But Not So With You

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

There are certain phrases in the Bible that are always powerful to me. One of my pastors as a child used to talk about the phrase “but” in the Bible. Anytime you hear that word in a passage you know that something big is going to come next.

Today’s passage in Luke 22: 24-27 has one of those phrases that always jumps out to me. Listen to what it says:

24 A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

The word “but” was a giveaway. I love, love, love when Jesus says “But not so with you.”

I think no other phrase in the Bible sums up what the Christian life should look like more than that. But not so with you.

Look what Jesus is doing there. He is talking about how the world determines who is the greatest. Those who are powerful are the greatest in the context of the world. Those who are in charge. Those who run things. Those who have power. They are the greatest.

But not so with you. For us, for us a Christians, greatest does not come from power or position, or from any such thing like this. Greatness comes from service. From serving one another. From laying down our lives for one another. From putting each other first.

That’s what the Gospel-infused life should look like. Different. Different from the world. A life driven by love. By grace. By forgiveness. Why? Because we have been shown love. Grace. And forgiveness.

And we must show those same things to each other. And to the world.

Today, greatness is in your hand. But not greatness the way that the world looks at it. Greatness the way that God looks at it. Jesus says this in John 15:13 – No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

So, today, we see what the world does. That’s fine. That’s great. But not so with you. Not so with me. Not so with us. We are the church. We are the body of Christ. We are called to live our His love and allow that love to change this world. Today, let’s be obedient to that call. Let’s live that love out.

And let’s see what happens when we live that Gospel-infused life. Let’s just see what God does with it!

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

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.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join Andy’s email group!

As Best You Can, Live in Peace!

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

Just a reminder, if you’d like to sign up and get these reflections through email, click here!

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.

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!

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!

An Easter People

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

One of the truths for us as Christians is this – we are an Easter people. For us, Easter is not just one day of the year, but it is a way of life, it is a truth, it is a hope, it is a peace, it is who we are.

We are an Easter people. Easter is why we worship on Sunday, instead of the Old Testament Sabbath – sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. But Easter was Sunday. And that changes things for us. We believe that life will win over death, good will win over evil, light will win over dark, faith, hope and love will win over all.

We are an Easter people. We believe that life is just waiting to erupt, everywhere. Life is just waiting to spring forth.

But see, that’s the way that it’s always gone with God. He is always bringing forth life in amazing ways. He is always up to something awesome. Listen to this story you’ve probably heard a million times, but listen to it in light of Easter. Listen to Ezekiel 37: 1-3:

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”

God tells Ezekiel, I am going to bring life to these dead bones today. I am going to bring life to this dry, desolate valley. Life will spring forth from a place where there is no life, there is no hope, there is resurrection.

I will bring resurrection and life because I am resurrection and life.

And then you will know that I am the Lord. That is what is happening here.

That’s what can happen in your life today. Today, God wants to break through with life and hope and peace. Today, God wants to break into the dry bones of our life and bring Easter resurrection.

That’s what God does. That’s who God is. That’s what happens in Easter. Today, look for life. Don’t give up in the dry valley. Know that God is wanting to bring life. And when that life erupts, live in the glory and the power of Easter.

Because we are an Easter people.

Don’t Worry About It

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

Today on this third day of Holy Week, we see Jesus do some teaching. On Palm Sunday, He entered Jerusalem. On Monday, He cleansed the Temple. Today, He teaches. You can read the totality of His teaching in Matthew 23:29-24:51.

But this teaching isn’t so much about morality, what you should or not do. Listen to some of this teaching:

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[c] but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

These aren’t exactly “happy” verses. They are tough. They are worrisome. They are even scary. We see Jesus say that a time of judgement will come. And that can be scary. That can unsettling. That can be bad.

But that’s not what this is about. Yes, we see themes of judgement here. Yes, we see that God will come and make all things right. But we also see this. It’s going to be alright. Every time in scripture we that notion of the judgement of God and the End of the Age, we see this. Those that believe, those that are part of the covenant community, those that are part of the people of God, you know what?

We are going to be ok. We are. We are going to be ok. Yes, this world is passing away. It is. This world is not permanent. It is fading. But you know what isn’t? God.

See our hope is not in this world. Yes, I love, love, love this world. Life is great. Life is amazing. Things are awesome. But this world is fading. And there will come a day, there will be a place where there is no more pain, suffering, and death.

There is no more sickness. Or loss. Or hurt. Or tears. They are gone and vanquished forever.

And we will always be with the Lord.

So today, perspective. That thing that you are worried about, that is taking your joy, don’t worry about it. Seriously. Don’t worry. God has everything under control. Our life is found not the stuff of this world, but in Him.

So, today trust. Don’t worry. It’s going to be ok. God has it. Today, you can trust. No matter what.

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.

Simplify

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

I like things that are simple. The older I get, the more I really want things to be simple so that I can understand; see the big picture, a see what is really at the heart of the matter. Simplicity is a good, good thing.

We often look at the Bible, look at issues of faith, and think that they can be too confusing. They are too complicated. They can’t really be understood. And there are many, many things in the Bible, many things in faith that are hard to understand. One of the things that we can struggle the most to understand is this. What does it mean to be a Christian? What does the Christian life look like, what are we supposed to do as Christians.

Paul in the book of Galatians spends time going to the heart of the matter for the Christian faith. He really wants to simplify the understanding of what the Christin life should be. Look at what he writes today in Galatians 5: 13-14:

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Yep. That’s a good, simple word. He gets to the heart of what the Christian life should look like in regards to how we are to treat others. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. All the laws about how we are supposed to treat each other, all these things, they are simplified here.

Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

That’s it. That’s the heart of the law. That’s the heart of the faith. As Jesus reminded us, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all of our mind, our soul and strength, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

That’s the heart of what this whole Christianity thing is about. Love God. Love neighbor. That’s the Gospel, that’s the law, that’s the faith, simplified.

Today, don’t worry about the complicated things that you can’t understand. Focus on this. Love God. Love neighbor. The rest will take care of itself.

God’s Plan for You

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

Ever feel like your life doesn’t have a plan? Like you are drifting with no purpose or even reason for being around? I know that we can all feel that way sometimes. We can be in a place, at a point, where just aren’t sure what it is that we are to do, we can be unsure of even God’s plans for us.

And that feeling can gnaw at us. It can make us question ourselves, our worth, our ideas, our dreams, everything. It can make everything seem wrong, it can make everything seem pointless.

It can make us seem like there is no reason for any of this.

When we feel like that, let’s not live just where we feel. Let’s take those feelings and compare them to what God’s Word says. Listen to what we are told today in Isaiah 49: 1-3:

Listen to me, O coastlands,
and give attention, you peoples from afar.
The Lord called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

God tells Isaiah – before you were born, I knew you. Before you were born, while you were still in the womb, I call you. You have a purpose. You have a cause. You have a reason.

You do. Now, the specifics of your life, I don’t know. I’m not sure of that. But I know God’s plan for you. I really do. I am 100% certain of God’s plan for you.

Want to know? It’s right there in verse 3. You are God’s servant. And He will receive glory through you. That’s God’s plan for you. That’s your purpose. That’s your reason for existing.

To bring glory to God. Now how does this happen? By living the way that God would want.

And what does that look like? Jesus tells us – to love God and love our neighbor with all that we. That’s the entire point of it all. That’s what you are here for. That’s what I am here for. All of us. To love God and love our neighbor. That’s your purpose. That’s God’s plan.

Now the specifics, I don’t know. But you know how you’ll find out? Live out your purpose. Love God. Love your neighbor. And God will show you the specifics.

God has amazing things in store for you today and through your life. Amazing. He has a plan for you. May we be faithful to the plan that He has shown us. And in doing that, may He shows us the specifics of our life!

Focus on What Counts

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

Be careful what you wish far. What you wish for may look good. May look great. But, it can be dangerous. We need to always examine ourselves for what it is that we desire, and just what we are willing to do to get that.

Listen to what Jesus says today in Luke 9:23-25

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Jesus tells us this – what is it worth to have the entire world, to have everything you could want, everything you could dream of, if you lose your soul. If you lose yourself. What is that worth?

Is there anything on the earth that you can think of that would be worth having, if it would cost soul? It may be tempting to say, sure yes, this thing. Sure that’d be great.

And then you gain it. You can gain it all. Wealth, power, status, fame, everything. But if you lose yourself. If lose your faith, your family, your relationships, your friends, your life, what is that thing worth?

Nothing.

Life is not made up of the stuff that we think we desire. Life is made up of those relationships. With God. With others. And yes, even with ourselves. These relationships, they define us. They give us life. They give us purpose. They really define for us what it means to live.

Don’t loose that today. Focus on what counts. Focus on what matters. Focus on what is truly life. Not “the world” not the things that you think you could desire to make you happen.

Not thing things of this world.

Relationships. With God. With others. That’s what counts. That’s living. That’s purpose. That’s what it’s all about.

Today, and each day, focus on what counts. Don’t gain the world but lose your soul. Because if you were to do that, you really aren’t even living.

Today, let’s live. Let’s focus on what counts.

RevAndy.org

Tag Archives: Life