Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life of service”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “It takes time.”

 

All this month I’ve been urging you to consider committing to live a life of service to others. In recent days I’ve narrowed that focus a bit and asked you to consider a life of service which revolves around being an encourager of others. And, I’ve also encouraged you to become “a noticer”, someone who is especially sensitive to and aware of the struggles others are facing.

 

But all of this takes time. We don’t change over night. Even if you are willing to live a life of service; even if you are determined to be an encourager of others as a lifestyle; and even if you want to become very good at noticing when others are in distress; it’s a learning process and a transformation that takes place in our own lives over time.

 

The way to help bring this about is to focus on taking little steps in the direction you want to move in. For instance, if you would like to be more like Jones, in the book “The Noticer”, someone who has a deeply developed sensitivity to what other people are going through, that ability won’t come to you overnight. But you can pray about it and ask God to make you more sensitive to others and more aware of what they’re going through. And when you do notice, you can then immediately take a step to bless and encourage such people. If you do that often enough, your level of sensitivity to others will deepen and you will progressively become more and more aware. So rather than focusing your thoughts and desires on one day being a Jones, just focus on the next step of praying in this moment, and then looking for a person you can bless now.

 

That lesson holds true for any manner of serving. The more you serve others, the better a servant you will be. The more you serve others, the more it becomes a way of life for you.

 

So just focus on the next step for today. Then tomorrow do it again, and then again the next day, and the next, and … well, you get it. It takes time but if you just start doing it, over time God will change you into the noticer and the encourager that He wants you to be.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life of service”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “You were created for this.”

 

For the last few days we have been considering some lessons out of the great little book “The Sender” by Kevin Elko. The primary lesson taught in that book is about living a life of service by being an encourager of others. But as I mentioned yesterday, in order to do that, especially to do it consistently and persistently as a way of life, you have to be tuned-in to what other people are going through. You have to be sensitive enough, and paying enough attention, to notice when others are in need of a lift. You have to be “a noticer”.

 

Andy Andrews, the author of “The Traveler’s Gift”, which some of you have read, also wrote another book entitled “The Noticer”. The main character in the book is an old man named Jones. Not Mr. Jones, just Jones. That’s all he goes by. Jones has a unique gift of being able to notice things about other people that they themselves are missing. The things Jones notices are deeply insightful and very important, and if the individuals would just notice those things about themselves, it would change their lives.

 

The entire story revolves around Jones helping others recognize and appreciate the things that he notices about them. He then encourages them to change their beliefs about themselves and to make decisions and take actions based upon those new deeper insights.

 

To be “a noticer” of what other people are going through requires a sensitive heart and a desire to help, as well as a good deal of wisdom. It’s a skill that has to be cultivated and developed over time. It’s based upon a spirit of empathy (that unique quality that enables us to understand and identify with another person’s situation, feelings, and emotions), and then enter into that situation with them with the goal of helping them through it.

 

Now work with me here for a moment as we connect the lessons from both books, “The Sender” and “The Noticer”. What if you prayerfully asked God to help you become more sensitive to what other people are going through, to the point that you become “a noticer”, one of those special people who is so in-tune with others that you “notice” when something isn’t quite right with them. And then what if you follow that up by being “a sender” as well – someone who sends notes of encouragement, or finds other ways to lift-up, support, and perhaps even hold-up the arms of someone who is so worn down by their circumstances that they feel they can no longer go on?

 

If that was you then you would be a very special person indeed. You would be a person the Lord uses to bring blessings and hope into the lives of people who just need to know that someone notices and cares.

 

Today is Friday. On Sunday you will be gathering with your church family. I can promise you there will be people in your congregation who are hurting and in need of encouragement. Will you notice? And will you be the conduit through which the Lord sends a blessing to that person? You were created for this. Make it a point to notice. And then make it a point to encourage.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life of service”

 

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

 

Our thought for today: “People need you.”

 

I’ve always like the song “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother” by the Hollies. Some people think it’s a little sappy but I think there’s something about the storyline that speaks a great truth – we need each other. All of us need the help of kind and caring others to help us make it through. Here are a couple of lines from the song:

 

“The road is long, with many a winding turn, that leads us to – who knows where, who knows when.

But I’m strong, strong enough to carry him. He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.

So on we go, his welfare is my concern; no burden is he, to bear, we’ll get there.

For I know, He would not encumber me. He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother …”

 

It’s not a Christian song but it is based upon a Biblical theme. God wants us to help each other get through the tough times in life. Two days ago I wrote about the example from Exodus Chapter 17 when Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses. Moses was standing on a high hill observing the army of Israel engaged in battle. As long as he held his arms high in a gesture of blessing, the Israelites prevailed. But when he lowered his arms the tide of battle shifted and the Israelites began to lose.

 

So all day Moses attempted to keep his arms raised, but the effort exhausted him and he just couldn’t hold them up anymore. But then, along came Aaron and Hur. They moved a big rock for Moses to sit down on. Then they stood on each side of him and held his arms up for him. The way the text reads, they probably did that for hours. The end result was that the nation of Israel was blessed and they won the battle, but Moses could not have done it without their help.

 

In the book “The Sender” our friend Charlie had a transformative moment during which he decided he would spend the rest of his life holding up the arms of those who could no longer hold them up alone. In other words, he would look for those who were so beaten down by the circumstances of their lives that they just couldn’t keep going on their own. I’m talking about people who were physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted and they just could not keep going. Enter Charlie. He might not be able to solve all their problems for them, but he could be their friend; he could offer words of comfort; he could look for small ways to bless and encourage them. He was determined to help hold up the arms of those who could no longer hold them up themselves.

 

You could do this too. You could ask the Lord to open your eyes and help you notice those in your world who are so overwhelmed, so beaten down, that they can no longer hold up their own arms. And, you could help them. What a great act of service that would be. In fact, what a great life of service it would be for anyone to make it their purpose in life to help hold up the arms of those who simply cannot do it by themselves anymore.

 

But in order to do that your eyes have to be open, you have to pay attention and notice who in your world is in that shape. Tomorrow we will turn our thoughts to noticing.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life of service”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

Our thought for today: “The decision to live a life of service can transform you.”

 

The Hebrew word “Haphak” means “a turning-point moment”. It’s a moment in time when something occurs to a person, or within a person, that changes everything and from that moment on, nothing is the same.

 

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 the Apostle Paul describes such a moment in the life of someone who makes a decision to place their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. In that instant the person’s sins are forgiven, their eternal destiny is assured, and the Holy Spirit of God takes up residence in the person’s heart. It’s a transformative moment that changes the person’s life, and their eternity.

 

Although salvation is the most important “Haphak” moment a person can ever experience, there can be other such moments in life too. In the book “The Sender”, the main character Charlie had such a moment. While he was enduring an awful regime of chemotherapy to battle a very aggressive form of cancer, an anonymous writer sent him daily notes of encouragement. The notes were filled with profound wisdom and insight that never failed to lift Charlie’s spirits and to motivate him to persevere.

 

One of the letters urged Charlie to take his eyes off of himself and his own struggles and to focus instead on others who were struggling too. The author encouraged Charlie to seek out other cancer patients on his ward who were suffering and who needed some encouragement. He also told Charlie to consider the nurses and the medical staff who were caring for him – they have issues in their lives too and they too could use a kind word and a motivational lift.

 

What Charlie discovered when he did that was that there is great joy and satisfaction to be had from being a source of encouragement and blessing to others. In fact, the more of it he did the more he found he enjoyed it. Also, the more he focused on others the less he focused on his own problems and the better his own attitude became. His own problems didn’t magically go away, but they did become a lot easier to deal with.

 

Long story short, Charlie became so enthused about encouraging and blessing others that it became a “Haphak” moment for him. It transformed him and gave him a new purpose in life. Charlie decided that the rest of his life was going to be spent in service to others as he constantly sought ways to be a blessing and encouragement to those who were struggling.

 

Charlie’s thoughts began to focus on the question, “How can I be a blessing to someone today?” And when he began to think like that, he suddenly began to see opportunities to bless and encourage people all around him. So will you. Charlie also discovered that his new positive attitude, and his desire to bless others rather than to dwell on his own problems, went a long way towards helping him to get well too. Why would that be? “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” (Proverbs 17:22)

 

A decision to live a life of service could be a transformative moment for you too. Be an encourager of others and you will find yourself being encouraged. Be a blessing to others, and you yourself will be blessed.

 

Tomorrow I want to return us to the subject of yesterday’s devotional – the example of Aaron and Hur lifting the arms of Moses once he could no longer lift them himself.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life of service”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up on the top of the hill. While Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hands down, Amalek prevailed. When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat down on it. Then Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his army with the sword.” Exodus 17:10-13 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We all need help, and we all need to give help.”

 

In his book “The Sender”, Kevin Elko offers a powerful lesson regarding the symbolic meaning of the account recorded in Exodus 17:10-13. The nation of Israel was doing battle against the Amalekites. Moses stood on a hill observing the battle. As long as Moses had his arms raised in a gesture of blessing, the Israelites were powerful and prevailed in the battle. But when his arms became tired and he had to lower them, the blessings ceased to flow and the tide of battle turned against them.

 

Aaron and Hur, observing this, came to Moses’ assistance. They got a big rock for him to sit down on; then they stood on each side of him and held his arms up for him. Consequently the blessings flowed and the battle was won.

 

From this story Elko derives three symbolic lessons about prevailing over life’s trials. We have to win the battle on three levels:

 

1. We have to win the spiritual battle. The lifting of the arms is symbolic of lifting the spirit to God in prayer. We must keep God engaged in our battle and we do that by consciously seeking Him and inviting Him into it.

 

1. We have to win the physical battle. In the case of the Israelites in Exodus 17:10-13, they had to actually go down into the valley and fight the Amalekites. In the case of Charlie, the fictitious main character in the book, he had to submit to the medical procedures which would help him fight the cancer. He also had to watch his diet and he had to force himself to exercise as he was able to. There was a physical battle he had to engage in and win.

 

1. We have to win the relational battle. Not only do we have to be humble enough to allow other people to help us, but we have to help others as well. Even in the middle of our own struggles (maybe especially in the middle of our own struggles) we have to focus on being a blessing and an encouragement to others.

 

If you read the book “The Sender” you will find that in his battle against cancer, Charlie’s greatest victory came when he made the decision to take his eyes off of himself and his problems and to find ways to bless and encourage others. Specifically, Charlie made it his mission to lift-up and hold-up the arms of other cancer patients. He decided he would help to hold up the arms of those who could no longer hold them up themselves. It was what the Hebrews called a “Haphak” moment and when it comes to living a life of service, this is the turning point. We will talk more about this tomorrow.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life of service”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” Proverbs 12:25 (NIV

 

Our thought for today: “You can serve people by encouraging them.”

 

I’m reading a wonderful little book right now called “The Sender” It’s a story about when words make all the difference. It was written by Kevin Elko and although the story as told in the book is a work of fiction, it’s based on the true story of Chuck Pagano, the Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts. In mid-life and in mid-career Chuck was suddenly diagnosed with an aggressive and deadly form of cancer. He then had to endure an extensive, debilitating, and prolonged regime of chemotherapy which ravaged his body.

 

One day, as he was enduring the treatments, and at one of the lowest points in his life, Chuck suddenly began receiving anonymous daily notes of encouragement and motivation designed to lift his spirits and to give him hope. Chuck said that not only did those letters encourage him at a time when he desperately needed it, but they gave him a whole new vision for life beyond the disease. Encouragement made such a big difference in his own life that Chuck decided to spend the rest of his life being an encourager of others.

 

Eventually it was learned that the author of the notes was Kevin Elko, a close friend of Chuck’s, and since the notes of encouragement had had such a dramatic and beneficial impact on Chuck, Kevin was encouraged to turn them into a book about the importance of encouraging one another. That then led to “The Sender”.

 

I personally believe that encouragement is one of the most important things we can do for each other. Life is hard, and we often find ourselves in deep valleys of disappointment and heartache. A kind word spoken at the right time is medicine for the soul. It can make all the difference to a struggling person.

 

As we’re considering the idea of living “a life of service” would you consider the possibility of your service being that of an encourager? You could be the person who sends the notes, makes the phone calls, gives the little gift, or offers a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. A life spent as an encourager of others would be a live lived well – a life very well lived.

 

Encouragement is such an important act of service that we’re going to spend several days considering it. Tomorrow I want to share with you another powerful lesson from “The Sender”.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life of service”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever.” Psalm 89:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “A life of service comes from a heart on fire.”

 

Yesterday I had the privilege of performing a wedding for a middle-aged couple, each of whom had suffered tragedies in life and each of whom had wondered if they would ever again have a partner to walk through life with. And then, God brought them together.

 

It’s always fun to watch older couples smitten with new love and acting like teenagers. In the pre-marital counseling sessions I always encourage them to somehow capture that joy and enthusiasm about their relationship, put it in a bottle and hang onto it, because in order for a relationship to stay vital and fresh, it must be nurtured. We must never take it for granted and we must not allow it to grow stale.

 

As part of the pre-marital counseling I also require the couples to study the article I wrote entitled “A Biblical Model for Marriage” based upon the Apostle Paul’s teaching in Ephesians chapter five. There Paul instructs us on how to develop a marriage relationship based upon the Biblical understanding of “mutual submission”. That then leads a husband and wife into a relationship that is one of lifelong service to each other. You can download a free copy of the article at www.JimMersereauBooks.com, or see chapter eleven of my book “Walking with Paul”.

 

What’s true for human relationships is also true of our relationship with God. In order for our relationship with the Lord to stay fresh and vital it has to be nurtured. Just as a married couple must be intentional about doing the things necessary –everyday – to keep their marriage relationship healthy and vibrant, so too with our relationship with God. If we do that, then our heart will be on fire for Him and we will live our days seeking ways to please and serve Him.

 

Today is Saturday, tomorrow is Sunday. Sunday is the day we as the people of God set aside to come together as a church family to worship the Lord and to nurture our relationship with Him. It’s one of the most effective ways we have of keeping the passion in the relationship. I encourage you to attend church tomorrow.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: A life of service”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life … He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough Lord, take my life …” 1 Kings 19:3; 4 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Take a nap.”

 

I’ve always found the story of Elijah’s struggles, as recorded in 1 Kings Chapters 18 and 19, to be instructive and helpful. Elijah was a prophet of God and he was committed to a life of service. Like so many who are passionate about their life of ministry, he had a tendency to overdo it. That then led him to become physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. He then had a tendency to become maybe just a little melodramatic, “I have had enough Lord, take my life …”

 

Uh huh, I can relate. In Elijah’s case he had just engaged in a mighty spiritual battle with King Ahab and the prophets of Baal. Empowered by the Spirit of God, he won a great victory. But as is so often the case after a prolonged time of intense ministry activities, he was exhausted.

 

Long story short, Queen Jezebel made some threatening remarks about Elijah, Elijah got scared, and he ran away into the wilderness. Then he sat down in a sulk and said the words we just read. God responded by sending an angel to minister to Elijah. Elijah took a nap, had a meal, received some spiritual nurture, and he was good-to-go again.

 

Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to take a nap! Seriously, sometimes we just need to rest. Unfortunately, like Elijah, many of us are not good at that. Some of us (ok, I’m talking about me) act as if the work of the kingdom of God on earth will come to a halt without our direct continuous involvement. We (I) seem to think people can’t continue with their own lives without us (me) constantly hovering and watching to make sure they’re ok.

 

And so we (me) end up like Elijah – overly tired, a little bit melodramatic, and maybe a little sulky. The solution? Take a nap! Get some rest! Sometimes it’s the most spiritual thing a person can do.

 

This morning I begin two weeks of vacation. I may sleep for the whole thing (just kidding), but I do plan to rest, and I am anticipating some long motorcycle rides on winding country roads.

 

I’ll probably still send a devotional message each morning because writing them is a joy for me and it’s also somewhat therapeutic (I just spilled my guts in this one). But if I happen to sleep-in and miss a morning or two, please forgive me. The last thing any of us needs is a sulky and melodramatic devotional writer.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life of service”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things!” Romans 10:14-15 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “A life of service includes sending and going.”

 

Not only do I write daily devotional messages, but I also use daily devotional books in my own quiet time with the Lord. This year, as a bedtime devotional, I’m using a little book entitled “This Day in Christian History”. Each daily devotional is about some significant event out of the 2000 years of Christian history.

 

The other evening it occurred to me how many of those significant events out of Christian history involved missionaries. That thought then caused me to think about my own personal library. It contains approximately 1500 books and more than 100 of them are biographies. Of the biographies, more than 50 of them are about famous missionaries, and that number doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the number of biographies that have been written about missionaries.

 

Missions are the heartbeat of the cause of Christ on earth. This is what the Great Commission is all about. It’s what Jesus meant in Acts 1:8 when He said “And you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 

Both long-term and short-term missions are a vital part of spreading the Good News about Jesus. The Great Commission applies to all Christians, whether we actually physically go on missions or not. Our participation in it begins at home and in our own neighborhoods, but it is intended by the Lord to then spread out further and further until each of us is either going on missions, or at least playing a role in helping to facilitate mission work worldwide.

 

The reasons the Lord requires this of us are many. For one thing, history proves that when someone travels a great distance to share the Good News of the Gospel it is a powerful testimony. Even if the Gospel is already being preached in that region, when someone comes from a great distance to serve and witness, people are more apt to pay attention. Also, participating in missions expands our understanding of God and His ways. It takes our thinking outside of our own little cultural box and helps us to see a bigger picture of God at work in many varied cultural settings. Finally, missions help God’s people to share resources for the sake of the Kingdom – the haves share with the have-nots.

 

Paul explained in Romans 10:14-15 that in every mission effort there are three key groups of people. There are the “goers”, or those who actually go on the long or short-term mission; there are the “receivers”, those who receive the mission team; and there are the “senders”, those who make it possible for the goers to go.

 

When it comes to living a life of service the Great Commission is our guide (the entire Great Commission, not just the local part but the whole thing). Therefore if we aren’t among those who are going to go, then we do need to help send. The Great Commission belongs to all of us. If we’re not a receiver then we need to be a goer. And if we’re not a goer, we do need to be a sender.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “A life of service”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “When Jobs three friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him … Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.” Job 2:11; 13 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “You can serve people by simply being with them.”

 

Most of the book of Job centers around Job’s inspiring faithfulness in the midst of tragic circumstances, and also on the lack of compassion on the parts of his three friends. But, his three friends started off well. Even though their words to Job quickly became unhelpful and even mean-spirited, they did start out well.

 

We read in Job Chapter two that when the friends heard about the cascading series of casualties that had befallen their friend Job, they quickly dropped what they were doing, packed a suitcase, and went to visit him. Then when they got there they didn’t do or say anything; without words they simply entered into his time of grief with him. This is empathy. They empathized with him and they shared in his grief. It was good. It was very good.

 

Sometimes the best thing we can do for a person is to simply be with them. You don’t have to do or say anything. Instead you can just comfort them with your presence. It’s a way of showing how much you love them and how much you care about what they’re going through. We call it “The ministry of presence.” You bless people just by being with them.

 

Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “Do you value life? Then value your time because time is the stuff life is made of.” I’ve restated that quote in modern English, and so that’s not exactly the way Franklin said it, but his point is the same: You only have so many years, months, weeks, days, hours and seconds allotted to you. Once each segment of time has passed, it has passed forever and you can’t have it back. Time is the stuff life is made of. So when you give a person some of your time, you have given them a little piece of your life.

 

Think about that: One of the greatest gifts you can ever give a person is some of your time because when you have given them some of your time, you have given them some of your life, and it’s a part of your life you can never have back. That’s what makes the ministry of presence such a special thing.

 

When it comes to living a life of service, sometimes the best way to serve someone is to simply be with them.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim