HOW IS THIS YEAR GOING TO BE BETTER FOR YOU

Hopefully 2017 was a great year for you, but how can 2018 be even better.  I am committed to reading through the Bible chronologically this year.  Its been a while since I have done that and it is so beneficial to understand the time line of scripture.  Today as I began to read through Genesis 1-3, I was reminded that the first four words are so powerful.  IN THE BEGINNING GOD!  If a person can come to grips with that statement and accept it in faith, the rest of the Bible becomes easier to receive and becomes the explanation of your faith.
Yesterday in our worship service our guest preacher shared a message from John 8 called NEW YEARS - SECOND CHANCES!!  It was all about the poor woman who was brought to Jesus after being caught in the very act of adultery. It was all a disgusting trap to set Jesus up.  I mean who watches to catch someone in the act of adultery.  Where was the man? Why wasn't he brought before Jesus?  He really didn't matter, for that matter neither did the woman.  It was all about forcing Jesus into a no win situation.  But Jesus suddenly and wisely changed the focus from a sinful woman to a sinful audience.  Everyone in the crowd that day needed GRACE.
I jotted down several things that jumped out at me from the teaching ...

1. Words are powerful.
2. We all need second chances.
3. Repentacne means being sorry enough to quit.  (Billy Graham quote)
4. Your biggest failure doesn't define your identity.
5. It's time to put down some rocks.
6. The best life is not good enough, the worst life is not too far gone!

WOW!  If we could just apply these principles 2018 is going to be amazing!

They Won't Come

Yesterday a pastor friend posted one of those cool graphics with appealing artwork on Facebook.  It asked two very interesting questions.  The first question was “Who would never come to your church?”

My first thought was “it’s not my church, it’s Christ church that I attend”, but I very quickly moved to wondering … why wouldn’t someone come to the church that I attend?  That forced me to wrestle with the thought … what if it is because it is the church that I attend?  What if it has been my attitude or lack of love that has caused someone not to come to church?  After spending a few moments on my own pity party blaming myself for the world not knowing Christ, I began to focus on the people.  Those people that need to know the wonderful love of Jesus. 

I am reminded of Paul’s teaching first to the church of Ephesus when he told them ?  Be very careful, then how you live – not as unwise but as wise, “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Later he taught the church at Colossae in a very similar way but gave some additional direction.  “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6)  It seems that God through the teaching of His apostle Paul was very concerned that people not yet in the church would be drawn to the church by the actions of believers, not pushed away from the church.

But then came the second question, that  is one we really have to wrestle with, “What’s keeping you from going to them?”  What would happen if the church … you know that one that you attend …really started going to them?  Not going to them to increase the attendance at that church, but that those people … you know the ones that would never come to your church … could someday go to heaven.  We are surrounded by broken people who have a laundry list of reasons that they believe eliminates them from the church.  Their entire list has to do with their past.  Their past mistakes, mistakes of churches in their past, etc.  But their past doesn't have to define their future.  Our community is facing a heroin epidemic.  People don't know what to do about it.  For the addict what they need more than anything is people that truly care!  They don't need simple platitudes like "Just give it all to Jesus!"  Many of them have tried that.  What they have to have are some people that will care about them and be willing to go through the pain of withdraw with them.  The wife whose husband has just walked out needs a friend who will just hold them and cry with them.  The parents whose children are out of control don't need Facebook post about bad parents from people who have never been the parent of an out of control teenager.  What they need are friends who will come to them and sit with them and cry with them and love their troubled teenager.

In John 1 Philip went and found his friend Nathanael and told him he had to “come and see” Jesus.  In John 4 Jesus went to a well to talk to a Samaritan woman with such a bad reputation that she had to go to the well alone each and every day.  But Jesus went to her and confronted her with both truth and grace.  Once she had experienced that level of concern … she went back to town and invited everyone to come and meet Jesus.

So who do you know that would never come to the church you attend?  Why won’t they come?  The better question is, Why won’t you go to where they are?

Keep  on Reaching!!!

Finding Joy

I've realized that there are far too many times that I am not as joyful as I should be.  Compared to the overwhelming portion of the world I am blessed beyond measure.  So what is wrong with me?  I think I have discovered two things that destroy my joy.

First, like almost everyone else my joy is affected greatly by unforeseen circumstances or trials that come to most of us on a regular basis.  Years ago when I was a ministry intern one of my responsibilities for the summer was to memorize certain passages of scripture.  The first one was James 1 .  I was really puzzled at the time when I was given this passage to memorize.

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

I mean consider it joy when you face trials, that really didn't make a lot of sense to a single 20 year old college student.  Wait ... maybe that was it!  As a 54 year old husband, father, grandfather and pastor it make a whole lot more sense, because over the last thirty-five years there have been many more trials.  Trials lead to perseverance, perseverance leads to maturity.  I hope that I have matured a lot over the years and when I am not in the midst of a trial it is easy to look back and see how "God has worked all things out for my good."   Things haven't always worked out the way that I wanted but that is not the promise of scripture.  God said that I could become mature and complete and that he was working things out for my good, not that they would always be good.  My prayer is that the next time I find myself in a trying time I will be able to remember God's faithfulness.

The second thing that can rob my joy is when I see people I care about in my family, community and church making decisions that I know are not wise.  A friend told me years ago that "anytime you want something more for someone than they want for themselves, you are the one that will be hurt".  His point was until a person realizes that there is something better out there for them they won't be hurt, because they are not mature and complete.  My prayer in this area is Reinhold Niebuhr's Serenity Prayer that "God will grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference".

What is stealing your joy?  I pray that we will all be able to single-mindedly live in peace and JOY this year.

Satisfied or Motivated

A few years ago my staff went out to lunch at a Chinese restaurant.  When the meal was over we all broke into our fortune cookies.  One of my guys read his which said, "Life could be better, but this is good enough."  The first response was laughter, followed by contemplation.  If you know that your life could be better why would you settle for good enough.

As we approach another new year and people are making their resolutions (most of which will be broken), do you want "better" or "good enough"?

• I know my job could be better, but this is good enough.
• I know my marriage could be better, but this is good enough.
• I know I could be in better shape, but this is good enough.
• I know I could be a better parent, but this is good enough.
• I know my retirement plan could be better, but this is good enough.
• I know that my relationship with God could be better, but this is good enough.
• I know my life could be better, but this is good enough.

Why do we settle for "good enough" when things could be so much "better"?

Jesus said that he came to provide a life that is so much better.  "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come to give you life and life to the fullest.  (A Better Life) " John 10:10

What are you going to do to give yourself a chance for "better"?

Come on people focus! We live in a world that is struggling (at best) to find any true focus.  There are extreme questions of focus in our political system.  Our school systems have almost completely lost focus on education.  Many businesses are focused only on the bottom line with little care for the customer.  Even many churches have lost the focus from seeking and saving the lost to focus on catering to the wishes of the denomination headquarters or the desires of the long time members.

I have to be completely honest to say that there are many days that I struggle with my personal focus. I have committed to being focused on being a man of God, a faithful husband, a loving father and grandfather, and a caring pastor in that order.  But I realize far too often that the tyranny of the urgent gets in the way of me staying focused on the priorities that I feel God has placed in my life.

Do you ever catch yourself losing your focus for your life?

What are the things that you do to reclaim your focus?

When I wake up each morning I find my glasses and put them on so I can focus on the clock and any overnight messages to see what I need to do for the day.  I am praying that I will begin putting on my spiritual glasses by asking God to lead me where he wants me to go each day and that I might see clearly the opportunities that He places in my path.

Come on people focus!!

Learning from the Words of Jesus - A City on a Hill

Kim and I were talking this week and she told me that one of her goals for this year was to focus more on Jesus. The interesting thing to me was I had been having a very similar feeling of something aching down deep inside of me that I couldn’t put into words and she just did.  I want to focus more on Jesus and what is important to him.

So I found one of my Bibles that has the “red letters” (you know the things that Jesus said) and I started reading in Matthew.  My thought was if I look and what Jesus said, and why He said it or what He was talking about I can learn some things about how I should live.  Seemed rather simple!

Matt. 3:15 – First recorded words of Jesus are his response to John the Baptist not wanting to baptize him.  Jesus said, “We must do this to fulfill all righteousness.” What could I learn there? It’s important to follow God’s teaching and to do the right thing.

Matt. 4:4, 7, 10 – Jesus responds to the temptation from Satan with quotes not just from the Old Testament, but from the Torah, central to the Jewish heritage of faith.  What could I learn there? When confronted by Satan or any evil in the world, go straight to the word of God.

Matt.4: 17 – Jesus’ first words of teaching were “repent for the kingdom of God is near’.  What could I learn there?  The kingdom of God is not about a date in history but about a spirit in your heart.

Matt. 4:19 – Jesus calls disciples with three simple words, “Come follow me”.  What could I learn there?  Quit making life so hard. Just drop everything and put Jesus first.

Matt. 5:1-12 – Jesus first sermon describes “happiness”. What could I learn?  He is the author of happiness, do what He says.

Matt.5:13 – He talks about “remaining salty”.  What could I learn? Following him is not a part-time game.  It’s all in!

Then he comes to this section about a “city on a hill”.  It is the first time he talks about a community and how important it is to reflect the light of God to all who can see.

          What good is light if it doesn’t shine so people can see?

Week 3 of The Story - Trading in Your Dreams for Another’s

We are three weeks into our incredible journey through The Story.  Max Lucado and Randy Frazee have provided some additional insights for us for each week. Here is what they had to say about Joseph.People nearing mid-life often crash into some startling and unexpected observations. For instance, we all dreamed big dreams when we were younger. But as we move at a break-neck pace through our twenties, thirties, and forties, we eventually slam head on into the realization that some of our dreams will never be realized.

That observation throws some people into a mid-life crisis. Some don’t make it that far with their aspirations, having already given them up somewhere along the way. Some run into conflict that makes them weary and they settle for less. Still others make bold decisions to trade one dream in for another.

That’s what Joseph did. Talk about dreams! He had some big ones. At seventeen he dreamed his ten

older brothers would bow down to him. It’s enough he dreamed that dream. What makes it worse is that he told his brothers about it.

The older brothers already had issues with the younger son. Their father favored Joseph. He had even given him a valuable, multi-colored coat. That’s the modern-day equivalent of a parent of four teenagers giving one an iPhone and the other three a stack of quarters each for a pay phone (assuming they could find one on their travels). The brothers banded together and tossed the dreamer in a ditch, eventually selling him into slavery at the first opportunity. The next thing Joseph knew he was waking up in Egypt.

From there his life was a rollercoaster thrill ride. One minute a slave. The next in charge of an Egyptian official’s house. The next in prison. The next in charge of the prison. Then he found himself in front of Pharaoh, called upon to interpret the leader’s dreams. With God’s help he was able to warn Pharaoh he would have seven years of abundant crops that he should be put in storehouses in anticipation of seven years of famine. Recognizing his wisdom, Pharaoh put Joseph second in command of all of Egypt.

And because of God’s personal involvement in his life, he was was able to save his family. The same family that God was building into a nation. Joseph was in position to bring his family to Egypt and give them the most fertile land to work. And it was definitely fertile. In the time they were there they were “fruitful and increased greatly” (Exodus 1:7).

Joseph could have lost his life getting caught up in the details of his life, chasing his dreams and desires.

Instead, he chose a better story. God’s story.

You can do the same. If your life’s dream has stalled, look to God. If your dream now realized is not all you thought it would be, look to God. He can give you another dream. A better one, not according to the world’s standard but God’s criterion. Just like Joseph’s. Then you’ll have a story to tell.

 

Things don't always go as we think they should and sometimes we have very little if any fault in those circumstances.  Things just don't seem to be working out.  But could it be that God is working things out, even when things don't seem to be working out.  - Romans 8:28

 

Read Chapter Four about Moses.  You actually have a couple of weeks.  We will talk about it on July 14th.

 

Keep on Reaching,

Dave