Cleaning out my...

Today, I cleaned the garage.  This is not to say I never do, and so making this announcement is an earth-shattering event.  What this is to say, is I don't clean it often enough.  Who knew there was actually a concrete floor under all the bikes, bottles, boxes, and assorted other stuff that tends to accumulate - all on its own, of course - in a garage!

What prompted me to clean the garage?  Dirt.  Yup, good ol' dirt.  Plain ol' dirt.  Oh, and stuff.  Dirt and stuff... Now before you start wondering about my sanity, let me say something - you know you have dirt and stuff in your garage.  You know you do.  Most of us do.  Unless we are one of those clean freaks or something, we have dirt and stuff.  It's what we do; it's what we have.  Dirt and stuff... 

READ:  Psalm 51

Dirt and stuff... cleaning my garage got me thinking about God.  It did too!  It got me thinking about dirt and stuff in my life, dirt and stuff in our lives, dirt and stuff in our church, dirt and stuff in... well, you get the drift.  We all have some dirt and stuff in our lives, no matter how "holy" or " righteous" or "religious" we might consider ourselves to be.  Actually, let me venture to say that the more "holy" or "righteous" or "religious" we think we are, the more dirt and stuff may actually be in our lives.  Well?  You see, we live in a world full of dirt and stuff, and it's really difficult to 'stay clean', so to speak - unless we are cleaning out our 'garage' with God.  Yea, yea, sounds weird; I said it sounds weird, not me!  My garage was full of dirt and stuff, but it couldn't clean itself; I needed to do it.  Basically, dirt and stuff tends to stick to us until we wash it off - the stuff in our lives that is not of God tends to be difficult to 'get rid of' unless we allow God to do the washing, to clean us.

Psalm 51: 10-12
Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew a loyal spirit within me.  Do not banish me from your presence,and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, asnd make me willing to obey you.

King David done wrong... er, did wrong - he knew it, and he was asking God to help him come back to where he was when he first knew God.  He was asking God to get rid of the 'dirt and stuff' in his life (not his exact words, but oh so close!), and he was begging God not to leave his presence.  Interesting that a man who was king  but did so much wrong, was referred to by God as a 'man after God's own heart'!  Man, if that doesn't spur you on to clean up, I don't know what will!

And so I ask the inevitable questions...

• What kind of 'dirt and stuff' do you need to clean out?
• What kind of 'dirt and stuff' do you find difficult to clean up, to 'get rid of'?
• [Easy question!]  Who will help you get rid of the 'dirt and stuff' in your life?

Today, I cleaned my garage, and I'm glad I did.
Today, I will clean the 'dirt and stuff' from my life - and I'll be glad I did.

Today, will you say, "I'm cleaning out my _____" - I hope so; you'll be glad you did!
And so will God.  'Cause cleaning out dirt and stuff is what He's all about...

PRAYER
God, there is 'dirt and stuff' in my life.  I don't like it.  You don't like it.  I can't get rid of it on my own.  Help me, please, to be clean - clean like you want me to be.  Clean like I want to be because I love you.
Thank you, God.
Amen.

Slooooow down...

If it wasn't so... well, almost pathetic, I might have laughed.  This morning, while driving home after taking my wife to work, a car behind me suddenly swerved around me (my bad!  I was 'only' going the speed limit!).  He then swerved back in front of me.  No sooner did he do that then he - again - swerved into the next lane.  (I'm guessing he encountered yet another 'going the speed limit, law-abiding' citizen!)  A few blocks up the road, the light turned red and where did this swerving driver find himself?  Right beside me - he hadn't gone any further ahead, despite his hurry and swerving and speeding.  Now you have to know this is not an uncommon thing on the roads in this city; however, it's not so much the speeding and swerving as it is the waste of energy and resources.

Proverbs 19:2
Haste makes mistakes.

Often we have heard this quoted as "haste makes waste", and while this is very true, the words of this proverb are also.  We often move through our lives in haste - hoping, wishing, maybe even expecting that things will be different if we just 'get a move on'.  I wonder if the driver of the 'swervy car' even considered what might happen when he moved oh so quickly in and out of the lanes!  While at first he did move further ahead, when he did have to stop, he was no further ahead.  And... he came all too close to hitting two of the vehicles (me included) around which he swerved - talk about a mistake that would have been.  So haste does indeed make mistakes.  I haven't even mentioned what the consequences might have been if a police officer had been anywhere near, considering the swerving and speeding that was going on!

Another thing about being hasty is that we might find ourselves trying to rely upon a strength we thought we had, but don't really have at all.  That is, in doing whatever we are doing in haste, do we ever think about whether or not we can accomplish the task, or make it in traffic, or whatever?  Again, the Bible gives us both advice and wisdom:

Isaiah 41:31
They that trust in (wait upon) the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.

You see, if we wait on God, trusting in Him to lead and guide us, then we will find renewed strength, and in His strength we are always able to accomplish more than we ever could in our own strength. 

Years ago, the Nike company had a slogan: Just Do It!  In the church, we have often used this to emphasize the need to have an active faith, to do something about something and not just talk about it.  "Just Do It" has merit, yes, but if we move ahead in haste, we will likely find we should have waited on God for His wisdom in doing the task.  After all, doesn't God really know a whole lot more about everything than we do!

Ask yourself...

• What am I doing that is being done in haste?
• How might I change this?
• Am I rushing through life without recognizing God in it?
• If so, what might I see if I slow down?

After all, just like the driver who rushed ahead, both dangerously and illegally, and got nowhere fast, we too will not move forward if we don't wait on God, and move in His time.  And we know that if we do wait on God, He will give us new strength to keep on doing His work in this world.  So slooooow down... wait on the Lord... because if we don't, we won't get anywhere anyhow!  And the 'bonus'?  We will have renewed strength for this journey called life.  Amen!

PRAYERGod, sometimes we just hurry through life, not seeing anything around us, and not recognizing you in all there is in our lives.  Help us to slow down - to wait on you - and to find this new strength you promised to us. 
Amen.

Timing is everything!

So many times in my life, I have waited for God to do something, to intervene in a situation, to relieve me from some pain or anguish.  So many times in my life, I have wanted God to do it now.  As I look back, I am still amazed that I actually thought God should do things in my time!  You see, God has His own completely different sense of timing - completely different from mine and from ours.  God tells us this through Solomon:

READ:  Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

"To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven" - these words have rung familiar over the years.  On October 29, 1965, a singing group called The Byrds recorded a song titled "Turn, Turn, Turn"; this song had as its lyrics the words of this Bible reading.  In fact, given the times (Vietnam war era), this song was often interpreted as a plea for world peace.  The song, originally written by Bob Seeger, is taken almost verbatim from Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, with the exception of the words "turn, turn, turn" and the last line.  This is one of only 3 songs whose lyrics have been composed of large portions of Bible readings (the others being "The Lord's Prayer" by Sister Janet Mead, "Rivers of Babylon" by The Melodians, and "40" by U2.  An interesting aside: The Byrds' version distinguishes the song as the #1 pop hit with the oldest lyrics.  Many Biblical scholars believe Ecclesiastes 1:1 implies King Solomon as the book's author, which means we must give Solomon (born c. 1011 BC) lyrical credit for a number one hit!  Nice!

But I digress (although it's been an informative digression)...

Timing is important, isn't it.  If we look at all the things the Bible speaks about as having a certain time for, we see they are all appropriate at different times.  So this makes it easy to accept God's timing, right?  Um... well... not necessarily!  For our timing isn't always God's timing; in fact, it's often not God's timing.  We look at things with our finite minds, while trying to understand an infinite God - and it just doesn't work.  Our timing might get us in trouble, or cause friction, or make us jump ahead too fast with something.  We have to trust in God's timing.  And in order to do that, we need to discover and appreciate His timing.  If we doubt God's timing, and we believe in our timing, this can lead to disappointment, because God simply doesn't do things as we think He should do things, or at least with the timing we believe He should be doing it in!

• Have you ever "jumped ahead" of God because you just knew when something ought to be done?
• What things are you able to think of that have not happened as they should have, because you didn't wait for God and His timing?
• How difficult is it for you to "sit back" and wait for God, when you think you know when something should happen?

Life has a way of not happening as it should if we get ahead of God, not trusting in His perfect timing. 

And what about in your church (if you are fortunate to attend one!)?  Sometimes we in churches see what we think is a dire need, and we jump in feet first, eager to just do something now, not thinking of the consequences or whatever!  Not a bad thing, of course, but what about timing?  What about God's timing?  Taking time to think about this - to ask God to meet the need in His time - might save us energy, money, time, etc. - if we would just "wait upon the Lord", as the Bible tells us, we will have renewed strength to do what God wants to do anyhow, only in His time!

So next time you decide to do something, take a second, ask God if it's in His timing, and then let Him either tell you to do it now or wait on Him.  Remember, everything has its season, and there is indeed a time for every purpose under heaven!  It's all about God, remember, not us.  His timing, not ours.  His timing is perfect, which means His...

Timing is everything!


PRAYER
God, sometimes we think we know what to do and when to do it, but if we'd only asked you, you would tell us to wait.  Help us to be open to your timing, knowing it is perfect and ours is not.  Thank you for guiding and leading us. 
Amen.

Love.

Disclaimer
Reading this may cause confusion, questions about the sanity of the author, and who knows what else!  However, don't let this stop you from continuing, 'cause you'll be glad you did!

Let me ask you some very important questions...

What's it all about?
What's the point?
Why are we here?

What's he talking about?  Yes, I know you were thinking that!

Love.

And you might say, "Love?"  And I might say, "Love."
And you might say, "And?"  And I might say, "And nothing..."

Well, that was fun, wasn't it!  But let's get serious here for a minute...

Isn't it all about Love.?
Isn't the point Love.?
Aren't we here to Love.?

Ah, he's talking about Love, right?
Nope.
He's talking about Love.

The Beatles talked about love: "All you need is love"
Tina Turner talked about love: "What's love got to do with it?"
Jesus talked about love: "Love one another"

READ:  Matthew 22: 37-39

Isn't that really our primary focus?  Isn't that really what it's all about?  Love.

Okay, before you decide I need to be committed, let me explain...
I'm not talking about love, I'm talking about Love.
That is, Love period.  Not Love question mark, nor Love exclamation mark,
Love period. 
Love.

In the Bible, the word love is used approximately 600 times (I counted!  Okay, no I didn't, but I did google it to find out!).  It's a major part of what's in the Bible; in fact, we are told that "God is love", so it's really THE major thing, isn't it!  Love.  Love period.  When Tina wonders about what love has to do with it (whatever 'it' is), we so are able to say, "Um, hello!  Everything!" 

1 Corinthians 13:8
Love never fails.

That's what I'm talking about - Love.  Even if we didn't do anything else, we are to Love.  We are to Love period.  It's enough.  When Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 22, he was basically telling us what our primary focus is; in other words, love is the basis for all we do, say, think, etc.  Love.  "The basis for all obedience", one author writes. 

Ponder these questions...

• How are you in the Love. department?  That is, do you? 
• Do you love one another, as Jesus says we are to do?  If not, why not? 

Let us love God and one another - let us Love.
Because, well, it's what it's all about...
Love.

PRAYER
Lord, help us to Love.  Not only to love, but to make love THE priority, THE thing we do.  As you have loved us, let us Love.
Amen.

Little Things DO Matter!

Sometimes the smaller things in life have a way of speaking volumes to us. 

I remember being in our first church as a solo pastor - 1000 km from family.  We were far from what was familiar, even though we were making some incredible friends and loved where we were living.  Christmas came along, and we wondered what we were going to do - my wife was working, so we had enough to get by on, but as we all know, Christmas usually means a lot of money going out!  We were setting up our Christmas tree, and heard a knock at the door.  A courier was delivering a parcel; from whom, we didn't know.  We opened it up and it was from a church we'd never heard of, in a place we'd never heard of.  Apparently, every year they sponsored a pastor and his/her family from a church they considered to be a 'missions' church, and this year, we were that family.  There were so many small parcels, all wrapped individually, with our names on them.  We put them under the tree, which definitely helped fill  up the space!  On Christmas Day, we opened them and were amazed by what we received; it's almost as if they knew us and what to get us!  What a blessing - probably a fairly little thing for the church, but a big thing for our family...

This same Christmas, we were only able to give our children a very minimal amount of money to buy gifts for one another.  At their school, there was a 'flea market' day, and this is where my children bought the gifts.  Each one - a small matchbox toy car, a dice with names on it, a tiny kaleidescope, a small magnifying glass shaped like a bug - was individually wrapped, and put under the tree.  When I opened each gift, they gave an explanation of what it was and what it was meant to do - I'm telling you, I was toast, my tear ducts drained that morning!  I put these things in a small bowl, and kept it on my office desk at the church.  Now, almost 15 years later, it's still on my desk, and always will be - it's love sitting in a bowl!  In this case, it was a BIG thing for them to buy these LITTLE things, but it meant so much to us...

It's the little things - a smile, a thank-you, a prayer (okay, this is a big thing, but...), an encouraging word, a positive attitude... or a cup of coffee/tea/water - that make a difference.  Jesus recognized what a servant did when He told him:

Matthew 25:23
You have been faithful with a few small things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master's happiness!

You see, the little things really DO matter, and they really DO make a BIG difference!  How often do we pass someone by and not give that smile, or not thank them, encourage them, pray with or for them?  How often do we underestimate the power in a simple touch, smile, kind word, listening ear, compliment - or an act of caring.  Each of these might seem like something little, but any one might change a life around.

So today, as you go through whatever you are doing, ask yourself:

• Who do I know/see that I might be able to share something - a smile, kind word, etc. - with today?
• How might I be able to make a big difference in someone's life by simply doing something more?
• At the end of the day, will I be found faithful in the little things?

So don't be afraid to just do something for someone - whatever it may be.  You never know, it might make a difference, and it might even change their life!  Remember, love is a verb - you have to give it to get it, and oh the big returns we get for our small investments...  and that's because...

Little things DO matter!

PRAYER
God, help me to be more open to the need around me.  Help me to be open to do something about the need around me.  I want to be found faithful in the little things.
Amen.

Blest be the tie...

"Blest be the tie that binds our heart in Christian love" - this is part of the first verse of a hymn that, in another time and place, our congregation sang at the end of each Communion service.  Standing holding hands, forming a cirlce around the pews in the church sanctuary, we sang these words of affirmation.  We were together, we had just celebrated a time of remembering Jesus, and now we stated aloud about how blessed we were to be there.  I always remember feeling so blessed, so... well, like church!

It reminds me of a chorus we once sang:
"Bind us together, Lord...with cords that cannot be broken". 
Asking God to make us one with each other, to give us a sense of loving togetherness - isn't that... church!

1 John 4:7a
Beloved, let us love one another...

Easy to read; easy to say; easy to do?  Not always, although we know in our hearts it is what we ought to be doing, don't we!  Sometimes people get under our skin - they say or do things that just grate on us, and we don't always feel so loving.  Sometimes we get under someone's skin - we say or do things that just grate on them, and they don't always feel so loved.  But the words of this Bible reading keep coming back to us: love one another.  Now wait, didn't we hear Jesus say just those words?

John 13:34
So now I am giving you a new commandment: love one another.

Not only that, but listen to what Jesus says next...

Just as I have loved you, love one another.

You see, Jesus is telling us to love each other the same way He loves us - completely, without condition.  Whoa... without condition?  But what if someone says...?  But what if someone does...?  But what if... three words we shouldn't be using, perhaps!  We are to love - period.  No ifs... no buts... no ands...  just love.  And seriously, why not?  Ask yourself:

• Do you love people unconditionally?
• If not, what conditions do you place on your love for them?
• If so, what makes it easy to do?  More difficult to do?

After all, Jesus loves you, so shouldn't you be able to love others too?  For the tie that binds us together - the love of Jesus - reaches to all people, and it keeps us close, together, loving... or at least it ought to! 

So, the next time you might be tempted to think something about someone that you shouldn't be thinking, remember the scene of people standing, holding hands, in a circle in church, singing those precious words:

Blest be the tie that binds!

PRAYER
God, search my heart and see if there is anything there that prevents me from loving your people.  Help me to love others as you love me.
Amen.

Something Better...

Hebrews 11 (yes, the whole chapter!)

You just have to love Facebook, don't you!  Okay, maybe you don't HAVE to, but seriously, theres's some great stuff there.  Yesterday, I was checking out my page, and I saw this quote:
Talk about having one of those 'wow' moments!  Then I was reading the Bible, in Hebrews 11, and once again, there was that 'wow' moment.  How many times have I read this chapter - often called the 'faith chapter' - and thought, "great stuff", yet totally missed what God wanted me to read!  And what is that? 

Hebrews 11:40
For God had something better in mind for us...

And you're probably saying, "And?", right!  Right!  Well, in context, this passage is saying (and I quote from my New Living Translation Study Bible): "These mighty Jewish heroes did not receive all that God had promised because they died before Jesus came.  In God's plan, they and the Christian believers (who were also enduring must testing) would be rewarded together."  What does this mean?  That we must have faith - enduring faith - that sees what will be despite what is.  If we have this faith, then we can endure whatever life throws our way, knowing that God is there, and God has a plan.  Just like a teacher, who is there for the student during the test yet doesn't give the student the answers, God is there for us in our trials, and doesn't give us the answers until it's over.  Frustrating?  Sometimes.  But if God always told us everything, then we wouldn't need faith, would we!

And... we know that the pain WILL end.  Okay, maybe not as fast as we wish, or as much as we wish, and pretty much always not as we wish, but it will end.  That's because God IS there in the midst of what we are going through, because He loves us so much He wants the very best for us.  Sometimes this 'very best' means taking the long route, but think of driving - it's when we take the detours that we see the very best scenery!  God is just giving us detours, so we can have the very best He has for us.

• How is your faith today?
• When was the last time God had you go through something you didn't expect?  Did you feel Him near?  Wonder where He was?  How did it end up?
• Isn't it time you just had faith - trusted in God - so He is able to do what He wants to do in and with you?

God loves you so much - know that! 
God wants the very best for you - know that!
God is with you when life sucks - know that!

Just 'cause He's quiet doesn't mean He isn't there...
God has something in mind for you... 

SOMETHING BETTER...

PRAYER
God, help me to feel you when things just aren't going right.  Help me to know you when life just isn't doing it for me.  Help me to trust you through all that happens in life.
Amen.

Well, this is it.  This is the first day of the rest of... well, this blog.  I can see you're wondering what I am talking about, so let me tell you.  Today, I start a regular, daily devotional, on this blog site.  A devotional?  Yes, this is where it will be... every day... 7/365... You see, sometimes our world gets just a bit busy (a LOT busy?), and we find we don't have time to read the Bible, pray, ponder the mysteries of life... er, the Bible, etc.  Because of this, we miss out on an amazing time - time spent reading about God and what He does, who He is - time spent seeing how the Bible really does relate to our everyday lives - time spent talking to God and listening to God (that is, praying!).  This amazing time is when we get energized, when we get re-NEW-ed, when we get... well, our perspective for the day.  So this is it.  This is the opportunity for you to take advantage of a wonderful opportunity to spend time with God every single day, to hear from Him, talk to Him, consider all sorts of things about Him.  Imagine - you get to do this, and you get to do this every day!  Anyone considering belting out "The Hallelujah Chorus"?  Okay, perhaps we needn't go that far, but what we might want to do is this - take the time to read, to pray, to think, to love, to... well, whatever comes to mind, whatever happens, when you get alone with God, with this blog, and with yourself.  This is it.  And it might sound radical, or it might not - that's up to you.  Either way, give it a try - you might just like it.  And you might just get to know God a bit more.  And you just might find this whole thing isn't as... well, bad/different/confusing/weird as you might have once thought!  So... you with me?  Want to jump in, see what happens?  All you have to do is keep reading...


June 22, 2012

DOING IT RIGHT
Isaiah 58: 1-10

I love this passage in the Bible.  Why?  Because it says so much about the church, and what the church should be doing, and what the church can see as a result of doing what the church should be doing.  Clear as mud?  Well, let me put it this way:

I used to walk by the public library every morning on the way to work, before I became a pastor.  I often had my coffee and pastry in one hand, my case in the other, and I was wearing my suit and dress shoes.  I worked downtown, and so passed by many people who lived on the streets.  Every day I passed by this one man, who was always on the steps of the library, shopping cart laden with garbage bags full of bottles, wearing dirty clothes, and looking like he hadn't bathed in weeks (which may have been true!).  Every day I walked by him - every day I had a God-given opportunity, a 'divine appointment' if you will, and I did nothing about it except walk by... It's not like I didn't see the need, I just didn't want to do anything about it.

The Church - God's people, believers - are supposed to do something.  What we often THINK we should be doing is gathering together, worshipping and singing together, eating together, etc. - and this is all good.  But what does God have to say about this?

Isaiah 58: 6,7,9,10
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you.  Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.  Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless.  Give clothes to those who need them, and don't hide from relatives who need your help...  Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.  Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumours!  Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble.

Wow, THIS is what the Church is supposed to be doing?  Oh yea... big time!  Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with meeting, and worshipping, and eating together, but it's not what God REALLY wants us to do as His Church.  And, if the Church (read: US!) does what God REALLY wants us to do, then what?

Vs. 10
Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

One pastor remarks:

Now, I must tell you - I am very confused when I look at the state of the church today, for it seems that so many have forgotten this central message.  Indeed, I am amazed when we, in the contemporary church, put so much emphasis on liturgical expression - our worship services, our music, our communal public prayer - and so little time on the things which God clearly says honour Him, reaching beyond our sanctuaries and into the world with compassionate and caring love.

Ask yourself these questions...

• Is there something I can do today, to make life a bit easier for someone?
• Is there someone I know who doesn't know about the love of Jesus?  How might I share about this with him/her?
• Is there something my church can do to fill the need of someone today?

WHEN we do what God REALLY wants us to do, the light of our love will shine in the lives of those we help and serve.  I mean, seriously, isn't this awesome!  It's all about getting out there - getting out of our pews, our comfort zones perhaps - and loving and caring for and sharing with and giving to, everyone we encounter.  Can you think of a better way to show God's love to people who don't know God's love than to be there for them, just because...  
I'm thinkin' that's called DOING IT RIGHT!

PRAYER

God, help us to recognize the need all around us, and then do whatever we are able to do to fill the need.  Amen.

Life without God?

Read:  Psalm 22: 1-5, 9-11, 19-28

Have you ever thought about life without God?  Have you ever thought about how you might get through things without God?  Have you ever thought that you don't want to imagine a God-less existence?  I thought of this as the events of this past week unfolded in Edmonton - a senseless shooting of 4 persons, 3 of whom died and 1 who is clinging to life in a hospital, in critical condition.  One might be tempted to think, "Where was God?" in all this; after all, isn't this all too often the reaction of all too many people to such things?  Indeed, God is often blamed when He should be praised...

So many things happened as this whole scenario unfolded, much of which is speculation at this point, and much that may or may not be completely accurate.  Yet, having heard what has been said so far, people might think that God just wasn't there, that all this happened and for nothing.  So if God wasn't there, then where was He?  After all, He hasn't left us, nor forsaken us, nor abandoned us, nor turned His back on us, nor... well, God is still here with all involved.  God is omnipresent, which means God is everywhere; if God is everywhere, then He has to be where everything is happening! 

Hebrews 13:5
"I [God] will never leave you, nor forsake you"

God has promised us that, even in the middle of our worst times, He is there.  Not only is He there, but He cares!  Know that you are not the only one who is going through something you wish you weren't; know that you are not the only one whom God loves enough that He would never abandon you.  This means that, for those who believe in Jesus, there is no life without God.  For those who were killed and injured, God was there with them; for the person who shot the gun, God was there with him.  Strange as it seems, God never left, and God never stopped loving, despite the senseless tragedy that unfolded.  

Ask yourself these questions: 

- Are there times when you just don't feel God in your life, or perhaps in a situation in life?
- If so, who left who?  Or did that happen at all?
- What am I able to do that will allow me to feel God's presence in my life at all times?

In the good, the bad, and the ugly of life, one thing is certain - He is there!  God is there!  And because He is there, there is no life without God for us.  Now THAT'S something to rejoice about, don't you think! 

Dear God
Thank you for always being there for me.  Thank you for your promise that you will never leave.  Thank you for being you - loving, forgiving, caring. 
Amen.

Falling Fire

Falling Fire

June 14, 2012

Psalm 5: 1-3 (New Living Translation)
"O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.  Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you.  Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.  Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly."

I have read this Psalm many times, and I am always struck by this simple truth: when we are in need, whatever that may be, we can seek God and know He will hear them.  That's important, you know - if God wasn't able to, or didn't wish to, hear our prayers, then everything is different.  But now, read this same passage in "The Message" version:

"Listen, God!  Please, pay attention!  Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries?  King-God, I need your help.  Every morning you'll hear me at it again.  Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend"

What a picture!  Coming before the Lord in prayer, taking all of the things of our life and giving them over to Him - each day!  And not only giving them over to God, but waiting for something to happen!  Something BIG to happen... in fact, waiting for FIRE TO FALL!  Waiting for God to do something BIG with what we give to Him - imagine...

Imagine, if you will, that we are actually willing to completely turn all our 'stuff' over to God!  Then imagine, if you will, that we will actually wait expectantly for Him to do something!  Did you hear what I said?  Wait expectantly... as in not expecting something to happen right now, or momentarily, or even in a couple of minutes, but rather at some point of God's choosing.  And not only waiting expectantly (patiently?), but waiting for God to show His stuff, what He can do with the pieces of our lives.  I mean, doesn't this almost blow your mind?  The God of all creation, hearing my prayer, and then dramatically revealing Himself to me.  You heard me correctly - as we give ourselves up before God, He will show Himself to us, often in ways we may not expect nor even imagine. 

Later on in Psalms, we read of this:

Psalm 88:13
"O Lord, I cry out to you.  I will keep on pleading day by day". 

Psalm 130:5
"I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on Him.  I have put my hope in His Word"

Not only will God hear us, but He will also respond to us, as we are faithful to Him and give ourselves to Him.  All this comes from spending time with God, and expecting Him to 'be faithful as we are faithful'.  So I ask...

- Do you have a time, perhaps early in the day, when you get together with God?
- If so, do you give yourself up to Him, surrender your will to His will?
- Do you expect 'fire to fall' when you give your life up to Him?

As you spend time with God, and as you come to turn more and more over to Him, you will be amazed at what happens - God will reveal Himself more and more to you, in ways you might never have imagined.  So come before Him, but don't rush things - wait expectantly, as David says, and see what God is able to do...

Pastor Ed

Community

June 13, 2012

Acts 2: 42-47 (New Living Translation)

In my Bible, there are titles.  By that, I mean each section, a certain number of verses, is prefaced by a title, which is to describe what the set of verses is all about.  This passage in Acts is titled "The Believers Form a Community".  I read this, and I thought to myself, "Duh, isn't this what the believers are anyhow?", and then I remembered that this was at the very beginning of the early Church.  Those who gathered on the Day of Pentecost experienced the Holy Spirit of God poured out on them.  Those who gathered there listened to the sermon that Peter preached to them.  Those who gathered there were, as the preceding chapter states, "were baptized, and added to the church that day – about 3000 in all".  Quite the community...

When we hear the word 'community', what do we envision?  A group of people who live among one another, sharing their lives with one another, and doing things together.  These new believers in the early Church lived in unity, were taught by the apostles, and shared in meetings and fellowship with one another.  Basically, they lived their lives out with one another, together.

"All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer...  And all the believers met together in one place and sharing everything they had...  They worshipped together....each day, met in homes...and shared their meals with great joy and generosity"

They enjoyed each other's company; they shared what each one had; they prayed together; they worshipped together; and they did all this with 'great joy'.  This, my friends, is Church – not a bunch of people meeting in a building, not the building itself, but the people, the believers – the Church!  Going to church on Sunday is a good thing, but being the Church and doing the work of the Church every day is what the Church is all about!  Believers are to help one another in whatever way they are able to...

So after reading these verses, ask yourself these things:

·       Is my church this kind of place?

·       If not, then what might I do to make it this kind of place?

God, I thank you for my fellow believers, and for what they bring into my life.  Let me be – let my church be – the kind of place that the early Church was: a comm-UNITY.  Amen.

It's Time!

This past week, I've been working on a sermon, which I preached this morning.  I was looking at Joshua 1: 1-5, a wonderful passage about what's been and what will be.  Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, through the desert, and to the brink of entering into the Promised Land.  This was Canaan, the land promised by God to the Israelites.  Moses never entered the land, but died, leaving his next-in-charge, Joshua, to be the one to enter this land 'flowing with milk and honey', as the Bible describes it.  God tells Joshua: Moses is dead - in other words, it's time to turn the page on this chapter of Israel's history, and move forward into the next chapter.  Then God tells Joshua that he will lead the desert wanderers into this Promised Land; that is, they will move forward and claim their rightful inheritance from God, claim the territory which God promised to them.  God says that's it's time to do this - the waiting is over, the wandering is over. 

Now the people need to move boldly forward into the future - a future that is unknown, but one in which God has given to the people yet another promise: I will never leave you nor forsake you. People, never means not ever- God will always be with you; God will never leave you; God will never forget you nor forsake you.  Know it; acknowledge it; live it!

Promises... God promises His people a new land; God promises He will never leave them; and God promises that they will always live in victory if they remain faithful to Him.  God is speaking the same thing to us today - we can leave what's in the past, we can move forward into the future, knowing that God is with us every step of the way!  Now, I don't know about you, but don'tcha think this is something to rejoice about!  Dont'cha think... it's time! 

In the beginning...

Well, my first attempt at blogging... how am I doing so far!??!  Starting June 11, 2012, I will be blogging daily.  You might see a thought, or a devotional, or some theological gem, or... well, that remains to be seen.  So grab a coffee (my choice!), and join me daily as I share my thoughts with you about our great, big, wonderful God, and whatever else comes to mind that day!