Monthly Archives: February 2011

Missing the Point

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One of the more interesting books in all the Bible is 1 Timothy.

In this book, Paul is writing to someone who is his “son.” Not actually his son, in the biological sense, but in the spiritual sense. Timothy is a young man who Paul helped mentor in the faith.

He was someone who Paul walked beside, that Paul taught, that Paul helped to grow in the faith and become a leader. He was someone who Paul really loved, and he was someone who really looked up to Paul.

So, Paul wrote him this letter as a way to share with him what he knew to be important. Paul knew that Timothy was a preacher and a teacher, and that Timothy would be leading others in the way of Jesus and would be teaching them about what was most important.

Paul knew that Timothy needed to know what those most important things were to share with his people. This letter is Paul’s way of sharing with his spiritual son what was most important.

We see Paul share some key things in chapter 1:

The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions.

Paul tells him that the point of it all is to be filled with that love that comes from a pure heart and clear conscience. That’s what God wants for us and from us.

As we are filled with His Spirit and His love, we will be impacted by God and will be able to impact the world in amazing ways.

That’s what matters most. That’s what is most important. Being filled with God so that we can know Him better and show His love to all persons. Being filled with His power, His love, His vision, His passion – being filled completely with God.

Everything else misses the point. That’s what it is all about. Knowing God and being known by God. Loving God and being loved by God.

And loving each other with that love of Jesus.

Let’s not get bogged down in the things that miss the point. Let’s focus on Jesus, on knowing Him better each moment and being filled with His power and presence.

That’s what it is all about. That’s what matters. And let’s focus on that.

Today, and each day.

What We Can Learn from Paul Podcast

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The sermon podcast for February 13, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website. It’s the first in our series “What We can Learn from Acts.” This sermon is about the life of Paul. The texts are Acts 9: 1-8, 17: 22-27, and 20: 22-25.  You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

He Delights in You

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I was reading in one of my devotionals one morning, and the writer said something that stuck with me.

He was talking about how frustrated we can be when we are seeking after God and we fall down.  Or how frustrated we can get when we are seeking God and it seems like He is so far away.

Are we not doing it right?  Is God not there?  Is God upset with us?

The writer said no. The very fact that we are seeking after God makes Him happy.  Even if we aren’t doing it perfectly or achieving everything we’d like to, we are seeking Him.

And God delights in those that seek Him. Those that seek Him give Him great pleasure.

Listen to what the Psalmist says in Psalm 147 today:

He is not impressed by the might of a horse;
he has no pleasure in the strength of a man;
But the LORD has pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who await his gracious favor.

The Lord has great pleasure in those that fear (respect) Him and that await His favor.

Today, the very fact that you desire to know Him makes Him happy. The very fact that you desire to see His face delights Him.

Today, just the fact that are you someone who wants to know more about who God is, that fact delights our God.

So, in other words, God delights in you. God smiles upon you. God loves you.

Today, no matter what others think, no matter what others do. To those of us that seek God, He delights in us.

Even in our imperfections.  Even when we miss the mark. Even when we aren’t perfect.

If we seek Him and desire to know Him. He delights in us.

Today, live in that knowledge! God delights in you!

 

 

Who are We Chasing?

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I can about what God thinks about my life.

I can about how God thinks about living, my choices, my direction.  God’s opinion matters greatly to my life.

But, so does the crowd. So does the opinion of my peers. So does the opinion of my neighbors.  So do other people.

And so, the question is then asked, whose opinion do to value most? God’s?  Or other people’s?  Who do I worry more about pleasing?  God?  Or other people?

Listen to what Paul says today in 2 Timothy 2

Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them

Today, who are you worried about pleasing?  Are you worried about pleasing God?  Or are you more worried about pleasing the world?

Today, who are you trying to please?  As Christians we say that we want to please God, first and foremost.

But, sometimes I think we live in a way that says we are more worried about trying to please the world than we try to please God. Paul reminds us, if we are worried about the things that we shouldn’t be worried about then it becomes very hard to please the one whose opinion actually counts.

God’s.

Today, whose praise do you seek?  God’s or other people?  Whose approval do you want?  God’s or other people?  Toady, who are you trying to please? God or other people?

If we are chasing after God, we will find true life. If we are chasing after the crowd, we will never be happy.

Today, Who are we chasing?

 

Two Things

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We hear stories of people’s faith and think to ourselves, really? Really?

That can’t be true. There’s no way folks experience faith like that.

Not when our faith seems so dry. We so want to know the faith that others folks have. We want to experience that type of faith and belief that others folks know. We want that peace. We want that joy.  We want that hope.

We want to do more than just go through the motions.

It can happen. That type of faith and belief and life is actually there. It is possible to live a life a life of faith that impacts your life.  Listen to what Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:

For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes

It is real.  The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ actually happened.

For real.

You can trust it.  You can believe it.  You can have hope in it.  It can change your life.

But, the have that life that faith truly impacts, two things must happen. One is an action, one is a belief.

First , we must be faithful each day.  It’s one thing to talk about having faith. It’s another thing to live out that faith. The lives that faith truly impacts are not the lives that just talk about their faith. It’s the lives that seek to live out that faith.

Seek to live out today what you say you believe.

And second, just because you have faith, it doesn’t mean everything is easy. There are tough times. There will be tears. There will be troubles. God still loves you, in spite that.

You can believe that.  Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean that God has forgotten you.

Have faith.  Live it. Don’t lose hope. And in this, we will find the power of God.

 

Unexpected Places

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Where do you expect to see God today?

Since it’s not Sunday, maybe you don’t expect to see Him at all today.  Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that we only see Him on Sunday.

That we only see Him in church.

That we only hear Him through the words a preacher says.

That, my friends, is not so. We can see God, we can experience God in many different ways.

In our lives, we can find God in some very unexpected places.

Listen to what Jesus says today in Mark 9:

Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”

Before this scene, the disciples had been arguing over who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus tells them that the one that serves would be the greatest.

And then, He picks up a child and says that to welcome a little child is to welcome God.

Now, in our day, we nod our heads and smile and say, sure, that sounds lovely. But, in Jesus’ day, that was not so. Children were not seen as much worth much until they grew into adulthood. Then, they may have a little value.

But, children, in that day?  No value.

And Jesus says, there, there in that small child, you have the chance to welcome God.

In an unexpected place.

Today, where do you expect to find God?  If you will open your eyes, open your heart, you will find Him in places you do not expect.

He is there.  Waiting.  Waiting for you to encounter Him. Waiting on you to love Him.  Serve Him. Worship Him.

In unexpected places.

Today, in all we do, we may we find God in those places. And may we be drawn closer to Him in all that we do.

Extravagant Generosity Podcast

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The sermon podcast for February 6, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website. It is entitled “Extravagant Generosity” and it’s the fifth and last in our series “The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.   This also features our Asbury Praise Team, Jody Brickson, and Nicolet Hopper.The text is John 12: 1-8.   You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

What Do You Say?

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We see the critical question in all of life, asked today, in this text.

We see the question that shapes everything in our lives asked today.

Today, in Mark 8, we see Jesus discuss the following with His disciples.

Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”

By the way, the picture to the left was taken at Caesarea Philippi, close to where we think this conversation took place.

That question that matters is this, who do you say Jesus is?  Not what do others say, but what do you say?   You’ve probably heard a variety of sermons on this text, bible studies and other such things.

Because its’ a powerful, powerful text.

But, when we hear something so often, we can forget to listen sometimes.

Ah, we’ve heard this. We know what’s going to be said.

Today, listen to this story, like you’ve never heard it.

Who do you say that Jesus is?  Or, put another way, what does Jesus mean to you?

Is He our life?  Our all in all?  Our shelter from the storm?  Our salvation?  Our hope? Our rock?  Our firm foundation?  Our cornerstone?

What has He meant to your life?  Your family?  Your soul?

I wouldn’t be the man, the husband, the father, the pastor I am without Jesus.

He is my life, my strength, my shield.

I am imperfect, He is perfect.  I am weak, He is strong.

Who is He to you this morning?  Who is He in your life?  Your family’s life?

What does Jesus mean to you?

May He be our entire life today.  And in that, we’ll know the power of true life.

Rest

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I love the book of Psalms. I just do.

I try to read from them every day.  I had a wise preacher tell me once that reading 3 Psalms and 1 Proverb a day will really shape and change your life, and I have found in my life, there is a lot of wisdom in that statement.

The reason why I love the Psalms is they have everything we experience in our lives there. There is worship of God. There is disappointment. There is anger. There is pain. There is joy. There is laughter. There is, well, everything we know.

And I love that, because it shows that life is full of all these things. Not every day is perfect. Not everything is clean and easy. Sometimes, it’s hard. sometimes it’s not fun.

Sometimes, we are just hanging on.

Listen to Psalm 116:3

Death wrapped its ropes around me;
the terrors of the grave overtook me.
I saw only trouble and sorrow.

Now, that’s someone having a bad day.  And, you know what?

We’ve all been there. We’ve all had that type of pain or terror or frustration. We’ve all been so beat down, each of us at some point have a day like that.  We’ve had these times where we’ve thought – this day, this season, this time, that it will not end.  It will be like this forever.

It will not get better.

We have been so beaten down and exhausted to the point that we feel like there is no hope.

Listen to verses 5-6

The Lord protects those of childlike faith;
I was facing death, and he saved me.
Let my soul be at rest again,
for the Lord has been good to me.

Childlike faith. That simple belief that God is there, that He loves His children, and that He will not leave us.

That He is good.

And, if we believe these things, in that childlike faith, we can have rest.  Because we know God will take care of us.

Today, no matter what season we are going through, we can have rest.  When we have faith.

No matter what is going in your life today, have faith. Trust.  Believe. Hope. God has not left you and will not leave you.

Have that faith today.

And, in that, you will find rest.

 

Who We Are

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Who are you?

That’s an important question, huh?  How do we define ourselves?

Does our job make us who we are?  Are possessions?  Our status?  Our bank account?

Our church?  Our friends?  Our hobbies?  Our . . . .  whatever?

Listen to what the Psalmist says today in Psalm 95:

Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.

Who are you?  Above all in your life, you are one of His sheep.

You are under His care.  You are a child of His.  You are His.

That matters above all else in your life.  More  than work. . . . popularity. . . . or reputation.

More than anything else in life.

How do you define who you are?  What defines what you value?  Where do you get your identity from?

Where ever it is, it needs to be from God.  You are His.  You are one of the sheep of His pasture.

Remember that.  Remember who you are.  You are a beloved child of God.

Never forget.