Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Worry”

Our Bible verse for today: “”Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Be less concerned with what you have than with what you are.”

That quote above is from the great Greek philosopher Socrates. Socrates of course was not a Christian – he lived long before the time of Christ. And he did not know the God of the Jews, so his wisdom was worldly wisdom. And yet if you’ve read your Bible, the Old Testament and/or the New, then you know that in the Bible God teaches the same lesson many times and in many ways.

Character development is more important than the accumulation of material possessions. Human beings know this intuitively. So you would think we would place more emphasis on moral virtues than we do on material wealth, but you know as well as I do that we usually don’t. People worry constantly about money and possessions, and they often neglect the more important subject of character development.

In Luke chapter 12 Jesus told the sad story of a rich man who focused exclusively on his wealth, while neglecting the condition of his soul. Jesus concluded the lesson with this statement in verses 20-21: “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

The fact is that God is much more concerned with the kind of man or woman you are becoming than He is with what you do or with what you have. While we tend to worry about paychecks and savings accounts, houses and cars, God is focused on the condition of our soul.

Don’t be the fool in Jesus’ parable who focused on the wrong things in life and ended up paying a terrible eternal price. As it turned out, Socrates had it right. “Be less concerned with what you have than with what you are.”

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Worry”

Our Bible verse for today: “I hate, I despise, your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.” Amos 5:21 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t worry about how others worship; is the practice of your own faith genuine?”

As I write this it’s Friday and the weekend is upon us. As a Pastor my thoughts naturally turn towards Sunday when the church family will gather for worship and fellowship. Hopefully you’re preparing yourself to be a part of that as well.

Are you in a church that you truly love and feel comfortable in? I hope so. But, is it possible that you think a little too highly of your church and the way you do things? In fact, do you like it so much that you’re convinced that your way of “doing church” is right and all others are wrong? That’s a common problem in modern Christianity. Worse, we often become highly critical of other Christians who use a different translation of the Bible, or who prefer a different kind of music, or who have practices that we don’t use.

Sadly, there’s a lot of cross-denominational mudslinging going on in the Christian world these days. We worry way too much about what others do or don’t do, and we don’t worry near enough about whether or not our own practice of the faith is genuine and meaningful – or if it has simply become a matter of mindless routine.

That was the case in the days of the Old Testament prophet Amos. The people were very religious; they went to church; they went through the motions of worship; but it was all repetitive and mindless – and God hated it. They were so stuck in “the way we’ve always done it”, and so worried about honoring tradition, that there was no room in their thinking for the possibility of trying something new and different. And, their relationship with God suffered because of it!

God is much bigger than your tiny little religious tradition (whatever it is). God is divine and eternal and He cannot be contained in the boxes we create for Him. He is not limited to expressing Himself through a single translation of the Bible, or through only one type of music, or through any other particular practice or tradition. So we need to stop worrying so much about how others do or don’t connect with Him.

This is a matter of being worried, or concerned, about the right things. We need to worry less about how others do or don’t worship God, and pay much more attention to our own practice of the faith. Is it real? Is it sincere? Are you sure? Now that’s something worth thinking about.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Worry”

Our Bible verse for today: “Five times I received 39 lashes from the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans. Once I was stoned by my enemies …”
2 Corinthians 11:24-25 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “You have to decide how you will handle adversity.”

It’s been over twenty years now since sports fans everywhere were impressed and inspired by the example of professional baseball pitcher Dave Draveky. Many of us still remember it. Dave was a great pitcher and a strong Christian. He was the kind of professional sports figure who took his responsibility as a role model seriously.

Sadly, at the height of his career, Dave was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in the shoulder of his pitching arm. The entire thing, all the way up to and including the shoulder, had to be amputated. Not only was Dave’s career in baseball finished, but his life was altered in a major way. A big part of the left side of his body was gone.

But within months of the amputation Dave was out on the speaking circuit as a featured speaker at Promise Keeper events; he appeared on television and radio talk shows; he visited in schools; he wrote books. Rather than worry and weep over his misfortune, Dave dealt with it as best he could and then moved on with life in a positive way.

The Apostle Paul was like that. Spend a few minutes reading 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 to see a brief summary of just some of the things he endured. Then read Philippians chapter four where Paul writes about how he learned to be content in all circumstances and to draw his strength from Jesus regardless of what he was facing. Paul didn’t weep and whine and worry. He dealt with the difficulties and then just got on with life.

Let’s be clear: You are not responsible for everything that happens to you. But you are responsible for how you deal with what happens to you. As author Eric Greitens writes, “There is a big difference between acknowledging pain and wallowing in it. Wallowing in pain is a life trap, the quicksand of achievement.”

Dave Draveky and the Apostle Paul acknowledged their difficult circumstances but they didn’t worry about them and they didn’t wallow in them. They dealt with them and they moved on with life.

Yes, worrying and wallowing is a life trap, it is quicksand. But the real danger of quicksand is not that it keeps you stuck where you are, it’s worse than that. Quicksand sucks you in and keeps taking you deeper and deeper until eventually it swallows you up.

But you don’t have to allow that to be the case with respect to your problems. Remember, you may not be responsible for everything that happens to you, but you are responsible for how you deal with it. Choose to deal with it in a positive, God honoring way. Then move on with your life as best you can in whatever the prevailing circumstances are.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Worry”

Our Bible verse for today: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Understanding often comes in retrospect.”

In the Bible study “Experiencing God” author Henry Blackaby encourages his readers to create what he calls a spiritual map. He says that we should list, in chronological order, every significant event we can remember in our lives. He means everything from influential people we met, to significant accomplishments, to terrible hardships and tragedies. List things like graduation from school, coming to faith in Christ, marriage, the birth of children, career advancement, list it all.

Henry then encourages us to look backwards over the list to see the hand of God at work in our lives. Often as we do that we can see that although as we were going through those things we were often confused and worried, in retrospect we can see how God was in fact there and at work for our benefit.

This is what Paul was referring to in Romans 8:28. Even in the worst of situations God is there and He is at work for us. He will bring some good thing out of even the worst of circumstances. But usually it’s only after the fact that we can only see that.

Philip Yancey once wrote, “We live life moving forward, but we understand it looking back.” I believe that is true in most cases and therefore we have to move forward in faith, trusting that God is present and at work on our behalf, even if at the moment we don’t understand what’s happening or why. Can we do that? Yes we can, and we must. God sees the big picture but we can see only a very little bit. That’s why in Isaiah 55:8-9 God reminds us:

“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.”

Rather than worry, we have to trust. If you’re having trouble trading worry for trust, spend some time with your spiritual map. Remember how God has worked in your life in the past and how He has delivered you and protected you time and time again. Then trust Him for the present and for the future. Quoting Philip Yancey again:

“What is faith, after all, but believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse?”

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Worry”

Our Bible verse for today: “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119:165 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Take comfort in God and in His promises.”

I love reading the Bible and therefore I have always loved Psalm 119. Psalm 119 is a wonderful testimony to the beauty, the power, and the value of studying, applying, and obeying God’s Word. For 176 verses it calls us to read the Bible and to live by it.

However, as I was reading it again this morning it dawned on me for the first time that the last half of the Psalm is also a great exhortation against worry. Here’s just a sampling of what the Psalmist had to say about that:

Verse 76: “May your unfailing love be my comfort …”

Verse 105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

Verse 114: “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.”

Verse 143: “Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.”

Verse 147: “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.”

Verse 153: “Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law.

Verse 157: “Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes.”

Verse 165: “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”

Verse 173: “May your hand be ready to help me, for I have not forgotten your precepts.”

Those are just a few of the many verses in this Psalm which remind us that we don’t need to worry. Instead we can look to God for comfort, strength, refuge, guidance, hope, and peace.

If there are things in your world which have you worried today, I encourage you to trust in God and in His ways; take comfort in His Word and in His promises.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Worry”

Our Bible verse for today: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Worry is a waste of time.”

As I write this it is Monday morning and most of us are beginning a new week of work or school. What do you hope to accomplish this week? Do you have some goals and objectives you’re working on in terms of professional, educational, or personal self-development achievements? I’m not necessarily talking about major accomplishments either – just small steps of forward progress will be just fine.

Few things make us feel as good as making progress towards achieving a meaningful goal. And few things are as effective at chasing away worry as is achievement. But remember, achievement requires action. Wanting to do something is not the same as actually doing it. Positive change will occur not because of what you decide you want, but because of what you choose to do.

Worry is often rooted in inaction. Worry consists primarily of brooding about a problem and imagining all the terrible ways it might turn out. But when we involve ourselves in positive activity that moves us toward the accomplishment of a meaningful achievement, there’s much less room in our mind for worrisome thoughts. And if that meaningful activity also involves doing something about the thing we were worried about to begin with, the end result is even better.

In Matthew 6:27 Jesus asked a rhetorical question which was intentionally absurd. It was intended to illustrate the futility of worry. In the context of the larger passage, Jesus was teaching a lesson designed to motive His listeners to shift their focus from silly worries about unimportant things, and to instead be involved in the achievement of meaningful and worthwhile goals (seek first His kingdom and His righteousness …)

The bottom line? Worry is a waste of time. But making progress, even small steps of progress, towards meaningful goals is always helpful and it will go a long way towards chasing away worry. So let’s get busy accomplishing things that really matter.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Worry”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Psalm 56:3-4 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Faith chases away fear.”

 

There’s a great story that came out of World War Two regarding the power of faith to overcome worry and fear. It took place in a German Prisoner of War camp. Many of the American soldiers in that camp had been held there for years under horrible conditions. But unbeknown to the German guards, the soldiers had secretly built a radio which they used late at night to listen to Allied radio broadcasts and to track the progress of the war.

 

One night they learned that the German High Command had surrendered and that the War was over. However the German guards didn’t know that yet. Because the lines of military communication had broken down for the Germans, it would be days before news of the surrender reached the guards.

 

The prisoners knew the victory had already been won and they now just had to wait to be delivered from their difficult circumstances. So for three days there was laughing and joking, celebrating and singing, with the guards having no understanding of what brought about the incredible change in the prisoners. Finally, on the fourth morning, the prisoners woke up to discover that in the night the guards had discovered the truth and had fled the camp, leaving the gate and all the doors open.

 

The American prisoners had heard the good news broadcast, they believed it, and their faith in that good news changed everything. They knew it was only a matter of time before the promise of deliverance from would become a reality in their lives. And even though the bad circumstances persisted for a short while longer, they had the promise of, and they had faith in, the coming deliverance.

 

That can and should be true for us too. Over and over again God has told us in the Bible the good news that He has a wonderful plan for us and that He is sovereign over the circumstances of our lives. And He has said that the day is coming when we will be liberated from our current difficult circumstances. That’s true in the eternal sense, yes, but also in the more immediate issue of your current difficulties. Nothing lasts forever.

 

Faith chases away fear, and God has the answer to your worries. It is this: “Trust Him. Deliverance is coming”.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Worry”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Let go of the past so you can move forward into the future.”

 

After retiring from the Navy I worked for a few years as a Family Counselor as I prepared to become a Pastor. I’ve been a Pastor now for almost twenty years and altogether, I have counseled many people about a wide variety of issues. I found that by far the two most common problems people wrestle with are regret about the past and worry about the future.

 

Many people have deep regrets for past actions that they’re unable to let go of. Often they wallow in the regret to the point that it holds them captive. Many others have fear and anxiety about the future. The future is a great unknown and that scares people. Sure, we can make plans and set goals but still, the outcome is always uncertain.

 

The Apostle Paul had an answer for these two common dilemmas. In Philippians 3:13-14 he told us that he made it a point to leave the past at the feet of Jesus. There was much in Paul’s past he could have regretted. But since the past is past, there was nothing he could do to change it. So Paul laid the past at the feet of Jesus and then turned his attention to the future. He disciplined himself to be forward-looking.

 

We can do that too. In fact, we must. If we don’t, the past will hold us captive and not allow us to move forward into the future with any real effectiveness.

 

Interestingly, in my counseling I found that the regrets many people have regarding the past didn’t necessarily involve things they did do, but things they didn’t do. “I wish I had gone to college.” “I should have trained for a different career.” “Why didn’t I save for retirement when I had the chance?”

 

It can hurt to realize how much time we’ve wasted and how many opportunities we either missed, or simply passed up. The only thing that hurts worse is to continue doing that now. Continue in that same pattern and it’s a sure bet that tomorrow, and next week, and next month, and next year you’ll have even more to regret.

 

The thing to do is to leave your past at the feet of Jesus and then turn your attention to the future. Make the best plans you can and then just start moving forward. You don’t have to have it all figured out and you don’t have to be perfect. Just do something today that will move you in the right direction and make you a little better than you were yesterday. Then do the same tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Before long you will have walked yourself into a future that’s better than the past.

 

It’s senseless to wallow in regrets about the past because that will hold you back. And worrying too much about the future can leave you paralyzed with uncertainty and fear. Give both of them to Jesus knowing that He has a great plan for your life and that He is in the process of working it out.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Worry”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Follow Paul’s prescription for worry-free living.”

 

I love Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It is the most positive, uplifting, and encouraging book in the New Testament. It was also written during a time when Paul was old, sick, nearing the end of his life, and in prison. It’s amazing that he could write a letter like this under such circumstances. The fact that he could, reveals a lot about where he was at in his relationship with the Lord, and therefore there is a lot we can learn from it.

 

If you have a propensity for worry, you would benefit from spending a little time in Philippians chapter four. In it Paul gives us a step-by-step prescription for worry-free living. Here are just a few of the points he makes:

 

Verse four: Make it a point to intentionally rejoice in the Lord constantly.

Verse six: Rather than worrying about things, pray about them.

Verse seven: Accept and embrace the peace God wants you to have.

Verse eight: Control the things you allow your mind to dwell on. Make them positive.

Verse nine: Make it a point to consistently do the things you know to be right.

Verse ten: Take your eyes off yourself and be concerned about the well-being of others.

Verse Thirteen: Rely on Jesus.

Verse Nineteen: Trust that God can and will provide for your needs.

 

Through many years of hardship and struggles the Apostle Paul learned how to avoid worry and to truly enjoy life, regardless of his circumstances. It was his strong faith in, and reliance on, Jesus. We can do the same.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim.

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Worry”

Our Bible verse for today: “Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “The more you focus on Jesus, the less you’ll have to worry about.”

Many years ago Campus Crusade for Christ developed what went on to become the most widely used evangelistic tract of all time, “The Four Spiritual Laws”. In that little booklet they include a drawing that very effectively illustrates the difference between a life focused on Jesus, and one that isn’t.

The drawing is divided in half, left and right. On the left side, there is a throne which represents the place of honor in the person’s heart. Around the throne are a multitude of black dashes, each of which represents some person, issue, or activity which has a place in this person’s life. In this illustration on the left side of the drawing “self” is on the throne and all the black dashes are arranged around the throne in chaotic fashion, pointing up, down, sideways, and just jumbled all over the place. The scene depicts chaos.

On the right side of the drawing is another throne, it too representing the place of honor in a person’s life. But this time it is Jesus on the throne, and this time all the black dashes representing the things that fill up this person’s life, are in perfect order and are perfectly aligned, all pointing towards the throne.  The difference between the two lives is clear and stark.

In his book, “What On Earth Am I here for?” Pastor Rick Warren urges his readers to be intentional about making Jesus the center of their lives. He writes, “When God is at the center, you worship. When he’s not, you worry. Worry is the warning light that God has been shoved to the sideline.”

This is essentially the same lesson the writer of Hebrews was expressing in Hebrews 12:1-2. This life is a long haul, and it is often filled to overflowing with a multitude of things competing for our time, attention, and loyalty. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Put Him on the throne of your heart and keep Him there. Then allow everything else in life to fall into perfect alignment around the throne, all of it pointing to Jesus. If you do that, you’ll have a lot less to worry about.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim