about the cherished one. In the same way, those who love Christ find that praise comes easily to their lips.

Praising the Lord is good for us. In our self-centered society, people are mostly interested in getting their own needs met. Sadly, this same attitude has found its way into some churches. But God doesn't want us to come to church concerned only about ourselves. Praise lifts our eyes to Christ and fills our hearts with the praise and worship of God that we cannot find when we focus only on what we do not have and what others do have. This can mean anything from cars and clothing to relationships and spiritual “gifts.”

Although praise and worship are usually associated with church services, they should be something we show wherever we are. Some of the most cherished and precious experiences of worship can happen during times spent alone with God.

If one were to find that their praise lacks energy, all we need to do is seek God. Tell the Lord we want to learn to praise and honor Him above all and with our whole heart. The focus of worship is the key.

Remember how God has cared for you, and look every day for Him to show His hand on your life. Then tell Him how great He is.

Worship calls the world to a choice - worship God or worship self. We have become too busy worshiping ourselves to truly be focused on God.

True worship is not about you or me. It’s about God and His grace and mercy and it’s about Jesus Christ and His finished work at the Cross. True worship is centered, focused and intent on revealing Jesus. We are all called to come back to the heart of worship. We are called to bring what we have and what we do not have.

Come back to the personal close relationship with God we have been missing. Come back to worship with an audience of one. Come back to genuinely seeking something deeper with Jesus.

Deaf Devotion 5/23/2011

“But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 NLT)

Well it looks like we all missed the end of the world. The parties, the money, the focus on “What if…” seems like it was all for nothing. All because one man stirred up a nation of people that He was right and we just do not understand. Oh well.

My daughter called me on Saturday and said she was going to a friend’s house. I asked when she would be home. She said, “Does it really matter? The end of the world is today anyways.” It was a funny joke. Many people treated “the end of the world” as though it was a joke.

Jesus was very serious and was not joking when He warned the Disciples, and us in the same way, about the end of the world. Read Matthew Chapter 24. The Disciples were questioning Jesus about the signs that would signify the end times. Jesus responded with comments on those coming in His name telling about the end of the world and claiming they are the Messiah. He said there would be wars and rumors of wars. He said there would be famine and earthquakes. Jesus said all of these things must happen before He returns.

It seems everywhere we look we can see clear examples of everything Jesus said. There have been earthquakes. Believe it or not, there are people in America that do not have enough to eat. The President announced He thinks Israel should be “downsized.” Psalms 108:8 says, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in people.”

But the point is that no matter how much we think we are right, no person on this earth can tell God what to do. What God says in His Word, the Bible, He means. It is up to God and God alone. Jesus was saying, unless God says it, do not believe it. Compare what we see and hear against God’s Word. God will either confirm it, or He will not reveal the truth to us until we are ready.

From the opening line of Genesis to the final words of Revelation, all of Scripture is divinely inspired. And every word has purpose and importance.

The Old Testament introduces us to God's nature, ways, and power; it lays the foundation for us to understand the Lord's holiness and humanity's desperate need for a Savior. The New Testament explains that when Jesus gave Himself as the sacrifice for our sins, He became our "bridge" to the Father. Its writings make clear why we must trust Christ for salvation, how to live as God's children, and what to expect in this life and after death.

Through the Scriptures, almighty God reveals Himself to us. He also says that His Word is important for teaching, warning, correction, instruction, and preparation for what we will face in life. No other book holds such value for living.

Ephesians 6:13-17 compares the Word to armor, and for good reason: in the battle of life, we have a real enemy who wants to destroy us. But God's power is greater, and "dressing" in war gear daily prepares His children for the temptations, lies, deception, and decisions they will face. We ought to be excited about the Word of God, for it is the only hope for mankind—and the only instruction that leads to victory both in life and after physical death.

The Bible predicted that many people would reject the truth, and a quick look at our culture shows that to be the case. Let’s not fall into the same trap. Meditate daily on Scripture, and ask God to reveal Himself. Life without His truth is destined for failure.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5 NLT)

Deaf Devotion 5/16/2011

“Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12 NLT)

Has something bad ever happened and our first thought goes to: “Oh me. What did I do? I must have done something terrible. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened”? And before we knew it, we fell headlong into a pity party, taking ourselves apart piece by piece to see where we went wrong. We have all done something similar. It’s our human nature to do so.

But has the thought ever occurred that maybe we have done absolutely nothing wrong, and God is simply testing our faith? This is an important truth for us to understand, because if we don’t, we may get discouraged.

In the varied experiences of life, at one point or another, I’m sure we have all uttered the words which are no doubt in the heart of most every person experiencing trouble or temptation: "WHY ME?"

God leads us in another direction. God wants us to ask: "WHY NOT ME?"

Being a Christian does not in any way protect us from the very real unavoidable problems of life. In fact sometimes it would almost seem that the OPPOSITE IS TRUE!! The Christian at times seems to experience more than their fair share of problems and troubles.

We must constantly remind ourselves of the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "We walk by faith and not by sight." If we try and reverse it and try to walk by SIGHT instead of faith, we will fail miserably!

Think about it. Many experiences of life make us more able to help others in their similar difficulties.

In any situation, God offers to give us His beauty in exchange for our ashes. He offers His faith for our fears, healing for our brokenness, joy for our sadness! He wants to swap His Success for our failures, and peace for worries.

He is inviting us to “cast your heavy burdens onto Him” and allow Him to lighten the load.

What others may want to use to harm us, God wants to turn around to use it to bless us and others! He wants us to put His positive next to our negative so that we can live abundantly IN HIM! This empowers us to live the abundant life He came to give!

Paul says that nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ. So when we start wondering why God allows something to happen TO ME, remember, He never said we would not face difficulties along the way. Trials, hardships and challenges will come into our lives. The Book of James does not make the point, IF the trials come, but James says WHEN they come, we can be prepared.

God says that we will never be outside of His care. So don’t Judge God’s love based on our situations; instead look for Him in the midst of them. Just like God was with Shaddrach, Meshach & Abednego in the fiery furnace, just like he was with Jonah in the belly of the whale, or Daniel in the lion’s den – He will be there for us!

Holding on to our faith in God in the face of disappointments, discouragement and difficulties allows God to empower us for victory!

Deaf Devotion 5/9/2011

“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” (Matthew 25:23 NLT)

If we want to take root and to grow in our faith, and have a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, it is necessary to branch out in service. Serve God in the “little” things and He will be glorified. It's wonderful to accomplish great things for Christ, but sometimes God’s greatest works happen when we join Him in the “little” things.

It is not enough just to want to be a servant. We must be determined to be servants. We must be willing to step out in obedience and determined to help wherever God calls us to go.

There is a story of an angel who, at the start of a church building project, announced there would be a prize to the person who made the most noteworthy contribution to the finished project. Everyone worked hard, wanting to win--the architect, the contractor, the craftsmen, the artists, the carpenters, and even the Pastors and staff of the church. The winner turned out to be a poor elderly widow who every day carried hay to the ox that pulled the stones for the stonecutters.

Our faith grows as we serve, and we serve best when we're faithful in little things. Try branching out in a new area of Christian service, however small; and be faithful, so that one day the Lord of the Harvest will say, "Well done!"

We recognize the power of service in the world because it always makes a difference. It changes the situation.

Jesus looked at the leper and said, “Be clean” and instantly he was made clean,
Jesus spit into the dirt, made a little mud ball, rubbed it into a blind man’s eyes and said go wash in the pool of Siloam. This man, who had never seen flowers or looked into his mother’s eyes came back with perfect sight.
Jesus looked at the storm when others had lost faith and said, “Peace be still.”
Jesus knelt before the Disciples, including the one who would betray Him, with a basin of water and a towel and washed their feet.
Jesus looked at death and said let there be life.

“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.” (Psalm 110:3a KJV)

What we do in service to our Lord and Savior should be done willingly. Even in the middle of our struggles, our pain, our sorrows, God still loves us and we should have the heart willing to serve our brothers and sisters. It’s not because we must do it. It’s because of the gift we have been given. We should have a desire to serve whatever way God calls us to serve. No service done in the name of Jesus Christ is ever wasted.

We freely give of our time, resources, praise, money, expertise, etc., because God freely gives His grace and mercy and Jesus freely gave His life so that you and I can live forever with Him.

You know it says in 2 Corinthians 9:7 “God loves a cheerful giver.” Serve without limit and with the attitude of glorifying God by how we serve. Then we celebrate the goodness of God together.

God is good, all the time!
All the time, God is good!

Deaf Devotion 4/30/2011

“When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” (Luke 4:16-21 NLT)

Jesus was quoting Isaiah 61:1-2. And what he had to say about it caused a stir among those present.

There is a story about a man who had been in prison for twenty years. He had now completed his sentence and was preparing to be released back into society. After twenty years he was about to be a free man. Would society accept him? How much has the world changed in twenty years? Before leaving, he makes a strange request: "Please take this cell door off its hinges and strap it to my back." The jailers comply, and the freed man chooses to spend the rest of his life this way.

This man’s story sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? Yet many of us carry around guilt like a prison door strapped to our back. Jesus Christ freed us from the burden of sin on our back, but we have trouble leaving the old jail completely behind. The problem is that we don't believe God has really forgiven.

Brenda and I learned recently of a friend of ours who is now in prison. He and I have been friends since High School and he was the best man at our wedding. He left a bar drunk, hit a motorcycle, and then left the scene. The man on the motorcycle later died from his injuries. Our friend was caught, tried, and sent to prison.

The only way to explain how Brenda found this is to say that it is part of God’s plan. I am attempting to make contact with our friend to let him know that we are still his friend and that God loves him still. I have been burdened with trying to reach him. I do not yet know how he feels about forgiveness. I am sure forgiveness from society and from the motorcycle rider’s family may be hard to accept if it were given. I want to make sure he understands that God has already covered the sin. What happened is tragic and terrible, but we all make mistakes to some degree and the results catch up to us one way or another. And the truth is, God still loves us.

When we hear stories like this we tend to think, “Yeah, right….” Or even “Yes…..but….”

There is no "but." Either God forgives or He doesn't. If we trust Jesus Christ as Savior, then we are free of sin. It is covered with the blood of Jesus Christ. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:14 KJV)

The Lord promises that He will not hold our wrongs against us or even remember them. The writer of Hebrews quotes from Jeremiah 31. “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:17 KJV)

No good can come of carrying around old failures and sinful habits that He has put behind His back. “Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.” (Isaiah 38:17 KJV)

Jesus Christ has purchased our freedom with His blood. It was finished at the cross. Accept and believe. Get the prison door off your back, lay down your guilt and live free. Praise God for His grace and mercy that has no limit and no end.

When God looks upon a believer, He sees a spirit washed clean of all sin. Don't allow guilt over past wrongdoing to hold us captive a second longer.

Take God at His word, and believe that He has removed it from us as far as the east is from the west. “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” (Psalm 103:12 NLT)

Deaf Devotion 4/3/2011

“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” (Proverbs 20:7 KJV)

This is an interesting verse in the Bible. It really causes a person to think: “Who is the ‘just man?’” Or it may make us wonder just what exactly “integrity” is. The New Living translations says it this way, “The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.” It’s the same verse. It means the same thing. But we are left with these words “godly” and “integrity.”

To be “godly” is to seek the same things God seeks. We should want not our righteousness, but God’s righteousness. We should seek to become the person that God created and not the person the world expects us to be. We should rise above the beliefs and false security of the world and seek what God has planned for our life. We are created in God’s image. Therefore, we are capable of things like love, anger, forgiveness, and sacrifice. We are being shaped into the person like Jesus. But it’s not just that easy.

Integrity, on the other hand, goes a little deeper. Not only are we to become “godly” and see how God acts and how God expects us to act. But we are to use what God has given us and live a life that shows God’s plan of salvation, not only for ourselves, but for everything and everybody He created.

The word “integrity” comes from the Latin word “integer.” Any person familiar with math will remember that the word “integer” means a whole number. It is not a decimal or fraction. Integrity is the same idea. Integrity is our whole person. It is our whole life. It is how we think and how we act. What we believe, our faith, our knowledge of God, our salvation should be shown in the way we live both privately and when we face the world. This means the way we think is the same as how we act. How we act in front of others at church is the same as how we act when we are at the grocery store.

The world says if we could just arrange our circumstances where we never have any sorrow, pain, or hurts then people will change. If we can change our circumstances, our situations, our plans we can change one’s character. We become more “godly” toward each other.

But the Bible teaches just the opposite. The world puts the emphasis on one’s situation. God puts the emphasis on character. Someone has well said water does not become pure if it is put in a fancy glass. And yet that's what we try to do. We think that if we can change the exterior or make a situation such that we never have any hurts, then we're going to be okay. But Jesus put the emphasis upon character, on what we are in God’s eyes, and not what we have or don’t have.

Integrity is influence. Character is influence. Influence is not pressure, power or control. Influence is affecting other people with what they see us doing. What is important to the leader will be important to the follower. Whatever is important to God will be important to us. Don’t ever desire that something be important in someone else’s life that isn’t important to God. We need to be an example and desire for others what God desires for us.

If we are able to live by God’s standard, and not the world’s lives will be changed. “… blessed are their children who follow them.” Children watch and children learn. We are all God’s children. We are all created in the “Image and likeness” of God. We should be watching Jesus to learn. Jesus is the example of integrity.

Ours is a “pro-active” faith. It means that we are doing something from what we know and not “re-acting” after the fact. In other words, one of the surest ways we can keep from doing the wrong thing is if we are focused on doing the right thing.

Husbands and wives encourage and lift up each other in godly ways. Mothers and fathers act with integrity to teach children godly ways. Seek God’s plan for integrity. Children look to godly role-models to learn what god has planned. The world does not provide role models. Only God provides role models and that is in the person of His Son, Jesus.

Pray together. Encourage each other. Study together. Seek God’s character together. Then worship together. Thank God that He is the source of our “integrity.” God does not want to save part of His creation; God wants to save ALL of His creation. God is not only our creator, but Jesus, fully God and fully man, is our Savior. Trust Him.

Deaf Devotion 3/26/2011

In the last several months the earth has seen some major examples of the power of nature. There have been earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, volcanoes, and the like. While each of these has been said to be caused by nature, it is really a glaring example of the amount of power God has put into the world He created. God certainly is not and was not surprised by any of these events.

God is sending a wake-up call. Hello? Is anybody home? Where have my children gone? Why do they turn their back on me? Why do they pay more attention to arguing with each other than worshipping me? There are those who will blame global warming, blame Christians and Muslims, blame Republicans and Democrats, will blame the Tea Party. But there is one truth. God does not choose sides. Jesus is coming back to take over God’s creation in His rightful place as King.

Jesus is the King of creation and He comes to give us a message of victory over sin. We will never know this victory until we lay our life at His feet and bow before His throne. Before we can be conquerors, we must be conquered. But how?

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” (James 4:8 NLT)

Do we realize what this says? It says God is willing to meet us first where we are. He will meet us where we are in our life. He will meet us where we are spiritually. He will meet us where we are with our faith, our doubts and our fears.

The feeling of God being distant even affects those who have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Many times we hear people using this line, "I just don’t feel close to God right now." Or, "God doesn’t seem very real to me right now." We all struggle with that sometimes. “Are my prayers just bouncing off the walls?” So, what can we do about it? How can we overcome those feelings? How can we get to the point of experiencing and enjoying God’s presence and power consistently in our daily life?

There are three key words for feeling God’s power in our life: Approach; Submit; and Separate.

Approach - Yeah, right? How? When I don’t know if He’s there, can’t see, smell nor touch Him. If we look to what God says in His Word, it seems to say we can begin to feel God’s power by having a sense of confidence. What God did by sending Jesus to us, is to send out a wake-up call. Jesus made it possible for us to approach God, draw close, to a close personal relationship, to have our prayers heard and answered and based on historically reliable record, on a real person, not just a ghost or an alien.

“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:5-8 NLT)

Submit – Yeah, right? We must allow God to do His job and what He promised by allowing God’s power present in us to weaken the control of sin. By faith we come to God through Christ and as we come close to God, allow some room for God’s Spirit to maneuver in your lives. This is what James is talking about when he calls his readers to sensitivity about our sin and shortcomings. “Wash your hands, you sinners”

Separate – Yeah, Right? "Purifying your hearts" refers to refining our motives, attitudes, our very thoughts that are against what God wants for us. Sin blinds us. Sin burdens us with worry, guilt, and fear. Sin hardens our hearts. Sin deceives us. Sin separates us from God. It’s not about sin separating us from God. It’s about God separating us from our sin. It’s about us separating ourselves from our sin by faith in Jesus Christ and the power in His Death and Resurrection.

Turning to God and changing from those actions or attitudes that God does not want us to have requires us to allow God to deepen His work in us. By examining thoughts, feelings, and convictions, we allow God to show Himself powerful and mighty through us. We will break down those barriers to feeling God’s presence and power in our life, when we give up and simply admit our hearts are totally evil.

Now, there is an old question that adds an important perspective to this verse. It asks, "If you feel distant from God, who moved?" The answer is "you". You see, God doesn’t move. He doesn’t come and go. He doesn’t show up for a while and then disappear. He doesn’t go on a vacation. He doesn’t take summers off. Scripture says that God never sleeps [Psalm 121:3]

To experience God’s power, claim His promises.
To experience God’s power, operate on faith.
To experience God’s power, repent in faith.
To experience God’s power, pour yourself into service in Jesus’ name.
To experience God’s power, remember everything God has done.

We need to understand it has always been the grace of God, in Jesus’ blood, that God has brought us near to Him. God’s activity in Christ guarantees us purity in the sight of the holy and awesome God. It is in Jesus where we feel more of God’s power in our life. We need every day to remember this. It’s all because of the precious and wonderful favor of God that we can draw near and have Him draw near to us.

Deaf Devotion 3/19/2011

“Timothy, please come as soon as you can. Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers. Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done.” (2 Timothy 4:9-14 NLT)

The apostle Paul knew the value of having good friends. Barnabas encouraged him in his ministry. Silas partnered with him in establishing new churches. Timothy became like a son to him. Paul also knew the heartache of co-laborers turning away from him when times got tough. We may experience something similar in our life.

People will react differently to our struggles. Some feel they are not able to help and hold back because they are uncertain about what to say or do. Others are so protective of their time that selfishness causes them to turn away. And sometimes our friends and co-workers do not want to be identified with us in our trials. Even as a Pastor this sometimes happens to me. Other Pastors and friends reach out and help while others hold back for some reason. This experience taught me the importance of reaching out to and serving brothers and sisters in need of God’s Word or in times of trouble.

Our primary purpose on earth is to worship and glorify God, exalt Jesus Christ the risen Savior, and to “watch over” or be caretakers of God’s creation. Look at God’s plan for Adam and what God did next: “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.” (Genesis 2:15 NLT) God then warned Adam of the tree and the danger of Him not thinking himself above God or not needing God. Then God had a plan for us: “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” (Genesis 2:18 NLT) This is Eve being created. The name “Eve” means “mother of all.” Therefore, We are here as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve to first, take care of what God created, and secondly, to be here to help each other.

This final section of Paul’s letter to Timothy offers some specific instructions as well as some final pieces of advice that Paul is passing on to Timothy. Paul’s main objective is for Timothy to learn that he must allow God to be his strength. Timothy’s and Paul’s effectiveness as Christian leaders depended on it as does our effectiveness as Christians in today’s world. We must allow God to use others, friends and enemies, to strengthen us if we are to be really effective in His service.

There are many different occasions when we will have a need for strength, whether it is physical, mental or emotional. We need strength to accomplish a specific task. We need strength to overcome an addiction. We need strength to cope with the death of a loved one. But, sadly, friends will abandon us and enemies will try to distract us. We must step in and support each other.

Even Jesus had this problem. Matthew 12:14 has the shocking statement that the Pharisees went out looking for a way to kill Jesus. They were planning a murder. Jesus had just healed a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were looking for a way to trap Jesus in his own teachings or actions. Jesus’ healing of this man and then the way Jesus criticized the Pharisees only added to their fierceness in opposing him.

Yet, where did Jesus go for help? He trusted God so completely to bring people faithful to His mission that He knew God’s plan would continue even though He would soon die on the Cross.

The Lord gives us strength. He alone is our source of strength.

Helping others requires an investment of time and energy. We start by praying for them and asking the Lord how we can help. He may have us to come alongside another person to lend emotional support, provide spiritual guidance, offer assistance in a physical or financial way, or find others who can. In the same way God will bring someone alongside us in our time of trouble. Standing with people will encourage them.

When friends abandoned him, Paul asked God not to hold their actions against them. He followed the example of Jesus, who prayed for the Father to forgive the people who abandoned Him, the people who mocked Him, the people who tortured Him and more importantly, the people who killed Him. What's our response when friends let us down? Forgiveness is the choice that pleases God every time.

God is willing and more than able to rescue us and make us strong in our times of weakness. He alone is our source of strength. He will reveal His strength through the blessings and talents of the brothers and sisters He will bring alongside us.

Today are we walking with Christ? Not walking ahead of Him. We walk with Him. We follow Him as our example. Is He our strength? Or are we trying to walk it alone? Is there someone who is burdened that we can come alongside with the strength of God to lift them up? I challenge all of us to let God be the strength. Let Him take over the load in our life. Trust Him with the ups and downs of our life. In all things God is glorified.

Deaf Devotion 3/12/2011

“Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” (Matthew 21:21-22 NLT)

In the Gospel of Mark it is written that Jesus was approached by a father whose son was possessed by a demon. The man came to Jesus, asking Him to heal the boy, if it was possible. The Lord lovingly shared that He could accomplish anything if the man had faith. The dad responded, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

“Help my unbelief.” Are there any greater words of faith? What a revealing statement.

Even mature Christians will sometimes experience some doubt with regard to God's ways, truth, or ability. Thankfully, He is gracious and meets His children where they are.

But the Bible is clear that doubt causes difficulty. First, it affects the believer's fellowship with God. Second, disbelief blocks one's prayer life. The Lord will answer a doubting heart, but God’s answer will never be the right answer, nor will the answer satisfy. Third, uncertainty can lead to dependence upon the flesh and, therefore, can get in the way of fruitful service. All of these can lead to discouragement.

Let's explore how to overcome a lack of assurance. Prayerfully consider what causes us to question. For example, when we were growing up were we taught something other than what God teaches? Or we were told what we should believe by someone other than God? Now, recall a time when we trusted the Lord and He responded; remember how it felt to rely totally upon Him. And, most importantly, study Scripture and learn exactly what God is saying to us. The Bible says it is better to depend on the Lord than to trust in people. (Psalm 118:8)

God wants us to walk in the freedom of faith. God calls each of us to live our lives with full confidence in Him. This removes fear and worry because the almighty, all-knowing, loving Father is able to guide, strengthen, and lead His children to victory.

What is the biggest thing we have ever asked God to do for us? I have learned most of the prayers are good and right, but not bold. About the biggest requests are for physical healing. I believe God does heal in response to our prayers, but surely God wants to do more than “fix” us. God is looking for someone bold enough to ask Him for something big. This is not about a home on the beach or a new car, although these are nice blessings. We are talking about spiritual things! Where are the people who are asking God to invade their lives with His power, to transform a community, to break the curse of racism, to send missionaries around the world?

There was popular book about the prayer of a man named Jabez. Jabez’s prayer was surprisingly simple. “He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.” (1 Chronicles 4:10 NLT) Notice the end of the verse: “And God granted him his request.” Faith asked and God answered.

What mountain do we need God to move? Today God calls us to bring our mountain to Him and ask Him to move it. Stop wishing, wanting and hoping and start asking in faith without doubt, because that is what Jesus commands us to do.

The next time those feelings of doubt begin to rise, remember that God does move mountains. Along with the everyday prayers that we offer to God, try adding a mountain to the list, let God out of the box, and see what great and mighty things God will do!

If you haven't been living with belief, start today. Don't miss out on His best!

Deaf Devotion 2/26/2011

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. (John 15:4-6 NLT)

I do want to add a personal note to thank Officer Paul Green of the Flint Township Police Department, one of my friends at Starbucks on Miller Road, who is retiring in exactly 74 minutes after 32 years of service. He is moving to Tennessee. Thank you for your service and God Bless You!

As usual, it has been a week of ups and downs. We all have days, weeks, and even months like this. Last Saturday morning as I was preparing to leave for Louisville, KY for a Deaf Pastor’s Prayer meeting, I opened an email that, well, shocked me. Knowing I could not keep this from my wife, I had to wake her up and tell her some news I knew was going to upset her as well. It is something we cannot talk about right now, but we ask your prayers for our family.

Then we left for Louisville and experienced a unity of prayer and spirit joining with other Deaf Pastors and leaders for worship and prayer. It was a wonderful experience. Thank you to Pastor Steve Dye and the family at SECC Deaf Church in Louisville.

We flew home Sunday only to have 11 inches of snow after we arrived home which prevented me from going to work on Monday. Then Tuesday through Friday were rough days each one in their own way.

Through it all, though, I just looked to my Heavenly Father and thanked Him for His unending grace, mercy and love that are poured out for each one of us. I thanked God for the honor of Him allowing me to Pastor a Deaf church and work with Deaf to spread the Gospel. I thanked Him for a loving wife, good children, and all that He provides for us. I thanked Him for friends and the fellowship of other Pastors and believers.

Above all, I thanked God for His Son. This is because if we are without Jesus Christ, we are nothing. Today's passage encourages us to stay connected to Jesus.

The image of Him as the vine and believers as the branches helps us understand that apart from Him, we can do nothing. It is possible to accept His salvation yet still act out of the "flesh," not able to focus or even separated from His direction and power. All believers find their focus wandering at times, but some have strayed so far that it's hard to see their way back.

If someone finds their heart focused on something besides Christ, it is very important to admit that this has happened. The Holy Spirit will help us identify which attitudes or activities are drawing us away from Jesus. Then He will draw us to repent and get whatever help is necessary to set aside interruption, insecurity, worldly desires, or anything else that draws our attention away from the Lord.

Once the distraction is gone, we can refocus on Jesus by reading the Word, praying, learning from biblical messages, and spending time with godly friends who will encourage us. Sometimes it can be hard to obey as the Lord desires but He promises to walk by our side to strengthen us and supply all our needs. “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NLT)

Hebrews 12:1 urges us to give up whatever may be slowing us down and continue the obedience to God for His plan that He planned for us before He created the universe.

Don't delay. Recognize any area, sin, or stronghold that is keeping us from living passionately and fully for Christ. We cannot do this for another person. We can join them in prayer, but what another person does, is between them and God. Following His plan—with His strength—is the only way to peace, joy, and contentment in life. Ask for His help and commit to action.

So, the question becomes, “Where are you right now? Are you connected to the vine, feeling the life of God flowing through you as you remain in Him? Or are you disconnected, slowly dying, trying to stay in control of life and manage things in your own strength? Keep in mind that there are seasons of pruning, where even some parts that seemed to be growing are cut off so that other parts can be more fruitful. There are times in our lives where maybe we are not seeing the fruit, but we know we are remaining in the vine. If that describes you, remain. Paul would say, stand firm. Hold fast, keep the connection, continue to let Jesus’ words dwell in you, allow the gardener to prune, and cling to the promise that you will bear much fruit.