Tag Archives: Faith

Exercise?

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US_exercise_1All of us know that we should exercise. Or I guess, we all know that it’s good for us. It’s good and healthy for us to be active and find some sort of exercise routine.

It’s good for our health, our life, our stress, well, in short everything.

And it’s so hard to start, huh? I took a few weeks off from the Y when I was sick and I’m still not back to my routine. It’s really difficult to do this sometimes, even when we know how good it is for us.

Listen to what Paul says today in 1 Timothy 4:7-8:

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

He says that bodily training, or exercise, is good in some ways, Godliness is of value in every way. So, train yourself in that.

We worry about our bodies, our look, our appearance, everything. We focus so much on our physical bodies in this life.

Do we focus as much on our soul? Do we exercise and train ourselves for Godliness? Do we feed our souls through worship, through reading, through prayer?

Do we exercise our faith by helping others? By giving witness to God’s glory and salvation? By serving each other?

And just like physical exercise it’s hard. We know we should. We know it’s good for us. We know that we should do it. But, we wait. We put it off. We say later.

Don’t wait today. Exercise your faith. Feed your soul. Live in what is good and true. Train for Godliness. And you will find benefits in every way.

So, just start. Today, read. Today, pray. Today, serve. Today, do these things. And you know what you’ll find? You may be a little scared at first. You may feel a little sore afterwards.

But you know what? You’ll feel alive. Your faith will feel alive. You’ll wonder what you’ve been missing.

Today, train for the race that God has in front of us. And exercise your faith. You will see the life there, immediately!

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 You Don’t Feel It

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Sometimes we can feel like God is not there. We can feel like we are all alone in the dark. We can feel like our prayers are bouncing off the walls, that God is not is listening, that God does not care, and that He isn’t even there.

We all have felt that way at some point.

Some of us may feel that way even know.

One of the reasons why I love the book of Psalms so much is that they speak to nearly every human emotion we have – joy, pain, fear, worry, trust, everything. Today, listen to what is says in Psalm 13:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

imagesThe Psalmist says, Lord, will you forget me forever? Will you hide your face from me? Will you answer me? Will I be defeated?

The Psalmist things that God has abandoned him. He feels like he is all alone. He is in the darkness. He feels lost and alone.

What does he do?

He said even though I don’t feel it, I trust in your steadfast love. My heart will rejoice because of that salvation. I will sing to the Lord.

Even when He didn’t feel it.

Because here’s the thing. The Lord is there, even when you don’t feel it. He hears your prayers, even when you don’t feel it.

We KNOW this to be true, His word says He will never leave nor forsake us. He will never abandon us. He will always be present.

We KNOW this to be true, even when we don’t feel it. He is.

Trust. Trust not in what you may feel today, trust in what you KNOW today. God is there. Even if you can’t see. Even if you don’t understand. Even if you don’t feel it.

He is with you today. You know it to be true. Trust in it, even when you don’t feel it.

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.

The Goal

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Yesterday at Asbury, we spent some time teaching what it is that Christians believe? What is that we hold to? What is the foundation of our beliefs? We didn’t dig into specific “doctrine” but looked at the basics of what Christians believe and hold to.

And we talked about how we are not “saved” by doctrine, but saved by grace through faith, lest no man can boast. So, if you have to believe just the right thing to be a Christian, guess what just happened. You had to “do” something to be a Christian and thus you earned your salvation. You salvation is dependent on you doing something right, not through faith. So, as important as doctrine is, it doesn’t save us.

So then, what is the point? Listen to what Paul writes to Timothy today in 1 Timothy 1:3-5:

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

GOAL-BLOCKPaul tells him to make sure that people aren’t teaching false doctrine of things that don’t matter. Why is this? The goal or aim of the command is this – that love arises from a pure heart and good conscience and sincere faith.

The goal of belief, the goal of theology, the goal of doctrine is to make you a better disciple. Is to make you love God and love your neighbor better. Is to help you to be faithful in knowing His grace and sharing His grace.

That’s the point of it all. That’s why we do it. That’s what we are here for. To know grace and show grace. To share God’s love. To point folks to the freedom and power in Jesus Christ.

Today, don’t let differences in small things separate us a Christians. Let’s hold to Jesus. Let’s hold to things that truly matter. And let’s point others to Him.

Today, the goal of our beliefs is to love God. And love neighbor. That’s why we hold them. That’s why we believe them. That’s what they are about and for.

Today, may we be faithful. May we show that love to all that we meet.

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.

Simple and Beautiful Faith

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Knowing God, through faith, is a beautiful thing. Seriously, think about it.

How many folks in life struggle with meaning? With purpose? With forgiveness? With peace?

How many folks seek to know through knowledge? Or reason? Or understanding?

Yes, faith can be simplistic. Yes, it can even seem foolish to world and to the culture to believe what can seem unbelievable. To have hope in a hopeless situation. To cling to good in a world seemingly racked with evil.

Yes, it can seem simple. And that’s what makes it beautiful.

Listen to what Jesus says in today in Luke 10:21-24:

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

fc_faithThese truths of faith, this joy and peace and hope and beauty of faith is hidden from the wise and understanding and revealed to little children. The kings and prophets longed to know what we see and understand.

How can this be? How can an uneducated grandmother or a 5-year-old boy have a deeper knowledge than someone so wise, so educated, so understanding?

Because it’s about simple faith. It’s about knowing, through faith, that God loves us. That God cares for us. That God will not leave us.

Through faith. Through belief. Through hope. Simple faith.

Faith that says, even through I don’t understand, I believe. That faith changes lives. That faith changes churches. That faith changes the world.

St. Augustine said – “Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.” It is faith that makes understanding possible. Simple, childlike faith.

Without it, none of this makes sense. With it, everything makes sense.

Today, may we not seek to “understand” let us seek to believe and have faith. And then, only then, will we understand.

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.

No Check List

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imagesOne of the things that I talk about with groups here at Asbury is the struggle of what it means to be a Christian. How exactly should we live? What exactly should we do? What are the things that we should be doing?

What are the things that we shouldn’t be doing?

Man, wouldn’t it be a lot easier if God just gave us a check list. Now, He has given us things like the greatest commandment (love the Lord our God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself) and He has given us the 10 Commandments.

So there are some basics.

But, there is no check list. There’s something better.

Listen to what Paul tells us today in Galatians 2:19-20:

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Paul tells us this. We’d died to the law. We don’t live by the law any more. Ours is not a checklist faith any more. Well, what kind of faith is it?

It’s the faith where Christ lives in us and through us. It’s the kind of faith where we die not just to the law, but to ourselves.

It’s the kind of faith where just focus on Jesus. If we focus on Him, He takes care of the rest.

So, today, don’t worry about a checklist. Don’t worry about what you have to do. This, this is what you have to do. Focus on Him. With all that you are. With all that you have. Focus on Him.

That’s your check list. Focus on Him.

And if you do that. If we do that, He will take care of the rest.

Today, may we focus on Him, may we follow Him, with all that we are. And His spirit within us will take care of what we are supposed to do!

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 Wins

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One of the things that I’ve always stressed in ministry is this. Things will not always be easy. There will be times of trial, times of hurt, times of tears, times of worry, times of stress.

That’s a given. That’s a certainty. We see that in our lives. We know that from our experiences. We just know that. Things will not always be easy.

Even the Bible confirms that. We can even look within God’s Word and understand that man, sometimes it’s just going to stink. Sometimes, there’s no getting around it. It’s just going to be hard.

But you know what, even in that, it’s going to be ok. Listen to what is says in John 16:31-33:

Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 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.”

keep-calm-for-i-have-overcome-the-worldJesus tells us there will be times when the disciples face troubles. They will be scattered. They will leave Jesus alone. Times will get tough, bad, and painful. It will not be fun.

The same is true for us. We know that. We can count those times in our minds right now.

But, keep reading. In the world you will have trouble. But, He has overcome the world. Yeah, it may be bad. It may be hard. You may not like it. You may feel like giving up.

Don’t. Do not give up. The world cannot win. The pain cannot will. The trials cannot win.

They will come. Sure. But Jesus has overcome them. He has triumphed over them. He has conquered them. He has won.

Yeah, troubles come. That’s ok. Remember what matters.

God wins. And through Him, so do we. It’s going to be ok.

God wins.

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.

Follow Me

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Today I was blessed enough to be able to share with the First Priority at Petal Middle School. I want to share with you some of the words I shared with them.

I read from Matthew 4:18-22:

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

follow-meJesus sees Peter and Andrew and James and John, and this is His command to them. Follow me.  He doesn’t tell them where they are going.  He doesn’t go into great detail about what they will do and how they will do it.

He doesn’t answer any questions.

In fact, He doesn’t take any questions.  He simply says, Follow Me.

And they did. They followed Him. And they went all over the world, telling folks about Jesus.

That’s our call today. To follow Him.  Now following Him will look different for each of us. For some of us, that may me for the the first time placing our full faith in Him.

For others, it may mean entering into ministry.

For others, it may mean reading your bible more. Praying more.

For others, it may mean standing up for the little guy.

I don’t know what it means for you today.  But I do know this. Each of us, today, no matter where we are, that’s our command.  Follow Him.

Today, may we follow, wherever it is that He is leading!

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.

Our Most Important Task

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Our most important task in life, and in faith, is not do anything. We can think there are things we are supposed to do.

Not just in our jobs or with our families or with our communities.

But in our faith. There are things we are supposed to “do” to make God love us, to change ourselves, to change the world.

There’s all the stuff that we are supposed to accomplish. But, what does Jesus tell us? What does He tell us that our most important task is?

Listen to what He told us in John 15:4-5:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

vine and branchesAbide in me. A branch cannot bear fruit, unless it is in the vine.

Your most important task today is not to “do” anything. But, it’s to be in relationships with God. Focus on Him. Chase after Him. Live in the fullness of His life and His grace.

Focus on Him. Our main goal is not about what we “do.” It’s about who we “are.” Live as His child today. Focus on your walk with Him. Pray. Read His word. Be in connection with Him and others that love Him.

That’s our job. That’s our task. Focus on God. Make Him the center of our lives. If we do that, then all else that we need to do will fall into place.

May Jesus Christ be the center of our lives and of all that we are. That’s our most importnat task.

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.

Keep Fighting

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When bad stuff happens, we can think that something is wrong. That we’ve done something wrong that we being punished for.

Or perhaps God is trying to throw a roadblock in our way to keep us from going down a certain path. We can think that the troubles we face or the trials and challenges are there to point us to another way.

We very rarely, hardly ever, see these things as “good.”

Well, listen to what happens to Paul and Barnabas today in Acts 14: 1-3:

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

il_fullxfull.355565768_lrs2It says they were there preaching and teaching. Lots of trouble got stirred up. So, they stayed longer.

Huh. That’s not what we may expect to happen. Lots of trouble gets stirred up, things go wrong, things happen, and we think, well, it’s time to quit.

It’s time to move on.

Nothing to see here. Nothing to do. Keep moving.

Sometimes, through, that’s not the case. That’s what we see with Paul today. It was not time to move on. It was not time to keep going. It was time to keep fighting. It was time to keep pushing. It was time to keep going.

The obstacles where not God trying to move Him away. It was the devil trying to stop him from doing what God wanted him to do.

Paul had to keep fighting.

So should we. Today, keep fighting. Keep pushing. Keep working. Keep being faithful. Keep giving it to God. Keep going.

And know that God is at work.

Today, don’t give up. Keep fighting. And know that God is faithful and true. Trust in Him in all things.

And keep fighting.

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.

Fear Has Lost

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I was reading through the text of the resurrection as found in Matthew today, when something pop out at me.

By the way, people will sometimes ask me, how do I know when God is speaking to me in scripture? How do I know what God is trying to say? What should I look for? What should I listen for?

One of the things I tell them is this. When you are reading, pay attention to what pops out at you. What word, through, concepts sticks out to you. What grabs your attention.

Focus on that. Focus on that word, phrase or concept. Listen to what God may want to say to you in that. Ponder that word, phrase, or concept. Let it roll around in your mind for a second.

Listen in that.

For me, that’s one of the ways that God speaks to me in scripture.

Today, in reading Matthew 28: 5-10  that happened to me. Listen to what happens here. See if you noticed what I noticed, or see if you notice something different:

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

do-not-be-afraidWhat popped out at me was this. In this passage, a command is given twice. Do not fear. Do not fear. Do not be afraid.

In the light of the resurrection, this is so important for to hear and to know.

We have nothing to fear.

Death – defeated.

Sin – defeated.

The chains of sin – broken.

The power of the devil – defeated.

All that we can fear has been defeated. All that could stop us is done away with. That was the message of the angels. That was the message of Jesus.

And that’s a message for us today. No matter what you are facing today, do not fear. Do not be afraid. Do not given into that fear.

Jesus Christ is alive! Sin, death, and the grave are defeated! Life has won. Faith has won.

Fear has lost.

Today, don’t be a afraid.

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.