Connecting Points

Friday, July 08, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Comparisons

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 46:5   “To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?”

I have absolutely no idea who Shelia Butler is, but she went public with advice to a friend on Twitter recently. Her friend was obviously dating someone that Shelia did not approve of. She told her friend, Really? Lauren? Not even in the same class as Jacob. He should’ve been gone.

This simple exchange between two friends illustrates a problem that exists in our hearts. We have been suckered into a game that we should not be playing. We are like unsuspecting tourists at a county fair who are approached by a barker who wants us to play his carnival game. He stands in the main flow of pedestrian traffic and shouts out to us that we are guaranteed winners if we will just try it once. In our innocence and naiveté we agree, and before long our pockets are empty and our self-esteem is destroyed. We walk away believing we are losers.

Such is the game of comparisons we play every day. In our innocence as children we were convinced by someone that the best way to discover our true worth was to compare ourselves to others. Perhaps we learned it by experience as others did it to us. So began a life of criticism, put downs, insults, and sarcasm designed to somehow make us feel good about who we are. In our hearts we know it doesn’t work, and in most cases makes us feel worse rather than better about who we are, but we are stuck in the bondage of the behavior. How can we be set free?

It starts with our belief in God. That’s not just a simply Sunday School answer. It’s the eternal truth of the matter. If we have established equals to God in our lives then we will never be free from the comparison chains in our mind. If we believe that there is anyone or anything that is even in the same class as God so that they or it are worthy of any attempted comparison, we will never be free from the bondage in our brains. Our freedom begins with a proper perspective of Almighty God.

Because we are finite, and therefore think from a finite perspective, it is hard for us to imagine anyone so far above everyone else that they are in a totally separate class. From childhood we have been taught that no matter how good we think we are or actually are at anything, someday we will meet someone better. That fact either drives us to excel or holds us back. Either way, our motivation for action or inactivity is the same – comparison.

If we could catch a glimpse of the infinite, we would see that God is beyond comparison. He has no equal. He is in a class all by Himself. He is the one and only standard of perfection. He has the right, and is the only one who has the right, to declare His own worth, because He is the only one who is unbiased and truthful about His status. Here is what He says about Himself in just a few verses of Isaiah 46 –

• I am God, and there is no other
• I am God, and there is none like me
• I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come
• I say: My purpose will stand
• I will do all that I please
• What I have said, that will I bring about
• What I have planned, that will I do

After you have allowed those truths to sink in, you may still be asking how that solves the comparison game. Here’s how: The God who is incomparable has lavished His love on us and declared us to be His children (1 John 3:1). We have no need to compare ourselves to anyone to determine our worth because our worth has been eternally established and declared by the One who has no comparison. We have become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are joint heirs with Jesus with all things eternal (Romans 8:17). We have been granted a seat with Christ in heaven (Ephesians 2:6). God declares us to be incomparable.

With all of that affirmation from God and His declaration of our worth, we are free from the bondage of comparisons. Now, instead of spending all of our time trying to earn the approval of people, we can grant them the approval that God wants them to know because we are living in it.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Today’s Topic:  God Cares

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 46:3b – 4   “…I created you and have cared for you since before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.”

When God says He cares for us, I’m not sure we comprehend the depth of His care. Can we even begin to imagine the details that He must be managing?  Every little thing that could and would affect us is evaluated in the all-seeing and all-knowing mind of God. Even the timing of our own decisions is managed by God so that circumstances fall into place exactly as He wants so that His will is accomplished for our good. I have had numerous experiences of God delaying my progress on a trip to protect me from an unseen danger ahead. God never sleeps. He never slumbers. He cares for us constantly, more than we can ever know.

Today I want to share with you a story from one of our Connecting Point readers – a story that illustrates how God cares for us and has everything under control. The story has been edited from its original version to eliminate some personal details. The story begins with a surprise 60^th birthday party being planned for the reader’s mom.

It just so happened that September 12 was 60 days before her actual 60th birthday. It seemed too good to pass up, so I chose that day for the party. The idea for the party was to choose 60 different people to each have a number from 1to60. They were asked to creatively present that number to her in whatever way they wanted. At the party we would start with #1 and count up to 60. Crazy, I know. But it was awesome….better than I ever could have hoped for or imagined.

