52 Weeks (Week 4)

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Andy Stoddard

Here at Asbury, we are in the midst of our 52 Weeks, 52 Verses. In 2015 we are going to be learning a different verse of the Bible each week, and over the course of the year, together we will come to a deeper and fuller understand of God’s word.

As we take time to memorize it, God’s Word becomes a deeper part of our heart and we are able to call upon it in times of need. It just becomes part of faith; part of us.

This week we are learning the next portion of Psalm 121. This week we learn Psalm 121:3-4:

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

In the Bible times, the night was a scary time. It was a time of fear, a time when bad things happen, when robbers were out when dangerous animals were on the prowl. There were many Christian prayers that we have from these times which have the sole purpose of thanking God for surviving the night.

So with the night being so scary, how comforting is it to hear the words of this Psalm. The Lord neither slumbers nor sleeps. He is awake. He is aware.

He is protecting you.

He is with you.

So, sleep easy. Because God is with you. Don’t be afraid. The Lord neither slumbers nor sleeps. He is present and He is watching.

Have no fear.

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!

Praying the Psalms

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

As some of you know, I went last year to hear my one of my favorite preachers, Tim Keller, speak in Jackson last week. He has written a new book on prayer that I’m reading now, and I’d encourage you to read as well. It’s a got a simple title – Prayer.

He made several points that I’ve been chewing on the last week or so, but on of the things that he said he has done to improve his prayer life was this.

He read the Psalms. He said that we learn to pray a lot like how people learn to talk. By hearing language spoken. The more words a child hears, the more (and faster) the will speak. He said it’s the same with prayer.

We need to hear prayers to pray better. And that’s why we should read the Psalms. They are the prayer language of the Bible. When we read them, we “read” prayers. We grow our vocabulary. We learn how to pray. We learn what it means to seek God. To seek His face. To desire Him. To know Him.

We learn how to pray.

Reading the Psalms is powerful. And life changing. So today, I just want us to read Psalm 100 together. Just read. Listen. Listen to it. Listen for God in it. What does it make you feel? Think? Experience? How does it draw your heart to God?

How does it make you pray?

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

I’d encourage you to read a Psalm every day. I really believe that it will help us each grow, learn to pray, and learn how to better seek God’s face.

Today, and each day, may we pray.

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.

What Kind of Day It Will Be

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Is today going to be a great day? Or is it going to be a terrible day.

It all depends upon your perspective. You perspective today will have a lot to do in determining what kind of day it will be. Listen to what is says today in Psalm 18:4-6:

The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

There are two ways to look at what happens today in this Psalm. Both are true, by the way.

Way number one is to focus on the trouble and the pain that the Psalmist felt. He was legitimately scared and worried. Death lingered. He was distressed. He was afraid. We aren’t sure what was going in his life, but whatever it was, it wasn’t a good thing.

He probably felt at the end of his rope. He probably felt like giving up.

We can focus on this. We can focus on the troubles and pains of the world, of the day. We can focus on all these things.

And today will be terrible day.

Or, we can focus on the second part of this passage. The Psalmist cried for help. And God heard him. His cried reached God. God heard, God understood. And God will send help.

God heard him in his pain. And will not leave nor forsake him.

God hears our hurts, our pain, our loss, our worry, our stuff. God hears, God knows, and God never leaves.

No matter what.

So, today, what kind of day will it be. Will we focus on the problems in our lives that overwhelm us? Or will we focus on God that never leaves, in spite of the trouble. The God that sends help, each day?

Today, what kind of day will 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 phone.

Calm

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Andy Stoddard

We worry don’t we? We worry about the future. We worry about the past.

We worry about the things that we don’t understand. We worry about the things that we do understand.

We worry about the thing that we control. We worry about the things that we don’t control. We worry.

Today, in this season of Advent, where we focus on the fact that God has a plan, for salvation, for hope, for redemption, to make all things right, we are reminded. We don’t have to worry.

Really.

We don’t. We can be calm. Listen to the words of Psalm 131 today:

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

There is a simple humility in these words today. David says, I don’t worry about things that are too great for him. He doesn’t worry about things above him. God has those things . Really. God has it.

Do you believe that today? God has it under control. He really does.

David says, he has calmed his soul, because he knows that God has it under control. He can rest. He can relax. He can. He doesn’t have to worry. God has it.

He can rest in God. He can be calm.

So can you today. You can rest in God. Really, you can. You can rest in Him. You can be calm. He has it. He really does.

Today, rest. Be calm. Trust. God has it. You can place your hope in that this day, 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.

You Can Do This!

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Andy Stoddard

God alone is our salvation. Nothing else. Not our actions, our faithfulness, or our lack of faithfulness.

God alone.

We see in Psalm 62: 1-2, David tell us that his souls waits upon God for salvation.

Look at how he says it:

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

David says – for God alone he waits. He will not be shaken.

This would, can, and will shake us. Pain, tragedy, loss, worry, hurt, they will try to shake us.

Worries will try to shake us. The forces of evil will try to shake us. Our own fears will try to shake us.

Much will come our way today, and each day. Much will try to move, worry, or shake us.

And to this David says – I will wait upon the Lord. He is my salvation.

And I will not be shaken.

Today, you can do this. Today, you can be faithful. Today, no matter what comes your way, you do not have to be moved or be shaken.

You can do this.

Through God. Though God, you can do. Through God, you will not be moved. Through God, you can be strong. Through God you can overcome.

Through God, you can do this!

You can. He is your rock. Your salvation. Your hope. Your strength.

You can do this.

Through God.

Today, through Him, we will not be shaken. May He be our rock and salvation.

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.

Your Job Today

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Andy Stoddard

You’ve got a job today. You’ve got something you are supposed to do.

Now, yes, you’ve got tasks that you are supposed to accomplish. You’ve got duties with work, with family, with community, with so many things in your life.

These are important. These are things you have to do. But, they were not what you were made for. You were made for something specific and with purpose from God. God made you for relationship, with Him, and with other people.

And He made you to worship Him. Every moment of your life, every moment you breath, every moment you are here, you were made to worship. That’s your job today. To give worship and praise to Him. To glorify Him in everything you do. That’s your highest purpose.

Above everything on your to do list. Above all the stuff you’ve got going on. Above anything that’s going to pop up on your radar.

You were made to give praise to God.

Listen to the words of Psalm 148:

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
Praise him, skies above!
Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.
He set them in place forever and ever.
His decree will never be revoked.

Let every created thing give praise to God.

So, today, give praise to God with your actions. With your words. With all that you are. With every fiber of your being.

That’s what you were made for. That’s what you were created for. To praise Him.

Today, may we praise the Lord!

He Delights in You

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Andy Stoddard

I was reading in one of my devotionals one morning, and the writer said something that stuck with me.

He was talking about how frustrated we can be when we are seeking after God and we fall down. Or how frustrated we can get when we are seeking God and it seems like He is so far away.

Are we not doing it right? Is God not there? Is God upset with us?

The writer said no. The very fact that we are seeking after God makes Him happy. Even if we aren’t doing it perfectly or achieving everything we’d like to, we are seeking Him.

And God delights in those that seek Him. Those that seek Him give Him great pleasure.

Listen to what the Psalmist says in Psalm 147 today:

He is not impressed by the might of a horse;
he has no pleasure in the strength of a man;
But the LORD has pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who await his gracious favor.

The Lord has great pleasure in those that fear (respect) Him and that await His favor.

Today, the very fact that you desire to know Him makes Him happy. The very fact that you desire to see His face delights Him.

Today, just the fact that are you someone who wants to know more about who God is, that fact delights our God.

So, in other words, God delights in you. God smiles upon you. God loves you.

Today, no matter what others think, no matter what others do. To those of us that seek God, He delights in us.

Even in our imperfections. Even when we miss the mark. Even when we aren’t perfect.

If we seek Him and desire to know Him. He delights in us.

Today, live in that knowledge! God delights in you!

One Simple Phrase

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Andy Stoddard

Today, I was reading Psalm 25, and one simple phrase jumped out it me. One simple phrase grabbed men and would not let me go.

It’s a phrase I’ve heard over and over, it’s a phrase I’ve said a million times.

It’s a phrase that I know so well, but today, for whatever reason, it was as if I’d heard it for the first time.

Today, slow down, stop and listen to this one phrase from Psalm 25:

10 For your Name’s sake, O LORD, *
forgive my sin, for it is great.

Forgive my sin. As a pastor, I’ve said many, many, many times that folks sins are forgiven.

Not that I, or any other person, have the power to forgive anyone’s sin. That’s God’s domain and God’s business.

But, what I have had the chance and opportunity to do is to remind folks and let folks know that God has forgiven them their sin.

Today, you are forgiven. Today, if you desire forgiveness, it is there.

Today, if you ask for forgiveness, it is given.

Today, you don’t have to hold onto the mistakes of your past.

God doesn’t. God has forgiven you. He has let it go. He has forgiven you.

Let me say it again. Listen, as if you’ve never heard this. And realize it’s true.

Today, this day, you are forgiven. You are forgiven.

You can leave the past behind. God has. You can too.

If forgives you, you are allowed to forgive yourself.

Today, and each day, live like the forgiven child of God that you are!

Not as Strong as We Think We Are

Posted on August 3, 2010 by Andy Stoddard

My favorite Christian singer of all time was Rich Mullins. There are a lot of Christian artists that I really enjoy, but he was my favorite. At a time when I was struggling with the faith and what it means to really be a Christian, the words of his songs really spoke to me and really drew me into a truer faith.

Today’s reading from Psalm 78 reminds me so much of one of his songs “Not as Strong as We Think We Are.” The mistake we can make as humans is that we can think we are so much stronger than we are. We can think we can do so much, we get so prideful and think more of ourselves than we ought. And then we mess up, we fall down, and we are reminded just how weak we are.

The Psalmist writes this:

37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him, *
and they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 But he was so merciful that he forgave their sins
and did not destroy them; *
many times he held back his anger
and did not permit his wrath to be roused.
39 For he remembered that they were but flesh, *
a breath that goes forth and does not return.

Man, I am so thankful for those words this morning. The people’s hearts were not steadfast towards God. They turned away. They didn’t turn to Him. They didn’t seek Him. They chose their way over His way, their cravings and sin over what God wanted them to do.

And God was right to be angry with them. But, the text says, because of His mercy, He held back.

And remembered they are just flesh.

God knows we are not as strong as we think we are. He knows we are weak and frail. He knows we will get ourselves in trouble like lost sheep.

He knows that.

And loves us anyway.

In spite of all of our weakness. All our frailty. All our faults. God knows. And He loves us. In spite of ourselves.

He knows that we need Him for even our next breath. He knows we can’t do it without Him. He knows we bring nothing to the table for Him.

And He loves us. Anyway.

Sometimes, all the time, really, we forget we are weak and frail. We are not as strong as we think we are. We are not.

We really are not a big deal. We really aren’t.

We are just a breath that will be gone someday.

And God still loves us! In spite of what we’ve done, in spite of our frailty, we are loved. God knows we are weak. And He loves us.

Today, thankfully, we are not as strong as we think we. May we turn to Him. And in Him, we will find the strength we need. We can’t do it ourselves. Through Him, we can do all things.

Through Him.

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