Monday Morning 9/24/2012

I have a serious question for you. It may require some thought. It might even require you to take it before God in your devotions. Here’s the question: What kind of person are you becoming through your church?"

I mean, think about it. We invite people to come to our churches for what? Do we want to reach people for Jesus? Do we invite people to come to a place of worship and learning and fellowship?  If people come to our church, what do we have to offer them? These are all important things to consider. But they are very short sighted. The real question that every person should be asking in their church is, “What kind of person have I become in my church and what will others become as a result of coming to our church?"

The answer is not about you and me. The answer is not in the numbers. The answer is not what the church can do for you and me. The answer is a changing attitude toward those around us in the community. The answer is each person becoming a successful participant in God’s work in and through us.

The demands of corporate life, family life and spiritual life are huge. All of us have given up prematurely sometime in our lives. We may have come up against a business setback, and we quit. Others of us had relational difficulties, whether with our spouse, our in-laws or our co-workers, and we’ve stopped trying to work things out. Still others have started a physical, spiritual or school program but gave up before reaching the finish line.

We live in a society and time when almost everything is handed to us without requiring us to be patient or to keep on trying. We buy our clothes off the rack. We buy our food frozen but pre-cooked. The shows on television and the movies resolve all the problems the main characters have, and they do this in a time frame that is thirty minutes to two hours in length. And recently, one can get a divorce on-line, without ever leaving home.

There is a concept that is called “flexible persistence.” This is the idea that we will do whatever it takes to do something by adjusting to individual need. Jesus and Paul both realized this. Jesus and Paul both practiced “flexible persistence.” This is why Paul wrote about flexible persistence to the church at Corinth. “God, with his mercy, gave us this work to do, so we don’t give up.” (2 Corinthians 4:1)

Not all people coming to our churches will react the same way. Non believers do not think the same way believers think. Non-church people do not act the same way as people who go to church faithfully. Those who are “different” are treated like those who are “normal” are doing a favor for them. These are the people we are becoming. Our “flexible persistence” seems to stop at the door of the church when it needs to find its place in our communities.

Sadly, flexible persistence is vanishing from our society. Flexible persistence enables us to work with difficult people in difficult situations to achieve God’s best. Flexible persistence trusts God and utilizes God-given resources to accomplish God-size goals.

Your church is called to serve people for the sake of Christ. There are many un-churched “different” people who have not heard the name of Jesus Christ. The only thing I can say is that they are not easily reached, but not impossible. God has given us this work, and with flexible persistence, they will surely be reached.

Monday Morning 9/17/2012

Pastor and author Adrian Rogers wrote this:

“Did you know that it is an impossibility of geography to have a valley without a mountain?

They are beautiful complements in God’s grand creation.
The valley is the place of vision. It is the place of repose and reflection.
The mountain is the place of discovery and a place to become strong.
If you find yourself in a valley, it is because you have come down from a mountain.

If you’re on a mountain, you came to that place by way of the valley.”

How do you deal with the mountains and valleys of “life?” We all have days where we want to shout how great things are. Things are going along pleasantly, and we feel good about ourselves and the world around us. Then something comes up and we feel kicked to the curb, overwhelmed and that this is just a horrible, terrible, not good, very bad day. One minute we’re on the mountaintop and the next we’re passing through that valley that feels like, as the writer of Psalm 23 writes, “The valley of the shadow of death.”

The writer of Psalms 41 must have felt like he was in a pressure cooker and couldn’t catch a break. So he wrote from his heart the words of the Psalms as he sought to deal with the stresses of his life. But one theme stands out. “God is our protection and source of strength. He is always ready to help us in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

And he’s right. Think about it. In today’s world can seem next to impossible to just catch a break. But there is some truth to how our trust in God can make all the difference in how we are able to handle the things that may happen to us in life.

We feel we are stuck in the valley and no end is in sight. Nations are in an uproar. Mankind seems to be falling apart. Our personal lives are under attack from many sides. But we, as Christians, don’t have to be stuck in a valley. The God of the Valley is also the God the mountaintop.

Do you realize what the Psalmist is saying? He seems to be saying that in the middle of everything he has decided that he will no longer let his life be filled with stress and anxiety. Why? It’s for one reason:  “God is my refuge and my strength."

I wonder if we have forgotten how to relax. We are so wrapped up in what’s happening around us. We feel we must tell others how to live their lives. The psalmist says later, “God says, “Stop fighting and know that I am God! I am the one who defeats the nations; I am the one who controls the world.” (Psalm 46:10)

God is always near and available to us. God is always available and concerned with what we have to say. Some of our problems may be superficial, but others are deep. God can and will help us. So talk to Him! Then listen to Him through His Word find out what he has to say!

God’s power is greater than anything this world can offer. He alone controls the wind, storms, earthquakes, and volcanoes. There is no greater power. God’s power is sufficient to win the victory over all the enemies that come our way. So don’t be afraid to ask for His help.

Always remember this: Whether we at the peak of a mountain or whether we are in a valley. God’s help works even when we can’t help ourselves. Remember as we climb up the mountain, as we reach the peak, everything around us is a valley. And at the same time when we are in a valley it looks like we could never climb out. Everything around us is a mountain.

Have you felt weak lately? Have you felt like there are too many stresses and that you’re about ready to explode? God’s help is available, and all you have to do is reach out for it, and grab hold.

If Jesus is not Lord and Savior of your life, please realize that He wants you to come to Him, accepting His love, receiving His forgiveness, and becoming a part of His family. God is with us in the valley and on the mountaintop. Don’t wait another day.

Monday Morning September 3, 2012

Here in the United States it is Labor Day. We honor the work of millions of people who struggle in the midst of difficult circumstances to keep food on their table and their families together. We look back at how people came together in a common mind to protect the basic rights of the worker. We do face uncertain times and as we honor the American worker, let’s take a look at something on a different level.

Faith can be lulled to sleep when we are focused on our own labors and comfort rather than God's plan.

Abraham did not fall into this trap. He traded the familiar for the unknown and received many blessings.

Living and working by faith is the right answer when God calls us to move forward. His call can come to us at any age and in any situation. Abraham was 75 when he began his journey. David was a shepherd boy when he was anointed to be king.

Paul encountered the Lord on his way to arrest Jewish believers in Damascus. After his conversion, he became the Lord's representative to the Gentiles. Our call may not be so dramatic, but it will always involve taking a step of faith.

Labor in God’s service will also include times of testing. Abraham, like all of us, had some successes and some failures. The initial call to leave his country was met with strong belief and immediate action. As a result, he received a promise of great blessing for him and his descendants. But encountering famine brought a different response. He took a trip to Egypt, he lied about his relationship with Sarah, and he was criticized by Pharaoh. Our response to God's call to work or even get up and do something for Him really does matter. We can bring blessing or heartache through our actions.

Jesus said after feeling sorry for those who were “worried and helpless,” “There is such a big harvest of people to bring in. But there are only a few workers to help harvest them. God owns the harvest. Ask him to send more workers to help gather his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

There is nothing in this world greater than the power of God. The only way to get in touch with that power is to come into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Before you get to Jesus, you have to be willing to let go of the shepherds you have been following. There are so many people we come into contact with that do not know the great shepherd Jesus even exists.  Jesus says, there are so many people who are ready to know the truth, but there are not enough workers willing to go and tell them. Will you pray that we here would be willing to go into the fields for a harvest. One of the best kept secrets anywhere we look is what God is doing in the lives of people as close as the one sitting next to you at church. It’s a shame we are keeping this secret to ourselves saying, “It’s not my job,” and letting someone else do the work.

Obeying God can be uncomfortable. Those close to us may question our motives or disagree with our decisions. And we ourselves may not want to do what He asks. But faith keeps moving forward in obedience. It helps us stay focused and experience the blessings found in a relationship with Christ.