When we began planning the party last summer, I randomly gave #50 to  my co-conspirator in the party planning. One day in early August she called me to tell me about a dream she had the night before. In the dream, she saw the verses Isaiah 46:3-4 and a bracelet that my dad had given my mom. I knew which bracelet she was referring to, but I couldn’t recall the engraving on it or the story behind it. She then read me the verses:

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I  have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

I told her even if it has nothing to do with the bracelet, verse 4 was too perfect for a 60th party to pass up! She would combine the chapter and verse number to equal 50 and write my mom a song about it for her present.

Later that day my mom told me the story of the bracelet. When she got her first gray hair, she kind of panicked. My dad went to the jewelry store and bought her a bracelet. On one side is engraved: “Isaiah 46:3-4” and on the other side “Love, Lee”.

In the weeks ahead, Satan seriously attacked every part of the party planning. Mom started making all kinds of other plans for the day of the party. We had to work very hard to get her to switch them. Family issues arose. I was totally stressed out, and the night before the party I thought I had made a big mistake trying to do this.

The next morning – the day of the party – I got up and went into the bathroom at my mom’s and looked at the calendar on the wall. In utter amazement I read the Scripture verse for the day – Isaiah 46:4. Isn’t that amazing???? I am still very overcome when I think about that moment. I totally felt peace wash over me. I said, “God I am so sorry. This already was Your day. You have been in this all along.”  I was so glad that we had persevered through all of the heartache and headaches to reach that moment, and I knew that God was indeed at work. I also knew that this was to be more than just a “party.

Everyone was so creative with their numbers. I began to see why Satan would indeed want to cause trouble! Look at how many people had been reading the Bible in preparation for the party! Look at the people who were stepping out of their comfort zones! Look at the ways that God was being glorified! Look at the witness that was brought before unbelievers! Look at the people who stepped up as servants! Look at how the Body of Christ came together!! Then to top all of that off, the Isaiah verse. For me, that miracle was a symbol of redemption. The day truly had already belonged to the Lord.

God cares, and He carries us along!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Five Fantastic Facts of Faith

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 45:17    “But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation.”

     Isaiah 45:19   “I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’”

     Isaiah 45:23   “Before the LORD every knee will bow.”

      Isaiah 45:24   “In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.”

      Isaiah 45:25   “In the LORD all the descendants of Israel will be found righteous and will exult.”

First things first.

I’m guilty of putting lesser things first.

Today I rejoice that the first things are the first things. They are also the best things. God designed it that way. His first things are always our best things.

As I read through the 45^th chapter of Isaiah again this morning I was reminded of five first things that put every other thing in proper perspective. Here they are:

#1.   God’s salvation is an everlasting salvation.

#2.   God does not hide Himself from us, and when we seek Him we will find Him.

#3.   One day everyone will bow before Him and acknowledge that He is LORD. Some will bow in despair as they await their sentence. I will join all others who have been saved and bow before Him in adoration and thanksgiving as we enter His eternal presence.

#4.   Only in the LORD will I discover and embrace righteousness and strength. All other ground is sinking sand. He alone is my solid rock.

#5.   In the LORD I will be found righteous and will glory in Him. God declares me righteous because of the righteousness of Christ in me. Not because of what I did to earn it – I can do NOTHING to earn it. It is all because of the love and grace of God manifested in Jesus Christ my LORD! That makes me rejoice!

First things first.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, July 01, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Fisherman Training

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 45:22    “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”

Well I’m back from my fishing trip. I didn’t catch one thing. I made a few casts with some pretty flashy lures, but not one fish grabbed hold. Actually, most of the trip was about re-training the fisherman. That was very effective.

For most of the trip God took me through some pretty rough waters. I was literally drowning in remorse and regret. For some reason all the failures of my past were brought to my mind, and all of the hardships of the present were seen as more evidence of my unworthiness. I really believed I was unfit for service to the King.

Then the breakthrough came. God reminded me clearly from the authority and truth of His Word that I am forgiven. The past is gone and He remembers it no more. The future is His and He has asked me to be a part of it. He reminded me that I am His because He chose me, He cleansed me, and He commissioned me to do His work. I’m ready for fishing.

Fishing is all about forgiveness. It’s not very flashy, but it’s the only lure we need. People must be told they can be forgiven. It’s what the entire ministry of Jesus was all about – to seek and to save the lost. He was constantly forgiving the worst of sinners. Jesus had to remind me that I have been forgiven. I’m not sure I ever really understood the impact that God’s forgiveness of my sin should have had on my life. I’m starting to. I’m ready to go fishing.

God is confirming His purpose in me. He answered prayer about a ministry opportunity for me. He answered with a “YES!” I’m ready to return to an old favorite fishing hole.

He is clarifying His vision for our church. He is opening doors of ministry. He is testing our faith with a financial crisis that only makes me more resolved to finish the work He has started knowing that He will provide. I’m more ready now than ever before to go fishing.

How about you? How has God been training you to do more fishing? I would love to hear how Jesus is uniting His church in these last days to be fishers of men and build the Kingdom of God.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, June 20, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Let’s Go Fishing

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 45:22    “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”

For several weeks I have had fishing on my mind. It started out as a desire to fish for fish. God has been unrelentingly reminding me that I have been called to fish for men.

Several months ago – in fact it was before Christmas last year – I started a chronological study of the life of Christ and have used it as the basis for a long sermon series in church. Now when I say long sermon series it can be taken two ways, and according to the people of my church both would be accurate. They are long sermons, and it is a long series. In fact, after seven months of preaching we have just now arrived at the stories of Jesus calling his disciples to be fishers of men. At this rate it could be the last sermon series I ever preach. Of course, every sermon could be the last sermon ever preached as we wait for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

The call of the disciples from a life of fishing for fish to a life of fishing for men is monumental. It’s monstrous. It’s motivational.  As these fishermen discover more and more about the Messiah from his ministry around them, they are captivated with Him. They are considering investing their lives in His eternal purposes. They have already been called to follow Him, but they had not yet made a permanent commitment. They were balancing their spiritual and their worldly lives, attempting to have both. They would soon learn that the call to follow Jesus isn’t a call that allows us to bring anything with us. It’s a call to complete commitment.

When Jesus issued His call to commitment, He encapsulated in it His purpose for their lives. They would be fishers of men. He did not call them to political or social reform. He called them to one simple objective – spiritual reform. He called them to catch men for the Kingdom of God. He called them to represent the heart of God to people who were lost. He called them to call others to be saved from their sin.

We have digressed from the call. We have become efficient at many commendable spiritual activities but have lost our passion for fishing. The church is missing out on the fullness of God’s blessing because it is ignoring its God-given mission. We as individuals have become really good at balancing our spiritual and worldly lifestyles, but if we would be really honest with God we have tipped the scales in favor of the world. Very little fishing is being done, yet that’s the one thing Jesus called us to do better than anything else.

As I said, I have been overwhelmed with this thought pattern for the last several weeks. I have preached two sermons on it at church. Every day that I wake up I ask God to bring someone into my life that day who needs Jesus so I can talk to them. So far I have not had that opportunity – or maybe because of my agenda I haven’t noticed then people God gave me. Lord, forgive me.

Fishermen don’t catch fish every day. But they do fish constantly, and when they’re not fishing they’re thinking about fishing and planning for the next fishing trip. They check their equipment and make every necessary preparation. Even the things they do that are unrelated to fishing are still seen as a preparation for fishing. Fishing is their passion. It should be ours. If it’s not, something’s wrong with our connection to the heart of God.

For the last several days God has put a question in my mind. It’s my question for fishing, and not meant to be yours. God will give you your own way of fishing if you really want Him to. But maybe it will stimulate you to think about fishing more often as I am doing. I have been trying to figure out a way to ask someone a question to begin a spiritual discussion with them. The response I got from God is bold, and probably won’t work for many of you. But, as D.L. Moody once said, “My method of doing it is better than your method of not doing it.”

Here’s what God has told me to ask people when I have a chance to talk to them personally – “Has anyone ever taken the time to explain to you why Jesus had to die on the cross?”

I’m going fishing today. I’m looking for someone to ask that to. How will you go fishing?

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, June 17, 2011

Today’s Topic:  I’m a Fixer

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 45:9-10    “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?  Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought to birth?’”

I am a fixer. Yesterday was a very tough day for me. I was in the middle of a fix-it project when I got a call from my son who needed help with a fix-it project of his own. I dropped what I was doing and went to his house where he had a washing machine partially disassembled.  It was leaking water from the bottom of the tub. One of the seals was bad, and we needed to see how to replace it.

With laptop computer propped up in the laundry room so we could see the service manual for the machine, we continued to take it apart. After almost two hours of work we had a solution. Unfortunately we had reached a point where we knew that to go any further would not be cost effective, so we quit and junked the machine. Thanks to all of you who helped him out on Facebook last night with options for its replacement.

On the way home my mind was swimming with questions about the design of the machine that made it so labor intensive to get at one seal. My questions were driven by my need for convenience rather than the engineering needed to produce a water-tight seal on the drum. I wondered if the designers did stuff like that on purpose to make it hard for the average person to fix on their own and then they would get kickbacks from the repairman. How sad I am when things don’t go my way.

When I returned home I took up my project, which is frustrating me because all the easy and cheap solutions aren’t working. I have one more option before I have to spend a few hundred dollars. Like I said – yesterday was a tough day for a fixer.

As I thought about my attitudes towards designers, I was hit full in the face this morning with the next verses in our study of Isaiah. It’s all about how we question the Designer.  The arrogance of our attitudes that make us believe that we can do that overwhelmed me. Yet we do it. We have figured out ways in our finite minds to justify the questioning of the infinite and not feel guilty about it. We have so rationalized our rights that we actually claim to have authority in our relationship with One who created us. We are so driven by our need for convenience that we fail to see the long-term consequences of changing the design.

Sometimes we even use Jesus as our excuse for such questions. After all, He did it in the Garden of Gethsemane. Didn’t He ask God to change His design and not make Him go through death on a cross? We know He ended up surrendering to God’s will, but He still questioned it, didn’t He?

We forget  four vitally important  words at the beginning of that prayer – “If it is possible…”  One of the Gospel writers puts it this way – “Father, if you are willing…”

That’s a far cry from how most of us address God when things aren’t being fixed according to our convenience. We demand that God change things. We go to Him with arrogant authority. We tell Him what we want done and then expect Him to do it. We question everything, not from a desire to understand the heart of God but to change the mind of God. That is not what Jesus did.

Jesus went to the Father with a heart already surrendered. He simply wanted to make sure there were no other options. But His first words indicate that He was already settled on the current course and trusted the Father’s final decision. Oh that we would live with that level of faith. Fixers find that hard to do.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Raining Righteousness

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 45:8    “You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it.”

The next few days are going to be fantastic, at least from my perspective, which is right now being influenced by the weather.  For the past 36 hours it has been dreary. Dark clouds released a consistent rain which was much needed. Sometime today the sun is going to break through, and all creation will be drawn upwards to that which gives the light of life. The grass will grow, gardens will sprout, farm crops will flourish, and we will be invigorated by the beauty of God’s creation and the opportunity to enjoy it.

Often our lives are like a rainy day. Circumstances are cloudy. Our plans and pursuits are put on hold by pouring rain. Our emotions are saturated with negativity. We see only the inconvenience of the present and miss the blessing of seeing the abundance being produced.

God uses Isaiah to remind us of a simple truth – the rains that fall in the form of hardship and suffering are bringing God’s righteousness and salvation.

God reminds us that as the Creator of all things, He has eternally connected the physical and the spiritual. Every element of nature brings God spiritual glory. Jesus said that if we didn’t praise Him, even the rocks would cry out to the glory of God.

Every event of life has spiritual implications. The circumstances of our lives that we pray to end are the very events God planned to bring us the water of life. The clouds of despair that we believe stop us from seeing the sun are the very clouds that God is using to deliver His righteousness so we can see the Son. The cracks in the ground that shake the foundations of our lives are the evidence that God is preparing to grow something new and wonderful in us.

Life can be hard, especially if we believe that this life is all we get. But for those who see the spiritual in the physical – the supernatural in the natural – there can be joy even in the storms. The clouds that roll into our lives are to be embraced and enjoyed, because God is delivering righteousness in the rain. Open up wide and receive it, and let salvation spring up in your heart.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Today’s Topic:  God Gets It Done

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 45:4  (NIV)   For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.

We all have different ideas of how things should get done. Not one of us has a corner on the solutions market. The process market is up for grabs as well. Our experience has taught us some lessons we can pass along, but anything we have learned from experience is confined to the scope of our experiences, and needless to say that scope is limited.

When committees, or what we call teams in our church, are formed to initiate programs they can be either productive or problematic, depending on the attitudes of those involved. It only takes one person in a meeting who believes that their solution is the only solution to cause a major problem. The assumption that their experience exceeds the experience of anyone else, and that their wisdom demands recognition puts them near the top of the arrogance scale.

One key element of truth that is ignored by such prideful people is that there is only One who has complete knowledge, experience, and wisdom – Almighty God. And whether we agree with His methods or not, He is in control and He is getting it done. (By “it” I mean His divine will and eternal purpose.)

Wisconsin has been a hotbed of political revolt since last November. It has impacted the church. In fact, tomorrow morning at our local evangelical ministerial association meeting we are going to be discussing the issue of resolving political conflicts that arose between people in our churches. There have been people leave their church over a political disagreement with someone else in the church. Friendships have been ended. Relationships have been damaged. It has been very heartbreaking to watch it happen.

Let’s put ourselves in Isaiah’s time for a moment. God is revealing to him and then through him to the nation of Israel that there is a time of political unrest coming. Babylon will invade and the people will be taken captive. I’m sure as they heard this news that their minds, like ours would, were spinning with possible solutions. They had been given the one and only solution from God – repent of your sin and submit to God’s control. They didn’t like the crimp that put in their lifestyle choices, so they rejected that possibility and turned to their human wisdom instead.

• Are there political alliances we can form that will protect us?
• Are there resources we can use to buy our way into peace?
• Are there other gods we can worship that will save us?

I wonder what Isaiah was thinking. His human mind had to be considering all sorts of options. Then God gives him His solution – He will anoint the ruler of Persia , Cyrus, who doesn’t acknowledge God as God, to bring restoration to the people.

WHAT!?!

God is going to use a pagan to accomplish His purpose? What a crazy idea. Why is He on this team anyway? We can come up with better solutions than that, can’t we?

Yes and no! Yes God will do it. No there are no better solutions than God’s.

Not only will God bring about the restoration of His people, but He will show the pagans that He is in control and that He alone is worthy of worship. (Read verses 5-6) God is getting it done.

So next time you are in the human mindset to demonstrate against the political powers that be, or proclaim your dislike for decisions that are being made, stop and evaluate your trust level in God and whether or not you really believe that He is getting it done according to His divine will and eternal purpose. It may not look like the way we would have done it, but we must humbly admit that our way has failed far more than it has succeeded, and God’s way NEVER has.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, June 13, 2011

Today’s Topic:  From Ruins to Restoration

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 44:24,  26    I am the LORD, who has made all things,  who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself…who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be built,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Nehemiah as he leads the people of Jerusalem in the rebuilding of the city walls. In fact, that story is the basis of the two-year leadership development program we initiated at our church. It is a story of redemption – from ruins to restoration. It is the story of our lives.

Isaiah prophesied the literal restoration of Jerusalem  some two hundred years before it actually happened. He named Cyrus by name in verse 28 and again in chapter 45 about 150 years before he actually took office in Persia. Many scholars believe that  Cyrus actually read this prophecy when He was in office and was so moved by it that he chose to fulfill it. We know that it was God who moved Him.

When Isaiah wrote this, Jerusalem had not even fallen captive to Babylon yet, so the people must have thought Isaiah’s prophecy of their flourishing city standing in ruins to be absurd. But God was revealing His plan to Isaiah, and it has implications to our lives today.

First, the things you say to people today on behalf of the Lord are the very words that God will use later in their lives to restore them when they have made a mess of things. It took two hundred years for Isaiah’s words to come true, but at just the right time in God’s plan his words were used to move Cyrus to action. Your words today will either hurt or help others. May what we say be words God can use to move them to action according to His will.

Second, even though everything seems great with your life today, there may be a time coming when it’s not. It may be the consequence of your own choices or it may be the result of unforeseen circumstances, but either way a time is coming when you will consider your life to be in ruins. When that moment hits, and it will hit hard, remember the word of the Lord. Fill your mind with it right now so you are prepared. God said of your ruins, “I will restore them.”

Third, maybe everything is already in ruins. Trust the God who loves you and sent His son to die for you. He will restore you. Already there is a Cyrus in your life who is the agent of change. God has sent an Ezra and a Nehemiah to facilitate the rebuilding. God does not intend for you to fix your own life by yourself. He has sent you an incredible gift – people who love Him and serve Him – and they are there to help you rebuild and to experience God’s restoration. Let them help you.

God, we acknowledge that you are LORD, and have made all things. By your mighty power that brought everything out of nothing, you are also able to restore our ruins. Let the rebuilding begin. Amen.”

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, June 10, 2011

Today’s Topic:  Lost Treasures

Today’s Text:  Isaiah 44:9    All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.

Last night was fun. Early yesterday morning I got a text message from a friend in the church inviting me to go along on a trip to a Minnesota Twins game. I accepted. It was a great night of relaxation and fellowship. I am very thankful to the men who took me, and I don’t want anything I say from this point on to detract from that thankfulness I have.

I had not been to the new Target Field in Minneapolis yet. It is a great baseball stadium. It was designed well for viewing a game. Even the seats way up high are perfect. I know, because that’s where we sat – right behind home plate in the upper deck.

The technology is incredible. The big high definition screen behind the left field seats that is used as a scoreboard and video screen is over 58,000 square feet. That’s more than two times larger than the total square footage of my house. They recently installed a new smaller screen in right field and next to it is a one hundred foot tall tower. It is a media tower and displays information on all four sides. The cost was 8 million dollars. The total cost for the Target Field now exceeds 500 million dollars so we can watch baseball games.

As I sat there enjoying the game, I was talking to one of the men in our group. We were discussing the incredible amount of money that was spent on the stadium, not to mention what is spent on the players and the coaches and the staff and the stadium upkeep and the light bill and the list goes on and on. Then there’s all the money spent by the fans to pay for all the money spent on the team. Fifteen dollars for a cheeseburger and fries and soda. If they wanted one, and many people did, it was $7.25 for a bottle of beer. You had to pay $5.00 for a bag of peanuts. And it was another five bucks for an ice cream sandwich.

I told my friend that as much as I was a part of the system by being at the game, it is a shame that so much money is so freely spent for personal recreation and pleasure when we are having trouble raising less than ½ of a percent of that amount so we can continue to grow the Kingdom of God in a new facility.  Every week our general fund giving to pay the bills of God’s work in our church goes deeper in the red, yet it seems that our lifestyles have not taken a hit at all. Yet, as I told him, all that is being invested in the pleasures of the world will pass away, but only what is done for Christ will endure for all eternity. It seems we are worshiping the wrong things with our resources.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not against baseball. I proudly wore my Detroit Tigers hat to the Twins game last night. I’m not against wealth and the enjoyment of the things God has blessed us with in this world. But I do question my own priorities of wealth management sometimes. Maybe we all should. Why do we feel so entitled to advance our own economic status when the work of Jesus Christ is suffering? It is suffering you know. Our Deacons at our church are having a very difficult time paying the bills let alone authorizing the ministry expenses that the Elders want for continued growth and ministry. Something is wrong when the Lord’s people are getting richer but the Lord’s work is getting poorer.

Isaiah speaks the word of the Lord to us all in Isaiah 44:9-20 when He talks about idols and the things we treasure. Jesus said it this way – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.   But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.   For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

So where is your heart?

Pastor John