Faith is Like Rebounding

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the comparisons that I’ve made many times about faith and life is this. Faith is a lot like rebounding.

Wait, what? Faith is like rebounding? Exactly.

In basketball, one of the things I always enjoyed doing was rebounding. I guess as a football player, I like the physicality of rebounding, of going for the ball, of trying beat the other guy for it. That was always my favorite part of playing basketball. Rebounding.

And I don’t know much about; there are many, much smarter basketball coaches that could tell you a ton about rebounding. But this is what I do know. It’s about positioning. It’s about getting between your guy and the ball.

If you put yourself in the proper position, something good will happen. If you put yourself in the position between your guy and the ball, you will either get the ball or your guy will jump “over the back” and foul you, and you’ll get free throws (if you are in the bonus #basketballgeek).

In other words, if you are in the right position, something good will happen. You put yourself in the right position; you will either get the ball or get fouled. Something good will happen.

And that’s how it is with faith. Do you want to hear God? Do you want to know God? Put yourself in the right position. If you put yourself in the right position, something good will happen.

It’s just like rebounding. It’s about putting yourself in the right position. Here at Asbury we talk about praying, reading your Bible and going to church. In other words, putting yourself in a position to hear God.

And He will speak. He will.

Listen to what it says today in 2 Peter 1: 5-8:

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Make every effort to put yourself in the right position. Surround yourself with virtue. Knowledge. Self Control. Steadfastness. Godliness. Brotherly affection. Love.

Do these right things. Put yourself int hat position. These things don’t save you. But the strengthen you. They allow you to hear God. Don’t these things puts you in the right position.

And in doing these things, you will hear God. You will.

Faith is like rebounding. It’s about being the right position. Today, are you placing yourself in that right position. If you will, you will hear God. Today, let’s put ourselves in that position.

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!

More Than Just an Option

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Recently I’ve issued a challenge to my people at Asbury, and I’d like to issue that same challenge all of us here that read this devotional.

Who do we believe that God is? Is the Lord God of Heaven? The Maker of all that is, both seen and unseen? The Alpha and Omega, Beginning and Last? The Triune, Sovereign God?

The God that loves died for us and was raised us. The God that saves us shows us mercy, grace, and love?

That is who Scripture paints Him to be. That is what Christians have believed for thousands of years.

But the question I have for you this morning is this. Is this true? Do you believe that this is true? Do you believe that God is who scripture paints Him to be?

(waiting for you to answer that question. No, really, right now, in your own heart, answer that question)

If God is who He says that He is, doesn’t He deserve to be more than just an option in our lives?

For most of us, God is just an option. He’s something we pay attention to when we have time. We don’t plan our days, weeks, months, lives around God. We do what we want, and if we have time, we give God what we can.

We make God an option. He’s just one of the options in our lives.

And doesn’t He deserve more than that? Doesn’t God deserve to be Lord of our lives, not just an option?

My challenge this year is this. Give God a year. Truly, as best you can, don’t let God just be an option for you and your family. Truly let Him be Lord.

And you know what? If you do, if you really do, and God doesn’t honor that, I’ll shut up about it. I won’t bring it up again.

Is God just an option for you. Or is He Lord?

I don’t know what you will do, but we live by the words of Joshua 24:15:

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

For me and my house, God will be more than just an option. I hope that He will be for you and yours as well.

When God Delays

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the stories that may be most famous for us in scripture is the story of Golden Calf. This is a story of ideology, of the people of Israel making an idol, and worshiping it, instead of God, while God is literally right above them

And it gets bad. And it causes a lot of trouble, almost ending in their destruction. But how did it all start? What happened? Listen to what the word says in Exodus 32: 1-4:

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

The people saw that Moses delayed in coming down. They had a schedule and time for everything to happen, and it didn’t happen on that schedule.

Moses delayed. Things did not go according to play. Things didn’t go according to their schedule.

And they turned away from God. They turn from Him and made idols at that time. Because God delayed.

God was late.

God was not when they wanted. God was not where they wanted. God didn’t do it they way that they wanted it done, when they wanted it done.

So they doubted. They turned aside. They looked away. They did their own thing. Instead of trusting in God, they did their own thing.

What about us? What do we do when God delays? What do we do when God’s schedule is not our schedule? What do we do when God’s time is not our time?

Do we turn to other things? Do we put our faith in something else? Do we turn away from God? Do we get angry and storm off?

God delayed. And they people made terrible mistakes. When God didn’t work on their schedule, they turned away.

What about us? What do we do when God delays?

Who We Are

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

God made everything. All that is, both seen and unseen. He made it all. Every last bit. The whole shooting match.

And when you look at all the universe, you know what you see? When you read the first books of the Bible, Genesis 1-2, we see that all of the universe is pointing directly at the earth.

I love the story in Genesis 1 where when it says God made the stars and the moon to give light to the earth at night. Think about that. God made all the stars in the sky, simply so we would have a night-light. How amazing is that!

And so when we see all of creation we see this fact as well. Of all that God made, of all the amazing things He has created, we as humans, we are the highest of all them. We are the pinnacle of creation. Listen to what it says in Psalm 8: 3-5:

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

We see all that God has done and think, what is it that you, Oh God, are mindful of us. You are so big, and we are so small. Why are you concerned with us? Of what value are we?

And we see what the Word teaches us. We matter. We are crowned with glory.

So we see the beautiful contrast here. We are small and insignificant when compared to God and His universe. And yet we are the height of God’s creation.

So, we stay humble, nothing that we are small. Remember, that this world is not about us. It is about God.

And we are mindful knowing that we are the height of creation, we are sacred, special, and amazing.

That’s who we are. We are small. And we are amazing. We are a speck of dust. And we are the most brilliant thing God has ever made. That’s who we are.

Today, rejoice in who you are. And know that God is with us, each step of the way.

Peace and Quiet

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

I’m someone that likes noise. Always have, always will. I like background noise. I like having the TV on. I like having Spotify or Google Music up in the background when I’m at church. I go to sleep each night listening to podcasts or to the news.

I like noise. Always have, always will.

Silence makes me nervous. I don’t always know what do do, or probably more important, what to say. I like the noise.

But, there are times, really deep times, really important times, when words fail. When there isn’t anything that you need to say, there isn’t anything that you need to do.

You just need to sit there, in silence, and know that you are in God’s presence, that you are loved, you are valued, and that you matter. Listen to what it says today in Zephaniah 3: 16-17:

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

It says here that God will quiet us with His love. There is nothing more to say. There is nothing more to do. You are loved. You are. You are valued. You are.

The Lord is mighty to save. He is strong to save. He loves you. The sovereign God of heaven, who can do all things, will sing over you.

As parents stands over, sings over, prays over their child, our loving God sings over us. He quiets us. He loves us.

In Him, we can have peace. And we can have quiet. Because of His great love.

Today, if just for this moment, sit where you are. And know this. No matter where you, what you are doing, what you may do, you are loved. You are.

Let that sink in. Let it become real. You are loved.

You can have peace. You can have quiet. Because of Him.

Know that. Today. And each day.

Hey Jealousy

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the things that can really trip us up in life is jealousy. That can be a very, very dangerous thing. And we are all prone to it. It can have material elements – oh they have that, I want that!

It can have elements of money. It can have elements of relationships – we can be jealous of others families, or friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, spouses, whatever. We can be jealous of other’s jobs, or success or reputation, or a million different things that can plague us with jealousy.

We can be jealous of spiritual things. Churches. Ministry. Gifts. Lots of things. Today, in Numbers 11: 28-30, we see Moses be tempted with jealousy:

Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

Moses was the prophet for the people at this time, he was the one that the Lord spoke through. Now here are these others, that are beginning to prophecy and Joshua gets jealousy for him. He says, make them stop, that’s your job. You’re the prophet not them! It’s not right, you are the one that God speaks through.

Joshua loved Moses and respected Moses and was jealous for him. We can all understand that. But Moses didn’t play along in that same way. Moses understood.

What mattered wasn’t him or his pride, it was God being at work. So Moses, instead of getting jealous, focused upon how great it would be if all God’s people had that gift.

He wasn’t worried about himself, he was worried about what God could in people and through people.

Jealousy isn’t just about earthy things it can also be about spiritual things. We as believers can be jealous of others. We as preachers can be jealous of other preachers. We as churches can be jealous of other churches.

You want to battle jealousy in your life? Take the focus off yourself, and place it upon God. When we are looking at others and comparing them to ourselves, we will always be lacking or jealous. When we focus on God and what He wants, we see that I have what I have for purpose and so do you.

And I’m not going to worry about me, or you, or any of this. I’m going to focus on God. And He’ll take care of us.

The key to jealousy is our focus. Where is our focus today?

I Know Whom I Have Believed

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

As Christians, we don’t believe in concepts. Well, we do, but not really. We have concepts we believe in. We have truths that we hold to, things we believe, all of that. Yes we do.

But, as Christians, our faith is not founded upon concepts. It’s founded upon a “person.” A being. An entity. It’s founded upon the truth that we believe not in a concept, but we believe in God. A huge, eternal, all powerful, all sovereign, all mighty God.

A God that spoke everything in being. A God that is bigger than we can ever imagine.

This God.

But, He is also a God that so personal. That knows our deepest fears and hurts. That knows our dreams. That knows the hairs upon our head; knows every thing about us. And loves us.

We don’t just believe in a concept. We believe in God. Listen to what Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1: 11-12 today:

for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.

Paul is writing about some of his trials and troubles, and he said that yes, they are hard. But, he knows who he has believed. And he know that God will guard what is given to Paul, until that day.

In short, in the circumstances of life, no matter how hard or challenging they may be, Paul knows this. He knows who he has believed in. And he knows that he can trust God, no matter what. Because God is not a concept. God is personal. He is relational. He knows us, and wants to know us.

Paul knows who he has believed in. And he can trust, no matter what.

So can we today. You can trust God today. You can. He knows you, He loves you, and He wants to be in relationship with you today. That’s the kind of God that He is. Today, no matter what is going on, you really can trust in Him.

The Glory of God

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the things that Paul talks about a good bit in his writings is that whatever is behind us is not as great as what is to come. All the stuff of the past, it doesn’t hold a candle to the stuff that is to come. And we often think of that as negative. The past is done. The future is great. God will take away the past mistakes, the past failings, the past stuff, and give us amazing, full, life.

That’s how I think about it, a lot. But listen to something that Paul writes today in 2 Corinthians 3:9-10:

For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it.

He’s talking about the old law, how the people used to have live, what they ate, how they washed, all the stuff that they had to do under the old covenant. And Paul says what had glory before, now has no glory. Because of this glory that surpasses it all.

What is this glory that surpasses it all?

Grace. The love of God that sweeps us off our feet, the love of God that restores us. The love of God that forgives us. The love of God that makes us new.

Yeah, the past as good as it may have been, it really doesn’t compare to the future. Even the best of the best, the things that were the greatest, the things with the most glory and most purpose, they are not what really matters or counts.

What does? The glory of God that comes through grace. The glory of God that comes through relationship. The glory of God that comes through His life. The glory of God.

Today, no matter how great the past was, the glory of God is better. No matter how dark the past was, the glory of God redeems. No matter how unworthy you may feel, the glory of God restores. Today, may matter how drift less you may feel, the glory of God gives purpose.

This glory, it is the anchor for our life. You were made for 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.

God Pulling You Closer

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

You ever felt like you aren’t doing enough for God? Felt like you don’t measure up? Felt like you aren’t good enough?

You know that you should read the bible more. Or pray more. Or whatever “more.” You feel it. You know it. You really know that it’s something that God is calling you to, something you should do, something you need to do to be faithful.

But yet, something happens, and you don’t do it. And, here’s the kicker. You feel like a failure. You feel further from God than you’ve ever felt before. You are sure that He can’t stand you know. You just know it.

Listen to what Paul writes today in 1 Corinthians 12:1-3:

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

Paul is talking about spiritual gifts in this section and in most of chapter 12. But I want you to notice what he writes at the very end of this passage. No one can say Jesus is Lord, except in the Holy Spirit.

That’s what I want to focus on here. You can’t say that Jesus is Lord, unless lead by the spirit. So, the very fact that there is anything in you that wants to know Jesus, follow Jesus, serve Jesus, that come from the spirit.

Anything in you today that wants to be faithful, that’s from God. Anything in your that desires to do “more” that’s from the spirit.

So, there’s two ways to look at it. We can beat ourselves for not being as faithful as we should, or we can choose to realize that anything in us that wants to be faithful, that’s God pulling us to Himself. That’s God pulling you closer.

Today, chase after God’s movement in your heart. Chase after His spirit. Follow where He is leading. If there anything, anything in you at all that wants to know Him, that’s Him calling you to Himself.

Chase after that.

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.

Give Us Rest

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

David Crowder Band is one of my favorite Christian bands ever. I love their spirit, I love their art, I love their lyrics, and I love their passion for leading the people of God in worship. There version of one of my favorite hymns, O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing is very different, but very good.

One their last album they have what may be my favorite of their songs. It’s called “Give Us Rest.” I just love the notion of singing to God, saying, give us rest. We are tired. We are worn out. We are exhausted. We can’t do any more.

Oh great God, give us rest!

Is that your prayer today? So many days, it is my prayer. As a busy body, sometimes, I just need rest.

Today, don’t just listen to the words of that song, listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Today, there is rest. No matter what you are facing. No matter where you are. No matter what is going on. There is rest. Really, there is.

Now that doesn’t mean that everything will get better at this exact moment. It doesn’t. But, you can rest.

You can put down your burden. You can lay it aside. And you can know that the very God of Creation holds you in His hand. You can rest today. Really, you can. You can rest.

Today, cast your cares upon Christ, because He cares for you.

Rest. In Him. Rest.

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 phone.

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