Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter answered Him, “command me to come to You on the water.” “Come!” He said. And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:28-31 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Keep your eyes on Jesus”

 

You really do have to give Peter a lot of credit. I mean after all, he got out of the boat and trusted Jesus to enable him to actually walk on water. Think about that, he got out of the boat and expected to be able to walk on the water! Who does that? It’s impossible. Water is not solid and a man cannot walk on it. It would be nothing less than a miracle.

 

And yet, because Jesus said so, Peter stepped over the side of the boat, placed his feet on the water, and started to walk. What an amazing demonstration of faith. And, he did it! He walked on the water. Verse 29 makes it clear that the water did hold him up and he was walking on it towards Jesus. It was a miracle in the making.

 

But then he took his eyes off of Jesus. Instead of staying focused on Jesus and simply continuing to move forward towards Him, Peter shifted his gaze to the wind and the waves. When he did that he noticed the size of the waves and the strength of the wind, and suddenly he was afraid. And then … and then … he started to sink. When he focused on his circumstances rather than on his Lord it all fell apart and he started to sink.

 

But fortunately Jesus was there to rescue him. As he was sinking Peter cried out to Jesus and Jesus immediately grabbed Peter by the hand and pulled him up. As soon as Peter shifted his gaze back to his Lord and asked for His help he was okay again.

 

There’s an important lesson in that story for us. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Focus on Him and not on your circumstances. This is especially important when the circumstances look a lot like that big storm that was raging all around Peter, the one with the dark clouds, the howling wind, the huge waves, and the pouring rain. Sometimes our circumstances look a lot like that. Keep your eyes on Jesus and trust Him to keep you from sinking.

 

Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us “… let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith …”

 

I encourage you today to keep your eyes on Jesus and just keep walking forward.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:5-8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Just make a decision and get moving.”

 

In James 1:5-8 James described a situation that many Christians suffer from – the inability to make a decision and the inability to stick with it once the decision has been made. He calls such a person “indecisive and unstable”. They spend their life being tossed back and forth like a piece of debris floating on the waves. This is especially true when faced with adversity. The person hems and haws, wrings their hands and moans and groans. If they finally do make a decision, they quickly doubt themselves and they change their mind – usually multiple times. That’s not of God.

 

One of the marks of every great man or woman of God is decisiveness – the ability to make a decision and to stick with it. A truly wise man or woman knows to be patient and to wait on God, but when the time comes to make a decision and to move forward, then the wisdom of Proverbs 3:5-6 comes into play:

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (NIV)

 

That’s God-inspired decisiveness. You bring your situation to the Lord in prayer, you check Scripture for guidance, you rely on the counsel of other mature Christians, then you make the best decision you can, trusting that God will guide you. Now get moving. Don’t procrastinate any longer. Stop making excuses. And stop changing your mind. This is a God-informed decision you just made. Now trust Him. Don’t doubt and don’t change your mind. If it turns out that God wants you to stop or to change direction He can make that clear to you – and He will. There will be no doubt in your mind that He has stopped you or changed your direction. But short of that clear and undeniable intervention on His part, just keep moving. Stop doubting. Just do it.

 

Prayerfully seeks God’s direction, search the Scriptures, get counsel from mature Christian friends but then, when the time for decision and action has arrived, bring it before the Lord, make the best decision you can make, and get busy moving forward, trusting that God is guiding you.

 

God has more invested in your life than you do, and He wants you to be in the middle of His will even more than you want to be there. But He is not going to dictate every step of life to you word-for-word. The old saying is true “God gave you a mind, and He doesn’t mind if you use it.” So just make a decision, get moving, and trust God.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Depend on the Lord to get you through”

 

Those who have walked with the Lord for a long time know from personal experience the truth expressed in Isaiah 40:29-31. When you’re going through a tough time God will lift you up, strengthen you, and even carry you through it if you will just come to Him and ask for His help. I have witnessed it time after time – faithful Christians, faced with seemingly impossible situations, are able to not only endure it, but to push through it with courage and strength, with dignity and grace. They brought it to the Lord and then relied on Him to get them through it.

 

This is so true that it’s often during the most difficult times of life that non-believers will come to faith in Christ. It’s also when straying Christians will commonly come back to Him. Everybody knows that God helps us through such times. So it’s a common scene to see a person who is enduring major struggles to show up at church in search of God. And when they find Him, they discover the truth of Isaiah 40:29-31.

 

It’s unfortunate that people have to get into situations like that before they come searching for God, but that is often what it takes. Sometimes God has to let us get to the lowest point in life so that we will come to Him. I wonder how many of those low points in life could have been avoided if we had just stayed right there with Him to begin with.

 

There’s an old military saying that goes “There are no atheists in foxholes.” That means that when the bullets are flying and your life is on the line your thoughts naturally turn to God for help and protection. Many professions of faith and many promises of a transformed life have been made in foxholes with bullets whizzing overhead. But once the danger has passed, the promises to God are often forgotten – until the next time.

 

This is true in the lives of Christians too. As was already stated, many people come to faith in Christ once they’ve hit the lowest point in life. Many wayward Christians come back to Him when they are faced with trials and struggles. But then when everything is okay again they get lazy and much less committed – until the next time.

 

If you’re going through a tough time in life the smartest thing to do is to bring your situation to God and claim the promise of Isaiah 40:29-31. You can count on Him to lift you up, to strengthen you, and to carry you through it. But once He has done that, don’t wander away from Him! Stay right there in the safety of His embrace, drawing strength from Him and being carried by Him in both the bad times and in the good.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Consider it great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “There is something to be learned from this.”

 

My first thought when I read the words of James in verse two above is “You have got to be kidding!” I’m supposed to consider it “great joy” when I experience adversity in life? It reminds me of the silly television commercial about goofy people who get weird satisfaction from bad things happening to them. One guy laughs when he bangs his head; another lady guzzles spoiled milk and likes it; another is laughing hysterically because his arm is caught in a vending machine. Considering such things to be “great joy” is dumb!

 

But James was actually teaching an important spiritual truth about how God uses the trials and tribulations of our lives to mold us and shape us into better and stronger people.

 

Michelangelo was one of the greatest painters who ever lived. His most famous work is the murals he painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. But in addition to being a great painter, Michelangelo is also known for his beautiful sculptures. He was an expert at working in marble and his most famous statue is of King David. It is so detailed that it is lifelike.

 

As his statue of David was nearing completion, a man was in Michelangelo’s studio watching him as he carefully chipped away pieces of marble. The man was amazed that Michelangelo seemed to intuitively know what marble to remove and what to leave in order to achieve the exact image he was after. When the man asked him how he knew what to chip away and what to leave Michelangelo replied, “I just chip away everything that isn’t David.”

 

That’s the lesson James was teaching. That’s how God uses our times of adversity and trials. He is a sculptor molding us and shaping us into the men and women He wants us to be. As we face the adversities of life God teaches us lessons, makes us stronger, and essentially chips away all that is not the “us” (the finished product) that He has in mind.

 

James’ point was that as you push through your adversity you are learning and growing and becoming stronger. Through this time of trial God is changing you, growing you, making you better. And for that, you should be glad.

 

We can probably agree that there is little joy to be had from having your arm stuck in the vending machines of life – except that you have now learned not to stick your arm into vending machines! So James would tell you to rejoice and be glad that you’ve just learned an important and helpful lesson!

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But now be strong, Zerubbabel”, declares the Lord. “Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land”, declares the Lord, “and work”. “For I am with you”, declares the Lord Almighty. “This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.” Haggai 2:4-5 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Be strong. Do not fear. And work.”

 

So, how does your situation look this morning? Are things looking better? Can you see progress in whatever it is you have been working through? Or does there seem to be no end in sight? Maybe you are faced with what seems to be an impossible situation and it looks very much like a hill that’s just too high to climb. If so, welcome to the world of the Old Testament prophet Haggai.

 

Haggai was a prophet called by God to bring words of encouragement to the disillusioned people of Jerusalem. They had been in captivity in Babylon for 70 years. Then King Cyrus directed them to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple and the walls of the city. But the city and temple were nothing but a pile of ruins. Rebuilding the walls would be a huge chore in itself. But as they stood there gazing at the total devastation of the temple, the thought of rebuilding it seemed impossible. The mess was too much, the damage too severe, and recovery seemed impossible. So the people were discouraged and depressed, not to mention overwhelmed.

 

Maybe that sounds like your life right now. Well if so, God’s words to them through the prophet Haggai apply as much to you in your situation as it did to them in theirs: “Be strong. Do not fear. Get to work.”

 

But wait, it actually gets better than that. Not only did God promise them in 2:4-5 that He was with them and that He had made a covenant (a promise) to get them through it, but in 2:8-9 he added this encouraging little promise:

 

“The silver is mine and the gold is mine”, declares the Lord Almighty. “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house”, says the Lord Almighty. “And in this place I will grant peace, declares the Lord Almighty”.

 

The people couldn’t see the outcome, but God could. God knew that He was going to move upon the heart of King Cyrus to provide the resources needed to accomplish the outcome that He had ordained. God knew that in time the walls would rise, the temple would be rebuilt, and the end result would be something far greater than what the people could envision.

 

I want you to know this morning that God, in His way and in His time, can bring to bear all the resources, all the help, and the solutions needed to resolve your situation in the way He wants. But like the people of Jerusalem you need to do the work. Lean into the problem; push through it; do your part; and then trust God to do His. In time the debris will be cleared, the walls will rise, and you will have achieved what at first seemed impossible.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Without vision, the people perish. But he that keepth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

 

Our thought for today: “Do you have a vision for the end of your adversity?”

 

In the most direct sense, Proverbs 29:18 refers to the people of God understanding the will of God and then being obedient to it. And, as the second half of the verse makes clear, the most direct understanding of God’s will is acquired through the study of His Word.

 

But as the editors of the Holman Christian Standard Study Bible point out in their study notes on this verse, there’s a broader Biblical principle in play here too. God has a plan for your life and a plan for your current situation. Deliverance will come according to God’s plan.

 

So, back to my question, “Do you have a vision for the end of your adversity?” In your mind’s eye can you see yourself after the adversity is over? Realistically, what events do you think occurred that led you out of the adversity? What is your life like now that the adversity is over? And perhaps most importantly, what actions were required on your part to help you get out of that situation? Again, do you have a vision for the end of your adversity? If not, then I encourage you to get on your knees and ask God to help you get one.

 

Hope for the future is based upon a God-given vision of what the future could look like. But that will always involve active participation on your part. You have to be part of your own solution to the problem. There are things that God will have to do, but there are also things that you will have to do.

 

I encourage you to think realistically about your current situation. Be honest about how you got into it (and don’t be too quick to lay the blame at the feet of other people either). Then ask God to help you develop a vision for what it will be like when you have pushed through it and the adversity is finally over. Be sure to ask Him to help you see what your part in the solution needs to be – then get busy doing your part.

 

Without a vision people get stuck in the mud in life and make no progress getting out of it; or they tend to wander aimlessly through life with no sure purpose or direction. That’s never God’s desire. He wants us to have vision and hope – and He wants us to get busy being part of our own solution.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” Jonah 4:2 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Do you have the wrong image of God?”

 

It may surprise you to learn that Jonah had it right. “Having it right” is not what we typically remember Jonah for. Instead we remember him as the reluctant prophet who ended up spending three days in the belly of a whale for disobeying God. God instructed him to go the wicked city of Nineveh and preach a message of repentance. Jonah didn’t want to and so he didn’t. Instead he went in the opposite direction.

 

Long story short, after spending three days stewing in the digestive juices of a big whale, thinking about his errant ways and what it might take to get out of there, Jonah confessed his disobedience, agreed to do what he was told, went to Nineveh, preached God’s message, and saw a great movement of repentance from the Ninevites. But then Jonah got pouty and difficult again when he realized God wasn’t going to punish them. The short book ends with God admonishing Jonah and Jonah sulking.

 

So in what way did Jonah have it right? Verse 4:2 tells us that he knew that God is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and abounding in love. He is a God who wants people to repent so He doesn’t have to punish them. He is a God who relents from sending calamity. That’s precisely what Jonah’s problem was. He hated the people of Nineveh and he didn’t want them to repent and to be forgiven. He wanted thunderbolts and lightening, fire and brimstone, punishment and damnation, not repentance and forgiveness. But he knew who God was and what God was like, and so he knew the Ninevites would be forgiven and not punished if they would only repent.

 

Sometimes we forget who God is and what He’s like. This can be especially true during those times when we’re dealing with adversity. Sometimes it can seem as if God punishes us unfairly, or abandons us in our times of struggles and doesn’t seem to care much. But that’s not who He is and that’s not what He’s like. Jonah had it right. God is gracious and compassionate, He is slow to anger and eager to forgive, and He does not want to see us suffering calamity if there is a way to avoid it. He might allow it, for a time and for a reason, but it’s not what He prefers and He wants it to end even more than we do.

 

Today is Saturday, tomorrow is Sunday. Will you be in church tomorrow? Will you worship the God who is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and abounding in love; the God who is eager to deliver you from whatever it is you’re struggling with? That’s who God is and He will be waiting for you at the altar.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through Adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to its place where it rises.” Ecclesiastes 1:4-5 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Just breathe.”

 

Throughout most of the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon comes across as stoic and even apathetic. It reads as if the writer has shrugged his shoulders in disgust and is now just getting through life. It’s not until the last two verses of the very last chapter that we realize it was all a set-up and that he didn’t really mean it the way it appeared to read. All of the apparent stoicism was setting us up for his closing point, “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands.”

 

Once we’ve read the concluding paragraph the rest of the book falls into place. Thinking back on it we realize that life is a long series of ups and downs, victories and defeats, good times and bad. Through it all we need to just keep trusting the Lord. Just keep obeying Him, put one foot in front of the other, and keep moving forward. Solomon actually alluded to that in 1:4-5 when he reminded us that time passes. “The sun rises and the sun sets” – and time passes.

 

In his great little book “Bounce: Learning to thrive through loss, tragedy, and heartache” author Aaron Fruh reminds us of a scene from the Tom Hanks movie “Castaway”. The main character was in a small plane which crashed in a remote section of the southern Pacific Ocean. Everyone else on the plane was killed. Only Tom Hanks survived. He ended up as a castaway on a small deserted island. The entire movie revolves around his time on the island just trying to stay alive. Eventually he is rescued and returns to civilization. The scene picks up with him speaking to an audience and explaining how he managed to survive all that time as a lonely castaway on a deserted island:

 

“I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. I had to keep breathing even though there was no reason to hope … So that’s what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven … because the tide came in and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I’m back in Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass. And I know what I have to do now. I have to keep breathing. And tomorrow the sun will rise, and who knows what the tide will bring in.”

 

When we’re pushing through adversity sometimes we need to get a little stoic about it. Sometimes our attitude has to be that “I will just keep breathing, just keep doing what I have to do for this moment, and I will just keep going.” Trust God, obey God, and just keep going. The sun will set and it will rise again tomorrow. The days will pass, things will change, and who knows what the tide will bring in tomorrow. Just keep pushing through it. Just breathe.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for difficult times.” Proverbs 17:17 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Let others help”

 

One of the reasons God has put us together in church families is so we can help one another – especially during the most difficult times of life. Most of you are familiar with our story (mine and Linda’s). In the months after Linda had her stroke and brain surgeries our church family pretty much carried us through that deep valley. I don’t know what we would have done without them. I feel sorry for those Christians who are not plugged into a good church family.

 

Then there are those who don’t allow others deep enough into their lives in order to be able to help during times of adversity. There are Christians who are so private that they keep others shut out and therefore they don’t have the help they need during those tough times. There’s an old saying that goes “In order to have a friend you have to be a friend”. That means you have to cultivate relationships so that you then have those people there when they are needed the most. It’s not uncommon to see sad individuals who have kept people shut out of their lives, and then they complain that nobody is there for them. You have to invite others in and you have to let them help.

 

It’s also critically important that you are smart about who you look to for help. Proverbs 13:20 reminds us, “The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.”

 

What this teaches us is that when we need help we have to turn to the people who are equipped to provide that help. So if your marriage is struggling don’t seek advice from your friend who has been divorced four times. She might be able to tell you how you can end up divorced too, but it’s unlikely she’s equipped to give you any helpful advice on how to save your marriage. Instead go talk to the older woman who has been married for forty years. Likewise, if your finances are a mess, don’t look to your equally broke friend for financial advice. Go talk to someone who is doing it right.

 

When we’re going through times of adversity and trouble God will bring into our lives other Christians who are willing and able to help. We’re foolish if we don’t let them help.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Rely on God”

 

The other day I went to the hospital (ICU) to visit a young lady who is deathly ill. I think she is going to live but if so, she is going to have a long recovery. She is very, very sick. Her parents where there with her and we spent some time talking and visiting. Then I asked the young lady if I could share a passage of Scripture with her before we prayed together. I told her that she should hear this Bible verse as a promise to her from God. Then I read Isaiah 41:10.

 

She listened intently and I noticed her eyes get big. Then, with great effort and in a weak voice, she asked me to read it again slowly. I did. Then she asked me to read it again. After the third time reading the promise we prayed. I claimed this promise for her in the name of Jesus and I could see the peace on her face when we were through.

 

That scene reminded me of the power of the promises of God and the peace and reassurance His promises bring. That’s true of God’s promises in general and of this one in particular. Also, her sense of wonder, and her desire to hear the promise three times, caused me to realize that I had become a little numb to it and was perhaps even taking it for granted. I’ve read that promise probably hundreds of times. I share it all the time with people facing all sorts of adversity and difficult problems. I know from experience (my own and that of others) that it is a powerful promise and that God does in fact calm our fears, strengthen us for the challenges, help us, and hold us up through the adversity.

 

But seeing the impact the promise had on her (evidently hearing it for the first time), I was reminded yet again of what a great and compassionate God we have. His promises are true and they are a source of great comfort and help. He is there for us, He does help us, and He does get us through the difficult times of life.

 

I don’t know what it is that you might be dealing with today, but God knows, and He will be there for you in the middle of it. I encourage you to read Isaiah 41:10 again – slowly. Think about it. Claim it. Pray it back to God. And then thank Him for the truth of it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim