Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “The fear of not having enough”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Watch out and be on guard against all greed because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “There has to be more to life than this.”

 

Yesterday I told you about a 2015 survey of millionaires which produced the surprising revelation that a very large percentage of rich people are insecure about their financial future. In the survey a majority strongly believed they needed to have twice as much as they already have in order to feel secure. That was true of those millionaires and it tends to be true for most for us, regardless of our income level.

 

In his book, “The God Guarantee: Finding Freedom from the Fear of Not Having Enough”, Jack Alexander writes, “America is filled with comfortably prosperous people who mostly feel they don’t have enough. They are dominated and controlled by a pervasive sense of resource scarcity and precariousness.” He then goes on to say that fear in itself is fundamentally selfish – it is a preoccupation with the self. The fear of not having enough is a selfish preoccupation with not just our own provision, but with our own comfort and not even just that, but with our own continued high level of comfort.

 

We all know this is true. As was noted yesterday, we live in the most affluent society in the world. But we also have the largest proportion of people on anti-depressant medications than any nation in the world. Beyond that, we also have one of the highest levels of personal indebtedness per capita, and the resulting financial strains that come with being deeply in debt. And, we have one of the highest suicide rates in the developed world.

 

How could that be? How could so many have so much and still be so unhappy – and so fearful of not having enough? Evidently there must be more to life than just having a lot of stuff.

 

Jesus spoke about that in Luke 12:15. He taught that there is more to life than just money and possessions. In fact, not only are money and possessions not the most important thing in life, often they get in the way of true happiness.

 

Let me be clear that money and possessions are not bad. I would rather have money and possessions than not have money and possessions. But how we think about such things, and the place they are allowed to occupy in our heart, is crucial to our overall sense of joy and contentment, and to the real quality of our lives.

 

In his book Jack does not debunk the value or importance of money or possessions. He himself is a multi-millionaire. Although he grew up in impoverished circumstances, he went on to become a successful businessman, investor, corporate CEO, and financial advisor. But Jack is one of those special people who learned how to hold it all lightly and to use it well for the glory of God and for the benefit of the Kingdom. In the process, he discovered some wonderful promises from God regarding His provision for His people.

 

You may be surprised by some of what we learn this month.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “The fear of not having enough”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:31-33 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Stop living in fear of not having enough.”

 

Some years ago a middle-aged woman came to me for counseling. Her family was struggling in many ways, but especially financially, and she was therefore worried about their financial security and the future. I found their situation slightly inexplicable because for one thing, we live in one of the lowest cost-of-living regions in the nation. But for another thing, her family income was more than $100,000 and therefore they should have been doing just fine. But I’ll never forget her comment to me about that. She said, “$100,000 doesn’t go as far as you might think it would.” So she was worried about finances.

 

In another case I received a phone call from a fifty-something woman who lives in another part of the country. I had known her and her husband for decades. She too was having family problems and again one of their biggest issues revolved around finances. In their case both husband and wife were accomplished professionals with six figure incomes. Their $450,000 home was paid for. Their savings and investments approached $1,000,000, and both of them had assured retirement income that would combine to provide them with a six figure income in retirement. But still, the husband was deeply concerned that they did not have enough savings, investments, and retirement income to really be secure and he was obsessing about it to the point of anxiety and marital strife.

 

I’ve always found it amazing that although we live in the most affluent nation in the world, the fear of not having enough is pervasive in our society and spans the spectrum of income brackets. Because it is such a big problem, I’ve done a lot of preaching, teaching, and writing about this over the years. In one recent survey of millionaires, seventy-eight percent of those with $1,000,000 or more in assets admitted that they still worried about their financial future and thought they needed to have at least twice as much as they do have in order to feel secure.

 

God recently brought to my attention a wonderful little book on this subject and I have decided to share some of its lessons with you. The book is “The God Guarantee: Finding Freedom from the Fear of Not Having Enough” by Jack Alexander. The book is insightful and very helpful and I highly recommend it to you.

 

Throughout the month I will draw on some of the lessons and themes Jack brings out in his book, combined with my own insights and experiences, and together we will learn more about this fear of not having enough and how to stop it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up.” 1 Corinthians 10:23 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We cause most of our own problems by making bad choices.”

 

As we conclude our devotional study on the subject of “boundaries”, I want to reemphasize the importance of personal responsibility. You and only you are responsible for your boundaries (or for the lack of them). Additionally, if your boundaries have been breached it is almost certainly your own fault. You either created the situation yourself, or you allowed it to exist. Either way it’s your responsibility, so don’t blame it on others.

 

In 1 Corinthians 10:23 Paul was teaching an important lesson about Christian liberty. He was making the point that in Christ we have great freedom to make choices about the context and content of our lives. But in order to make good choices we have to be spiritually mature and our choices have to be Spirit-led. This is such an important lesson that he taught it twice in the same letter, once in 1 Corinthians 6:12 and again here in 10:23.

 

This “Christian Liberty” that we have, and the importance of using that liberty wisely to make good choices, applies to all of life and it certainly applies to the choices we make regarding the boundaries we establish. Life is filled with lots and lots of good things – good activities, good people, good obligations, and good ministry – good things that we could attempt to fit into our lives. But there isn’t room for everyone and for everything. Choices have to be made. Good choices. And if you don’t make those choices, if you don’t establish good boundaries, then you end up like that proverbial five pound bag crammed with ten pounds of stuff – it’s bursting at the seams and spilling over the edges.

 

There are lots and lots of possibilities – but as Paul teaches here in 1 Corinthians, not everything is helpful and not everything builds up. Sometimes more is too much.

 

As we end this month of considering the boundaries we have (or need to have), I encourage you to spend some extra time in prayer about it. Ask the Lord to help you see your life clearly and objectively. Then ask Him to help you understand what adjustments need to be made. And then finally, as was stressed in yesterday’s devotional, if changes need to be made, if people or things or activities have to go, be a mature Christian and handle it in a way that honors Christ and blesses others. Don’t be petty or small or mean in how you go about shedding things (or even people). How we handle things like this is a pretty clear indicator about how spiritually mature we really are.

 

Remember, when it comes to boundary issues, the responsibility is yours and yours alone. Make good choices. Then implement those choices in a way that honors Christ and blesses others.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Each person should do as he has decided in his heart – not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Pay attention to feelings of resentment.”

 

At first glance 2 Corinthians 9:7 may seem like an odd verse of Scripture to include in our study about boundaries. In that passage Paul was teaching about giving money to help support the cause of Christ. In that context he wrote verse 7 where he cautioned his readers to give with a cheerful heart and not out of a sense of compulsion and not with any resentment. The implication is that if you are not able to give with that kind of cheerful and willing heart you should just keep your money, God doesn’t want it.

 

Although that’s excellent guidance when it comes to the subject of giving money in a way that pleases God, there’s also a larger truth here which pertains to all of life in general – and to the subject of setting good boundaries in particular. If you’re feeling resentment about something or someone, that’s a pretty good indication that something is wrong.

 

If a family member is requiring so much of your time and attention that you’re starting to resent it, that person is probably pushing the outer limits of healthy boundaries and it could be time for you to start saying “no” to them. If your job is requiring so much from you that you’re beginning to resent it and you’re starting to think that you might like to do something different for a living, there could be a boundary issue. If you’re ending most days exhausted and feeling as if there was little time to just stop and smell the roses, and you find yourself wishing your life was slower, simpler, easier, you may need to adjust some boundaries.

 

When feelings of resentment about a particular area of life begin to crowd your thoughts, it could be a red flag warning you of the need to adjust some of your critical boundaries. If you find yourself thinking “This didn’t used to bother me very much but now I’m starting to get fed up with it”, you know the boundary line has been breached and you need to make adjustments.

 

Resentment is poison pill which turns us into a bitter person who becomes small-minded and self-absorbed, often with a victim mentality. That then usually leads to irrational behavior that damages relationships and results in bad consequences for us. If your boundaries have been breached it’s almost certainly your own fault. You either caused it yourself or you allowed it to happen. Now handle it in a spiritually mature way that honors Christ.

 

As we near the end of our devotional study of boundaries I want to encourage you to give careful, prayerful thought to the boundaries you have set in your life. Are there any that need to be adjusted? Are there some that don’t currently exist but need to be put in place?

 

Healthy boundaries are needed in every area of life. Make the adjustments that are needed but be a big boy or a big girl about it. Don’t allow resentment to make you petty and small.

 

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

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: “Fear is a self-imposed boundary.”

 

Hundreds of times in both the Old and New Testaments the people of God are told to “fear not”, or to not give in to fear. If God repeats an instruction hundreds of times there must be something to it.

 

To describe fear the dictionary uses words like “anxiety”, “apprehension”, “disquiet”, and “agitation”. It is an impending sense of something bad that may happen. That sense of anxiety and apprehension can be crippling. Fear will often cause us to delay actions we need to take or to put off decisions which need to make. It can also render us ineffective or even helpless when we need to be strong. God doesn’t want the lives of His people to be governed by fear and so He repeatedly teaches against it. Over and over again He reassures us that we have no reason to fear.

 

Isaiah 41:10 speaks of the Sovereignty of God. To be “Sovereign” means that He is supreme and has absolute authority over all people and over all things. That includes you and the circumstances of your life. This verse also reminds us that in addition to being Sovereign (having supreme authority over your life), He is also “Omnipresent”, meaning that He is always with you, and He is “Omnipotent” in that He is all-powerful.

 

So because God has complete authority over your life, and because He is always with you, and because He has absolute power over every issue in your life, you do not need to fear. One other attribute of God which we need to consider this morning and which applies to this subject of rejecting fear is His total, unconditional, and perfect love for you. God is the very definition of perfect love and in 1 John 4:18 we read, “There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear.” (HCSB)

 

God is love. There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear. God loves you.

 

Fear is a self-imposed boundary. Fear limits and restricts us. It immobilizes us when we need to be active and it steals our joy. But God, in His perfect love for us, by means of His never-ending presence with us, and by His mighty power, gives us victory over fear.

 

“Fear not, for I am with you.” says your God.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “There is always more.”

 

I was already an adult when I came to faith in Christ. When it finally dawned on me what I had been missing all those years, I remember feeling as if I had wasted years of my life. I could have spent that time learning about God and growing as a Christian. I felt that I had a lot of ground to make up.

 

Shortly after that, I came across a statement in a book which captured my imagination – it gave me great hope and propelled me on a journey of seeking God. It came from the book “Lifestyle Discipleship” by Jim Peterson:

 

“One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the infinite opportunity for spiritual growth. But however much we have matured, there is always more beyond. It is in this that we find the adventure of living. There will always be new, unexplored dimensions of His person beckoning to us. The possibilities go off the chart.”

 

The Christian life, properly lived, can be an exciting journey of spiritual growth. Every day there can be new discoveries and greater understanding. And no matter how much we have learned or how much we have grown, there will always be something more waiting for us. God is a deep ocean. His wonders, richness and beauty are infinitely more than we can comprehend or take in. And no matter how much of Him we experience, there will always be more.

 

The promise of Jeremiah 33:3 is true for you too. If you call to Him, if you seek Him, He will answer you and show you great and wondrous things you did not know. When it comes to learning new things about God there are no boundaries, there is always more.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So he (Caleb) said, ‘Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice now.” Genesis 27:36 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Stop the manipulators.”

 

Jacob was one of the patriarchs of the Old Testament. It was from him that the twelve tribes of Israel came. But the primary thing Jacob is remembered for is that he was a manipulator of people. He was cunning and devious and he was always quietly maneuvering behind the scenes to advance his own interests – usually to the detriment of those closest to him. As a result Jacob brought upon himself and his loved ones years of suffering.

 

Do you have a Jacob in your life? I’m talking about someone who has a habit of being deceptive; someone who is always scheming; someone who always seems to have a slightly unbelievable story and who can’t really be trusted. Often such people are close family members who we love and who we want to help, but who over time have lost our trust and burned all their bridges. With such people we have to have firm boundaries to protect ourselves from their manipulations. We have to be tough.

 

In their book “Boundaries” John Townsend and Henry Cloud label such people as “Controllers”. They are determined to gain control over the people around them in order to get what they want. Controllers come in two basic varieties, “Aggressive Controllers” and “Manipulative Controllers”. Aggressive controllers don’t even make a pretense of respecting your boundaries. They’re often verbally and sometimes physically abusive. They try to get what they want from you by means of fear and intimidation. The boundaries needed with them are often physical and legal. We’re talking about locked doors, restraining orders, and perhaps jail time.

 

Manipulative controllers are much more subtle. They often have friendly and engaging personalities, and they usually try to give the impression that they care deeply about you and fully respect the boundaries you have established. But all the while they’re working their way around your boundaries, often coming in through the back door of your heart. In the end they walk away with the keys to your car, or a check for this month’s rent, or whatever else they were seeking. The boundaries needed to deal with the manipulative controller usually consist of a firm “no” and then sticking to it.

 

Jacob never really learned his lesson. There were times in his life when he was a little better than at other times, but right to the end he gives the impression of being self-absorbed, selfish, whiny, and putting himself before others.

 

If you have a Jacob in your life you may find that the only thing you can do is to establish firm boundaries to protect yourself from them. You will just have to be tough with them and then stick to it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:38 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Jesus destroyed the boundaries between people.”

 

The first century Jewish world that Jesus entered into was highly structured with multiple boundaries designed to separate people. Men were superior, women less so, and children least of all. Jews esteemed themselves very highly, and everyone else was pond scum. The rich were exalted, the poor were despised, and the sick and disabled were obviously cursed.

 

These manmade boundaries were most prominent in the house of worship – the Temple complex. Non-Jews and half-breeds like the Samaritans could enter the outer court of the Gentiles, but a wall and guards prevented them from going any further. Jewish women and children could proceed into the next section, but that was it for them. Men could proceed into the inner courtyard, but only the priests could go any further than that into the most holy and sacred section. Menstruating women, the deformed, those with infectious diseases, and the mentally ill were all unclean and needed to stay outside altogether.

 

Into this unfair and unkind caste system came Jesus. He tore down all the divisions and the artificial manmade barriers designed to keep people segregated. Jesus touched the lepers, forgave the prostitutes, and He ate with the tax collectors. He taught that the only thing that divided people (into two distinct groups), was the forgiveness of sins. If you have repented and are forgiven, you are part of the family of God. If you have not repented, then you are on the outside looking in. That’s the only boundary that matters to God.

 

If you’re a Christian then you probably agree with what I just wrote – at least in theory – but how about in actual practice? If a person has placed their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins do you consider that person to be a brother or sister of yours, in full equality? Is the smelly homeless person, the struggling alcoholic, the Muslim or Hindu, welcome into your worship service? How about into your church family? How about into your home for dinner? Is the single mother with the child born out of wedlock welcome to become a full member of your church family, in equal standing with everyone else? How about someone of a different race or one in a significantly lower income bracket?

 

Jesus came to destroy the manmade boundaries which separate people. The only distinction which really matters is whether you are a Christian or not. If you are, then you’re a brother or sister of mine and we have equal standing before the Lord. It is absolutely true that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. There are no barriers or boundaries separating people there.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “His master replied, ‘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: “Just be yourself”

 

Well, it turns out that I’m not Billy Graham. I know, I know, you’re disappointed. Me too. For one thing, I don’t have his hair. I haven’t even owned a comb in over twenty years. More importantly, I don’t have his preaching ability; and I certainly can’t fill an entire stadium with people eager to hear about Jesus.

 

But here’s the good news: I don’t have to be Billy Graham. All I have to do is be the best Jim Mersereau I’m capable of being. God created Billy and Jim as unique individuals and He has a good plan for each of our lives. In His divine wisdom He gave each of us the gifts, skills, abilities, and talents He wanted us to have, and then He holds each of us accountable for how we use what we do have, not for what we don’t have.

 

That’s the lesson Jesus taught in Matthew 25:14-30. It’s what we know as “The Parable of the Talents”. In this story there were three men who were each entrusted by the master with something of his, which they were then to put to good use. The amount each was given was determined by the master and was in accordance with their abilities. Each was then held accountable for how they used what they did have, not for what they didn’t have.

 

This is an important lesson because so many of us allow ourselves to feel inadequate – we believe we don’t measure up to other people. We think others are smarter, more talented, better looking, more successful, etc, and we then come to the conclusion that we are inadequate by comparison. But the truth is that God didn’t create you to be someone else, He created you to be you. And He doesn’t compare your achievements to those of other people. He compares your achievements to what He knows you are capable of, based upon what He has given you to work with.

 

Each of us needs to learn to live within the boundaries of who God created us to be. More importantly, we need to learn to be happy about who God created us to be. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t strive to grow and improve and to acquire new skills. But it does mean that all you are responsible for is to be the best “you” you are capable of being. Jim Mersereau doesn’t have to try to be Billy Graham. And Billy Graham doesn’t have to try to be Jim Mersereau (which would certainly be the easier side of the equation!) Just be who God created you to be.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We are restricted, but God is not.”

 

As human beings we are limited, hemmed in, by the boundaries of our humanity. We have the five senses of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste but each of them only to a limited degree and we have nothing beyond that. There is no Spock-like sixth sense of mental telepathy which enables us to plant thoughts into the minds of other people or to read their minds. Telekinesis – the ability to move and lift objects simply by thinking about it – is the stuff of science fiction.

 

We are also limited by our intellect. The human mind is an amazing thing but even the smartest person in the world doesn’t know everything. Likewise and most importantly, we are limited in our ability to understand God and His ways. We have very little understanding of anything supernatural. Being finite physical human beings with only five senses, we have great difficulty grasping the infinite and the spiritual.

 

I hate that. There’s so much I want to know and understand that’s just beyond me. How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Can God create a rock that’s so heavy even He can’t lift it? Will the Titans ever make it to the Super Bowl? So many questions, so few answers!

 

But on a more serious note, why do innocent children get incurable cancer? Why would a good God allow bad things to happen to the people who love and obey Him? Why is it that when we’re hurting and struggling, God often seems a million miles away?

 

There is so much we simply do not have the capacity to understand. We’re hemmed in by the boundaries of our humanity. But this is where faith comes in. It’s true that we are limited and restricted, but God is not. God sees all, knows all, and has control over all. God is good and He loves us. He will guide us when we cannot see, carry us when we are weak, and protect our interests when the problems are too big and too complicated for us.

 

“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)

 

It’s true that we are limited by the boundaries of our humanity and it’s also true that God is not. In His divinity He is without limit or restriction, and He is Sovereign over all the situations of our lives. And so, since He is boundless as well as infinitely good, and since He loves us without limit, we can walk by faith and simply trust in Him even when we cannot see and do not understand.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim