Two Promises

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Jesus promises us a lot of things in scripture. He promises us that the Father sees us. He promises us that we will be forgiven. He promises us that He will be with us. He promises us all sorts of things the Bible.

But today, I want to talk about two specific promises that He makes in John 16: 32-33:

Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Jesus gives us two promises here this morning. First, there will be trouble. He says that in the world there will be tribulation. There will be trials. There will be times of trouble, there will be times of sadness and tears and worry and fear.

Lock it down there will be trouble. There will be. It’s gonna happen. None of us want it to be so, but it is. In this world, there will be tribulations. Just get ready.

But, the second promises is as hopeful as the first is discouraging. Jesus promises us, I have overcome the world. Take care. Don’t worry. Don’t fear, don’t be distressed. Take heart. Have hope. Have peace, don’t be afraid.

Yes, you will have real, for real troubles. Yes, even as a Christian, things will come that will rock your world. Yes, there will be lots of things that will hurt.

But, it’s ok. Take heart. Jesus is bigger than these things. He’s overcome them. He’s bigger, He’s stronger, He’s better.

Don’t lose heart. Don’t give up. Don’t be afraid. Yes, there will be troubles. But Jesus has already overcome them. Have faith. Trust. Hope. Believe.

He’s got this.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones, and you thought our app, you can now watch our worship services from Asbury too!

Teach the Faith

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the the things I love most about the Old Testament is the command of God to teach the faith to the children. One of the responsibilities of the adults, of the parents, of the grandparents, the aunts, the uncles of children is to teach them the faith. Teach them the stories of their faith. Teach them what is true.

They were commanded to teach the children. Listen to what is says in Deuteronomy 6:4-7:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

This is a passage that’s known to the Jewish people as the Shema which is the center of the their faith, a they are reminded to know this truth, to teach this truth, to pass this truth to their children.

As Christians, that’s our story too; that’s our call too. As Paul explains to us in Galatians (and all over) that the Old Testament is our story as well; so many things in the Old Testament point to Jesus. We are called to love the Lord our God with all of our hear, our soul, and our might. We are called to love God with all that we are.

And we are called to teach that to others. To our children. To those that are new to the faith. To other believers. We are called to share what God has done for us. We are called to share our faith. Our hope. Our love. We are called to pass along what God has done for us. And what God is doing for us.

We are called to pass along that which is true. God is good. He loves us. He longs to know us. He died to save us. He was resurrected. And will come again. We believe this. We must pass it down to others.

And we must pass along to other what God has done for us. We must teach the faith.

Has God done something for you? Tell someone. Share with someone. Pass it along.

We learn, so we can share. May we do that today and each day.

Fear and Faith

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

There are two things at war in our minds at most times. Fear and faith. As Christians, that’s a tough battle, and quite often a battle that we feel guilty about fighting. We believe! We should have faith. We shouldn’t be afraid.

But yet, we are. There are things and situations we are afraid of. Shouldn’t we be better than that! We shouldn’t be afraid. We should have faith.

But we do fear, and then we feel bad. We feel like failures.

Let’s look at Abraham this morning. In Genesis 12, God called him to leave behind his home, and go to the land that God would show him. And he responded and he followed. He believed, and he obeyed. He did what he was supposed to do. Now, a few chapter later through, this is what we find. Listen to Genesis 15: 1-6:

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

God comes to him and says this first off – fear not. Why?

Well, quite often in scripture that’s God’s first word to someone, don’t be afraid. Don’t fear. But, here for Abraham, there was something bigger going on. God had promised him so much. Land. Children. Family. And now, he had no child. He was afraid. He was afraid the promises weren’t going to happen, he was afraid that all that he wanted wasn’t going to take place.

So, God comes to him and says, fear not. I am your shield. Your reward will be very great.

Believe.

And Abraham believed, and it was counted as righteousness. He trusted. He had faith.

Fear and faith. That’s the battle of our lives sometimes isn’t. We want to have faith. We want to believe. But we are afraid. We are scared. We doubt.

We’ve all been there. Fear and faith. Fear and faith.

Today, have faith. The only thing that conquers fear is faith. The only thing that gets rid of fear is faith. We have to believe, we have to hold fast, we have to hope, even when it’s tough.

Because God is good. And true. And faithful. Fear and faith. That’s the choice we have to make, each day. Have faith, today, even when it’s hard. God is good. He won’t leave you. Trust. Have faith. And He will drive away your fear.

Blessed

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

You will be blessed today! You will. But, what does that mean? What does it mean to say that we will be blessed? You are probably like me, when something good happens, we say, wow, we are blessed. That is true, because the Bible teaches that all good gifts from above. So, those are blessings.

But, that’s not the only way that the bible looks at blessings. That’s not the only way that the bible talks about blessings. Listen to a passage that you’ve heard from many times from before, The Beatitudes. Listen to what it says in Matthew 5:2-12:

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Each one of these things that makes us “blessed” this morning – poor in spirit, mourn, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted, revived, lied about, each of these things, we don’t see them as blessed. We see these as being opposed to, or being attacked, or being hurt, or maybe even being punished.

Nothing on this list is fun. Nothing on this list is easy. Nothing here is something that we even want.

But yet, Jesus, in his teaching, says that when these things happen to us, we are blessed. We should be thankful.

Why?

Because when this happens, when we feel this pain, when we feel this loss, when we feel alone, hurt, and forgotten, you know what? We find that Jesus is all that we really need. When He’s all that we got, He’s all that we need.

When all the stuff of life is stripped away. When all the busyness, all the distractions, all the things that draw us away from Him are gone, and we find that all that we really have in life is Him; we have everything that we could ever need.

We have life, we have peace, we have joy, we have hope, we have everything.

We are blessed. Now, it may not look like the blessings of the world, it may look different. But it truly blessings that can’t be taken away, by anything.

Today, even if life isn’t easy, and in fact, especially if it isn’t, you are blessed. Today. In Him, you are blessed.

Step Up

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Yesterday I challenged people at Asbury to do something big for God. Take a risk. Try something that just looks stupid. Do something that only God can accomplish through you. And then when you do it, you can give God all the glory for what happens.

I was preaching about Matthias, the apostle that too Judas’ place after the resurrection. He had to step up into a calling that was seemingly bigger than him. And that’s the thing we see over and over again in scripture. People that God calls to do something, and their first impulse is, on there’s no way. There’s no way that I can do that. That’s impossible. Matthias stepped up and God used him.

This week I want to look at some other folks that stepped up.

Listen to what happens today in Judges 6: 15-16 when God calls Gideon:

And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.

Gideon would be one of the Judges that would free the people from their oppression, that would restore the proper worship of God. He was a great man, a great leader. And his first impulse was, nope. I can’t do this. I can’t do this task that God has called me to. It’s too big. It’s too mighty, and I’m too small. I can’t do it.

But he could.

And he did. God, through him, freed the people. God restored them. God brought life to them. He was able to free them.

Because Gideon overcame his fear and his doubt. And stepped up.

You can too, today. You can do it. You can do great things. You can.

Step up. Through God today, you will do great things. Believe it. You will.

When you Doubt

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Just because you have faith, it doesn’t mean that you’ve always got it figured out, or that it always makes sense. Just because you believe, it doesn’t mean that all of life will always make sense, and that everything will always be easy.

Sometimes, you will believe. Sometimes, you will know that things are right, or that things are going to be ok in the end, or that God is going to work everything out. You know it. Really, you do. You believe.

But, you still have doubts. You still worry. You still are afraid. You believe. But, it’s hard. Today, in Mark 9: 23 – 25, we see one of my favorite passages that deals with this. Listen to what it says today:

And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

This dad came to Jesus and said, please help my son. Jesus said, if you believe, all things are possible. And dad says, I do, I believe. But, help my unbelief! What can we learn from this passage about the times when we believe, but struggle.

First, do what’s right. This dad was struggling but unbelief, but He went to Jesus anyway. He knew that Jesus was truth and was help. He didn’t really understand it, or have it figured out, or really know what to do. But he knew that Jesus was life. He did the right thing.

So should we. If you struggle, keep reading. Keep praying. Keep worshiping. Keep doing the things that draw you close to Jesus. The dad struggled, but he was faithful. And good things happened.

Second, ask for help. Ask Jesus to help you. Ask for strength. Ask for belief. Ask for that hope. When the dad, when he knew that belief was needed, he said – help me! Help my unbelief. Help my doubts.

When you doubt, don’t turn away from Jesus, turn to Jesus. Don’t run from Him, run to Him. And when you do that, you will find that He will actually give you the strength and the faith that you need.

Today, we may doubt. God is there to help us, in these doubts. He won’t leave us there. Today, even when we doubt, may we turn to Him!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

When Faith is Hard

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

I referenced today’s text in my message Sunday at Asbury, talking about the stories in the Bible can really really hit us where we are. For me, one of the stories in the bible that really hits me, hits me hard, is the notion of wrestling with God.

Sometimes, faith is hard. Sometimes, it is a real challenge. Sometimes, we just have to hold one. Sometimes, we wrestle with God. Listen to what is says in Genesis 32: 24-30:

And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

Don’t be discouraged when faith is a challenge. Don’t give up when it is hard. Sometimes faith can be a real challenge. Sometimes it really is work to hold on, to believe, even when it is hard.

Just because faith is a challenge, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have faith. Just because it is work, doesn’t mean that you don’t believe. Just because you have challenges, it doesn’t mean that you are not a believe.

Sometimes, we are like Jacob. We believe. We have faith. We know God. But it’s just hard. A hard time. A hard season. A hard experience. In those times, hold on. Cling tight. Wrestle with God. He won’t let go.

You don’t either. Hold on. No matter how hard it may be, hold on. God’s got you.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

God’s Got a Plan

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the things I like most about Matthew’s Gospel is how many times things are fulfilled in prophecy. So many times, Jesus will do something, or something will be said, or something will happen, and Matthew says, this was done to fulfill the prophet.

For instance, look at today’s text, Matthew 12: 15-18:

Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased, I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

Matthew is showing how each of Jesus’ actions, all that He was doing, from His birth, His teaching, His death, and His resurrection, were all part of God’s plan, not just for Jesus, for the world.

Why do I like this so much? Why does this give me a sense of hope and peace? Because God’s got a plan. God knows what He is doing.

We have choice, we have decisions to make, we have things that we have to do, but God has a plan. God has a plan for us, for our lives, for our families, for all that is going on. You are not just floating randomly through life. This is not happenstance. This is not all just random noise.

God has a plan. He knows what He is doing.

And you can trust in that, today. Trust. God knows what He is up to, God know what He is doing. And God will accomplish that plan in your life and through your life. Be obedient to His calling and His leading today. Follow.

And let that leading guide you. Follow Him. Even when you don’t understand. God has a plan. You can trust.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Family (SOAP)

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Today, we are going to take a look at Mark 3: 31-35.

S – scripture

Welcome back to school! And work! And the routine of life. It’s gonna be a long day/week/year, right?

Don’t worry about that. Listen for God’s voice in this. Don’t worry about all those other things. Focus on this. Listen in this. Slow down. Breathe. Listen.

Mark 3: 31-35:

And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

O – observation

Jesus had a human family

We see in this that Jesus’ family comes to Him. His mother and His brothers. Jesus was fully human, as well as being fully divine. That’s a truth that we Christians have always held to be true. I posted a comment on Facebook the other day that sort of chrysalises what this means. Jesus is both fully God and fully human. One of my professors said when you read the early church, they struggled with the fact that Jesus was fully divine. They walked and talked with Him; they struggled to fully understand His divinity. We, on the other hand, fully understand His divinity, we struggle with His humanity. But, scripture teaches that He was fully God, and fully human. It’s the only way that He could be the perfect sacrifices for our sins

Jesus shows God’s family is not just biological

Jesus shows us though, that for Him, it is not just His “biological” family that He cares about, but His family of Faith. When we follow Him, when we believe in Him, when we make Him our Lord, God becomes our Father. And all of those that believe in God, share the same Father, thus making them brothers and sisters with each other. Through Jesus Christ, we become family. Real, true family. That is how deep the relationship must be between us a believers. We are family. Really. This relationship, this love among believers, it must be deep and for real. Because we are family.

Jesus shows how to be part of God’s family

Then He show us how to be part of His family. Who are those that are His brothers and sisters? Those that do the will of His Father. For faith produces obedience. If we have faith in God, we will obey God. And if we do that, then God truly is a Father, and we are part of His family. The “works” don’t make us part of the family, that happens by grace through faith. But, the works are the evidence of that faith. Just like a living body will breathe, a living Christian will be faithful. Not perfect, mind you, but faithful. It’s just what happens.

A – application

Today, be thankful for your families

Today, so many of us are blessed to have two loving families. A biological family, a family that you were born into, or that you married into, or that you and your wife or husband have. So many of us are blessed to have loving biological families.

But, not all of us. Here’s the good thing, through. Each of us, we can have that “spiritual” family. If we believe, and follow Christ, than fellow believers, they are family. Be thankful for that. Love each other. Take care of each other. Pray for each other. Support each other. We are a family. Those of us that believe in Christ, no matter what differences we may have, we are a family. Let’s be thankful for that.

And, your church family matters. If you are part of a local congregation, be thankful, be faithful. Even thought it is an imperfect body made of imperfect people, it’s also family. Be thankful, in spite of the imperfections.

Today, be obedient to God’s grace in your life

Those that love God and do His will, those are Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Today, let’s be obedient to whatever it is that God is calling us to do. Wherever His grace is leading, wherever He is calling, wherever God is leading us, let’s follow. Because there is life there. There is purpose there. There is hope there. There is peace there.

Today, follow God. Follow His call. Follow His grace. Follow His leading. And I promise you, that in that, you will find this amazing family. And you will find that life.

P – prayer

Loving God, thank you for our human family, and thank you for our spiritual family. Thank you for your body, the church. In this day, may we be faithful to your call in our life, and may we find the peace that comes through that. In Jesus name. Amen.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Will We Miss It? (SOAP)

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Today in our reflection, we’ll look at Matthew 13:53-58.

S – scripture

Be sure to slow down. Yeah, we’ve got a busy week this week. But, in this moment, don’t worry about that. Let the worries and stress of this day/week/month/year/life fade away. Listen for God’s voice in today. Listen.

Matthew 13:53-58:

And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

O – observation

The people knew Jesus, and so weren’t listening to Him

This was Jesus home town. They had known Him for years. They had seen Him grow. They knew His family, in fact His family was still in the synagogue, still part of the community, still part of the life of that town. And because they knew all these things, knew all this family, they knew, just knew, that there was no way that Jesus could do all these things and be who everyone says that He was.

The were familiar with Him. They knew Him, or so they thought. And so they knew that He couldn’t be all that. They were so familiar with Him, they missed Him. Because they weren’t paying attention.

It isn’t just that they didn’t listen, they were offended

It isn’t just that they missed Him, they were offended by Him. Who is He, coming in here, telling them what to do. Who does He think that He is. What right did this man that they helped raise, what right did He have, coming in here now! I mean, the nerve!

Their pride got in the way. And because they were too proud, they missed what God was trying to do.

Their lack of faith stopped things from happening

Because they didn’t believe, Jesus couldn’t do some of the thing that were possible. For the spirit to move, for God to do certain things, He needs us to do our part. Yes, we have a part to play in God’s plan. We have a purpose. We have a role. We have a part to play in the movement of God’s spirit.

We have to believe. We have to have faith. We have to cling tight, and be obedient to what the spirit is leading. That’s our job. That’s our roll. And when we don’t do it, there is so much that God is not abel to do. Because we aren’t doing our part.

A- application

Who are we not listening to, that we should?

In our lives, there is someone that God may want to speak through, someone that God may want to challenge us through, convict us through, speak to us through. But, we haven’t been listening. Maybe we’ve heard them speak too many times. Or maybe we don’t know them. Maybe we know them too well. There could be a million different reasons. But, there is someone in all our lives, that God may wish to speak to us through, but just aren’t listening.

Today, will you listen?

Where is our pride getting in the way?

They took offense at Jesus because of their pride. Today, where in our lives, is there something that need to do, but we won’t because we are too proud? Maybe we need to ask someone for forgiveness. Maybe we need make a change. Maybe we need to start something new. Maybe we need to move on. I don’t know what it is, but for each of us, there is something we are missing, or something we are not doing, because we are too proud to admit it.

They were too proud to hear Jesus. And they missed what He wanted to do. May we not make the same mistake.

Where is our lack of faith stopping God?

Our faith is the spark that causes things to happen sometimes. Our faith moves mountains. Our faith makes leaps. Our faith does amazing, amazing things. When we truly believe, God can do something special. But, we have to have faith. We have to trust. We have to place ourselves in His hands. And jump.

Today, God wants to use you. Do great things. Move mountains. If we will just believe. If we will just have faith. He will do it. Today, will will take His hand. And jump. He will catch us. He promised.

P – prayer

Great God, teach us to listen. Teach us to humble ourselves. Teach us to have faith. Loving God, may we see you today, may we hear you today, and may we follow you today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

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Tag Archives: Faith

Two Promises

Teach the Faith

Fear and Faith

Blessed

Step Up

When you Doubt

When Faith is Hard

God’s Got a Plan

Family (SOAP)

Will We Miss It? (SOAP)