Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Do them a favor and take away their excuses.”

 

There is strength in numbers and therefore a wise person cultivates a small group of close friends they know they can always count on. It’s a foolish person who thinks they can go it alone. We all need others to walk through life with us. A good marriage is of course the best relationship a person can have on this earth. A spouse who is a genuine partner in life is invaluable and does a lot to strengthen and enrich your life.

 

But good friendships are important too. A wise person also has accountability partners and although that person is often a spouse, close friends make good accountability partners too. In order for an accountability partner to be effective you must be transparent and honest with them. This has to be a person (s) who has permission to ask the hard questions of you and who then has the boldness to speak truth to you, even if you don’t want to hear it.

 

One of the key ways in which an accountability partner can be most helpful to us is to take away our excuses. Change is hard and it takes discipline to stick with it. When we’re trying to implement needed changes in our lives – be they changes about diet and exercise, or better money management practices, or improved spiritual disciplines, or whatever, our basic human nature will lead us to make excuses for why it’s okay to eat that cupcake, or to spend that money, or to sleep late instead of getting up early to have time with God. A good accountability partner will challenge us on such issues and take away our excuses. That’s a good thing (annoying maybe, but good).

 

As we get closer to beginning the New Year and you give more thought to the goals you will set and the plans you will make for 2018, do you have one or more accountability partners with whom you are sharing your goals and who have permission to hold you accountable to them? If not, I encourage you to find someone to fill that role for you.

 

Solomon was exactly right when he wrote “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their effort.” I encourage you to have at least one other person in your life who has the permission and the boldness to take away your excuses.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.” Hebrews 10:39 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “And then I got blown up.”

 

“And then I got blown up.” That’s the title for one of the chapters in Noah Galloway’s book “Living with no excuses”. Up to that point in the book he had been telling the story of his life as a healthy, whole, confident, and somewhat cocky young solider. But then he got blown up. Suddenly he was a bloody mess and missing two limbs. In an instant his life had changed forever.

 

Have you ever had a moment like that? You’re minding your own business, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and life is good. And then you got blown up. Maybe your “blown up” moment was a car accident, or a diagnosis of cancer, or the unexpected loss of a job. Maybe you received that dreaded phone call about a wayward child who was found dead. Maybe that crime you committed was finally discovered and now the police are at your door; or maybe that secret sin isn’t so secret anymore and you find yourself publically humiliated.

 

Have you ever had a “blown up” moment? If not, sooner or later you will. Maybe it won’t be a crime or a sin but at some point it will be the unexpected death of a loved one, or a serious accident, or something similar. Sooner or later we all get blown up by life.

 

And then the changes come. Getting blown up always brings changes. Inevitably you will go through the five classic stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). That’s normal and is okay – as long as you get to that crucial stage five of acceptance because that’s the point at which you make the necessary adjustments and start to get on with life. So go ahead and have your grief – process it, work through it, but don’t linger there and don’t get stuck there.

 

Hebrews 10:39 is a great set-up verse. It “sets up” chapter 11 which is known as “The Faith Hall of Fame”. I encourage you to read chapter 11. It’s mostly about Christians who got blown up in life but handled it well. The verse says “But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.” That then leads the reader to chapter 11 and the “Faith Hall of Fame”.

 

The lesson is that it is possible to endure great trials and tribulations and set-backs in life and to do so with courage, confidence, and strong faith. Jesus makes that possible. When you have those times when it feels as if you’ve gotten blown up by life don’t be one of those who draws back and is destroyed by the adversity. Have faith, lean into it, push through it, trust the Lord, and don’t make excuses.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you.” John 13:15 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Look to the example of others.”

 

Several times this month I have referred to the example of Noah Galloway, the young soldier who lost an arm and a leg to a roadside bomb in Iraq. I told you of how he refused to allow his condition of being a double amputee to become an excuse that held him back in life.

 

Another important piece of that story however, which I haven’t mentioned yet, is that Noah’s father had also lost an arm in an accident early in his adult life. Decades later, as Noah was lying there in a hospital bed trying to come to terms with his own loss of limbs, the thing he remembered most about his father’s loss of an arm is how little it impacted his father’s life. Noah could not remember his father complaining about it, or making a big deal of it, or ever using it as an excuse. Noah wrote, “I watched him just get on with things with one arm. He never made a fuss about it. It was an example that growing up I didn’t know I’d ever need.”

 

In life we all encounter problems we have to deal with. Most of them are small but some will be big, maybe catastrophic. When that happens we will have to make decisions about what our attitude is going to be about it and how we are going to handle it.

 

One of the best ways to come to those decisions is by considering the good examples set for us by others who have endured similar situations. If you have to learn how to live with the loss of a limb, consider the examples of others who have successfully made that transition in life. If you have lost a spouse, look at the examples of others who have lost their spouses too and who worked through the loss. Whether your issue is a rebellious child, the loss of a job, a significant health issue, overcoming an addiction, or whatever, look to others who have had similar challenges and who have handled them well.

 

In John 13:15 Jesus called us to consider the example He set for us and then to model our own behavior after His. The Apostle Paul did the same in several of his letters. Learning from the good examples of others is Biblical and it is smart.

 

Life can be hard. When it is we will have to make decisions concerning what our attitude will be about it. To a large degree things will be about as good or as bad as you decide to make them. Considering the good examples of others who have endured similar problems and handled them well can be very helpful.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Remember this: the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God has taken away your excuses.”

 

In the previous message I cited the Apostle Paul’s teaching from Philippians 2:3-4 where he instructs us to be humble and to give due consideration to the interests of others rather than just to our own interests. I also pointed out that doing so runs contrary to our human nature. So if we are going to do what Paul instructs, we will need some divine help.

 

Well, true to form, God never tells us to do something without also making it possible for us to do it. One way in which He helps us to put the interests of others above our own is by developing the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives (as described by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23). There we learn that some of the virtues the Spirit develops in us include kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. That will certainly help.

 

But another way in which God helps us to be willing to help others is with the Biblical principle of sowing and reaping. In God’s kingdom you reap what you sow – you get what you give. That’s what Paul was teaching in 2 Corinthians 9:6. In this passage he was using money as an example and he was encouraging his readers to give generously to a charitable cause. In verse 6 he taught that if you are stingy, God and other people will be stingy with you. But if you are generous, God and other people will be generous with you. That’s consistent with what Solomon taught in Proverbs 22:9 when he wrote “A generous man will himself be blessed.” Paul’s lesson to his readers in 2 Corinthians 9:6 is “Right now someone else is in need and you are to bless them. The time will come when you will be in need and then others will bless you.” The law of sowing and reaping promises that will happen.

 

But sowing and reaping doesn’t just apply to issues of money, instead it applies across the spectrum of life. The Bible teaches that if you are mean to others, others will be mean to you. If you cheat people, people will cheat you. If you are a violent person, you will suffer violence. And on it goes. Sowing and reaping is a principle that applies in all situations in God’s kingdom.

 

So that brings us back to the question posed in the previous devotional “But what about me?” “If I’m focused on taking care of other people and minding their interests, who is going to take care of me?” The answer is that God will take care of you. He will implement the law of sowing and reaping and He will make sure that you are blessed in appropriate ways and at appropriate times.

 

Here’s a final thought to take with you today. It comes from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33

 

So there you go. God has taken away your excuses.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for their own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t be self-absorbed”

 

In my father’s generation it was common for a person to take a job with a company and then stay with that one company for 35-40 years, eventually retiring from there. Not so anymore. Now the average worker will work for 4-5 different companies over the course of their working years. You retirement plan must be in the form of a transferable 401(k) so you can take it with you as you migrate from job to job.

 

That being the case, worker loyalty is seldom to the company they currently work for. Instead your loyalty must first be to yourself. A common refrain heard these days is “I am the CEO of “Me Inc.” In other words, “I am a corporation unto myself and my first priority is to promote my own interests and protect my own future. I am the CEO of “Me Inc.”

 

That kind of self-absorbed focus may be necessary in the working world today but sadly it’s also becoming increasingly common in all of life. Many people are first and primarily concerned with “What’s in it for me?” They might eventually get around to considering what’s best for other people, or what God might want in a situation, but that’s usually a secondary thought at best.

 

That kind of self-absorbed “me first” thinking then becomes an excuse for all sorts of behavior. It’s the root cause for a lack of generosity and for a lack of volunteerism in a person’s life (My money and my time are for me not for others!). This is also how a man or woman can rationalize bailing out on their marriage and children so they can start a new life with someone else (Let him (or her) raise the kids, I’m going to go live my life!). Its how multiple motorists can just pass by an accident scene without stopping to see if the victims need help.

 

The New Testament calls Christians to a different way of thinking and living. We are to put God and others first. This is what Paul was teaching in Philippians 2:3-4. He was encouraging his readers to take their eyes off of themselves and instead consider how they can be a blessing to others in the name of Jesus.

 

Our first thought when we read a statement like that is “But what about me? What about my needs?” That’s a perfectly natural concern and it’s one we will address in the next message. The thing to remember is that God always has our back. When He tells us to do something there is always a good reason for it and doing so will always ultimately be in our own best interest. We’ll leave it there for today. For now I encourage you to simply trust and obey. Focus on God and on others. Don’t be self-absorbed.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Happy is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 8:34-35 (NRSV)

 

Our thought for today: “God is speaking but are you listening?”

 

There’s no question that God speaks. The problem is that many of us don’t really listen. From start to finish the Bible is evidence of the fact that God wants to be heard by His people and He wants to be understood by them.

 

The Bible itself is God’s letter to us. Beyond that, we find both in the Bible and by experience in our own lives and in the lives of others, that God also speaks in an infinite number of other ways. He speaks to us through His creation, through dreams, through circumstances, and through other Christians. We read in the Bible that to some people He spoke through a burning bush, through a storm, and even through the mouth of a donkey. That example has always been encouraging to me. I mean, if he can speak through the mouth of a donkey then He can certainly speak through me as a preacher (although between the two of us I’m sure I’m more of a challenge to Him than the donkey was!)

 

The problem isn’t whether or not God speaks to us – He does, the problem is that we don’t listen. There are things we have to do in order to place ourselves in a position before God whereby we’re attentive and can hear Him. God seldom shouts or even raises His voice. Instead He is soft and quiet and almost never audible (I’ve never audibly heard His voice). He speaks to us primarily through the words of the Bible, but also through prayer, and through the circumstances of our lives, and through the counsel of mature Christians, and through preaching and teaching, and through Christian music, and in many other ways too.

 

Unfortunately many of us make excuses for not doing the very things we need to do in order to hear from God. We make excuses for not reading our Bibles, or for not praying. We make excuses for not going to church, and therefore we don’t hear the sermons and Bible studies, and we are not in fellowship with other Christians. You get the point. If we want to hear from God then we need to place ourselves in a position before Him whereby we can hear Him.

 

The more ways in which we place ourselves before Him the more we will hear from Him. Seldom does He speak to us in only one way. Usually, if He has something to say to us, He will do so in multiple ways. That’s necessary because we’re thick-headed and spiritually dull. Therefore we need to have His word confirmed for us. So you will hear from Him through the words of the Bible, and then perhaps through impressions in prayer, and maybe in the words of a sermon, and perhaps through the counsel of friends, and probably in other ways too.

 

The fact is that God does speak to us, but often we’re not listening. Instead we’re making excuses for not reading, not praying, not going to church, etc. I encourage you to renew your commitment in 2018 to do as many things as you can to place yourself in a position before God whereby you can hear Him clearly and often.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed is the man who endures trials, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that He has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “It will be very impressive.”

 

Earlier in this series I told you the story of Noah Galloway, the army soldier who lost an arm and a leg in a roadside bombing incident in Iraq. Although he could have used his status as a double amputee as an excuse for living a limited and restricted life, he refused to do that. Instead he pushed through it, found ways to adapt, and ended up becoming a physical fitness trainer as well as an author, a star on a reality television show, and he placed third one season on the show “Dancing with the Stars”.

 

Noah’s success at overcoming his disabilities came from his attitude. He refused to use his apparent limitations as an excuse. At one point it occurred to him that any life lived well is impressive, but just think how much more impressive it will be to live life well as a double amputee! From that point on his disabilities became a motivating factor for him. He was determined to find ways to accomplish things with only two limbs that many people with four limbs can’t do.

 

Have you ever thought of your perceived limitations as a motivator rather than as an excuse?  Colin Powell was raised by a single mom in an inner-city ghetto. He went on to graduate from West Point. He became a four star Army general, he served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he was the Secretary of State under President George W. Bush. Joni Eareckson Tada has spent her entire adult life as a paraplegic in a motorized wheelchair. Yet she is the author of many books, she is a motivational conference speaker, she founded and leads a large Christian ministry, and she paints art gallery quality paintings by holding a paint brush in her teeth.

 

I could go on for many pages citing example after example of people – famous and not famous, who refused to use their personal limitations as an excuse, and who instead went on to accomplish meaningful things in spite of those limitations. But you get the point. Their accomplishments are all the more impressive because of those limitations.

 

So what is it in your life that you’re using as an excuse? Are you too old, too young, too big, or too small? Are you too poor, too busy, too weak, or too … what? What is it that you’re using as an excuse for not accomplishing the things you want to accomplish in life? Your limitations may be real but all that means is that your success will be even more impressive.

 

Don’t use your limitations as an excuse. Use them as a source of motivation – and then just go do the thing.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the Lord has said we will do.” Exodus 24:3 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “We need structure and discipline”

 

Dr. Richard Halverson spent his life as a Pastor. He was an intelligent man who received his education at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was close friends with many high profile Christians of his day like Billy Graham, Roy Rodgers, and Bill Bright (The founder of Campus Crusade for Christ). During his life Dr. Halverson wrote fifteen books, he served on the board of directors for World Vision, and he also served as the Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. So he spent his life among accomplished people who were intelligent, driven, and very successful.

 

One thing he discovered was that successful people are almost never lazy or unfocused. Instead they’re structured and disciplined. They know what they have to do in order to accomplish the goals they have set, and then they are methodical and disciplined in the pursuit of those goals. They don’t procrastinate and they don’t make excuses. They figure out what needs to be done and then they just go do it. Dr. Halverson once wrote:

 

“No man ever became great doing as he pleased. Little men do as they please. Great men submit themselves to the laws governing the realm of their greatness.”

 

As a Christian “the laws governing the realm of your greatness” are found within the pages of the Bible. To become the man or woman God wants you to be you have to be living with the boundaries He has given us in the Bible. That’s our structure, that’s the fence line for us. There’s a lot of room for a lot of living within those boundaries but still, there are boundaries. We have to know them and we have to stay within them. That’s what Moses was telling the Israelites in Exodus 24:3. “You will be great in God’s eyes when you submit yourself to the laws which govern life in His kingdom and then live within that structure.”

 

That’s true in life overall, but it’s also true when it comes to specific activities, goals, and objectives. When it comes to accomplishing the God-given goals and objectives we have for 2018 we need structure and discipline. We need the structure of a plan to guide us, and we need the discipline to stick to that plan.

 

Dr. Halverson was on to something in his statement quoted above. People who accomplish meaningful things in life do so because they have structure and discipline. I encourage you to set some good goals for 2018. Then make a plan to guide you in the accomplishment of those goals and discipline yourself to stick to it. We are at our best when we have structure and discipline.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:23 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Handle your finances well.”

 

As a Pastor I spend a lot of time working with individuals and families who are struggling. The issues vary from one situation to another but one common complicating factor is financial problems. If money problems are not the primary issue, it is often a complicating factor.

 

Few things in life cause as much stress as money problems. Usually those problems are rooted in poor financial discipline. Rarely do I encounter a person who has established good financial habits, and maintained them over a long period of time, who is now in financial distress. Almost always they have financial problems (either as their primary issue or as a complicating factor) because of poor financial habits.

 

Even though we live in the wealthiest nation in the world, with the highest standard of living found anywhere in the world, most middle class Americans have money problems. They spend everything they earn; then they start looking for additional sources of income (like sending Mom out to work instead of staying at home to take care of the children); and then, when two incomes still aren’t enough, they go deeply into debt to acquire even more stuff.

 

Most of us live beyond our means. We spend more than we earn. Our homes are too big and expensive, our vehicles come with huge monthly payments, we pay for Christmas and vacations on credit cards, and we simply spend too much money – money we don’t really have.

 

All of that creates great stress in life and that then becomes fertile soil from which grows all sorts of other problems. A better way is to live modestly, below your means. Whatever your income is, you live on a little less than that. That will probably mean that you own a smaller home, drive a less expensive car, and only buy things you actually have the cash to pay for. It will also mean faithfully giving a full tithe to your church, and putting money in savings each month.

 

God expects us to be good stewards of the money He has entrusted us with. We are to live simply not extravagantly. We are to use some of our income to help further His kingdom-building work here on earth, and we are to generously bless others.

 

Do you have a goal for 2018 to be a better steward of the money God will entrust to you? One of the best resources available for becoming a good money manager is the Dave Ramsey series of books and workshops “Financial Peace University” and “The Total Money Makeover”. You will find them to be very helpful. I encourage you to consider ways in which you and your family can do a better job of handling your money in 2018.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Living with no excuses”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Here I am today, 85 years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.” Joshua 14:10-11 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Take care of yourself”

 

I have a friend who is a family doctor. I was in his office one time and I noticed a cartoon tacked to his bulletin board. It showed a very old man on the exam table being examined by his doctor. The patient was wrinkled and shriveled, bent and hobbled, and obviously in pain and distress. The doctor looked at him and said, “You know those extra 15 years of life you worked so hard to get by eating right and exercising? These are them.”

 

That’s funny and it does make an important point – if we live long enough we will get old, we will get sick, and we will eventually die anyway no matter how good we took care of ourselves. But it’s also true that there are things we can all do to make sure we stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible. I mean after all, if you’re going to be alive anyway then why not do what you have to do in order to be as healthy as possible so you can really enjoy your life?

 

I love the example of Caleb in the book of Joshua – 85 years old and still kicking butt and taking names! I want to be like Caleb! But in order to live long and well we do have to make an effort to take care of ourselves.

 

I know a 98 year old woman who still lives by herself in her own home and until just a few months ago she still drove her own car. Her mind is sharp, she is bright and perky, and she fully enjoys life. I know another man who is 83. He lives a full and active life, including driving everywhere and working in his woodshop each day. He just had a hip replaced and he recovered from that surgery in only 3 weeks.

 

Conversely, I know a couple of people who are only in their 40s and their health is a train wreck. They’re obese, they have bad type-two diabetes, they have to take lots of medicine, and they’re already unable to work.

 

There’s a lot in life that we can’t control, and at times we will all get sick or have an accident and get hurt. But generally speaking, the better you take care of yourself the longer you will live and the more you will enjoy your life.

 

Unfortunately this is an area that many people make excuses about. We all want to be in good health but many of us aren’t willing to discipline ourselves to eat right and to exercise. But it’s really not that hard. Just eat moderate amounts of reasonably good food and get some exercise every day.

 

As we approach 2018 I encourage you to make a New Year’s resolution to establish better habits of eating and exercising. Have a goal, make a plan, and walk it out. In the long run you’ll be glad you did.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim