Remember Who He Is

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

One of the things that we so often in the Gospels is we see the lengths that God went to, through Jesus, to bring us back home. We see Jesus, who is both fully God and fully human (a term called the incarnation) walk among us, suffer, go through everything that we go through as human, live, die, and be raised again. And through all this He overcomes sin, death, and the grave, and through His power, allows us to overcome sin, death, and the grave.

That’s how we see Him in the Gospels.

But there are moments, moments of divine glory, where we see Jesus in all of His power and might and majesty. Moments where we truly see Him for who He is. Today’s text is one such moment. Listen to what happens in the Transfiguration as found in Matthew 17: 1-6:

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.

Here, we see Jesus as He truly is.

Sometimes in an effort to understand Him and relate to Him, we can take the majesty away from Jesus. Not on purpose, mind you, but just in treating Him so common and ordinary. Sometimes faith gets ordinary. Sometimes the stuff of faith becomes ordinary.

Sometimes we can take for granted or not really even think about who it is we pray to. We can forget the majesty of who Jesus truly is. We can forget His power. Forget His might. Forget His strength.

Not on purpose, mind you. It just becomes so regular and ordinary, we just forget.

Today, remember who is it we pray to. Remember who has saved us. Remember who has sustained us. Remember His power, His grace. See Him as He is.

He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He sits at the right hand of God will judge the living and the dead.

He is Lord.

Remember who He is today. And let us be thankful He hears our prayers and in on our side!

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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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Open Our Eyes

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

Sometimes we need to have God open our eyes. We can miss so many amazing things. We can miss the beauty of creation. We can miss the simple joys of life. We can miss the things that God wants to show us, the things that God wants us to see.

We can miss His truth. We can miss the things that in life that are true. Things that are good. Things that are pure. Things that are noble.

We can miss the things, the real things, which we need to see.

Now, I don’t think we miss these things because we want to miss them. We miss them because we are busy. Or we aren’t looking for them. Or our attention is elsewhere.

We just don’t see.

Today we need to pray for our God to open our eyes. Open our eyes to see what is really real. Open our eyes to what we see in Ephesians 1: 16-20:

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

We need to have our eyes opened (or I like how it says here, the eyes of our hearts enlightened) to know the hope that we’ve been called to. The riches of our inheritance. The greatness of His power to us.

We have so much power at our disposal. We have so much strength on our hands. We have so much that we can do. We have the very God of all of heaven on our side, working with us; working for us, calling us.

We have hope in every situation. We can believe, no matter how dark it is. We can have peace, no matter how bad it may seem. We can live, even when we don’t know how.

We have all these things. All of them.

Not through our power or might. But through Jesus. Through His power. His might. His strength. His grace.

Through Him.

It’s there. We just have to open our eyes to see it.

Today, may He open our eyes. May we see what we can do; what we can be, all through Him.

Today, may we see things, as they really are. May we see.

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Confidence

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

We all know, we all believe that we are broken vessels. We know that we are imperfect. We know that we make mistakes, that we fall, that we fail, that we all mess up.

Seriously, we know that. And it’s good for us to remember that. It’s good for us to know that we can’t do it all by ourselves. We need to learn to depend on God. To trust in His grace. To lean on His mercy.

To know that we are sinners, saved by grace.

But, that’s not all that we are. As weak as we are, we don’t stand by our strength. If we stand by our strength only, we will fall. But we don’t stand by our strength. We stand by God’s strength.

And when we stand by God’s strength, we stand with confidence. Listen to what it says today in 2 Corinthians 3: 4-6:

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

We have great, great confidence in Jesus. We aren’t sufficient (or able) in ourselves. But we are sufficient; we are able in Him. You can do it today. Through Him, you can do it today.

No matter what it is. No matter what you face. No matter what you are dealing with you. You can do it through Him.

Have confidence. Have that trust. Have that faith. Have that hope. You can do it through Him.

Yes, your sin is great. His strength is great.

Yes, your weakness is much. His strength is more.

Yes, you feel that you can’t do it through yourself. But know. You can do it through Him.

This fact is true. As great as your sin is, the blood of Christ and the power of the empty grave, they are greater.

Today, you can confidence. Not in yourself. But in Him. Through Him, you can do all things.

Today have confidence.

Don’t Admit Defeat!

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

I’ve heard it said before that there are no coincidences with God. I really believe that. Today is one of those small little moments that make me smile.

At Asbury in my Wednesday night Bible Study, we’ve been walking together through Paul’s Letter to the Romans. It’s been a lot of fun; we take our time; we chase rabbits, we laugh, we enjoy it.

Anyway, we finished chapter 6 last night an I spent a lot of time talking about verse 14. And lo and behold, what is our reading for today, out the Asbury bulletin? Romans 6: 12-14. Pretty cool. Listen to what it says:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

For sin will have no dominion over you. That’s a powerful phrase. That’s a powerful thought. Sometimes, most times, we feel as through we are helpless against our sin.

We are going to sin, we are going to fall down, we are going to fail. So why fight it? Why push back? Why try? I mean, it’s going to happen.

That’s what we think. We build in excuses for our failure. We are going to blow it. It’s what we do. We are human. It’s going to happen.

And yes, there is truth to that. We do make mistakes. We blow it. We do fail. But.. . . we don’t need to admit defeat before we start.

I had a friend tell me this, and it’s always stuck with me. Yes, sin is powerful. It is. But, is it more powerful than the blood that was shed upon the cross? Is it more powerful than the resurrection and the empty grave?

No. It’s not. As powerful as your sin is, it’s not more powerful than the power of God. It’s simply not.

You don’t have live under the power of sin anymore. Yes, you will make mistakes. But hear this. Sin doesn’t have to control you anymore. It doesn’t. The power of God is great than the power of sin.

As believers, we can live with no more excuses. We can live in the power of God. Not in the power of sin. We will blow it sure. It happens. But have the power, through the Holy Spirit, to resist.

To fight back. To overcome.

Today, you don’t have to be defeated. You don’t. You can live under the power of God. You can.

Today we can be free.

So, What Next?

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the things that I stress a lot, that I talk about a lot, that I really believe is that we are all sinful. We are all broken. All of us.

And when I talk about that, I’m not talking about it in terms of us being the worst people who have ever lived in the history of the world, but all of us, me, you, each of us, we need Jesus. If we aren’t sinful, if we aren’t in need of saving, then why did Jesus come.

Our own experience tells us our need for Jesus and we all fall down. We just know that. We have all experienced that.

Ok, go it. But here’s the thing that I always come to when it comes to talking about our sin, our mistakes. What next? We get it. We are broken. We are messed up. We make mistakes. Ok, got it. But what next?

I want to know what I can do it about it. I don’t want to be just like I am. I don’t want to stay the same.

Listen to what it says today in Romans 6: 12-14:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

There’s that last verse – for sin will have no dominion over you. That’s stuck with me since I’ve read it again recently. As many mistakes as we have made, as much as we mess up every day, as long as we fall down, remember.

As powerful as sin is. God is more powerful. Really. He is. As powerful as temptation is, God is more powerful. As powerful as your faults are, God is more powerful.

You can be more faithful today than you were yesterday.

Today is a new day. Yesterday is past. Done. Gone. Today is new.

Today, let’s be faithful. Let’s not let the mistakes of yesterday, the things that happen, the past, the old, the failings.

Today is a new day. I’m not saying that everything is going to be perfect. I’m not saying that you are going to be perfect. I’m not saying that there won’t be mistakes made.

But what I am saying is that it’s a new day. A today, we can be more faithful than yesterday. We can. We really can. If we are believers, then we have the Holy Spirit within us. We have the very power of God within us, pulling us, pushing us, helping us.

Today, you can do it. Really. You can. Or better said, God can do it through you. He can.

Nothing He Can’t Do

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

In the readings for this week, we see a picture of who Jesus is. He is epic. He is divine and powerful and strong and eternal.

Why? Why do the readings this week focus so much on how big Jesus is, on His divine Majesty, on His power, on His might? Why are we reminded of these things?

Because we need to remember that this is His world. He is King. He is Lord. He is in control. He is in charge.

We are not. Seriously. We are not in control. He is. Listen to what happens today in Matthew 9: 2-8:

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Jesus says, not just be healed, but be forgiven. Because as great as the healing was, the forgiveness is even more amazing. That’s the kind of God that Jesus is. He has the power to heal. He has the power to forgive.

There is literally nothing that He can’t do. He can do everything. There is not a portion, a part, an inch of your life that Jesus can’t restore, can’t rebuild, can’t bring new life to.

Nothing. There is nothing that He can’t do.

Nothing.

Today remember His power. Remember that He has the power to heal. He has the power to forgive. He has the power to do everything. Don’t forsake that power. Don’t forget that power.

Live as a child of risen and resurrected King. There’s nothing He can’t do.

Nothing.

Do you believe that? Do you live like that? We should. We have to. Because that’s who He is.

Today, let’s live like we believe that Jesus is who He says that He is. Let’s live in the power that He grants to us. Let’s live.

SOAP – Day Four– Luke 22:24-27

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Today is Day Four of our SOAP challenge. I’ve head so much good feedback about this method, that I may continue doing it this way for a while longer. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Let’s start

S – scripture

Slow down. No matter where you read this at, at work, at home, wherever, take this moment to breathe. Take this moment to let the worries to this moment, the worries of tomorrow, the regrets of the past leave your mind. Listen. Listen to the Word of God. Listen.

Luke 22:24-27:

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

O – observation

How leadership works in the world

The disciples are fighting about who will be the greatest in the kingdom that is to come. And Jesus basically handles that question in two ways. First, he poses the question, how does leadership work in the world?

It’s about power, prestige, and money. He says, they lord over you. The leaders act better than you, more powerful than you, they use that power to get you to do what they want you to do. You do what they want you to do, because you don’t have any choice. You have to. That’s what the kings of Jesus day did.

How leadership works in the church

Jesus then asked, what about us? How should it be for us?

Instead of power being the driving force of leadership for His people, greatness for us does not come from power, but from service. Jesus tells us, that for us to be truly great in God’s kingdom, we must serve. To truly be great or a leader or respected in God’s kingdom, it’s about how we serve. How we love. How we forgive.

That’s what greatness looks like for us.

How Jesus lived

Jesus asks, in their culture, who would be “seen” as greater? The one “reclining at the table” would basically be the one at the seat of honor. Jesus says, what do I do? I serve you. And yet, who is more honorable that Jesus? Who is greater than Jesus? No one. So, Jesus doesn’t just tell the disciples that they should serve and love, He actually does.

He is the greatest. And He is the servant.

A – application

Am I using my “status” for my good or God’s?

God has you where He has you for a reason. Your friends, your job, your connections, everything. He has you there for a reason. Are you using the place He has you for His purpose in your life, or for you own? Are you using your resources for His good and His purpose, or are you using them only for your power, or position, or appearance.

He tells us that that’s what the world does. And He has told us that as Christians, that’s not what we are supposed to do. How are we using all that God has given us?

Am I serving today as Jesus would have?

Jesus tells us to truly be great for Him, we have to serve. Today, are we doing that? Are we serving others? Are we placing them ahead of ourselves? Are we placing their needs, their stuff ahead of ours? That’s were true greatness, true peace, true purpose comes from. Not from living for ourselves, but for living for God’s purpose.

Jesus modeled that, He lived that, He showed that.

Today, as His followers, do we do the same?

P – prayer

Dear Father, today, help us to use everything that you have given us for your purpose and for your glory. Help us to be truly great in your kingdom. Help us to serve each other, as you served us. Amen.

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.

Not Ashamed

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Andy Stoddard

Listen to the Word of God as we see in 1 Timothy 1:8-9:

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began

This is big. Really big. We are called today not be ashamed of our faith in Jesus. We are called today to live boldly, live with confidence, live with peace, live for Jesus. We are called today to not be ashamed of the Gospel.

But, be proud of the Gospel.

The title that is most important to me today is not Reverend. Or pastor. Or even Husband. Or Father. Or Son.

The title that means the most to me today is Christian. Because the title Christian makes everything else possible. For me to be the best pastor or husband or father or son that I can be, I must chase after Jesus with all that I am.

Today, the title that has to mean the most in your life is that title of being a child of God. That has to have the most meaning. That is the title that everything, all things, they must flow from.

Don’t be ashamed.

Don’t run from it.

Don’t hide from it.

You are a Christian. You are child of God. You are His.

Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel. It’s the power of God in you, through you, and for you.

Live boldly. Live for Him! Take His name with you, where ever you go. Live. Love. Serve.

In Jesus name.

Don’t be ashamed, today, and each day!

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.

This World and the Next

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Andy Stoddard

One of my favorite quotes is by my man CS Lewis. This is what he says in his book Mere Christianity.

“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

I thought about that when I read today’s scripture from John 13:1-4

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.

In John, Jesus gets up, and He washes the feet of the disciples. This is an act of great service, one of the greatest acts of service that any would could possibly perform, and our Lord and Savior willingly does it.

This is a great example to us. Why did He do it? Because He knew that the Lord had given all things into His hands. And that He had come from God and was going back to God. He knew that this world was not His home.

As it for us. This world is not our home. This is not where we belong.

We don’t live for this world. We don’t live for this world’s praise or honor. We don’t live for this world’s recognition.

We live for our real home. Our true home. Our true place.

And because we know that this world isn’t our home, we can live with no fear. Or worry. Or stress. The next world, that’s what we were made for. And that’ where we are going.

So, live boldly. Live for your real home.