Our theme for this month: “A New Year, A New Beginning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” Proverbs 23:20-21 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Learn to eat less.”

“Hi, my name is Jim and I’m a glutton.” It’s true. If there was a recovery group called “Gluttons Anonymous” I would be a charter member. I love food. I love it too much. Eating is one of the pleasures of life and I’m very, very good at it. My tendency towards gluttony is something I have had to battle my entire life.

Food is a gift from God and it is meant to be enjoyed. As we learned yesterday, the primary function of food is to provide fuel for our body, but God also made food tasty and He gave us taste buds so that we can enjoy it. But as is true of all of God’s gifts, we are to use food responsibly and in the right proportions. It’s when we abuse and misuse the gift that it becomes a problem. In our day most of us eat too much. Why do we eat too much? It’s complicated. There are many factors that fold into it but the two primary reasons are conditioning and chemistry. We’ll think about conditioning today and chemistry tomorrow.

We’re conditioned in our society to consume large quantities of food. It has been a subtle conditioning that has occurred slowly over decades. The average portion of any serving of food or drink is much larger today than it was thirty years ago. This is the result of an intentional strategy by manufacturers and marketers designed to get us to consume more and more of their products. Thirty years ago, the average serving size of a Coca-Cola at McDonalds was 12 ounces, and you got one serving for your money. Today the average serving is 32 ounces and you can have as many free refills as you want. Thirty years ago, the average person consumed a regular sized single cheeseburger and a small order of fries. Today it’s rare for anyone to purchase a burger smaller than a quarter pounder; often it is a half-pounder, and the fries are extra-large.

To maintain a healthy weight the average-sized American adult should consume approximately 2000 calories per day. However, in many sit-down restaurants today a single dinner plate with sides and desert can consist of a full-day’s calorie intake (and often more than that). So, you’re getting your entire calorie intake for the day in that single meal! (When I eat in such places I often ask for a take-home box to be brought with the meal. Then I immediately take half the food off of the plate and put it in the box to take home.)

A simple rule-of-thumb when it comes to maintaining a good diet is to train yourself to eat small portions of reasonably healthy food. However, that’s easier said than done. To help gain control over portion size, and to begin conditioning yourself to eat less, pre-packaged meals can be helpful. Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, all produce complete meals in the proper serving sizes, and these can be helpful as we train ourselves to stop overeating. At first you will probably find the smaller portions problematic, in that it won’t seem to be enough food to satisfy you. But that’s only because you’re used to eating so much more. After a couple of weeks your body will begin to adjust to the new portion size, your stomach will begin to shrink back to its normal size, and you will find yourself increasingly satisfied with the smaller, more appropriate portions.

The biggest reason we overeat is because we have been conditioned to do so by manufacturers and marketers. But chemistry is also a factor. We’ll think about that tomorrow.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “A New Year, A New Beginning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based upon what you see. He agreed with them about this and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.” Daniel 1:12-15 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Improve your diet”

The single most important factor contributing to good health and physical fitness is good nutrition. There’s an old saying that tells us “You are what you eat.” That’s truer than most of us realize. To a large degree your body weight, energy level, blood chemistry, the condition of your internal organs, the quality of your sleep, and your overall feeling of wellness, is determined by the kind of food you put into your body.

Food is the fuel your body runs on. Imagine putting dirty fuel with impure elements into your car. Some of that fuel won’t combust properly and therefore the engine won’t produce the power it should; you will also not get the fuel efficiency you should be getting; and, unburned gunky deposits will build up on the internal parts of your engine and foul it.

That’s what bad food does to your body. That’s why you don’t feel good; it’s why you are tired and overweight; it’s why your blood pressure is high and your arteries are clogged. The kind of fuel we put into our body matters – it matters a lot!

In Daniel 1:12-15 we read of the time Daniel and his three young friends had been drafted into the king’s group of promising young men. They were being trained for a lifetime of service to the king. The group was being fed meals from the royal kitchens, which apparently included lots of rich and unhealthy foods like greasy meats, pies, wines, etc. Daniel and his friends objected to that diet and they asked the supervisor to allow them to eat a healthy diet of vegetables and water. He agreed, and after only a short time the difference in the health and appearance of Daniel and his friends, compared to the other guys on the diet of rich foods, was immediately obvious. Daniel and his friends were much healthier.

The kinds of food we put into our bodies is a critical factor in getting and staying healthy. Most of us (including me) would benefit from making a New Year’s resolution to improve the quality of our diets. Tomorrow I will recommend some resources to do so which you may find helpful.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “A New Year, A New Beginning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Take care of your body”

Without question, the number one New Year’s resolution that will be made in 2020 will have to do with diet and exercise. More Americans will resolve to lose weight and get in better physical condition than anything else. Literally millions of people are unhappy with their current weight or physical conditioning, and they will attempt to do something about it.

Good thing too. Americans are amazingly and inexplicably unhealthy. In study after study, when ranking the most developed and richest nations in the world regarding the overall health of their citizens, the USA consistently ranks close to the bottom of the list. People are healthier in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Spain, Finland, Portugal, and Austria.

How can that be? The USA has the most advanced healthcare system in the world. We have the highest standard of living of any developed nation. We have more access to wholesome and nutritious food than anyone else. There are more gyms and exercise facilities per capita in the USA than in any other place in the world. And yet, in terms of things like obesity, hypertension, type two diabetes, heart disease, mental illness, substance abuse, suicide, and other health indicators, we are close to the bottom of the list among the developed nations of the world.

In 2016 the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) determined that at least 40% of the adult population in the USA is obese. Not just overweight, but obese. In 2017 the CDC reported that 100 million people (almost 1/3 of the entire population) either already has type 2 diabetes, or is in a pre-diabetes condition.

Clearly, we have a problem. A serious problem. And as Christians we have to take the problem seriously and we have to try to do something about it. Our physical body is a gift from the Lord. And as with everything else God has entrusted us with, we have a stewardship responsibility to take care of our body.

Since diet and exercise is an issue Christians need to pay attention to, and since it will be the number one New Years resolution made, it will be the first one we will consider in this series (after that attitude adjustment we talked about yesterday).

Tomorrow we will consider the important subject of having a good diet.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “A New Year, A New Beginning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Fix that attitude!”

Some of us need a serious attitude adjustment. You’re not going to fix much of anything else in your life until you fix your attitude. Perhaps you’ve heard that clever old saying that goes, “A bad attitude is like a flat tire – you’re not going to get very far until you change it!”

It’s true. A positive, optimistic attitude is like a turbo-charger for life. It will propel you forward. A negative and pessimistic attitude is like a flat tire that you can’t drive on. Or, shifting metaphors, it’s like an anchor that you drag behind you, it slows you down and holds you back.

My favorite book about approaching life with a good attitude (besides the Bible itself) is “The Traveler’s Gift” by Andy Andrews. It’s a story about a man named David Ponder whose life is a train wreck. His biggest problem is how he thinks about himself and about his circumstances. So, God takes David on a trip through time to have encounters with historical figures, each of whom teaches him a powerful life-lesson about the importance of thinking right and of having an optimistic and positive attitude. You can read the book yourself (and I hope you do), but this morning I’ll offer you a summary of two important life-lessons David learned about having a good attitude:

With respect to being happy: “Happiness is a choice. I can choose to think thoughts and engage in activities that bring me joy. I choose to be happy. I smile at people. People are drawn to me because I have joy in my heart, a smile on my face, and laughter in my voice. Life itself is a privilege. I choose to live it with joy and to the fullest. I do not deny the reality of my situation, but I do deny the finality of it. This too shall pass. I choose to be happy.”

With respect to persistence and perseverance: “I hold fast to my dreams and visions. I stay the course. I do not quit. Fatigue is often a precursor to victory. I will not be one of those who gave up just before the victory would have come. I waste little time worrying about how things are now, and focus instead on how they are going to be. In the game of life nothing is less important than the score at halftime. Trying times produce great men. I will persist and persevere.”

If you read that book, all throughout it you will hear the words of the Apostle Paul in the lessons learned by David Ponder: “Rejoice always. Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything.” And, (this is important), “Don’t stifle the Spirit.”  The implication is that if you are negative, pessimistic, prayerless, and ungrateful you are hindering the work the Holy Spirit wants to do in your life.

Wow, you better fix that attitude!

As you go forward into 2020, a positive and optimistic attitude will be essential to helping you accomplish your goals for the New Year. So first and foremost, I encourage you to work on that attitude.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “A New Year, A New Beginning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Attitude is everything”

I will be forever grateful to the United States Navy for the valuable lessons they taught me as a young man. For one thing, they taught me the importance of having a good attitude.

I entered the Navy at the tender age of 17 as a high school dropout, I didn’t even finish the 10^th grade. I therefore found myself to be at a distinct disadvantage in terms of education and life experiences when compared to my peers. However, I was quickly taught that even a pimply-faced kid like me, with no education to speak of, an IQ that was average at best, no talent for much of anything, and few life experiences, could still do well, and even excel, with a good attitude. As the years passed and I advanced up the ranks to supervisory positions, I discovered over and over again how true that is. I would rather have one worker with a good attitude and a good work ethic, than five workers who are smart and talented, but who are also lazy and undependable.

In Colossians 3:23 the Apostle Paul urges us to strive to do our best at whatever it is we are applying ourselves to. We commonly associate that verse with how we perform our job, and it certainly does apply to that, but more broadly this precept applies to all of life. Whether we’re talking about how we do our job, how we take care of our body, how we manage our finances, how we apply ourselves in our studies, or anything else we’re doing, we should do the best we can. We should never be satisfied with mediocrity. You don’t have to be a perfectionist, but whatever it is you’re doing, give it the best effort you can.

I’m an older man now, halfway through my sixth decade of life (I’m 65), and as I look back on all those years and consider all the people I’ve known and had encounters with, I’m more convinced than ever that a good attitude is one of the most important elements in living a full, rich, happy and successful life. It’s been said that in life “attitude is everything”. That may be a bit of an overstatement, maybe it’s not really “everything”, but it sure is a huge factor.

As we continue to consider areas of life that might need some extra attention and improvement in the New Year, having the right attitude about it will be a key factor in determining how successful you are. Therefore, before we move forward in our study, we will spend another day considering this important subject of having the right attitude.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “A New Year, a New Beginning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “A New Year is an opportunity for a new beginning”

In only four weeks it will be a New Year – 2020! I always look forward to the beginning of a New Year because I view it as an opportunity for a fresh start. I approach it by first taking some time to review the year that is ending. I consider the things that went well for me, and I give the Lord thanks for those things. I also consider the things that did not go so well, and I ask God to help me see what I should learn from those events. I review the goals I had set for myself for that year and whether or not I accomplished them – and if not, why not. Then I turn my thoughts to the coming year.

I’m a big fan of New Year’s resolution and of setting goals. I believe that having goals is important, and that drawing the proverbial line in the sand, then moving forward into a new season of life with a fresh start, is also a helpful mindset. The fact is that none of us have “arrived” in life. We are all works-in-progress. Therefore, we should all be working to improve in the areas of life that need improvement. However, you won’t accomplish much if you aren’t intentional about it. You have to have goals, and you need a plan to accomplish those goals.

One of the reasons I love the passage in Lamentations, which I cited above, is because it speaks of new opportunities and a fresh start. And I love the concept of beginning fresh and new on New Year’s Day, because January 1^st symbolizes the beginning of something new. It’s a great time to draw that line in the sand, leave past mistakes and bad habits in the past, and start fresh on a new path.

All throughout December I’m going to write about areas of life that might need some attention in the New Year and which we could therefore set some goals and make some plans to improve upon. We’ll consider things like diet and exercise; spiritual growth; finances; relationships; knowledge and learning; and attitude; just to name a few.  I’ll offer some reasons why those issues or areas of life should be important to us, and I’ll suggest strategies and resources which you might find helpful.

As the people of God our goal should be to live the best, healthiest, and most productive lives we can. Every day is a new opportunity to excel, and 2020 will be full of possibilities and potential. But to get the most out of the days the Lord blesses you with, you will need to be intentional about it.

I hope you are looking forward to the New Year as much as I am!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Character and Integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For by it our ancestors won God’s approval.” Hebrews 11:1-2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Live by faith”

We live in a time when traditional values of morality and ethics are in decline, and instead a sense of relativism prevails. For many people, there are no longer absolute standards of truth and morality and ethical conduct. Instead, everything is relative and situational. As far as such people are concerned, what’s good and right depends entirely on the situation they find themselves in and on what they believe to be in their own best in interest at that time.

Beyond that, although some would claim there has been an evolution in our societal understanding of things like sexuality and gender, the truth is that there has been a devolution. Our standards have seriously deteriorated, they haven’t improved. We live in a “Brave New World” of twisted thinking. Values that used to be universally recognized as being good and wholesome are now denounced as being archaic and unacceptable, while things that used to be recognized as being bad and even unnatural, are now celebrated as being good and normal.

How do Christian men and women live in such a world? How do we adhere to Biblical principles, maintaining righteous character and solid integrity, in a world that doesn’t acknowledge the truths we believe or value of the principles we hold dear? We do it the same way the people of God have always done it – we live by faith.

Hebrews chapter 11 is often called “The Faith Hall of Fame”. There we read about heroes of the faith – men and women who knew what they believed and why they believed it, and who courageously stood for truth and righteousness even when doing so was difficult – even if it cost them their lives.

Often, being a man or woman of character and integrity isn’t the easy thing to do, but it is always the right thing to do. The people of God have a long and glorious history of standing strong against cultural pressures while being faithful to Biblical principles.

The way we stand strong when it isn’t easy to do so, is we live by faith. We simply do the thing we know to be right, by God’s standards, and we trust in Him. I encourage you to resist the pressures of the culture. Be faithful. Be a man or woman of character and integrity.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Character and Integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “The wicked flee when no one is pursing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Have nothing to be ashamed of.”

There are many individuals in the Bible whose stories are inspiring to me for various reasons. But in terms of character and integrity, there are four sterling examples from the Old Testament that stand out in my mind – Joseph, Joshua, Caleb, and Daniel.

I’m not going to attempt to retell their stories here this morning; it’s enough to say that each of them was a man of great character and solid integrity who was courageous and bold when it mattered. Each had core principles he would not compromise, and each was known for being faithful, responsible, and completely trustworthy. If one of those men told you something was true, then you could believe that it was. If he gave you his word that he would do something, you could take it to the bank that he would do it.

A man or woman of strong character and rock-solid integrity has nothing to be ashamed of. Such a person can simply be themselves, without apology, with no need to explain, and without having to doubt his or her actions. But as Solomon observed in Proverbs 28:1, the wicked person, the one without good character and who is lacking in integrity, has to constantly worry that they will be discovered to be the scoundrel they really are. They live life looking over their shoulder, always trying to remember what lie they told to which person, always wrestling with their conscience, and realizing deep-down that they are not an honorable person. What an awful way to go through life!

A person of good character has no reason to fear, or to run, or to doubt. Instead you can live life with a calm sense of confidence, and with the bold assurance that you have nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of.

I encourage you to be that person.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: Character and Ethics

Our Bible verse for today: Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wonderous works for all humanity. For he has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:8-9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Thankfulness is an important character trait.”

Here in the USA our observance of Thanksgiving Day is modeled on the event in Plymouth, Massachusetts which took place in the Fall of 1621. That was when the newly arrived Puritan immigrants from England gathered with local Native Americans for a feast of thanksgiving and celebration. For the Pilgrims it was a time of giving thanks to God for His blessings of safe travel, provisions, and the promise of a new life in a new land.

Those types of thanksgiving celebrations were a regular feature of Pilgrim life and occurred often. The Continental Congress declared a onetime national day of thanksgiving in celebration of the newly adopted Constitution. In the decades after that, days of thanksgiving continued to be observed by the individual states for various reasons, but there was no regular national day of thanksgiving until President Abraham Lincoln instituted the practice in 1863. He declared that the last Thursday in November would be “Thanksgiving Day” and it has been observed as a national holiday ever since then.

And it should be. We Americans have a lot to be thankful for. We live in the greatest, strongest, most prosperous nation that has ever existed. We enjoy more freedom than any other nation, and we have the highest standard of living, with more creature comforts and economic security, than anyone else, anywhere else, in the world.

If Americans in general have a lot to be thankful for, how much more should American Christians be thankful? We are saved, we have the promise of eternity in heaven, we have the Holy Spirit of God living in our hearts now, and we get to enjoy all the other benefits of living in the USA as well! Think about it. You could be a Christian living in a hut in Africa, or in a prison cell in North Korea, or in hiding in China. But no, God has allowed you to live here, safe and comfortable in the greatest nation the world has even known.  We have so much to be thankful for!

Join me today, Thanksgiving Day 2019, in giving thanks to our great God for His bountiful blessings. He has blessed us beyond measure. My family and I wish you and yours a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Character and Integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” James 3:6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Tame your tongue”

Words are not neutral. Words have power – they can bless or they can curse, they can help or they can hurt. And once they’re spoken, they cannot be unspoken. Oh, you can apologize; you can claim you didn’t really mean what you said; but you can’t unsay what you said. Once the words are spoken, they are out there – they are in the memory banks of those who heard them and you can’t get them back.

In James 3:3-12 the Apostle gives us a pretty damming assessment of the human tongue. He starts out in verses 3 and 4 by illustrating how it is that small things can have big impacts. The small metal bit that is placed in the mouth of a powerful horse can cause that horse to obey the slightest tug on the reins by the rider. Likewise, a small rudder can turn and direct a huge ship which weights many thousands of pounds.

The tongue is like that too except that whereas the bit in a horse’s mouth and the rudder on a ship always have a good effect, the tongue can be an evil little thing that often causes great damage. James goes on in that passage and compares the tongue to a small spark which creates a raging fire that destroys an entire forest. Can I get an “Amen!”? How many times have careless and angry words, driven by hot emotions, sparked raging fights that ultimately destroyed relationships? We’ve all been involved in situations like that. At one time or another we’ve all been the victim in such situations, and at other times we’ve been the perpetrator.

We need to watch our words. That’s especially true when we’re angry. Don’t let your anger drive your words. When your mother taught you to count to 10 before responding, she knew what she was talking about. Always, always, always, calm down and think through what you plan to say before you say it. And then make sure your words are going to be helpful rather than hurtful.

So, tame your tongue. Surrender it to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Words are not neutral, they are powerful. Men and women of character and integrity learn to control their words.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim