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

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “You can do it too.”

 

Yesterday I made reference to a couple of somewhat silly and yet inspiring examples from my childhood. I told you about Tigger, the character from the Winnie the Pooh series, and his little jingle that he had a top made of rubber and a bottom made of springs. And I told you about my sparring partner, “Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em Bozo”, and his unique ability to take a punch and bounce right back up.

 

Those examples serve to remind us that we all admire people who, like Tigger, can deal with whatever they encounter in a light-hearted and good natured way; or like Bozo, they have the ability to take a hit and bounce right back up.

 

I know a strong Christian woman who is currently in the end stages of cancer. She will go to be with Jesus soon. She has been fighting the cancer for many years and has endured countless chemotherapy sessions, gone into remission and enjoyed periods of good health, only to have the cancer come back. She has gone through that cycle several times. Now it’s back again and there’s nothing more that can be done.

 

But despite the fact that this has been going on for years, and despite the misery of the side effects of the chemo, and despite the deep disappointment of the cancer coming back again and again, she has pushed through it and lived a rich and full life despite the cancer. She is a woman of grace, strength, and great dignity. Even during the years of her protracted illness she has been active in a wide range of ministry activities. She has gone on mission trips, she has been financially generous for many good causes, and she has made it a point to be a blessing to numerous people. When you’re with her you quickly discover that she has no desire to talk about herself and her illness, instead she wants to talk about you and your life. She has been a walking, talking, living example of what the Apostle Paul described in Philippians 4:13.

 

Even the worst things in life can be endured and handled well as long as we are walking closely with Jesus. You too have been empowered by God to persevere. You too can push through adversity and do it with dignity and grace, with strength and confidence, with peace and with a strong resolve to bless others even while you fight through your own stuff. Jesus gives you that ability.

 

It’s not just Tigger and Bozo, the Apostle Paul and my friend who can do it – you too have what it takes to push through and bounce back, and to do it with grace and dignity. You can do it too.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Pushing through adversity”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Have a top made of rubber and a bottom made of springs.”

 

Perseverance is a character trait the Bible promotes and which God values in us. Perseverance is closely related to resilience and indicates an ability to hang in there and to push through the adversities we encounter in life. It is also the ability to bounce back from setbacks.

 

In his book “Bounce: Learning to thrive through loss, tragedy, and heartache” author Aaron Fruh reminds us of the cute but inspiring example of Tigger, the furry and loveable tiger in the Winnie the Pooh series. Tigger is a happy-go-lucky character who just seems to shrug off problems and to keep moving forward – usually humming a tune and stopping to smell the roses along the way.

 

In one scene of a Winnie the Pooh movie we see Tigger singing a toe-tapping bouncy little tune about his ability to just roll with the punches in life. The refrain goes, “I have a top made of rubber and a bottom made of springs.” In other words he was flexible and resilient. He could take a hit, roll with it, and bounce right back.

 

Tigger reminds me of the “Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em Bozo” I used to have when I was a kid. It was a four foot inflatable clown made of a plastic/rubber material. Inside, the bottom was filled with about twenty pounds of sand – thereby anchoring it pretty solidly to the floor. This allowed me to punch Bozo in the face as hard as I could, maybe give him a good karate kick to the head too, and Bozo would fall almost to the floor, but then he would bounce right back up (the sand in the bottom caused this). No matter how much I pummeled poor Bozo, he would always bounce right back up.

 

This is the kind of thing the writer of the letter to the Hebrews was referring to in Hebrews 12:1. It’s also the virtue other Biblical writers such as Peter, Paul, Jesus, and Solomon all commended as well. As we mature in our faith, God develops in us a top made of rubber and a bottom made of springs. He makes us resilient. He enables us to persevere and to bounce back.

 

This is an important character trait for the people of God to have because our ability to handle the tough times in life in a strong and confident way, with dignity and without whining, can be a great testimony to an unbelieving world. It shows that God strengthens us and helps us.

 

Maybe Tigger and Bozo are silly examples, but then again, we all need to be able to bounce right back up when life has knocked us down. There’s something to be said for having a top made of rubber and a bottom made of springs.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim