Monthly Archives: August 2011

May We Pray

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Today, you’ve been given a great gift, and a great responsiblity.

Today, in every moment of your day, you have the chance to make a difference. Today, for you, if you use it wisely, there will be no wasted moments.  Today, there will be not idle times.

Today, you can truly impact everyone that you talk to, that you see, that you pass by.

Today, you can make a huge difference in the lives of so many people.

How?  How can you do this? Through prayer.

Today, you can impact so many through prayer.  Listen to what Paul writes in 1 Timothy:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

Pray for all people.  That guy that passed you in the hall that you don’t like?  Pray for him.

That lady that cut you off in traffic today?  Pray for her.

That person that was disrespectful and rude? Pray for them.

Who knows what could be going on their lives?  Who knows what troubles they may be facing. Who knows what trials they may be going through?   They could be in the most dire need of prayer.

And that’s our job. As Christians we are called to pray. Pray at work. Pray at school.  Pray in our families. Pray as we travel. Pray as we walk.  Pray.

Today, you have the chance to make an amazing difference in everyone that you meet.  Today, pray.

That is God’s calling for you today. And that is your gift you give to everyone that you come into contact with.

Today, may we pray.

It’s All Good

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Today, you may very well have problems.

You may have tough things happen to you. You may have trials, you may have worries, you may have really serious problems pop up today.

Really.

Jesus promised us that He loves us.  He promised us that He’d never leave us.  He promised us that He’d always be there.

But He never promised us a rose garden.  He never promised that things would always be easy.  He never promised that we would not have our share of problems.

Like I tell folks in sermons, I wish I could promise you unicorns and gum drops. That’s not the case, though.

But you know what? It’s all good. Even in the problems, even in the pain.  Even in the worries.  It’s all good.  You know why?

Listen to these words from Romans 5:

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

The trials you go through today, God is going to use them for you good. The troubles you face, God is going to use them for your good. The problems that plague you today, God is going to use them.

It’s all good.

Everything you go through, God will use. Everything that happens, God will use. Everything you deal with, God will use. Everything.

There is no wasted experience, no wasted trouble, no wasted trial. Everything is something God can use. Everything.

So, today, in your life, just remember. It’s all good.  God is going to use everything for a great purpose.

May we give Him everything in our lives. And may we be blown away by the ways He uses it all.

Your Job Today

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You’ve got a job today. You’ve got something you are supposed to do.

Now, yes, you’ve got tasks that you are supposed to accomplish.  You’ve got duties with work, with family, with community, with so many things in your life.

These are important. These are things you have to do. But, they were not what you were made for. You were made for something specific and with purpose from God. God made you for relationship, with Him, and with other people.

And He made you to worship Him. Every moment of your life, every moment you breath, every moment you are here, you were made to worship. That’s your job today. To give worship and praise to Him. To glorify Him in everything you do. That’s your highest purpose.

Above everything on your to do list. Above all the stuff you’ve got going on. Above anything that’s going to pop up on your radar.

You were made to give praise to God.

Listen to the words of Psalm 148:

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
Praise him, skies above!
Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.
He set them in place forever and ever.
His decree will never be revoked.

Let every created thing give praise to God.

So, today, give praise to God with your actions. With your words.  With all that you are.  With every fiber of your being.

That’s what you were made for. That’s what you were created for. To praise Him.

Today, may we praise the Lord!

Follow Me – Outreach Podcast

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The sermon podcast for Sunday, August 28, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website.  This is the next sermon in our series about discipleship and the transformed life entitled “Follow Me.”  It is about following Jesus to a life of outreach, and yes, giving witness to our faith and to the power of Jesus Christ. The text is Acts 16: 6-10.  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.

A New (Old) Command

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I love reading about the life of John the Apostle.  He had an interesting life.

He was one of Jesus’ closest disciples.  In the Gospel the he wrote, he doesn’t even list himself by name, but instead calls himself the disciple that Jesus loved.  He was the disciple that remained at the foot of the cross, and after Good Friday, Mary went with John to his home.

But, he also had a temper. And had some pride issues. After a town rejected Jesus, he asked Jesus to call down fire from heaven upon them, and Jesus rebuked him for it.

Later, he and his brother James were arguing over who would be greatest in the kingdom, and Jesus told them that they were missing the point.

So, we see that John had great moments of faithfulness, but also many faults.

I like him because he sounds like all of us. Moments of faithfulness, moments of failure.

And in this we see today, John tell us what he had learned

I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.

Everything else fades. John had done more with his life than most of us would ever wish to.  He had seem more than we could ever imagine.  He had literally walked with Jesus, and had been a pillar in the birth of the church.

And as he wrote to others about what mattered most in the Christian faith, that is what he said – love.  It is the greatest of all the commandments.  Everything else pales in comparison to love.  It is the fulfillment, purpose, and whole of the law.

So, today, let us place others ahead of ourselves.  Let us look first to them.  Let us do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  Let us love.  And in love, we find our purpose for our lives.

Today, let us be an example of God’s love to everyone.  Let us shine forth that love to everyone.  Let us radiate that love to everyone.  You were made for that.  And that is God’s greatest commandment for you.

Today, let us love.

 

Why Behave?

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Why do we try to be faithful?

I mean, why do we try to live a life glorifying God?

There may be a lot of reasons.   Maybe we are afraid of God and afraid of judgement.  Maybe we are afraid of what our sins will do and afraid of what God will do to us because of our sin.

Maybe we just feel like we “have” to.  Just a child has to do what their parents say, maybe try to behave because we have to it. It’s just our duty. It’s just what we are supposed to do.

May we do it because someone is making us. Our parents.  Our spouse.   Some outward pressure.  Maybe that’s why.

There’s a problem with each of these motivations.  In these, we are not being faithful because we want to. We would be doing it because we have to. Anything that we “have” to do, we will eventually get tired of it. We eventually give up. We will find that we can’t make ourselves do it.

Listen to what the Psalmist said today, talking about this in Psalm 86:

Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
so that I may honor you.
With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.
I will give glory to your name forever,
for your love for me is very great.
You have rescued me from the depths of death.

He honors God, because God has rescued Him.

Why behave?  Why do right? Why be faithful?  Why try to do what God wants us to do?  Why try to love and serve and care?

That is the response of a thankful heart. God has loved you. He has given you His son. He has showered you with love that will never end and never stop.

Why behave?

He loves you, that’s why.   And the only response we have to a love so great is to love others. And love Him.

Today, out of a thankful heart, may we be faithful. As we have been shown so great love, may we show that same love to others.

Good Gifts

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God wants good things for us.  Really, He does.

Now, saying that is a dangerous statement. Because our understanding of what good things are is not always the same as His understanding of what good things are.

Our understanding of good things often turns to earthly success or earthly possessions.

God giving me good things doesn’t necessary mean that Ole Miss is going to win the national title this year. Thought that would be AWESOME.  God giving me good things means that He wants to give me what is best for me.

And He wants to give you what is best for you.  This may not be what we want.  It will be what we need.

Listen to the story that Jesus tells today in Luke:

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

We, as earthly parents want what is best for our kids. We want for them what will help them, help them grow, help them be the people that they were made to be. We want them to know life and love and success and purpose and happiness.

And we as parents, we all know that we sincerely want these things for our kids. We all do.  We all know that.

Every parent wants that for their children.

In that, if we, who are sinful, imperfect people want this for our children, how much more does our loving, perfect Father want that for each of us?

Today, in your life, even when don’t believe it or can’t understand it, God wants what’s best for you.

He really does.

He wants to give you good gifts.

Today, may we see His goodness in all things, and may we know that God really does want what is best for us.

And may we learn to trust.

 

Something Good for Monday

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Well, today, it started. The start of the new school year is always fun and games until you get to about week two or so.

Then, getting up is no fun. Eating breakfast is no fun. Getting started is no fun.

And my daughter Sarah is not too excited about it either!

And in this start to a new week, we can become overwhelmed with all that we face this. All we have to worry about. All that is going on. All that that this week contains. All that we deal with.

So, before you start this week, do me a favor.  Right now.

Stop, whatever you are doing, unless you are driving.  And listen. Slow down.  Listen to the words of 1 Peter this morning:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

You are God’s people this morning. A chosen people. A royal priesthood.  Once you were not a people – now you are God’s people. Once you did not know mercy – now you know mercy.  Once you were lost – now you are found.

Once you were in darkness – now you are in light.

You are His own possession. And He loves you.

It’s going to be a good week.  No matter what happens.  No matter what you face.  No matter what challenges fill your plate.  It’s going to be a good week.

He has called you by name.  You are His.   He will be with you all week, through all that happens.

So, remember on this Monday, who you are. And remember whose you are.  You are a child of God.  Live into that promise today.

In this week, live like the loved child of God that you are!

 

Follow Me – Hope and Change Podcast

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The sermon podcast for Sunday, August 21, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website.  This is the second sermon in our series about discipleship and the transformed life entitled “Follow Me.”  It is about following Jesus to a life of hope and change. It deals with the life of Matthew and the text is Matthew 9: 9-13.  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.

Mysteries

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There are some things in life we don’t understand.  There are some (many) mysteries about God that I can’t fathom.

There are questions about suffering that while I may have an explanation for, I can’t understand.

There are moments of pain that I don’t fully understand the reason for.

There are parts of God’s character that I don’t know, and won’t know, until I stand before Him one day.

There are many, many mysteries that I don’t know the answer to. And I’m thankful that I’m not the only person that feels that way. And I am also thankful that I’m not the only person that has walked with God to feel that way. Listen to the words of Psalm 131:

O LORD, I am not proud;
I have no haughty looks.
I do not occupy myself with great matters,
or with things that are too hard for me.
But I still my soul and make it quiet,
like a child upon its mother’s breast;
my soul is quieted within me.
O Israel, wait upon the LORD,
from this time forth for evermore.

You and I, we don’t know everything. There is a mystery to God and to life. There are things too great and too deep and too wide for us to know.

The Psalm says that’s ok. Quiet yourself.  Wait upon God.  Know that He loves you. Know what you “know.”

What do we know? God is good. God loves us. God cares for us. God has saved us. God will take care of us.  We can trust Him.

I fully believe God is not as worried about the stuff we don’t know, as He is with the stuff we do know. Don’t worry about what you don’t know.  Worry about what you do know. And what you do about it.

This is not an excuse not to think and grow and learn. But, what it is the reality that we don’t know everything.

But we do know this. God loves us more than we’ll ever know.  And He wants us to love each other in the same way.

Today, know what you know, and what you don’t know. Don’t worry about what you don’t. That’s ok. None of us know it all.  Today, live in the knowledge of His love. And live out His love for all to see.

Yes, there’s a mystery to God. That’s ok. May we have the faith to believe. And may we live in the reality of the knowledge of His love.