Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:27 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Balance requires discipline.”

 

Discipline is a word we don’t like much. It suggests punishment, as in punishing a child for inappropriate behavior. At least, that’s usually the first meaning of discipline that comes to the minds of most people when they hear the word.

 

But actually, “punishment intended to correct inappropriate behavior” is only the fourth meaning of the word listed in the dictionary. “Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior” is the first one. “Controlled behavior resulting from such training” is the second. Third comes, “A state of order based on submission to rules and authority.”

 

Discipline, as a voluntary form of behavior modification intended to produce new character traits or improved patterns of living, is actually a good thing and should not be thought of in negative terms. This is the way Paul was using the term in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

 

“Do you not know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly, or box like one who beats the air. Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

 

Those who succeed at anything in life do so because they have disciplined themselves to do the things necessary to succeed in that area. That’s true whether we’re talking about an athlete, a student, a musician, or a car mechanic.

 

So what does this have to do with our theme of “balance”? Just that achieving a good balance in all the important areas of our lives is going to take discipline. Almost always it requires behavior modification. It will take a change in behavioral patterns, and that takes time and effort. But that’s okay. Anything worthwhile always takes time and effort – and discipline – to achieve.

 

As you continue working to achieve and maintain a healthy balance in the important areas of your life, I encourage you to stick with it. It will take time, and it will take effort, but stay focused and disciplined. In time you will develop new patterns of behavior and that will become the new normal for you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Psalm 23:2 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Take time for a retreat.”

 

On the table next to my recliner I have a book of the speeches of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Every once in a while I open it and read one of the speeches. Justice Scalia is fondly remembered as having been a staunch defender of the Constitution and a reliable conservative voice on the Supreme Court. But there was much more to his life than just his legal career. He was frequently invited to give speeches to many different groups on a wide variety of topics including law and justice, virtue and the public good, living and learning, life in America, heroes and friends, and on matters of faith.

 

Scalia was a good natured, jovial Italian who loved music, hunting, sports, and people. He had a terrific sense of humor and he loved to tell jokes and witty stories. He was also a man of strong Christian faith who committed much time and effort to the practice of his faith. And, he encouraged others to be strong in their faith as well. After graduating from High School, Scalia gave serious thought to enrolling in a Catholic seminary and spending his life as a Jesuit Priest. Eventually he decided against that because, “I realized I had other talents that needed to be utilized, not the least of which was my ability to procreate.” (Priests must take a lifelong vow of celibacy but Scalia concluded that was not for him. Instead he got married and had nine children).

 

When it came to the practice of his faith, Justice Scalia was convinced of the value of taking a periodic spiritual retreat. In 1998 he was invited to speak to a group of Christian students at his alma mater, Georgetown University, and he used the opportunity to describe his habit of taking an annual spiritual retreat. He encouraged the students to do so as well. At one point in his speech he told the students:

 

“Any person who believes in the transcendental has to go on a retreat periodically, because the world believes in the pragmatic rather than the transcendental, and you will lose your soul (that is to say, forget what and who you are) if you do not get away from the noise now and then to think about First Things. In the Gospels, of course, Jesus is constantly going off by himself; and he doubtless needed it less than we do.”

 

I agree with Scalia about the importance of a spiritual retreat to contemplate “First Things”, so we don’t lose our souls (forget who and what we are and what should really be most important in our lives.) A spiritual retreat can be as elaborate as a week or more in a remote Christian camp, or as simple as a day or two alone somewhere. A Sunday morning worship service can also serve as a form of retreat, in that it helps us to step away from the rest of life for at least an hour or two and to focus instead on what Scalia referred to as “First Things” and what you and I would probably term the things of God and heaven.

 

I encourage you to schedule a spiritual retreat for yourself in 2018. In the meantime, I hope to see you at church this Sunday.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Control your thoughts and emotions.”

 

Dr. Gary Habermas is a Christian and he is the Chairman of the Department of Philosophy at Liberty University. In a research paper on the importance of exercising positive control over our thoughts and emotions Dr. Habermas wrote:

 

“The most painful things in life are not generally what occurs to us but what we think and articulate to ourselves about those occurrences. Thus, it is not so much the events in our lives but rather how we download and respond to them that determine whether we are able to adjust and live peacefully, with minimal pain and stress.”

 

He was writing about the old truism “You may not have control over everything that happens to you, but you do have control over how you respond to what happens to you.” In other words, how we allow ourselves to think about things, and what our emotional response to them is, determines what we will say and do with respect to that occurrence, as well as how we will remember it and how we will continue to think about it.

 

We are responsible for our thoughts and emotions and we can control them. This is critical because if your thoughts are wrong and if your emotions are unstable, your response to people and situations will be flawed. It also will not be helpful and it will not be in your own best interest. You will say things you shouldn’t say, you will make decisions you will regret, and you will take actions that produce consequences you really didn’t want. If you allow yourself to respond based upon emotion rather than reason, you are headed for trouble. And if that is your normal way of thinking and responding, yours will be a life of continual conflict, heartache, and disappointments.

 

Paul’s point in Philippians 4:8 (confirmed by the research of Dr. Habermas and many others) is that we can learn to control our thoughts and our emotions – and we must.

A balanced person is mentally rational and emotionally stable.

 

I encourage you to ask God to help you to honestly assess yourself in this area of thoughts, perceptions, and emotions, and then invite Him to bring about any needed changes in your mental and emotional life.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “(For my determined purpose is) that I may know Him – that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding (the wonders of His person) more strongly and more clearly.” Philippians 3:10 (Amplified Bible)

 

Our thought for today: “Go deep with God”

 

Yesterday I made the case that in order to have a life that is truly healthy and balanced in all the right ways, we have to start with God. A deep and healthy relationship with God is the foundation upon which a balanced and healthy life must be built. I want to continue thinking about that today.

 

Probably my favorite book of all time regarding the pursuit of a deeper relationship with the Lord is a tiny volume called “Intimacy with the Almighty” by Chuck Swindoll. He writes:

 

“Deep things are intriguing. Deep jungles. Deep water. Deep caves and canyons. Deep thoughts and conversations. There is nothing like depth to make us dissatisfied with superficial, shallow things. Once we have delved below the surface and had a taste of the marvels and mysteries of the deep, we realize the value of taking the time and going to the trouble of plumbing those depths. This is especially true in the spiritual realm. God invites us to go deeper rather than to be content with surface matters.”

 

That’s what Paul was writing about in Philippians 3:10. He wanted more of God. He wanted to know God and experience Him at a very deep level. But getting to experience God like that takes time and effort on our parts. We have to want it and we have to work for it. Swindoll goes on:

 

“Clearly, our Lord operates in realms far beyond our ability to comprehend, but He longs for us to explore and experience that which is beyond the obvious. Some of His best truths, like priceless treasures, are hidden in depths most folks never take the time to search out. Our loss! Patiently and graciously He waits to reveal insights and dimensions of truth to those who care enough to probe, to examine, to ponder.”

 

This morning I want to challenge each of us to consider how deep our relationship with the Lord really is. Have we become content with superficial experience and mere cultural Christianity? Or, like Paul, do we yearn and thirst for more of God, and are we willing to invest the time and put forth the effort to meet Him in deeper places? I want to encourage you to go deep with God. It takes time. It takes effort. But you will discover it was well worth it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul? Keep the Lord’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good.” Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Start with God and go from there.”

 

Living a life that’s balanced and healthy in all the important ways starts with God and then we go from there. And the good news is that’s it’s not that hard. That’s what Moses was telling the Israelites in Deuteronomy 10:12-13. Essentially he said, “Get your hearts right. Love God, worship Him, and obey His commands. It’s no more complicated than that and it’s for your own good.”

 

There’s a lot of wisdom contained in those two verses from Moses. This is the starting place for getting it right in life. Love God, walk closely with Him every day, obey Him, and build the rest of your life on that firm foundation. It seems so simple and yet so many of us mess this up. We get so busy with other things that we neglect our relationship with the Lord. Or we engage in behaviors that are contrary to His commands and then we rationalize our conduct and attempt to explain it away.

 

When I visit and counsel with young men in the jails and prisons, young men who have become entangled in a life of drugs and crime, this is the lesson I try to get through to them first and foremost. If they will establish the firm foundation of a good relationship with God, then build the rest of life on that, the other pieces of life will fall into place. But if they continue living far from God and in disobedience to His commands, they will just keep getting more of what they already have – a life of addiction, crime, and incarceration.

 

You may not be in such a desperate life situation. Perhaps drug addiction, crime, and incarceration does not describe what you’re experiencing in life right now. But are you overly busy, tired and stressed, struggling in relationships, in deep debt, depressed, or feeling overwhelmed with other life situations? If so, the first thing you want to check is where you’re at with the Lord. How good is your relationship with Him? How obedient are you to His commands?

 

Being in a good and healthy relationship with God doesn’t necessarily eliminate the challenges of life – it just strengthens us and enables us to handle them better. When it comes to building and maintaining a life that is balanced and healthy, we must start with God and then go from there.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “God will take care of you.”

 

In yesterday’s devotional I made the point that although we should take reasonable steps to prepare for the future, we should not obsess about it to the point of allowing our concern for the future to get our life out of balance. Worse still, sometimes an obsessive concern for the future can deter us from following where God is leading. This is something Linda and I had to come to terms with almost twenty-five years ago.

 

In 1993, as my career in the Navy was drawing to a close and I was preparing for the next season of life, I knew the Lord was calling me into full-time professional ministry. At that time I didn’t have a clear vision of what that ministry would entail, but I knew He was calling me into ministry and I knew I needed to go to seminary. So I took a low-paying job with the Department of Defense working as a Family Counselor on Naval Station San Diego, and I went to seminary at night.

 

I have to admit, especially as my seminary education was nearing an end, I had visions of grandeur. I envisioned a future of being the pastor of some fine large church with hundreds, perhaps thousands of members. But the Lord had a different plan. My years of ministry have actually been in small churches, with a few years in the middle on the staff of a small mission agency.

 

Financially speaking those were mostly lean years. It was small ministry with small incomes. But through almost twenty-five years of such ministry God has always taken good care of us. While we haven’t owned expensive cars and motor homes, we have always been comfortable and well cared for. He truly has been “the God of all provision” for us. And His past faithfulness gives us great comfort and peace about the future. Now that the old age and grey hairs referred to in Isaiah 46:4 are here for us, we have peace and assurance about the future.

 

Also, the older we’ve gotten the more we have come to appreciate the value of a simple life. Having a smaller home to maintain, fewer possessions to take care of, and minimal financial obligations that must be met, allows a person to focus instead on people, on ministry, and on enjoyable activities. This isn’t a lesson just for old age either. It’s one I wish we had learned and practiced much sooner. There’s a lot to be said for a life of simplicity and moderation.

 

Often we become so fixated on our own visions of what we believe the future should look like (and what we want it to be), that it gets us off track and out of balance. Jesus’ concluding promise in Matthew 6:25-34 (The “do not worry” passage of the Sermon on the Mount), is great advice for all of life: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” You focus on God and on His people, and God will take care of you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But I trust in You Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ The course of my life is in Your power.” Psalm 31:14-15 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God is Sovereign, so trust Him for the future.”

 

One of the reasons our lives sometimes get out of balance is that we obsess about the future. We become so focused about preparing for it, and so worried about what could happen, that we don’t really enjoy or appreciate the life we have today.

 

Saving money is good. But if you’re so fanatical about saving money that you’re living like a miser today, that is bad. Storing some food and water, having an electrical generator in standby, and keeping a secure supply of cash on-hand in case of an emergency is a good thing. Developing a survivalist mentality is a bad thing. Locking your doors, having a home alarm, and keeping a firearm so you’re prepared for a potential future threat is smart. Becoming paranoid about it and turning your home into a fortress is not smart.

 

Psalm 31, the whole thing, reminds us that God is Sovereign over the course of our lives. He is Omnipresent (everywhere all the time); He is Omniscient (He knows everything); and He is Omnipotent (He is all-powerful). So there is nothing in your life now, or coming up, that God doesn’t know about and which He cannot handle.

 

That being the case, we can safely trust the future to Him and stop worrying about it so much. That doesn’t mean that we have no responsibility for preparing for the future, we do. We still have to do our part. We are supposed to save some money, and we should be prepared for potential emergencies, and we must take reasonable steps to protect ourselves and our loved ones from bad guys, etc. But we should not obsess about it and we should not allow such concerns to get us out of balance.

 

As I’m writing this I can’t remember the exact percentages involved, but I once came across a study by a group of psychologists regarding the things people fear and worry about it. In their research they discovered that something like 80% of the things we worry about never happen. Another 10% do happen but happen good instead of bad. And of the 10% of things we worried about that did happen and happened bad, most of them were not as bad as we thought they would be. And so we expend huge amounts of time and emotional energy worrying about, obsessing with, and preparing for things that probably won’t happen, or which will happen but will be good instead of bad, or, even if they are bad, won’t be as bad as we thought.

 

I encourage you to remember that God is Sovereign. So trust Him for tomorrow and allow yourself to enjoy today.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Jesus is the firm foundation for the rest of life to be built upon.”

 

“Life is always better with Jesus than without Him.” I can’t count the number of times I’ve made that statement in conversations with people, in sermons and Bible studies, and in my writing of books, articles, and daily devotionals. “Life is always better with Jesus than without Him. Whether that life is lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills, in a shack in remote Africa, or in a prison cell, life is always better with Him than without Him.”

 

That statement is absolutely true and I’m passionate about trying to help people see that. Regardless of what the circumstances of your life are, the more you involve Jesus the better your life will be. With respect to our theme this month of achieving and maintaining good balance in life, it begins with Jesus. Jesus is the firm foundation upon which all the rest of life needs to be built. Get that right and you are then ready to deal with the rest of life.

 

I love the insight offered to us by the editors of “The Every Man’s Bible” as they introduced the life of Joshua. In their introductory comments they wrote, “Joshua led a focused life. When faced with choices, he didn’t have to think about whether he would obey God. He’d already decided that long ago, and he didn’t change his mind when challenges came. God wants us to be that focused today. He wants us to be able to say, from the depth of our hearts, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

 

If that is a settled fact in your life then you have a firm foundation in place from which to deal with all the rest of life. But it starts with Jesus. Place your faith in Him as Savior, and then follow Him every day as Lord. Pray, read your Bible, faithfully participate in the full life of a good church, serve others in His name, and stick close to Him.

 

Life is always better with Jesus than without Jesus. Choose to live your life in a close relationship with Him.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Just push pause.”

 

Last night I was sitting in my recliner in the living room. I had a fire going in the fireplace, some soft jazz playing in the background, and I spent a couple of hours reading a good book. It was quiet and relaxing. That’s one of my favorite ways to spend an evening. I rarely watch television. My idea of an evening well-spent is what I just described.

 

As I sit here this morning thinking about how relaxing that kind of an evening is for me, it brings to mind some other times when I also experienced a great sense of peace and relaxation. Many years ago I spent a few days by myself at a Christian camp in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California. The name of the camp is Forest Home and it’s the same place where as a young man Billy Graham surrendered his life to God for evangelistic ministry. I sat in the same little chapel in the woods where Billy sat decades earlier when he came to that decision. I was alone. It was quiet, peaceful, very relaxing, and there was a great sense of the presence of God there with me. I vividly remember it to this day.

 

Another time that stands out in my mind was a couple of years ago here in Crossville, TN. It was a nice summer day, I was at the home of some friends out in the country, and we just sat out back drinking iced tea and talking for a couple of hours. There was a cool breeze blowing, I had nothing to do and nowhere to go, and we just sat and talked. It was enjoyable and very relaxing. I know there doesn’t seem to be anything special about that scene (except that I don’t do enough of it), but it stands out in my mind as a particularly enjoyable and relaxing time.

 

We all need times when we push the pause button of life and just chill for a while. Unfortunately in our fast-paced world many of us don’t allow ourselves enough of those times. It’s not that the opportunities aren’t there, they are. The problem is that we make excuses about being too busy, or having to do this or that or some other thing instead, and we simply do not stop and rest when we should.

 

In Mark 6:31 we read about one of the times when Jesus called a time-out and pressed the pause button for Himself and His followers. They all went off to a quiet place to just rest and relax for a while. It wasn’t the only time they did this and those times are recorded in the Bible for a reason. They’re there as an example for us. If those people needed to do it then so do we.

 

Today is Friday and the weekend is upon us. Do you have plans to push pause and relax for a while? I do, and I hope you do too.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Balance”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth …: Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God doesn’t want us to overdo it.”

 

This morning I want to continue our discussion from yesterday with regards to overworking being a common source of imbalance in our lives. I’ve come to believe that people typically overwork for one of four reasons. The first is because we either believe it is expected of us or it actually is expected of us. In other words, the nature of the job is such that it requires an inordinate amount of our time.

 

A second common reason a person might overwork is they become so consumed with thoughts of advancement that they convince themselves if they just work long and hard enough they will get the promotions they crave. A third common reason is the desire to earn more money. This is seen most often with hourly wage earners who have the opportunity to work lots of overtime.

 

And then the fourth common reason for overworking is that the person simply loves what they do and they have difficulty leaving it alone. This is seen most often with small business owners and also with Pastors. This is my issue. I love what I do and sometimes I can’t seem to stop. Also, my primary office is in my home so technically I’m always at work. Often it seems like I just can’t to leave it alone.

 

In Deuteronomy 8:17-18 Moses explained that it is God who gives us our ability to do what we do. But as we’ve been learning this month, He desires for us to use those skills and abilities in reasonable ways that bring balance to our lives. We are not to be so consumed with our jobs (for any reason) that it throws the rest of our lives out of whack.

 

God gave you your skills and abilities so you can earn a living. He also gave them to you so you can add value to society and so you can serve others in His name. He can use you in that capacity without it being an all-consuming obsession on your part. If the performance of your job is causing other areas of your life to be out of balance then you have taken your job to an extreme that God never intended.

 

If we’ve learned anything so far this month it is that God intends for there to be a healthy balance to our lives. Therefore we should not allow our jobs to become so demanding that they throw the rest of life out of balance.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim