In the Morning

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

Sometimes we are in a storm that we feel will never get better. Sometimes the waves seem too high, the troubles seem too deep, the worries seem too much.

Sometimes there is weeping. And we feel like the weeping will never end. It will never get better. It will never stop. It will never change. But know this. It will. The weeping will not last forever. The troubles will not stay forever. The pain will not stay forever.

Listen to what we are told today in Psalm 30: 4-5:

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.

Weeping may come in the night. But joy will come in the morning. It will get better. It will.

The darkness will not last forever. When we are in the middle of it, we may think that it will never end. We may think that it will never get better. But it will.

You may be in pain now. You may be in trouble now. You may be in the middle of a storm now. Your tears may not stop now.

We all know that feeling. We’ve all been there. It hurts. And not much makes it feel better in that moment. No matter what you may be going through, you may feel like it will never get better.

It will. Listen to God’s Word this morning. It will. Weeping may linger for the night.

But Joy comes in the morning.

Today, if you are in the night of your tears, hold on. Morning is coming. It is. Morning is coming. And joys comes then.

Hold tight to God. He will not let you go. And His joy will come.

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The Forgotten Commandment

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

I’m a fan of checklists. I always like to know what I’ve got to do, when I’ve got to be somewhere, what is on my plate for that moment. I’m always looking to what is next. That’s just how I’m wired. Believe me, I’m not saying it’s good, I’m just saying it’s how I’m wired.

And today, as busy as many of us are, even if we aren’t wired like that, it’s sort of how we feel, isn’t it? Even if we don’t want to go, go, go, go, we feel like our schedules, our lives, all that’s going on makes us that way. That’s sort of modern life today. Or at least that’s how it feels.

I think today that we can learn a lot from what happens in Mark 6:30-31. Listen to what it says:

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

Jesus had sent the Disciples out on a task, they had a lot that they were called to do for Him. They come back, they are excited, but they had been going, going, going, going. And what does He tell them to do?

Come away and rest.

When was the last time you rested? I mean, really? When was the last time you let the concerns of work, of school, of life, of family, of everything, just go, if just for a moment, and rested.

We can’t go all the time. Remember one of the Ten Commandments is to keep the Sabbath. We have got to have times of rest. We must. We have do. We can’t go all the time.

Jesus understood it.

He made the Disciples live it.

What about us? Do we live out this forgotten commandment? Now, believe me, this is a do what I say, not what I do. You can ask my wife, I struggle with this. But the older I get, the more I’m learning that I can go and go and go without taking that rest.

So today, take some Sabbath. Catch your breath. Rest. Trust. Hope.

You can rest. God has it all under control. You can trust that. He’s got it. Remember that forgotten commandment. Take Sabbath. Take rest. And see how God uses it in our lives.

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Like a Magnet

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

I heard a speaker say once if you to really change your life, read a Gospel. Really sit down and read it. Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Take one, read through it, and see what you didn’t see before. Don’t just take other’s words for who Jesus is, but dig down yourself, read the Gospel, see what He did and see what it means to you.

It really will change your life. By the way, not for nothing, when folks ask me where they should start reading the Bible at, I always say Mark. It’s a Gospel, it’s the shortest, and in many ways the easiest to understand. So if you are looking to start reading the Bible, or start specifically with a Gospel, start with Mark.

Today, something really jumped out to me in our reading from Mark 2: 14-17:

14 As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. 15 And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples – for there were many who followed him. 16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

Here’s what always amazes me about Jesus. People that weren’t “righteous” those that were called “sinners” they were drawn to Him like a magnet. They wanted to be around Him. They wanted to know Him. They wanted to be in relationship with Him.

They ate with Him. The invited Him to their homes, where He ate with them. There was something about Him, something about this Jesus that drew “sinners” to Him. (I’m putting sinners in quotation marks, because we are all sinners needing grace. Me, you, everyone. And that’s ok, He came to give us that grace.)

So this where that passage leaves me. What about us? What us that are believers? Are lost folk drawn to us? Are sinners draw to us? Do folks that don’t know Jesus, do they want to be around us like they did around Jesus?

Folks were drawn to Jesus like a magnet. What about us? Are we living out His grace, allowing His grace to shine through us in powerful ways that folks who don’t know Him, want to know Him?

I hope so. I hope we live with such grace and mercy, that folks that don’t know Jesus will want to be around us. Be friends with us, eat with us, laugh with us. Because when we are in relationship with people (just like Jesus was) His grace can change people.

So, today, may we be that magnet. Through God’s grace, may people be drawn to us, so that we can point them to Jesus.

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The Greater Gift

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

In today’s reading, we hear a story that we have all heard a lot, and those are always fun stories. Stories that are familiar, stories we love. Listen to part of it, Mark 2: 1-5:

1 When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. 3 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

You’ve probably heard sermons about friendship, how far we should be willing to go to help our friends meet Jesus. Perhaps about the power of their faith. If you were to keep reading this text, you’d see that Jesus tells the man that is paralyzed to get up and walk, showing His power to heal those that are sick.

But when I reading this morning, something else spoke to me. Notice what the very first thing Jesus does is. He says – your sins are forgiven. In fact when we see Him heal this man, that healing is really evidence that He has the power to forgive sins.

Yes, we do see healing take place. But we see in this text what the greater gift is. Forgiveness.

Of all the things that Jesus can give you, the one that we may be most tempted to take for granted is that greater gift. Forgiveness.

Life is not perfect. There are troubles. There are hurts. There is pain. There is loss. There many things that really do bring troubles to our soul and to live our lives. And hurt. And Jesus wants to heal them. He is the healer of the nation.

But first, He wants to heal our greatest need and hurt. Hear those words of Jesus. Today, your sins are forgiven. Hear that again. Today, in and through Jesus, you are forgiven.

You may face the same trials today that you faced yesterday. You may face the same hurts. The same pains. The same temptations.

But hear it again. You are forgiven. For real. You are. Through the power and love of Jesus, you are forgiven. The mistakes of the past, the stuff you’ve done wrong, the things that weigh you down, you can let them go. Because Jesus has.

Today, no matter what has happened in your life, He offers you the greater gift. Forgiveness.

Today, may we live in that gift.

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Being Family

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

There are a lot of things in life that can divide us. There are allegiances to certain college football teams. There are the different Christian denominations. There are worship styles. There are so many things that can divide us. In fact, the things that divide us can often seem to be so much more numerous than the things that unite us, even as Christians.

So, what happens is we focus on those things, we become more embittered, move divided, more at war with each other.

It’s easy to do. It’s what the world does, and what the world does to us as Christians.

But listen to what John tell us today in John 1: 1-5:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Silhouette of a cross

Read again what it says in 4-5 – In Him (Jesus) was life and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

He is the light that brings us together and the darkness did not overcome it. He is what matters. He is the foundation, the rock, the cornerstone, the all in all, the everything.

It’s Him. It’s not the things that divide us. It’s not our different churches or theologies or those things. It’s Jesus.

One of my favorite quotes is one attributed to John Wesley – “If your heart has been warmed as my heart has, then give me your hand.” In other words, if you know Jesus like I do, then we can work together. In fact, we must work together. Because even though we may disagree on some stuff, we are family.

Because we have the Father in Heaven, we are saved by the same Son Jesus Christ, and we are empowered by the same Holy Spirit.

We are family. We are. Today, through Jesus, we are family. Let’s live like. Let’s serve like it. Let’s love like it.

And I know it, I just know it, if we do that, if we live with that life, we will change the world, through Jesus.

Today, let’s be family.

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Don’t Worry Baby

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

I’m not a huge Beach Boys fan, but there are a couple of their songs that I really just love. For some reason, I really like their song “Don’t Worry Baby.” I wasn’t really sure what it was about, in fact I had to Google the lyrics just now to find out. Apparently it’s about a guy getting a car race and his girlfriend is telling him not worry about what happens because she loves him. Who knew?

The reason I liked that song is I just loved the chorus. Just a reminder everything will be ok – don’t worry baby.

Man, that’s a good reminder. In this song, his girlfriend tells him she loves him, and she shouldn’t worry. Well, you and I today potentially face something more worrisome that. What about Greece? What about our economy? What about the world? Everything. Everything is spinning out of control. Everything is awful. What do we do?

Don’t worry, baby.

Not because of the lyrics of this song, but because of what we read in Matthew 17: 1-7:

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”

This is who is on our side. Read that again. Look at Jesus in all His glory. He is not weak. He is not frail. He is not defeated.

He is King of Kings. He is Lord of Lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning nad the End, the First and Last.

In other words, it’s ok. Really, it is. He’s got this.

He is glorious, He is powerful, and nothing happens that He is not aware of and not in the midst of.

I’m not saying that there are not things that are scary. What I’m saying is this. Jesus is bigger. Never forget that.

So, don’t worry baby. Jesus is bigger. He’s got this. You can trust in Him, no matter how afraid you may be.

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At Just the Right Moment

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

Has something ever come along at just the right moment for you? You know, like that feeling when you are driving down a country road and your gas light comes on. You begin to think, am I going to be able to make it to town where there is gas? And then, out of nowhere, you find a gas station?

Or maybe you’ve been looking for something that belongs to your child or grandchild and they are THISCLOSE to having a meltdown. And then, boom, out of nowhere, you find it? Disaster averted.

It’s that a great feeling, to know that at just the right moment, you had what you needed. I think about that a lot when I read today’s passage. Listen to what it says in Romans 5: 6-8:

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I love that passage. At just the right moment. While we were weak, while we were frail, while we were at our most unlovable. It was at that exact moment that Jesu died for us. Not because we deserved it or earned it.

In fact, the exact opposite. At that moment, that moment of our failure, our mistakes, our weakness, at that moment Jesus died for us. Not because we earned it. But because He loves us.

At that moment when we were the most unloveable, that was the right moment. That’s when grace was applied.

You are loved today. You just are. You can choose to live in that, or reject. It’s your call, it’s my call. It’s up to me and you to decide what we will do with God’s love at this moment. But regardless of your choice, know this.

You are loved. Because at just the right moment, at just the right time. At that moment when we were most unlovable, at that moment Jesus died for us.

You are loved. Never forget that. You are loved.

Live in that grace today.

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The Secret

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

John the Baptist is one of the coolest characters in all the Bible to me. One of the reasons why is because when you read his story, he has such courage. Man oh man, he’s not afraid of anything. He says what he needs to say, sometimes in a VERY bold way, and he does what he needs to do.

He said what he said, wore what he wore, did what he did with great courage.

You ever wonder what his secret was?

What was it that he had that gave him such courage? Well, when we read his story, this is what we see. We see that he knew that he had one job in life, and that was to point to Jesus. Everything he did was for that purpose. He did in everywhere and in every way.

He pointed to Jesus. And was the source of his courage. He knew that if he did what he was supposed to do, that was his purpose. And all would flow from that. Listen to what happens today in John 3: 27-30:

27 John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Here’s John, who is a big deal, has people coming from everywhere to hear him preach. Folks are talking to him, saying are you the messiah? Are you the one that is to come?

And John says – no! I am not the one. I am a friend of the one. I point to the one. But I am not the one. And then he says that great statement in verse 30 – He must increase, but I am must decrease.

Wow. That’s a tough thing to say, isn’t it. Jesus must decrease. We’re good with that one. That one’s cool.

But I must decrease. I’m not so sure about that one. I’m not sure that I want to decrease. That’s tough.

But John knew that he had to. He knew his life was not his own, but it was Jesus’. And the only way that he would be able to find true life was to decrease. Because living for himself would never lead to life. Living for Jesus would lead to true life. Now, and for all eternity.

He had to decrease. Jesus had to increase. That’s the secret. That was where his courage, his purpose, his life came from. He knew that if increased and Jesus decreased, he’d never find life. But, if he did all that he could do to point to Jesus and point others to Jesus, he’d fine life. And that life leads to courage.

Today, how about us? We were made for that very purpose. To point others to Jesus.

Today, may we live out our purpose. And if we do that, we will find the courage that we desperately need. Today, may He increase and we decrease.

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Enough Faith?

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

I really love when you are reading the Bible, and the spirit allows you to see a different perspective, it allows you to see things a little bit different. That’s what happened to me this morning. This is the familiar text I was reading, Luke 17:5-6. Listen to what it says:

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Ok, check this out. They come to Jesus and say, increase our faith. Now, that’s a good thing, right? I mean, who doesn’t want more faith? Who doesn’t need more faith? So, they come to Jesus with a good request.

But then, look what Jesus does. He doesn’t say, no, I won’t. He doesn’t say, sure, no problem. He says this. If you have the faith of a mustard see, you can throw a tree in the sea.

We hear that and think (quite often) about the size of the faith, and just a little bit of faith is powerful. And then we think, man I just don’t have even that little bit of faith. I need just that little bit.

But look at what Jesus is saying, if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can do amazing things.

Guess what? They did have the faith of a mustard seed. They did. They had left all they had and followed Him. They had this faith. Was it perfect? No. But it was there.

And so Jesus was saying this. You don’t need more faith. You have enough faith. Use what you have!

We are like them in this way. Are we perfect? No. Do we have all the faith in the world? No. But you know what, if you believe in Jesus, you have faith. If you follow Him, you have faith. You do.

He’s saying that you actually do have the faith of a mustard seed. You do. And that means today that you can do it!

In other words, you aren’t inadequate. You really aren’t. You have all that you need. You can do it. It’s not the size of the faith that you have, it’s the size of the God that you serve.

Don’t worry about having more faith, or not having enough faith. Use the faith that you have. With that faith, you can do anything. Anything. Anything is possible. It truly is.

So today, live, love, serve, laugh. Live out the faith that you, and watch God do amazing things. You can do it. You have faith. God can will use it. Through Him, you can do amazing things.

Today. And each day.

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Why We Don’t Worry

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

One of the things that we see so often in scripture is this. As Christians, we are called to be different from the world. Not perfect in all things, but different. There’s got to be something different about us from the world; from the culture; from where we are live.

We just have to be different. Different in action, different in thought, different in purpose.

We see it in the Old Testament with the Levitical laws. We see in the Prophets with the call to treat others fairly. We see it in Paul’s works with the call to live not by the law, but by grace. And we see it in the Gospel with Jesus’ command to follow Him.

Listen to what He tells us today in Luke 12: 29-31:

And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Jesus tells us, don’t worry about what you are going to eat, or drink, or wear. Why? The nations of the world worry about these things. But your Father knows that you need them.

He’s not saying that these things are bad. He’s saying this – the Father knows you need food and drink and clothing. He knows this. And He will take care of you. He will.

The Father will meet your needs. He will. This is why we don’t worry.

Listen. The Father will take care of you. He will. Don’t worry about those things. God will provide.

And here’s what happens when we don’t worry about that. We can focus on what really matters. God’s kingdom. His will. His plan. His purpose. His love.

When we don’t worry about those things (that God will provide) we can focus on the one thing that really matters. God.

So, today, don’t worry about those things. God knows that you need them. He will provide. Focus on Him and His kingdom. And all will be well.

That’s why we don’t worry.

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Tag Archives: Jesus

In the Morning

The Forgotten Commandment

Like a Magnet

The Greater Gift

Being Family

Don’t Worry Baby

At Just the Right Moment

The Secret

Enough Faith?

Why We Don’t Worry