Maybe I’m Amazed

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

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There was a little rock and roll band from England that I’m a fan of. You may have heard of them, I think they were called the Beatles. Love the Beatles, love their solo works after they broke up as well.

As I was reading today’s text, believe it or not, I thought of one of Paul McCartney’s songs. Maybe I’m amazed. Really? I thought of a McCartney song? Yeah, I thought of Maybe I’m Amazed.

Listen to what the Word says in Luke 8: 24-25:

They went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”

They were amazed at Jesus. Amazed. Amazed at what He did. Amazed at how the wind and waved obeyed.

Amazed.

And here’s my question based off of that. How about us? When was the last time that you or I was amazed at Jesus? When was the last time we took a step back and just said, wow. He is so good.

He is so strong.

He is so mighty.

Wow, our God is good.

We aren’t often amazed at God enough. We don’t lose our breath enough. We don’t tremble enough.

When was the last time that we were truly amazed at God?

It’s not that God is not amazing. It’s that we are not paying attention. Today, look around. Pay attention. Listen. Look. Pray.

Be amazed. Because God is amazing.

Today, may we be amazed at Jesus.

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As Best You Can, Live in Peace!

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

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We are called to live in peace with one another. Really, we are. We see so many passages in the Bible about loving your neighbor, doing right, being faithful, being the body, all of these things.

We are even told in the Beatitudes that blessed are peacemakers. We are told to live in peace with one another.

But sometimes that’s hard, isn’t it? Sometimes that’s nearly impossible. That’s why I really like what it says today in Romans 12: 18-21:

If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In as much as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. I really love that. As much as it depends upon you.

Now notice, though, that’s not a “get out of jail free card.” You (and I) still have to do our part to live in peace with one another. So, look what it says. Don’t avenge yourself. If you’ve been wronged, don’t worry about getting them back.

As a Christian revenge should not be in our vocabulary.

In fact, look what the text says we should do. We should feed our enemies. Give them something to drink. And then it says in doing this, we heap coals upon their heads.

So, if we do these things, they will feel bad about themselves, right! We win. Well, not exactly. The job of a coal in the sacrifice is to purify. When we love our enemies, we show them God’s love. And we help them be drawn closer to God.

In as much as it depends upon us. That doesn’t excuse us. It doesn’t let us off the hook. We still have to be faithful, not seek vengeance, and love.

But know this. You don’t control their response. You only control yours. If you have done the right thing, if you have shown grace, if you have shown mercy, and they do not desire for things to be right, you know what?

You’ve done what you can do. That’s all you can do. Do what you can do.

You only have control of yourself. So, in as much as you can, live in peace with others. Do your part. Leave the rest up to God. And the results are not up to you.

So you can rest easy.

What Happens Next

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

What’s next is always a key question for me. I guess I’m the kind of person that’s always looking ahead, but when I know something, or understand something I always want to know, what do it do with it?

What’s next? What happens next?

I’ve told the story before about worshiping in a church for while that really stressed the reality of human sin and brokenness. I left worship every Sunday thinking, ok, I get it. I’m messes up. What do I do about it?

What’s next? What happens next? For me, that’s always a big thing. What is our response to what happens? What do we do about it? How do we handle it, how does it impact us?

Today, look at Luke 4:38-39 and see what happens next:

And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.

Jesus heals Peter’s mother in law. What happens next? She immediately got up and began to serve Jesus and the others. Notice that word, immediately. As soon as she could, she got up and went to serve others.

I wonder why?

Perhaps she realized just how much she had been given; she saw the length that Jesus went to, to give her a fresh start from this illness, and the way that she could say thank you, the way that she could respond was this.

To serve.

Perhaps today, that’s us. Has Jesus moved in your life? Has He given you grace, mercy, forgiveness? Has He restored you in some way? Shown you mercy? Given you grace?

What happens next?

How do we say thank you? How do we show Him how thankful we are for what He has done for us? Perhaps we follow the example of Peter’s mother in law.

Perhaps today we serve someone. That’s our thank you. That’s our response. We show that love, the way that Jesus has shown that love to us.

Today, may our “what’s next” be to show God’s love to someone through our lives!

Ok, This is My Favorite Passage

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

It’s a running joke at Asbury that whatever passage I just read, that’s my favorite on in the entire Bible. Yes, I do have my favorites, John 10:10, Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28, or Romans 2:4, but today’s passage from our readings, this may be my favorite passage in all the Bible.

Really.

I think it is.

Listen to what we read today in 1 John 3:19-20:

And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

The toughest person in the world to forgive is ourselves. That’s why this passage is my favorite. That’s why I just love it so. So often, we are carrying around guilt that we shouldn’t. So often there is so much pain in our lives; so much shame; so much hurt because of past mistakes.

So many times in our lives, our main condemnation comes from ourselves. We are condemned by our own hearts. We carry that burden on ourselves. We can’t let go. We can’t move on. We just can’t let go of that past.

Yes, you can. You can let go. You can move on. You can forgive yourself. If you heart condemns you, if you past can’t escape your sight if you can’t let go, hear these words.

God doesn’t condemn us. For those of us in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. None. None. None.

You are forgiven. Today. You are. You can let it go. Yes, you can. You can let those past mistakes go.

Why? Because God has. God has moved on. So can you. CS Lewis said this – “I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him.”

If your heart condemns you today. If your past screams at you today. If you can’t let go of the past today.

Hear this. God has forgiven you. He has. Really. You are forgiven. Today.

He has forgiven you. You can forgive yourself. If you heart condemns you, know this. God doesn’t.

Forgiveness. That’s why this is my favorite passage.

Fresh Starts

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

One of the beautiful things about our walk with God is that every day is a fresh start. Every day we get to start again. Every day we get to put the past behind us, and walk anew in God’s grace.

Every day. Today, it’s a brand stinking new day. Today you can leave behind the baggage and mistakes of yesterday and the past. Today, you can be forgiven.

You know how I know? Listen to what it says today in 1 John 1: 8-9:

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John tells us a couple of huge things here. First, he reminds us if we say that we have no sin, we are wrong. We all have sin. Every one of us. We all make mistakes, we all fall down, we all blow it in some way.

You do, I do, we all do. It’s just part of the human condition. No one is perfect.

So, we all bring something to the table that we need to be forgiven of by God. And then we hear the Good News. If we confess those sins, we are forgiven. If we share with God those mistakes, those falls, those things from the past, if we give them to Him, He in exchange, gives us the grace and the forgiveness that souls desire.

And that our souls need.

Today, through Jesus, you can be forgiven. You can come to know His grace, His mercy, His power, His forgiveness. It can be a new day today. It can be a fresh start today.

Seriously. It can be. Today can be that day for each of us.

Today, may we know that forgiveness and grace.

Why?

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

First, it’s good to be back doing these reflections. I took a couple of weeks off from them; I was in Nicaragua for a week with our youth on a mission trip, and then last week I was at St. Simons Island in Georgia for the Order of the FLAME Conference. Took good, busy, and kingdom minded weeks. But it’s good to get back into my routines!

One of the questions that we ask, or are tempted to ask, in life a lot is why? Why did this happen? Why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to them? Why is this happening? Why is one of the questions in our lives that pops up all the time.

And that’s ok. We want to know. We want to understand. It’s a question and a concept that every one of us, everyone, deals with and works with. Especially when something bad or tragic happens. We want to be able to make sense of the chaos and confusion and brokenness. We want it to make sense.

We want to know why?

And we aren’t the only ones. Look today at want happens in John 9: 1-3:

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

The disciples saw a man with tragedy in his life. He was born blind. And they wanted to make sense of it. They wanted to understand. So, the only way (in their mind) this made sense was for him to have do something to cause this, or his parents to have done something to have caused this. Someone did something to make this happen (in their mind). That’s the only way that this made sense.

So, they ask, whose fault is it? Why did this happen?

And notice what Jesus said. He said this man didn’t do anything neither did his parents. God is fixing to do something.

I love how Jesus reframed this question. He said – this thing, it will be for God’s glory. God is going to use it. God is going to bring something good out of it. God is going to make a difference through this. Something will happen that is amazing and beautiful because of this.

Because that’s what God does. He makes beauty out of the mess. He brings grace out of the pain. He brings resurrection out of death. He brings life.

So today, there may no be an answer to the why. But there is a point to the problem. God will bring something good out of the why. Because that’s what He does.

52 Weeks (Week 9)

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

This week as we continue memorizing the last verses of Romans 8, we take a look at Romans 8: 31-32. As we have mentioned, these last verses of chapter 8 in Romans are so encouraging, some hopeful, just so good. Listen to what we see here in 31-32:

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

We see here this reminder. If God is for us, then who can be against us? If God is on our side, pulling for us, calling us, leading us, pushing up, then what in the world do we have to fear?

Nothing.

If God is for us, then who can be against us?

No one.

This is how much God loves us. He loves us so much that He didn’t even spare His son so that we can know life and know life eternal. So how much more will He be with us and for us in all things? All things.

Today, no matter who you face, no matter what trials come your way. No matter what is happening, hear this.

No really. Listen. Listen to this. Know this to be true. Because it is. It is really and truly true.

God is for you. God is on your side. He is. He really is. No matter what happens today, God is for you. No matter what happens today, God is on your side.

Trust that today.

God is for you. Don’t lose hope!

Be Careful

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

We all make mistakes. That’s part of the human experience. We all mess up. We all blow it. We all fail. That’s what happens. And because we all fail, we really do all need to hear that word of grace. Jesus came, suffered, died, and was raised to life again because of God’s great love for us.

We are loved. No matter what has ever happened, no matter what the sin, no matter what has gone wrong.

We are loved.

You have to drill that truth down into your skull. You have to let the truth of God’s amazing love for you penetrate your very being. You are loved. More than you’ll ever know.

Don’t hold onto your sin and failings, hold onto His love.

Now, that said, there’s something else we need to know. We need to know the dangers of our sin. While our sin, through Jesus is forgiven and done away with, we also do not need to treat sin as though it isn’t something that is terrible destructive.

Listen to what it says in Hebrews 3: 12-13:

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Be careful that we are not hardened by our sin. Make sure that our sin continues to convict us. It is a dangerous, dangerous thing then when we sin and it doesn’t bother us. Especially if our sin is something that we chose to do. If it’s something that we KNOW, we have no doubt about, it’s clear as day, is wrong. And it doesn’t bother us.

When we have a hardened heart, we aren’t living the fullness of God’s power and glory. We aren’t seeking His life, His grace, His mercy, His power. His very life that He desires for us to live.

Today, you are forgiven. You are. Live in that grace.

But be careful with sin. Be careful. It’s not good. It is destructive. It will harm you, your relationships, your life, your everything. The devil seeks to rob, kill, and destroy.

And one of the things he longs to do is harden our heart. Don’t let that happen. Keep your heart soft. Pray. Read. Serve. Live. Let God’s grace soften your heart. Live in grace. Be careful of sin.

And allow God to continue to change you. And in that, we truly live.

52 Weeks (Week 8)

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

Just like we did a few weeks back with Psalm 121, we are going to learn another set of passages. We are going to, over the next few weeks, learn the concluding verses in Romans 8. Last week we learned Romans 8:28, this week we will learn Romans 8:29-30.

If you look at Romans, you see Paul spending so much time in Romans 1- 7 explaining our need for Jesus, how everyone that has ever lived needs Jesus. And when you read it, you can almost feel a little down because Paul really hammers everyone and their sin and their need for salvation.

And then you get to Romans 8. Romans 8 may be one of the most graceful, optimistic chapters in the entire Bible. It starts off the call that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, we are forgiven. And then it just keeps getting better and better and better.

Today we and memorize Romans 8: 29-30:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

In this passage, we see this truth about salvation. It’s not just about us. Now of course we have to respond to God’s offer. We have to respond to God’s gift of live and joy and peace. We have to move.

But, it doesn’t start with us. It starts with God. He is the first actor. He reaches out to us. He calls us. He comes to us. He moves first. He acts first. He says you are mine.

And then it’s up to us to respond.

Today, through Jesus Christ, God has called you. He had reached out to you. He desires to know you.

And He calls us to reach back. He calls us to respond.

Today, as grace is offered to us by God, may we receive that precious gift. May we respond to God’s action.

Who We Are

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

As we walk together through this season of Lent, it’s very important for us to remember who we are, and whose we are. We are the people of God. That’s our identity, that’s our purpose, that’s our calling.

We have to remember that. We belong to God. We are His.

Seriously. We are His. And that means this. We are not our own. We don’t live our lives the way that we want to live (or at least we shouldn’t), we don’t chase after our purposes, our plans, our goals, our stuff.

We are called to chase after God’s. That’s where life is found. In Him, and through Him.

But, why are we God’s people? Is it because of our perfection, our goodness, our righteousness, our stuff? Is God lucky to have us on His team? No, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Listen to what we are told today in Deuteronomy 7: 6-8:

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Today we are told yes – we belong to God. But we aren’t God’s because of our worth or our might, but we are God’s so that He can show His power through us. We are God’s because He wants to use us to show His strength. In the Old Testament, He didn’t choose Israel because they were the greatest. He chose them because they were the weakest. And in their weakness, when they were faithful and did great things, that just shows the power of God.

It’s the same for us today. You aren’t perfect. You don’t have it all figured out. You don’t have it all figured out.

And you know what?

That’s ok.

God still wants you. He still desires you. He still desires to be in relationship with you.

Not because of you. Because of Him.

Today, you belong to God. Live for Him. Live by His strength. Live in His power. Live for His purpose.

And if it goes wrong, remember this. You aren’t His because you are perfect. You are His because He is perfect.

Rest in that.

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