Daily Devotions

Monday, January 12, 2009

Current Study: Living Life to the Fullest         

Today’s Topic: The Mission of Jesus

Today’s Scripture:   Luke 4:18-21  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

If you remember from last week, I started a short study of Colossians 3:17 as the foundation for my New Year’s resolution. That verse says, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” I am specifically focusing on what it means to do everything “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” God gave me a great acrostic of the word name, and it has proven valuable in our study. That acrostic is:

Nature

            Attributes

            Mission

            Exaltation

Whatever I do, whatever I say, and whatever I pray, is to be according to the nature of Jesus, the attributes of Jesus, the mission of Jesus, and the exaltation of Jesus.

Today we come to the  letter “M”, which represents the mission of Jesus. I wonder how our lives would change if took some quality time to reflect on our lives and evaluate how much of them are spent on the mission of Jesus compared to being spent on our own pursuits? I suspect they might change drastically.

First, a couple of ground rules for such evaluation. One, no guilt and shame allowed. You may not have thought about these things before, and Satan would love to wrap you up in a blanket of regret. But New Year’s resolutions are about forgetting the past and pressing on towards the future.  Two, it is granted that we all need relaxation and recreation. Even Jesus got away from everyone and relaxed. However, when He relaxed, He did so with the sole purpose of being physically refreshed for the accomplishment of His Father’s mission. Even while He was relaxing, He prayed, prioritized, planned, and prepared for God’s purpose in His life.

For example, and I expect honesty, how many of you sat and watched both football games yesterday as I did, and while doing so spent any time thinking about how this was going to refresh you and provide you with increased opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with someone at work today? In case you’re wondering, I did. It was a lot easier to do yesterday than last Sunday because of the teams that were playing. I woke up early this morning with all three engines running at peak performance. My physical engine is strong. My emotional engine is secure. My spiritual engine is running at top speed in anticipation of being used by God today to touch someone’s life with His love. All because while I relaxed, I thought about what God wanted to do with my life after I was refreshed. The mistake many of us make is to use relaxation and recreation as an escape from the past, rather than a preparation for the future.

Now that we have those basics in place, we are ready to start the evaluation process. The first half of the process involves answering this question – do you understand what the mission of Jesus is for your life? While each of us is unique, and uniquely equipped for various roles and responsibilities within the body of Christ, each one us starts with the same marching orders. Our identical mission is this – Go into all the world and make disciples. We could spend weeks upon weeks studying all of the individual ways we are prepared, equipped, and gifted to do that, but unless we truly accept the primary mission itself then all of the methods will be meaningless. There is to be nothing in our lives more significant than the salvation of souls. There is to be no higher priority than people. There is to be no search for meaning apart from our mission. We will find no true fulfillment in life apart from following Jesus Christ.

The second half of the evaluation involves carefully prioritizing all of the other areas of your life under Christ’s mission. Some of those activities can remain. Some might have to go. Let me remind you of the questions we asked last Tuesday, and you can use them today to examine your priorities in light of God’s mission for your life. Ask these questions about every area and activity of your life.

• Does this word or activity support my understanding of the mission to which I have been called in Christ Jesus?
• Does this word or activity represent the Gospel message of the transforming power of Jesus Christ to change my life?
• Does this word or activity present an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with another person?
• Does this word or activity present an opportunity to make a disciple?
• Does this word or activity present an opportunity to teach others to obey Jesus?
• Does this word or activity present an opportunity to encourage and build up a brother or sister in Christ?

If the answer to any of the questions above is “no”, then ask yourself, while remembering ground rule #2 above, why that activity is permitted to remain in your life. Of what value is it in accomplishing the mission of God?

