Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “You can control yourself.”

 

Today is June 1^st and summer is upon us. So how’s your beach body coming along? Have you lost the weight you promised yourself you were going to lose? Have you toned-up those abs? Are your biceps bulging?

 

I hope you realize I’m writing this with tongue firmly placed in cheek. I’m sixty-two this year and despite my best efforts at diet and exercise, everything seems to be expanding, sagging, wrinkling, and becoming increasingly unsightly. Therefore I tend to stay fairly covered-up these days – including at the beach.  At this age a “beach body” is no longer in the cards for me and therefore I’m not inclined to put it on public display. It’s really a kind of public service. And you’re welcome.

 

But still, despite advancing age, when it comes to health and physical fitness I do have a stewardship responsibility placed upon me by God to do my best to stay as healthy and fit as I can for as long as I can. God expects me to take good care of this body He has given me.

 

Doing so is a matter of self-control. Everyday I make choices about the things I will eat and drink and the activities I will participate in. I can choose to eat junk food, or I can consumer good nutritious foods. I can choose to plant my fanny on the sofa in front of the television, or I can go out for a two-mile after-dinner walk. I’m in control of those things, and God expects me to control them.

 

But that’s just one example. Self-control is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s a character trait that increases as we mature spiritually. That being the case, the more spiritually mature and the more like Christ we become, the more self-control we should exhibit in all areas of our lives.

 

Self-control is a big issue in the Bible. God created us with free will and therefore we have the ability to evaluate choices, make decisions, and take actions. God has also created a big beautiful world filled with wonderful things for us to enjoy. But then He placed limits and boundaries upon the exercise of our free will and tells us to control ourselves in a manner that honors Him. We’re to exercise self-control and live within the limits He has set for us.

 

All this month we will explore this subject of self-control. We’ll consider it from many angles including spiritual disciplines, sexual morality, finances, healthy living, relationships, personal conduct, and much more.

 

In many ways the overall quality of our lives often ends up being determined by how well we do or don’t control ourselves. The good news is that we can learn to exercise self-control in all areas of our lives. It’s a spiritual discipline and therefore the Holy Spirit will help us do it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Anger”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” Proverbs 29:11 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Uncontrolled anger makes you look foolish.”

 

I remember the summer I turned 12 years old. It was pretty much a regular summer in a “Leave it to Beaver” kind of suburban New Jersey neighborhood. We were out of school for the summer and life was good.

 

Right around the corner from our house was Saint Matthew’s Catholic Church and School. The property included large grassy fields with baseball diamonds, and a shady grove of trees with picnic tables and playgrounds. It was nice.

 

On this particular day my friends and I were on the baseball field having ourselves a friendly neighborhood game. I was playing left field. A friend of mine was at bat. The pitcher pitched the ball, my friend swung with all his might, he made great contact, and the bat shattered in two.

 

As I watched this from left field I thought it was my own brand new bat that he had just shattered and I flew into a rage. I threw down my glove, I started shouting curses at the top of my lungs, I called his mother names that I’ll probably have to answer for in eternity, and I’m sure that in homes all around our neighborhood mothers were covering the ears of young children and slamming their windows shut.

 

And then I discovered that it wasn’t my bat he had broken after all – and boy did I look foolish. And, sadly, that was not uncommon. I did that sort of thing all the time. I had a real problem with my temper in those days and I frequently flew into rages about all sorts of things. The uncontrolled temper of Jim Mersereau was legendary in our little town and I’m sure the people who knew me then would be somewhat astonished to learn I ended up being a mild-mannered Baptist Preacher! But then again, God did part the Red Sea and Jesus did raise Lazarus from the dead. So miracles do happen.

 

The point is that when we lose our temper we appear foolish and we embarrass ourselves. We also sin against God. In Proverbs 29, shortly after reminding me of what a fool I sometimes still am, Solomon also said that people like that are sinners in the eyes of God: “An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.” 29:23

 

Yes, he stirs up dissension. My “friend” who shattered “my” bat didn’t appreciate my characterizations of his mother and so as I stood there in left field, I watched him coming towards me on a long slow walk with a piece of the broken bat in his hand. I could only imagine what he was intending to do with it. Fortunately for me, other friends stopped him by reminding him that Jim Mersereau was a loud mouthed jerk who had problems controlling his temper. Fortunately a fight was avoided, but I still looked like a fool.

 

I hope you’ve found this month of devotionals on the subject of anger to be helpful. I want to remind you that the subject of anger is much broader and more complex than just what we’ve been able to address in these few short devotional messages. Therefore I encourage you to get a copy of the excellent resource “The Anger Workbook” by Les Carter and Frank Minirth. You’ll find your study of it to be time well spent.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Anger”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

 

I have a confession to make. All this month I’ve been writing devotional messages designed to help all of us better control our anger, but the other day I got angry. Really angry. And I’m not talking about some kind of holy and righteous anger either. I’m talking about anger with the potential for violence. In my mind’s eye I was seeing myself grabbing a person by the throat and squeezing with all my strength until their head popped like a pimple. I was really mad.

 

The occasion for my anger was a report on the television news about a demonstration that took place in a city I used to live in many years ago. The demonstration was a large protest against one of the current Presidential candidates – but that’s not what made me mad. What fueled my anger was the sight of multiple protestors, on U.S. soil, at a U.S. political event, waving the flag of another nation while they were burning the flag of my nation. That made me mad.

 

I love America. I love God and His kingdom more, but I’m deeply grateful that God has allowed me to live in this wonderful country. I’m grateful for the freedoms we have and I’m grateful for those men and women who have given their lives in defense of our nation. Our flag is a symbol of all that is great about this wonderful country of ours and desecrating the flag is one of the few things that will move me to want to wring a person’s neck.

 

As I write this I have on my desk in front of me a commemorative handmade ceramic coaster emblazoned with the medals I earned for my service in Vietnam. It was made by a fellow Vietnam Vet and given to me as a gift. For me it also symbolizes all those who fought and served in Vietnam but never made it home. They are representative of countless millions of others who, since the Revolutionary War, have fought and died in defense of our freedoms.

 

Today is Memorial Day. Please don’t confuse it with Veteran’s Day. On Veteran’s Day we honor all those who have ever served in the Armed Forces. But Memorial Day is specifically intended to remember and honor those who not only served, but who also died in the service to their country. Today is their day.

 

Please take some time today to honor those who have served and died so that you and I and all of our loved ones can enjoy the great freedoms we have. If you love your freedom, thank a veteran – especially those veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Anger”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “If you’re looking for the cause of your anger, look into your own heart.”

 

In order to manage anger we have to identify the source of it. Unfortunately when most people try to determine the reasons for their anger they point to other people and to external pressures. If the other person hadn’t said this or done that; if I only had a bigger paycheck; if I was younger, healthier, prettier; if I lived somewhere else; etc; then I wouldn’t be angry all the time.

 

Most people are experts at rationalizing their anger and convincing themselves that it really is the fault of other people or eternal circumstances. Such thinking might be convenient but it certainly isn’t true. With the exception of righteous anger properly expressed, your anger is yours. It comes from within your heart and you have choices you can make about how to deal with it.

 

The Bible writer James addressed this in James 4:1-2: “What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.”

 

In other words, the conflicts are driven by selfish desires and sinful motives. It’s a problem of the heart. Yes it’s true that other people might be mean to you or treat you unfairly, and yes external circumstances certainly can create great pressures in our lives, but we are still responsible for how we choose to respond to those people and circumstances. Anger, improperly expressed, comes from the heart and therefore it must be dealt with on that level.

 

This is important because anger is a quality of life issue. The less angry we are the better life is for us, and for everyone around us. So it’s imperative to identify the source of the anger and to deal with it at its source, and that means looking deeply into your own heart. The Holy Spirit will be more than happy to assist you with that.