My friends, we are people of mission. Everyone wants to be. We are blessed to not only be people of mission but people who get to experience the one true and fulfilling mission of all life – serving the Savior. This year, let’s serve Him according to His mission, not ours. Today, let the mission of Jesus be fulfilled in you.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Current Study: Living Life to the Fullest         

Today’s Topic: The Attributes of Jesus

Today’s Scripture:   Psalm 139:1-3  O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

When I was a young boy, my father was the pastor of a church in Michigan. It was customary in this particular church for the pastor and his family to be invited out to dinner at someone’s house on a regular basis. On those nights that we were headed to our host’s home, I remember clearly something my dad always did. As I and my two brothers would pile into the back seat of the car in our usual rowdy way, fighting over who had to sit in the middle, dad would already be in place in the driver’s seat. He would reach up and tilt the rearview mirror down so he could see us and he would say, “Now boys, don’t embarrass me when we get there.”

I’ve thought about that statement a lot. It had its positive and its negative sides. From the negative perspective, it assumed that we were capable of embarrassing him. Not only capable, but probably apt to. Be realistic. Imagine three boys ages 5, 6, and 7 together in a home of adults with nothing to do but sit still and behave. Yeah – that’s possible. We were by nature rowdy little boys, with expectations of adult attributes thrust upon us. Dad knew it, or he wouldn’t have told us his expectations before we even left the driveway.

On the positive side, dad was trying to help us grow up, and he was using his life as the model. Sure, as all of us must admit, our lives aren’t very good models all the time. But we all want our children to emulate the attributes that we believe are important for maturity. Any word or action that doesn’t reflect those attributes is an embarrassment, both to the parent, and hopefully to the child who really wants to be the best they can be. Every kid wants to measure up. If motivated by love, that’s a good thing. If motivated by a lack of love so that it becomes a performance to earn value, then that’s dysfunctional.

Measuring up is a biblical concept. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 3:17-19 that “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Then in the next chapter he says “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Christ is the perfect model of maturity for our lives. When we are motivated by love for Him, we will strive to emulate His attributes. When we don’t, it will be an embarrassment to us.

It is not practical to attempt to consider all the attributes of our wonderful Lord and Savior in one short devotional today. But on Tuesday we gave you a list of questions from a short list of those attributes. Here they are again, with a little twist in them from the perspective of embarrassment.

• Does this word or activity support my belief in the attributes of Jesus?
• Does this word or activity embarrass me because it doesn’t measure up to the fullness of God’s love in me?
• Does this word or activity embarrass me because it doesn’t reflect the maturity of the life of Jesus in me?
• Does this word or activity embarrass me because it doesn’t reflect His holiness?
• Does this word or activity embarrass me because it doesn’t reflect His righteousness?
• Does this word or activity embarrass me because it doesn’t reflect His love and compassion?
• Does this word or activity embarrass me because it doesn’t reflect His truth?
• Does this word or activity embarrass me because it doesn’t reflect His grace?
• Does this word or activity embarrass me because it doesn’t reflect His mercy?

The Apostle John, the one whom our Lord Jesus loved, wrote about this embarrassment in his first letter to Christians around the world. He said, See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

 Wow! According to these verses, it is possible for us to be ashamed and embarrassed before our Lord because of the way we have lived our lives. So what’s the key to not being embarrassed? Remain in Him and continue in Him. What does that mean? Very simply and succinctly, it means to live according to His attributes. Our lives are to be the constant reflection of the characteristics of Christ. He is our model. He has sent His Holy Spirit to bring the fullness of His life into ours. We do not live in obedience to a set of laws and standards. We live as an expression of the life of Christ in us. Anything less than that is an embarrassment.

Let the application of this truth and this New Year’s resolution begin in us today, O Lord. Motivated by our love for you, may our lives reflect your life in us, and not be an embarrassment.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Current Study: Living Life to the Fullest         

Today’s Topic: The Nature of Jesus

Today’s Scripture:   Psalm 139:1-3  O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

OK, let’s break down our New Year’s resolution from yesterday into some specifics. As you recall, we resolved to live out the command of Colossians 3:17, which says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Living life in the name of the Lord Jesus begins with an understanding of the nature of Jesus. Who is He, and how does the knowledge of Him change me? What are the practical implications of living with the knowledge of the nature of Jesus?

First, He is God. He is not a god. He is THE GOD. What a marvelous pronouncement of this truth we find in Hebrews 1:3 – The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Why does this matter? Because if Jesus were simply a god, then we would have the right to abandon Him for any other god of our choosing. We would even go so far as to declare ourselves a god. Unless we accept and act upon the truth that Jesus is God we will live our lives according to our own desires. We will be completely self-centered and seek self-fulfillment. Our decisions will be based on obedience to the flesh. Our actions will be the result of seeking immediate gratification. We will be people of pride. We will find our security in the strength of self. We will become our own god. It is significant that the first commandment of God to the human race states, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

This directly leads to the second aspect of the nature of Jesus – His sovereignty. If we do not accept that Jesus is God, then we will not accept that He is Lord. We will strive for control of our lives and the lives of others, rather than surrender all control to Him. We will cease to be people of faith and become people of fear. Fear develops when we believe we are in control of outcomes. Faith is victorious over fear because it trusts the outcome to the One who is ultimately in control. Faith is patient and waits for God’s outcomes, while fear attempts to manipulate results. Peace is unknown in fear. Faith brings a peace that surpasses all human reason. The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This peace is only possible if we truly believe that Jesus is in control, and surrender to His control in all areas of our lives.

The next aspects of the nature of Jesus all deal with His eternal existence. He is omnipresent (He is everywhere always), omniscient (He is all-knowing), and omnipotent (He is all-powerful). Look how Psalm 139 declares them all to us –

• He is omniscient – verses 1-4  O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
• He is omnipresent – verses 7-10  Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
• He is omnipotent – verses 13-14  For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

We cannot fool Him, for He knows us. We cannot hide from Him, for He is everywhere always. We cannot overcome Him, for He is the creator and sustainer of all things. There are two implications from these truths. First, there is motivation to humility, which will result in rejection of sin. Once we know He is God, and that He is in control, and that we cannot hide from Him or overpower Him, we will surrender everything to Him. No longer will we live in hypocrisy, but will become people of integrity. Second, there is motivation to thanksgiving. In knowing us He loves us. In loving us He never leaves us or forsakes us. In His abiding presence with us He provides power for living fully. Hallelujah! Let’s praise Him!

The final aspect of His nature is His immutability – He never changes. His nature is always the same. His word stands forever. His promises are secure. There is no compromise of His truth. What was true then is true now. What freedom there is in this. No longer do we need to look for new revelations of God, for in Jesus we have the complete revelation of God to man. No longer do we need to be concerned with adapting the Word of God to a more modern interpretation or application. No longer do we need to be the agents of change. No longer do we need to spend hours of time in prayer seeking a special dispensation of God’s grace for a particular problem in our lives. No longer do we need to waste our lives away in the pursuit of permission. Jesus doe not change. His Word does not change. His commands do not change. In obedience is true liberty. In obedience is the fullness of life.

So, for today, let’s evaluate our thoughts, our words, our choices, and our actions, in the light of the nature of Jesus. Then ask this question – Does this thought, word, choice or activity support my belief that Jesus, in His very nature, is God?

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Current Study: Living Life to the Fullest         

Today’s Topic: New Year’s Resolution

Today’s Scripture:   Colossians 3:17  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Well, I haven’t had a chance to say this to you yet, so here goes – HAPPY NEW YEAR! We had a great trip to see our parents out in the Dakotas, and ended it with a trip to the Metrodome to watch the NFC North Divisional Champion Minnesota Vikings play their first playoff game. What an electrifying atmosphere. Yeah, we lost, but at least we were there.

As we begin this new year, I want to share with you my New Year’s resolution. I do this because I want you to hold me accountable to it. This year I resolve to live out the command of Colossians 3:17. I challenge you to do the same.

Last night, prior to our  Elder meeting at church, I ordered some take-out Chinese food. I asked for extra mushrooms in my chicken and snow pea order. When I dumped the pint container of sauce onto the rice, I counted three mushrooms. My first response was a disgusted “Oh man!” I immediately caught myself and confessed that sin to the Lord. I then began thanking Him for the meal I was about to eat. I had already failed at fulfilling my resolution. But growth is a process. One step at a time I will become more thankful, and my life will become more honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ in all areas.

As I asked the Lord to change me according to Colossians 3:17, He drew my attention to three words in the exact middle of the verse. Those words are in the name. What does that mean? When we pray in the name of Jesus, what does that really mean? When we are commanded to do and speak all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, what does that mean? It means far more than just stating the name of Jesus at the end of a prayer. Understanding it begins with knowing that a name is a representation of someone. The name itself is just a word, but what that name represents gives it meaning. So when we say or do anything in the name of someone, those words or actions become of a reflection of what we believe to be true about that person. Make sure you fully understand the significance of that last statement.  Here’s what God taught me as I sought to understand it. It was so significant that I wrote it in the margin of my Bible. It’s an acrostic of the word NAME.

                        Nature

                        Attributes

                        Mission

                        Exaltation

Whatever I do, whatever I say, and whatever I pray, is to be according to the nature of Jesus, the attributes of Jesus, the mission of Jesus, and the exaltation of Jesus. Every activity of my life, every word I speak to others, and every prayer I pray to God is to be a reflection of what I believe to be true about Jesus Christ. For this to be true about me, I must be willing to continually ask myself some penetrating questions.

• Does this word or activity support my belief that Jesus, in His very nature, is God? Does this word or activity reflect my belief in His sovereignty (He is in control)? His omnipresence (He is everywhere always)? His omniscience (He is all-knowing)? His omnipotence (He is all-powerful)? His immutability (He is unchanging)?
• Does this word or activity support my belief in the attributes of Jesus? Does this word or activity comply with His holiness? His righteousness? His love and compassion? His truth? His grace? His mercy?
• Does this word or activity support my understanding of the mission to which I have been called in Christ Jesus? Does this word or activity represent the Gospel message of the transforming power of Jesus Christ to change my life? Does this word or activity present an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with another person? To make a disciple? To teach others to obey Jesus? To encourage and build up a brother or sister in Christ?
• Does this word or activity exalt the name of Jesus? Does this word or activity reflect a surrendered heart to the will of God for my life? Does this word or activity draw attention to me or to Jesus? Does this word or activity glorify God?

Over the next few days we will spend some time on each of those four areas and discover some practical applications of these truths to our everyday lives. But before we do that, each one of us must decide if we are going to take this command seriously. Are we prepared, in the critical year of 2009, to live our lives as representations of the Name of Jesus Christ? Are we ready, at any and all cost, to say and do everything in our lives according to what we know to be true about Jesus? And will we do it with thanks to God for the privilege of knowing and serving Him? My prayer is that you will join me in resolving to live this way. If so, let me know, so I can hold you accountable too.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Current Study: People Who Made a Difference         

Today’s Topic: Plant A Seed This Christmas

Today’s Scripture:   Matthew 13:23, 37    “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown…The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.”

This may not seem like an appropriate passage of Scripture to have for devotions just two days before Christmas, but follow me on a journey today.  The journey has some twists and turns, and is a little long, but I think it will bless your heart. It starts in the Philippines.

Two weeks ago I received an email from a friend there. Her daughter is getting married. The father of the bride will watch the wedding from the presence of the Lord. His name was Victorino. He was my friend and one of my closest spiritual brothers. When he died of liver cancer he left a wife and four daughters behind. Several years ago I had the privilege of being asked by one of the daughters to be the stand-in father and walk her down the aisle for her wedding. What an honor it was to be there for that blessed event. Now the youngest daughter, Lily Grace, who calls me “Papa John”, is getting married on January 9^th. She has invited me to come, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to go. I will never replace her real dad, but I am honored to be a part of this family’s lives as they serve the Lord faithfully where they are.

When I got the email I began to think of Victorino again, and the times of preaching we shared as we travelled to the remote villages of the Philippines together on two different occasions. I thought of the seeds of the Gospel that were planted and the harvest that has been experienced. Then I realized what “seed” made those trips possible. That seed was planted at Christmas in 1989, when another dear spiritual brother came to me with a large gift of money to finance my trip to the Philippines. He told me that his family had agreed that they would give up their Christmas gifts that year so that the gift of the Good News could be sent to those who have never heard. I was overwhelmed. It was with that seed money that I made the trip, met Victorino and his family, and saw dozens of people come to Christ. It was with that seed money that I paid for the tuition of two young people to attend Bible College, and both are in church planting ministry in the tribes today. It was with that seed money that I helped dedicate the land for a new church on a remote island where there were no churches, and preached the life-changing message of Jesus Christ in an open air meeting in the town square. I will have to wait until eternity to know the results of the seeds that were planted, and the full extent of the harvest. But I know this for sure now – every seed planted in good soil – soil prepared by the Holy Spirit – produces a crop. I am overwhelmed with the harvest God has allowed me to see.

Then I thought of another seed that was planted and is producing a harvest. The planting of that seed happened a couple of years ago. At that time my Associate Pastor, Dennis Pond, was living in the church parsonage next to the church. A man who had been rescued from gang life in Chicago through the work of Pacific Garden Mission was now living in Eau Claire, and staying with Pastor Pond. His name is Dennis Smith. Dudley Donaldson, whom we mentioned yesterday and is on his way to Swaziland to plant more seeds, was the seed-planter in Mr. Smith’s life. (I hope you’re not getting lost on this journey. I do have a map of where we are going.) Well, one day Mr. Smith saw a man pull up with a moving van to a duplex across the street from the church. With the true Christ-like heart of a servant, he went over and offered to help him move in. In the course of their conversation as they worked, Dennis shared the Gospel with him and invited him to church. The very next day John Brown and two young boys were at the men’s prayer breakfast at church, and the following day they were in church. Soon Mr. Brown’s live-in girlfriend Jessica was attending with her daughter and two sons. Several months later, John, Jessica, and their oldest son walked to the front of the church and knelt to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. They were married a short time later, and are now raising a Christian family.

But the journey isn’t over yet. You see, Jessica Brown’s sister died. The Brown’s have taken her two girls into their home, along with the other three children that are theirs. Last summer, at our annual tent event on our new property, Jessica’s daughter came to me and received Jesus as her Savior. Then last Sunday, at the conclusion of the service, the youngest son and the youngest niece came forward and received Jesus Christ as Savior. But the journey’s not done yet. Several months ago another young man named Jesse came to live with the Brown’s. John called me last night to tell me that Jesse wants to receive Christ as well, and will publicly profess his faith in Jesus at our Christmas Eve service tomorrow night. But we’re still not done. At the conclusion of the Christmas Eve service I will have the privilege of baptizing all of them as we celebrate the birth of Christ in their lives. All because of one seed that was planted by one man who simply helped another man move furniture.

You see, seeds produce a harvest. Your seed will produce a harvest. Your seed may seem small, but God’s Kingdom is governed by the principle of multiplication. Jesus Christ is God’s Seed. He was planted on the earth on Christmas morning. You and I are a part of the harvest. We have been given more seed to plant. There is more to be harvested. Why not start a new Christmas tradition this year, and then turn it into a daily practice. Do something, either by yourself or with your family, to plant a seed of the Good News in someone else’s life. Then get ready to reap a harvest that is guaranteed.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Monday, December 22, 2008

Current Study: People Who Made a Difference         

Today’s Topic: Sacrifice Doesn’t Hurt

Today’s Scripture:   Matthew 11:28-30  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This morning was tough. My wife and I stood in the dining room of our home at 5:40 a.m. and said goodbye. Not to each other, silly. But it was almost as hard. We held hands and prayed with our dear friends Dudley and Inge Donaldson. They left this morning on the first leg of their journey that will eventually lead them to Swaziland for at least two years of missionary service. Of course, we cried.

On Saturday, as Dudley and I were working to put some of their remaining belongings into storage, we had a great talk. I say remaining belongings, because they have so little left. In preparation for their move to Africa, they gave away most everything they owned. In fact, all of their possessions now fit inside an eight by ten storage locker, and it’s only half full. Other than the few boxes of precious memories at our house, they are starting over.

Today and tomorrow they are travelling in their mini-van to Canada to see family. They will give away their van, and the remainder of the possessions in the van, before they fly next Monday to Swaziland. They will have two, fifty-pound bags of luggage and a carry on bag on the plane, and that’s how they will start their adventure following their Lord and Savior to the uttermost parts of the earth.

About that discussion Dudley and I had – it was about sacrifice. I told Dudley how blessed I was to have been a part of his life, and how much it meant to me that God would partner us in his work for the time they were at our church. I told him how much it meant to me to see the way he so willingly made whatever sacrifice was necessary to be obedient to God’s call on his life. Then he said this – “It doesn’t feel like sacrifice.”

That really made me think. Why does sacrifice hurt for so many people? Why do we fight God’s direction in our lives? There is a simple answer. It will hurt more than the sacrifice. The reason sacrifice hurts is that we love ourselves more than we love God. OUCH! But it’s true. Think about it. Being asked to do something by someone you truly love more than self cannot even be defined as sacrifice. It is only sacrifice if you love what you are giving up more than you love the one for whom you are giving it up. It is only sacrifice if you don’t trust the promises of the one for whom you are releasing control. When obedience hurts, it’s not motivated by love, but by obligation. That’s not what Jesus had in mind when He said “I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.” It’s certainly not what He meant when He said, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I watched the living proof of my point over the last 9 months as Dudley and Inge obeyed God with joy. They are at rest in His plan and His provision. They have been called according to His purpose. They are confident of His promise that all things will work out for good and the Glory of God. That’s what their lives are about. I learned from watching them.

When I got up this morning, I saw some neatly organized stacks of paper and cards on the table. Inge explained to me that they were from Dudley. On Sunday my wife had received a similar stack from Inge.  In my stacks were gift cards, punch cards, and coupons for three free car washes, a free loaf of bread from Great Harvest, four free dinners at the Great Wall, a free sandwich at Mancino’s, a free lunch at T.G.I Friday’s, a free lunch at Culvers, and some other various discounts at different stores. My wife had received several gift cards from clothing and specialty stores. All of these cards and coupons had been given to them or earned by them, yet they gave them all away. They have no need for them any more. Now I get the blessing of seeing who God will bring into my life to share them with. They are not mine. They are God’s. It will be a joy to use them to help others. It will not be a sacrifice to give them away, because I don’t own them.

Living like this is fun. It’s fulfilling. Anyone want to go to lunch? Dudley’s buying.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Current Study: People Who Made a Difference         

Today’s Topic: He Robbed Us

Today’s Scripture:   2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Last Sunday in church our worship team introduced a new song to us. The words to this song really touched my heart. They are so deep with meaning. They were written by Michael W. Smith, and the song is entitled Welcome To Our World. Read these words carefully, and when you’re done, I want to point out a truth from them that is powerful and really impacted my heart.

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting
Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that You don’t mind our manger
How I wish we would have know
But long awaited Holy Stranger

Make Yourself at home
Please, make Yourself at home

Bring Your peace into our violence,         
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking heaven’s silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us,

Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us in born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

Look at that last verse. In it is the entire Gospel message. Jesus wrapped our injured flesh around Himself and became man. He walked among us and experienced everything we experience, from the emotional distress of the death of a friend to the temptations to sin. Yet He did not sin. He was fully God while fully human. He was undeserving of death. Yet He robbed us of our sin. That line just captivated me. Jesus robbed me of my sin. He became a sin-stealer. To rob someone means to take from them what does not rightfully belong to you but does rightfully belong to them. Think about that in relationship to sin. Our sin rightfully belongs to us, as does the consequence of that sin – death. Jesus, who, as the perfect Son of God had so sin, became our sin for us. He who was undeserving of death died for us. He robbed us of our sin.

But think some more. When you are robbed, what you had no longer is yours. It becomes the possession of the robber. You may claim ownership to it, and if it were ever found it would be returned to you, but while in the possession of the robber it is his. Our sin is gone. It is in the hands of the sin-stealer. He has buried it in the deepest sea, and removed it from us as far as the east is from the west. We will never get it back. For that we shout HALLELUJAH! But He has not left us wanting it either. In return for our sin He has left us with His holiness. We are experiencing the abundant life of Christ Himself. Again, shout HALLELUJAH!

Let me offer you one more challenge this morning. Next time you are in church and participating in worship, try paying attention to what you are singing. Think about the words and their meaning. Spend that time truly worshipping God. Forget those around you and what they are doing. Don’t worry about what you sound like. Don’t worry if you must be silent and meditate on the words instead of singing them. Just get into God, and let Him fill you. I think you’ll be surprised by the power of His Spirit as He ministers to your heart and mind.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Current Study: People Who Made a Difference         

Today’s Topic: Live Christmas Every Day

Today’s Scripture:   Philippians 2:2-8  …be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,  did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,  taking the very nature of a servant,  being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself  and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

The following is a true story: Two weeks before Christmas a nine-year-old girl was walking with her friend down the street, sliding on the ice. The two of them were talking about what they hoped to get for Christmas. They stopped to talk to an old man named Harry, who was on his knees doing his best to pull weeds from the frozen ground around a large oak tree. He wore a frayed, woolen jacket and a pair of worn garden gloves. His fingers were sticking out the ends, blue from the cold.

As Harry responded to the girls, he told them he was getting the yard in shape as a Christmas present to his mother, who had passed away several years before. His eyes brimmed with tears as he patted the old oak. “My mother was all I had. She loved her yard and her trees, so I do this for her at Christmas.” His words touched the girls and soon they were down on their hands and knees helping him to weed around the trees. It took the three of them the rest of the day to complete the task. when they finished, Harry pressed a quarter into each of their hands. “I wish I could pay you more, but it’s all I’ve got right now,” he said.

The girls had often passed that way before and as they walked on they remembered that the house was shabby, with no wreath, no Christmas tree or other decorations to add cheeriness. Just the lonely figure of Harry sitting by his curtainless window. The quarter seemed to burn a hole of guilt in the one little girl’s mind as they returned to their homes. The next day she called her friend and they agreed to put their quarters in a jar marked “Harry’s Christmas Present” and then they began to seek out small jobs to earn more. Every nickel, dime, and quarter they earned went into the jar.

Two days before Christmas, they had enough to buy new gloves and a Christmas card. Christmas Eve found them on Harry’s doorstep singing carols. When he opened the door, they presented him with the gloves wrapped in pretty paper, the card and a pumpkin pie still warm from the oven. With trembling hands, he tore the paper from the gloves, and then to their astonishment, he held them to his face and wept.

As I thought about that story, I began to wonder how low I would stoop to help others. Then I found this quote from author, professor, and clergyman Henry Van Dyke, who asks us some penetrating questions. “Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and desires of little children; to remember the weaknesses and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and to ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear on their hearts; to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open? Are you willing to do these things for a day? How about for lifetime? Then you are ready to keep Christmas!”

Jesus stooped down from glory and became lower than the angels He created, so that He might personally relate to us and rescue us. He didn’t just put on the appearance of man for a time. His very nature became that of a servant. (Philippians 2:7) It’s easy for us to put on the decorations of Christmas once a year and act like we are givers. But is giving in your nature? I love this quote from John Stott, who said, The Christian should resemble a fruit tree, not a Christmas tree! For the gaudy decorations of a Christmas tree are only tied on, whereas fruit grows on a fruit tree.

Make it your intention this year to let giving and serving be your nature, not just your decoration. When the Christ of Christmas abides in you, and you abide in Him, you will bear fruit that looks like Him.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Current Study: People Who Made a Difference         

Today’s Topic: Keep Your Promises

Today’s Scripture:   Titus 1:2-3   …a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light…

                                     Hebrews 9:15   For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

How many promises have you broken in your life? Far too many, I suspect. I know I have. Promises are costly. They are more than just words. They demand action. They require an investment of ourselves. They reflect our character.

Singer Michael Card wrote a song called The Promise. The words are marvelous.

The Promise was love and the Promise was life
The Promise meant light to the world
Living proof Jehovah saves
For the name of the Promise was Jesus

At last the proof Jehovah saves
For the name of the Promise was Jesus

Michael wrote a little Christmas devotional on the theme of his song. He noted, “Christianity is founded on a promise. Faith involves waiting on a promise. Our hope is based on a promise. Promises are made with words. … .that part of myself that goes with every promise is given to you through my words…. Our God is the great maker of promises… His word, our Bible, is a collection of the promises… most of these concern Jesus, who came to be known as “the Promised One”. Through all these promises, God was trying to give something of Himself to Adam, and to Israel, and finally to us. The Bible tells us that when the Promised One came, the Lord poured all of Himself into Him. What a costly thing it can be to make a promise – it cost Jesus His life.

Go back to the start of this devotional and read the Scripture verses again. Then rejoice in your salvation. It is the fulfillment of God’s promise to you. Thank Him for keeping His promises.

Pastor John

Daily Devotions

Monday, December 15, 2008

Current Study: People Who Made a Difference         

Today’s Topic: His Love Makes A Difference

Today’s Scripture:   1 John 3:17  If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

Wow! Only 10 days until Christmas. Are you feeling the crunch yet? My wife and I finished up all of our shopping last week. Now we’re just waiting to see how God interrupts us with other opportunities to give. I think that we miss a lot of real giving chances when we wait until the last minute to do our shopping. We get so busy thinking only about ourselves that we don’t see the people around us and fail to share the love of Jesus with them. Let me illustrate my point with a true story.

It was only five days before Christmas. The spirit of the season hadn’t caught up with Roger yet, even though cars packed the parking lot of his Houston area Target Shopping Center. Inside the store, it was worse. Shopping carts and last minute shoppers jammed the aisles. “Why did he come today?” he wondered. His feet ached almost as much as his head.

His list contained names of several people who claimed they wanted nothing, but he knew their feelings would be hurt if he didn’t buy them something. Buying for someone who had everything and deploring the high cost of items, he considered gift buying anything but fun. Hurriedly, he filled his shopping cart with last minute items and proceeded to the long checkout lines. He picked the shortest line but it looked as if it would mean at least a 20 minute wait.  In front of him were two small children – a boy of about 10 and a younger girl about 5. The boy wore a ragged coat. Enormously large, tattered tennis shoes jutted far out in front of his much too short jeans. He clutched several crumpled dollar bills in his very dirty hands. The girl’s clothing resembled her brother’s. Her head was a matted mass of curly hair. Reminders of an evening meal showed on her small face. She carried a beautiful pair of shiny, gold house slippers.

As the Christmas music sounded in the store’s stereo system, the girl hummed along – off key but happily. When they finally approached the checkout register, the girl carefully placed the shoes on the counter. She treated them as though they were a treasure. The clerk rang up the bill. “That will be $8.09,” the clerk said, as the boy laid his crumpled dollars atop the stand. He searched his pockets and could only come up with $3.12.

“I guess we will have to put them back, “ he bravely said. “We’ll come back some other time, maybe tomorrow.”

With that statement, a soft sob broke from the little girl. “But Jesus would have loved these shoes,” she cried.

“Well, we’ll go home and work some more. Don’t cry. We’ll come back,” he said. Quickly Roger handed the cashier a five-dollar bill. These children had waited in line for a long time. And, after all, it was Christmas. Suddenly a pair of arms came around me and a small voice said, “Thank you, Sir.”  

“What did you mean when you said Jesus would like the shoes?” Roger asked. The small boy answered, “Our mommy is sick and going to heaven. Dad said she might go before Christmas to be with Jesus.” The girl spoke, “My Sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven are shiny gold, just like these shoes. Won’t mommy be beautiful walking on those streets to match these shoes?”   Roger’s eyes flooded as he looked into her tear streaked face. “Yes,” he sputtered, “I’m sure she will.”

I hope we can all let God use these children to remind us of the true spirit of giving. Christmas is not about the amount of money paid, nor the amount of gifts purchased, nor trying to impress friends and relatives.  Christmas is about the love in your heart to share with those as Jesus Christ has shared His love with us. Please show this love to others this Christmas. Keep your eyes and ears open. There are opportunities around you every day, even while you’re shopping.

Pastor John