 

That’s exactly the point made in Psalm 139:23. Anger is a natural human emotion that originates in the heart and we have to find ways to deal with it in a healthy way. The Holy Spirit helps us to do that.

 

I encourage you to spend some extra time today just sitting quietly before the Lord. Invite the Spirit to search your heart and to bring to your conscious mind any anger issues that need special attention in your life. Then ask Him to help you find healing and resolution so the anger (in whatever form it is taking), will be dealt with.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Anger”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor.” Zechariah 7:9-10 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Righteous anger should result in action.”

 

As we near the end of our month of devotional thinking about the subject of anger, I want to circle back and address again the issue of righteous anger. There are some things that should make us mad and those things should move us to action.

 

In Zechariah chapter seven the prophet was teaching the people a lesson about faith that makes a difference. Empty religious ritual is meaningless to God. Actions taken to correct injustice or to show mercy are very meaningful to God. The people Zechariah was writing to were good at their religious rituals – they faithfully went to church, gave their offerings, and burned their incense, but they were much less attentive to social justice and to caring for those in need. Zechariah made it clear that God was uninterested in their religion if it didn’t include meaningful action in matters that were important to Him.

 

The same is true for us. Prayer, Bible study, faithful attendance at church, and making the coffee for your Sunday school class are actions that are helpful and meaningful. But if you then ignore hungry children, lonely widows, and homeless families, your religion makes little difference in the real world. God wants us to be the kind of Christians who will speak out against abortion and vote out of office politicians who support it. He expects us to be righteously angry about human trafficking to the point that we support ministries that help to stop it. We are to take steps to protect children from schoolyard bullying and women from domestic violence.

 

When a Christian is righteously angry it means that we find ways to apply power and influence to oppose sin and to correct injustice. Most times the application of power will take the form of pressure, persuasion, and influence; but sometimes it may have to be physical power, such as in the case of a nation waging a “just war”, or an individual intervening physically to stop an abuser from hurting a woman or a child.

 

The point is that we have to care enough to do something. We have to be angry about the situation because the Bible teaches us that these are the things that make God angry. And then we have to actually do something about it. Huffing and puffing, fuming and sputtering about a situation, is meaningless if we don’t actually take action to correct it.

 

Religious observances are of little value if individual Christians and churches and entire Christian communities have no observable concern for social justice, and for defending the defenseless, and for helping the hurting.

 

Some things should make us mad – to the point that we do something about it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Anger”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands.” 1 John 5:3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Obeying God is the only choice that makes sense.”

 

When a person is disappointed with where they’re at in life that often results in a lingering sense of frustration and bitterness. It also often manifests itself in envy of others who are doing better than they are, and it tends to produce a simmering sense of low grade anger. The anger is usually unfocused and poorly defined. By that I mean the person probably can’t point to a particular issue or cause, they’re just unhappy, and that then colors and distorts their entire personality.

 

One of the primary causes of an unfilled life is living in disobedience to God. In the Bible God has given us clearly defined boundaries within which we must live if we want to experience His full blessings in our lives. The boundaries are actually very wide – God gives us lots of room to live life large and to enjoy it fully, but there are boundaries. As long as we stay within the boundaries, we’re living in the realm within which God can and will bless us. If we intentionally live outside those boundaries, we’re on our own. God will not bless disobedience.

 

Think about that for a minute. Have you ever regretted an act of obedience to God? Probably not. And have you ever really prospered as a result of disobedience to God? Again, probably not. Not really. Oh, you may have gained some sort of temporary advantage from an act of disobedience but in the long run, have you really been blessed? In the end obedience to God always produces blessings and disobedience always produces pain.

 

In his book “The Traveler’s Gift” author Andy Andrews helps us to understand that one of the keys to successful living is personal responsibility. We have to understand that when it comes to the conditions and situations in our lives, “The buck stops here”. In other words, you are responsible for your own life. It’s nobody else’s fault. You are responsible for your choices and you are responsible for the consequences of those choices.

 

So don’t get mad at anyone else for what your life is like. In fact, don’t be mad at all. Just make some changes in your choices and behaviors so that you will get different and better results in the future.

 

The first and most important change you can make is to obey God. Make the necessary adjustments in your life so you are fully within the boundaries God has established for us in the Bible. Until you do that, your life will be unfulfilled. It will be much less than what God wants for you. Obeying God is the only choice that makes sense.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Anger”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “If anyone says, ‘I love God’, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” 1 John 4:20-21 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Your love for God must be displayed in love for others.”

 

As we’ve learned this month, sometimes situations in life can be the focus of our anger and at other times we may be angry at ourselves, but more often it’s other people who have provoked the sense of anger within us.

 

This is a problem because except for those rare cases where we’re talking about righteous anger that is properly expressed, anger directed towards other people is misplaced and does not honor God. Worse, anger inappropriately expressed can in no way be described as loving, and as 1 John 4:20-21 teaches that then damages our relationship with God.

 

In this passage the Apostle drew a direct connection between our love for others and our love for God. “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” and “For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”

 

There is a reciprocal relationship between loving God and loving people. And remember the main point from yesterday’s devotional message, “You must love people in deed not just in word.” Words are cheap. Just saying you love someone isn’t enough. Your actions have to back-up your words. Anger which is inappropriately expressed is unloving and therefore not only damages our relationship with the other person, but also with God.

 

So before you let anger take control of your words and deeds, think for a moment about what you’re about to say or do, and then consider if you would say or do the same thing directed to God rather than to this other person.

 

Relationships matter and relationships are easily damaged. At the end of their lives people commonly have more regrets about damaged relationships than they do about anything else.

 

I encourage you to care for your relationships with other people as much as you care for your relationship with God. God Himself established a direct connection between the two.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Anger”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” Haggai 1:5-6 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Misplaced priorities result in an unfulfilled life, and that then can lead to anger.”

 

The Old Testament prophet Haggai wrote a short but scathing letter to the people of God. Their spiritual lives were in decline because they had misplaced priorities, and that then led to a life that was much less than it could have been – much less than what God wanted for them.

 

In 1:5-6 Haggai challenged the people to give careful thought to their ways. He painted a picture of people who strive and struggle and put forth lots of effort, but it was misplaced effort because their priorities were out of line. They planted much (a good thing), but harvested little (something must be wrong). They eat and drink, but are never filled. They put on clothes, but the clothes never seem to make them comfortable. They earn money, but it’s as if their pockets have holes in them and the money is gone as fast as they get it.

 

Such a scenario in life is frustrating and can often lead to a person having a simmering sense of regret and anger. Often that person will feel as if they just can’t win.

 

And they’re right. If the pursuit of physical pleasures, recreation, social events, possessions, or anything else becomes a dominant theme in a person’s life, then no matter how successful they are at pursuing those things, they will still end up feeling as if “I just can’t win.” Nothing will ever be enough.

 

By removing God as your first priority you deprive yourself of God’s blessings. And if you don’t have God’s blessings, nothing will ever be good enough because nothing will ever truly satisfy you. Possessions and food and relationships and recreation are all good things, unless they become more important to you than God. Then those good things have become bad things because they’re keeping you from the best thing.

 

Most Christians would claim that God is their first priority. The people of Haggai’s day would have made that claim too. But words are cheap. Your actions tell the true story. If God really is your first priority then that should be evident in all parts of your life.

 

Your checkbook register is a pretty revealing indicator. I’m sure you spend lots of money on physical needs and desires, and on worldly pleasures. But do you give a full tithe to your church? Do you give sacrificially to special Christian causes?

 

How about your schedule, does it clearly demonstrate that God is first priority in your life? How much of your time is spent in prayer and Bible study, and in ministry activities? Where are you on Sunday morning? I know people who profess to be Christians but who haven’t regularly attended any church in years. That’s completely inconsistent with the teaching of the Bible.

 

Haggai’s point in that short Old Testament letter (and my point here this morning), is that if God is not clearly the first priority in your life then your life is much less than what God wants it to be. And that then can, and probably has, led to a simmering sense of frustration, disappointment, and maybe even anger.

 

I encourage you to make God your first priority – not just in word, but in deed.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Anger”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t lose hope.”

 

A common cause of anger is a sense of hopelessness and despair. When a person has regrets about past actions, and despair regarding their current circumstances, and when they’re having difficulty seeing a clear path forward to a better tomorrow, they often experience a sense of hopelessness. That can lead to a simmering sense of anger that will often express itself in inappropriate ways.

 

But for Christians this should not be. As has already been discussed in a previous devotional message, the past is past and there’s nothing we can do to change it. God has forgiven us and therefore we need to forgive ourselves. There’s nothing to be gained from living in the past.

 

Likewise, the present is what it is and there’s nothing to be gained from grousing and moaning and complaining about it. That attitude will only make things worse. The key is to make smart choices today that will lead to a better tomorrow.

 

This is the attitude Paul was writing about in Philippians 3:13-14. The past was past and so he left it there. And for Paul, the present was all about putting one foot in front of the other and continuing to make forward progress towards what lay ahead for him. That was true with respect to his future in this life, but also with respect to his eternal destiny. Paul knew what God had waiting for him at the end of the journey.

 

If regrets, despair, and a sense of hopelessness are things you struggle with then I have a book I want to recommend to you. It’s called “The Traveler’s Gift” by Andy Andrews. It’s a short book, it’s Biblically based, and it’s an easy read. You can find it on Amazon.com and have it delivered in two days. It’s a wonderful little story that will help you to change your perspective about where you are today and about what the possibilities for tomorrow are. Once you’ve read this book I doubt that your mindset will be the same.

 

The truth is that no matter who you are or what you’re going through, no matter how old you are, no matter what has happened in the past, and no matter how you feel about the future, God has a wonderful plan for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 and Philippians 3:13-14 are just two of the passages that prove that to be true. “The Traveler’s Gift” will help you to gain a better appreciation of that great truth.

 

Hopelessness can be a primary cause of anger. But Christians should not feel hopeless. God has something good planned for you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Anger”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t get mad at God.”

 

Do you ever feel as if God has forsaken you? It’s probably true that we all feel that way at times. In His anguish on the cross Jesus felt it. So did Job in the middle of his extended misery. So did King David at various times in his life.

 

One reason we can feel this way is that we know God is omniscient (He knows everything), and we know He is also omnipotent (He has power over everything). That means that He knows all about our circumstances and He has the power to do something about them. We’re also told that God loves us with Agape love (fully, completely, and unconditionally).

 

So with all of that being true, it’s reasonable to wonder why He hasn’t taken action to relieve us of our difficult circumstances. And it’s just a short step from there to getting mad at Him for not doing so.

 

One reason God might not be taking the action we desire could involve our free will. In the Bible God provides clear guidelines about how He wants us to live. But then He steps back and allows us to use our free will to make choices about how we’re going to behave. He also then allows us to experience the consequences of our choices. Therefore our situations are often of our own making and if God were to circumvent or override those situations, He would effectively be negating the impact and importance of free will by removing the consequences of free will.

 

Another reason for our circumstances could be the actions of others. This again involves free will but this time it’s someone else’s free will. Sometimes we suffer because of what someone else has done. But that too is not God’s fault and therefore we shouldn’t get mad at Him for it.

 

But a much more common reason God has not yet intervened in our circumstances is expressed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: who are called according to His purpose.”

 

In this case God is aware of what we’re going through and He is working behind the scenes to bring about some good thing for us. That doesn’t mean that the situation itself is good, it might not be. But it does mean that God is present and at work and in His way and in His time, He will bring good things out of bad situations. That was certainly true for Job, and for David, and for Jesus. It will be true for you too.

 

So don’t get frustrated or impatient with God, and certainly don’t get angry with Him. He loves you, He wants the best for you, and you can trust Him – even if things don’t seem to make sense at the moment.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim