Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you.” John 13:14-15 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We are to do for others what Jesus has done for us.”

 

I read a statement the other day which I found disturbing. The writer said, “For many people God is more of a legend and a myth than He is a real person.”

 

If we’re honest I think we have to admit that statement is true. As a matter of faith, people acknowledge that God is real, but experientially He doesn’t seem real. Experientially He is more like a legend or a myth than a real person.

 

But Jesus came to take care of that problem for us. Jesus came to show us God in a way we could relate to, as a flesh and bones person. In John 14:9 Jesus said, “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

 

But that was then, this is now. To have God with them in the person of Jesus was nice for those people of that day, in that little corner of the world, but what about the rest of us? Jesus isn’t here on earth in that same way anymore.

 

That’s where you and I and the Holy Spirit come in. When Jesus left earth to return to heaven He sent the Holy Spirit in His place to live in the hearts of His followers. From that point forward, until the Second Coming of Christ, the way the people of the world get to physically interact with God is primarily by means of the Holy Spirit working through the lives of the followers of Jesus.

 

This is what Jesus was talking about in John 13:14-15. In that passage the primary lesson was that Jesus came to serve the people of the world, to minister to their needs, and to let them see the love of the Father through their physical interactions with Him. Now, from this point forward, the world should have that same kind of interaction with God by means of the Holy Spirit working through the lives of the followers of Jesus.

 

As a follower of Christ you are to be the hands and feet of Jesus. People should experience the blessings of God coming to them through you. They should get to experience the reality of God, in a physical flesh and blood way, as a result of their interactions with you and me.

 

Obviously you are not Jesus and neither am I. But if you are a follower of His then you do have His Holy Spirit in your heart, and the Spirit is working in you and through you to pour out God’s blessings upon a hurting and dying world. If you are willing, God will reach out and touch the world through you. I encourage you to be willing.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “…they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.” 1 Kings 3:29 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Playing by the Biblical rules enables us to make smart decisions.”

 

This morning I want to pick-up King Solomon’s story from yesterday’s devotional. The primary thing Solomon is remembered for is his great wisdom. Solomon was the wisest man in the world in his day and his wisdom came to him as a gift from God. The reason God gave Solomon that wisdom was because he was determined to honor God with the decisions he made.

 

There’s an important lesson in this for us. As the people of God we need godly wisdom in order to make good decisions. And, God wants us to have that wisdom. The Bible itself is one long testimony to the fact that God wants to be heard and understood by His people so that they can then behave in a way that pleases Him. Therefore He does communicate with us in ways we can understand. Our job is to place ourselves in a position before God whereby He can communicate with us. Here are some basic guidelines that will help:

 

1. Cultivate a heart for God. This is crucial. You must have a heart that is yearning to hear from God and which is then both willing and committed to do whatever it is God instructs you to do.

 

1. Be honest about what you can do and what you cannot do, then be sure to do your part. The burden is not all on God. Way too often we pray, asking God to help us with a situation, but we then act as if the burden is all on Him to work the situation out. It’s as if we’re expecting a magic solution that will require no effort on our parts. It doesn’t happen that way. God works in partnership with us. The answer to the prayer usually includes us actively taking part in bringing about the answer.

 

1. Ask God for the wisdom to make good decisions. Actually ask Him. Talk to Him about it. Have a discussion with Him about this issue you need to figure out. James 1:5 tells us “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

 

1. Actually follow God’s guidance. Don’t ask God what you should do but then go do something different from what He tells you! Solomon asked God to give him the wisdom he needed in order to make smart decisions and God gave him that wisdom. But then as his life unfolded Solomon proceeded to involve himself in all the things God had specifically told him not to do. Don’t be that guy. Don’t ask God what you should do but then go and do something different.

 

1. Trust Him to guide you. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

 

Playing by the Biblical rules enables us to make smart decisions. All that’s required is a heart that is truly devoted to God and a commitment that you will do what He tells you to do.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” 1 Kings 3:9 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Bless God and He will bless you.”

 

The life of King Solomon is an interesting study in contrasts. He started out well. As a young king he was humble and grateful and fully submitted to God. In 1 Kings Chapter 3 we read of the time Solomon had traveled to Gibeon for a personal spiritual retreat. He worshiped, offered sacrifices on the altar, prayed, and spent time just bowing before God.

 

That night, in a dream, the Lord appeared to Solomon. In the dream God expressed his pleasure with Solomon and invited him to ask for whatever he wanted. We read Solomon’s response in 1 Kings 3:9 – he asked for wisdom and discernment so that he could lead God’s people well.

 

In the verses that follow we read of God’s pleasure in, and approval of, that request. God commended Solomon for putting Kingdom purposes first rather than asking for things for himself such as long life, good health, and vast riches. So God gave Solomon the wisdom he asked for, and then He gave him all the other blessings he didn’t ask for as well.

 

Solomon started out so well. He was more concerned with serving God and God’s people, than he was with his own comfort or affluence. Unfortunately in the years to come those priorities would get out of order and Solomon would end up paying a big price for it (read the book of Ecclesiastes). But when his priorities were in proper order, God was pleased and Solomon was blessed.

 

This is a rule of kingdom living. Bless God and He will bless you. Honor Him and He will honor you. In Malachi 3:10, the last book of the Old Testament, God promised that if we will honor Him by being good stewards of the money and possessions He has entrusted us with, He in turn will bless us. Jesus reinforced that truth in Matthew 6:33 when He said “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

 

This is simply a matter of playing by God’s rules. Put God’s commands and God’s purposes first in your life, and He will bless you in return. It seems so simple. Put God first in your life and He will bless your life.

 

Most professing Christians would claim that God does have first place in their life. But does He really? It’s more than a matter of words. Your actions tell the true story.

 

I encourage you to examine your life. Consider what you actually do rather than just what you say. Then make an accurate assessment of what your priorities really are based upon what you actually do. Then, make whatever adjustments are needed.

 

Solomon started off right but then he got off track. Unfortunately it wasn’t until very late in life before he finally admitted he had gone astray and made the necessary course corrections. Hopefully you and I won’t wait that long. The rule is simple: Bless God and He will bless you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!” John 20:18 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Good things happen to those who are consistently where they’re supposed to be.”

 

Mary Magdalene holds the honorable distinction of having been the first person to see the resurrected Lord Jesus. Of all the followers of Jesus who could have been selected by God for that honor, it was given to Mary. Why was that? Why not Peter or James or John?

 

Well, because Peter, James, and John weren’t there. It was Mary who got up early that day and went to the tomb and discovered it was empty. Granted, upon hearing the news about the empty tomb Peter and John did run to the tomb to see for themselves, but then they turned around and went home again. Mary stayed and as a result she saw Jesus.

 

Every time any of the four gospel writers lists a group of women who were near Jesus during His death, burial, and resurrection, the name of Mary Magdalene is always there. She was there at Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 27:56); She was there when Joseph took Jesus off of the cross (Mark 15:47); she was there when he placed Jesus in the tomb (Mathew 27:61); and she was there on this resurrection morning to find the empty tomb and then to see the resurrected Jesus.

 

I love the observation made by the editors of “The Leadership Bible” about Mary Magdalene: “Mary was present because she had demonstrated a commitment and faithfulness to her Lord that was rare among his followers. She was there at the right moment because she was always there. Good things happen to people who are faithful, committed, and consistently available!”

 

This is why Hebrews 10:24-25 so emphatically tells us that we are not to neglect our times of gathering together. It’s because the blessings belong to those who show-up. And what happens when you don’t show-up? You miss the blessings! Take a moment to read about the blessing Thomas missed because he was absent at a time when he should have been there. He also didn’t get to see Jesus at a time when he otherwise would have (John 20:19-25).

 

One of the rules for life in the kingdom of God is that the blessings belong to those who show-up. Miss the moment and you miss the blessing. Good things happen to those who are consistently where they’re supposed to be.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:24-25 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God accomplishes a lot with a little.”

 

Dwight was a big, awkward, poorly educated farm boy. He had outgrown his homemade clothes but his parents were too poor to provide him with a new set. And so, on his first day in a Sunday school class, surrounded by boys and girls who were smarter, better dressed, and much surer of themselves, Dwight felt out of place and insecure.

 

Fortunately the Sunday school teacher reached out to him, made him feel welcomed and comfortable, and eventually led the boy to faith in Christ. Years later, as a young man, he heard a preacher proclaim the words, “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.”

 

That young man was D.L. Moody. He was deeply impacted by those words and took them as a personal challenge. He determined to try to be that man. Long story short, that poor, awkward, uneducated farm boy went on to become the greatest evangelist of his generation, the Billy Graham of his day.

 

God accomplishes a lot with a little. That seems to be a rule of thumb in the kingdom of God and we see it played out over and over again, in big ways and in small.

 

That’s what Jesus was talking about in John 12:24-25. When a tiny seed of wheat falls to the ground it dies. But then, buried in the soil, it germinates and produces new life – an entire abundant crop of wheat from that one little seed.

 

That was a parable about His death and resurrection. Jesus was close to the time He would die. But as a result of His life, death, and resurrection there would eventually be millions upon millions of Holy Spirit empowered disciples who would go on to change the world in His Name.

 

We see this same principle at work in families. A godly parent or grandparent, often a simple man or woman, often with little formal education but with a deep and powerful faith, lives a life that profoundly impacts their entire family line for generations. The end result is children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even extended family members who have deep and meaningful faith of their own.

 

The principle Jesus was explaining in the passage above is the same point D.L. Moody was so challenged by. When a disciple of Jesus puts aside selfishness and self-seeking goals, and focuses instead on Christ and His kingdom, there is no end to what God can and will accomplish in and with and through that person. Maybe those things will be big accomplishments like with D.L. Moody and Billy Graham, but more than likely it will be smaller, everyday things, such as the influence a godly mother or grandmother ultimately has on a long line of family members.

 

God accomplishes a lot with a little. He will do it with your life too if you will surrender your life to Him to be used for His purposes.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “God wants us to live with passion for Him.”

 

Psalm 63 is one of my favorite Psalms, especially that first verse. In this Psalm King David expresses a passion for God that energized his whole life. David’s thinking about God, and his feelings for God were the motive force that drove his life and what we end up with here, is a picture of what the Christian life should look like.

 

David lived life large and he lived it with passion and enthusiasm. But it was a largeness of life that came from a God-given vision of what his life was supposed to consist of, and it was passion and enthusiasm that grew out of an awareness of the fact that he was indeed living the life God had chosen for him.

 

What we’re seeing modeled for us is a general rule for living well and living big in the kingdom of God. Vision, passion, enthusiasm, a searching and seeking after God – these are the things that motivate great men and women of God. A life of faith that is lukewarm and mediocre is missing something vital at its core.

 

And please note that nobody gets to live life in a bubble. Nobody floats through life in some sort of detached, other-worldly state of nirvana. People like David are real people who have to deal with real problems. They have highs and lows, good times and bad, joys and sorrows, trials and temptations. In other words, their lives look a lot like your life and mine. And yet … they train themselves to walk through life with passion and enthusiasm, seeking and searching after God. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews described it as “keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.”

 

Here’s some more of Psalm 63. As you read it pay particular attention to David’s attitude:

 

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

 

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

 

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”

 

Are you consumed with thoughts of God? Do you long to know Him better, experience Him more, and find satisfaction in Him? A lukewarm Christian is missing something vital in his or her relationship with God and none of us should ever be satisfied with such a life. David wasn’t, and I pray you won’t be either.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

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: “God expects His people to exercise self-control.”

 

Let’s take a moment to consider Galatians 5:22-23 as translated in the Amplified Bible:

 

“But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence).”

 

So, one of the fruits of the Spirit (one of the virtues He develops in us as we mature in Christ), is the ability to exercise self-control. This is the ability to voluntarily restrain ourselves from giving into the impulses of the flesh.

 

Obviously there are numerous examples of how our ability to employ self-control could be seen in our lives. Self-control can apply to the issue of sexual purity; or to the avoidance of gluttony; or to impulse-buying that leads to bad stewardship in financial matters; or to any number of other life issues.

 

Going back to the subject of our previous devotional message pertaining to how we deal with other people, self-control should also apply issues of taking offense and of getting angry. The more spiritually mature we are the more self-control we will have in how we deal with people and the less likely we will be to take offense, or to lash out in anger, or to pop-off with inappropriate responses.

 

Self-control is a character trait the Spirit develops in us over time. So does that mean we can just sit back and wait for the Holy Spirit to do His job and develop increasing measures of self-control and restraint in us, while we just continue on with our current habits? No. We have a role to play in this too. While the results are produced by the Spirit, the effort must be ours.

 

We have a responsibility to frequently and continuously place ourselves in a position before God whereby the Spirit can do His work within us. Specifically, with respect to self-control, we admit to God the area of life in which we are lacking in self-control. Then we make that issue a matter of prayer, but we must also make an effort to be disciplined in this area. Then, working in conjunction with us, the Spirit does His work and over time, He develops in us the spiritual fruit of self-control.

 

What does all of this have to do with our theme of “Playing by the Rules”? Just that God expects His people to exercise self-control. Our habits are to be submitted to, and brought under the control of, the Holy Spirit. When we do that the Spirit helps us to avoid a lack of self-control that results in unhealthy or sinful excesses.

 

But don’t be discouraged. None of us are perfect. We all struggle with the issue of self-control to varying degrees in different areas of our lives. It’s the work of the Spirit to help us gain control over those issues.

 

I encourage you to identify the areas in which you struggle with self-control and honestly admit them to God. Then submit your struggle to the Spirit asking Him to help you gain increased measures of self-control in those areas.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you. Why not rather put up with injustice?” 1 Corinthians 6:7 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Your ability to shrug off an offense is a measure of your spiritual maturity.”

 

In 1 Corinthians chapter 6 the Apostle Paul was teaching a lesson about spiritual maturity. That might not seem obvious at first reading, but that is what the passage is really about. To make his point, Paul used the example of believers suing fellow believers in civil court. Evidently that was happening among the Christians in the city of Corinth and Paul said it was an embarrassment to the cause of Christ and it needed to stop.

 

But there is an underlying Biblical principle in play here that is actually the larger and more important point. A mature Christian is not easily offended and even when they are, they can shrug it off rather than making a big deal out of it. Consider carefully the deeper meaning of this verse offered to us by the Amplified Bible translation:

 

“Why, the very fact of your having lawsuits with one another is a defect (a defeat, an evidence of positive moral loss for you.) Why not rather let yourselves suffer wrong and be deprived of what is your due? Why not rather be cheated (defrauded and robbed)?

 

Spend some time with that Amplified explanation. Think about it. The very fact that a Christian would get caught-up in or consumed by thoughts that they have been wronged is according to Paul, a defect in that person’s spiritual maturity. It represents a defeat, a moral loss. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are to simply ignore wrongs done to us, but it does mean that we don’t carry our response to extremes. If you want a “Biblical” model for dealing with an offense from a fellow Christian, read the words of Jesus in Matthew 18: 15-17. There you will find His answer for conflict resolution.

 

Now, go back again to the Amplified Bible’s translation of Paul’s words. “Why not rather let yourselves suffer wrong?” He’s saying here that rather than making a big deal out of what is probably only a small deal, why not just let it go? Are you a big enough person to do that? Have you grown spiritually to the point where you are not easily offended and you can simply shrug things off without making a big deal out of it?

 

This is a matter of “Playing by the Rules”. In the Bible God shows us how to properly handle conflicts and offenses, so that is how we are to do it. First, consider just letting it go. Most things that bother us really don’t matter all that much and we should be able to simply shrug them off.

 

Second, in those cases where a wrong does need to be addressed, do it Biblically. Don’t get petty about it. Don’t wallow in self-pity feeling sorry for yourself. Don’t sit around licking your wounds and feeling resentful. Address it like Jesus taught us in Matthew 18:15-17. Go to the person and talk to them about it. Then, if necessary, ask a couple of other mature Christians to join the discussion to help you achieve resolution. Then, if those two steps don’t resolve the issue and if the issue is really important enough, assemble the church and ask the group to help work through it.

 

But remember, first and foremost, your ability to simply shrug off minor offenses and annoyances is an accurate and revealing measure of your spiritual maturity. In most cases that should be the way it is handled.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 14:20 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “You become like those you associate with.”

 

All this month we’re giving thought to the important principle of “Playing by the Rules”, or more precisely, “Living according to God’s rules.” This morning we come to a basic truism about human nature in general, but which is also a Biblical principle and which is restated and illustrated numerous times in the Bible. It is the fact that “You become like those you associate with.”

 

Yes we do. If you hang around with people who use foul language all the time, it won’t be long before you’re talking that way too. If your friends all do drugs, you will too. If those closest to you continually listen to a particular kind of music, you will probably learn to like it and listen to it as well. The old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together” is trite but true.

 

It’s also true that numbers matter. If a group consists of one or two non-believers and many Christians, that’s good. If the group consists of only one Christian but numerous non-believers, that can be bad.

 

More than once I’ve attempted to work with a “former” drug addict to help them stay clean and out of trouble, only to have that person begin re-associating with people still in that lifestyle. Inevitably the former addict ends up being drawn back into the world of drugs and crime. In 1 Corinthians 15:33 the Apostle Paul cautioned us about this when he wrote, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.”

 

The opposite is true too. Hang around with good people who are upright and moral, and they will rub off on you. That’s what Solomon meant in Proverbs 14:20. If you want to become wise, surround yourself with wise people. Listen to them; learn from them; and in time you will become like them. If your life is a mess but you want to turn it around, find people who already have the kind of life you would like to have and spend as much time with them as you can. Over time you become like those you associate with.

 

As I write this it is Friday morning. If you’ll allow me to trade on an old book title from Tony Compallo, “It’s Friday but Sunday’s Coming”. What will you do this Sunday morning? More importantly, who will you be with? Churches all around your town will be meeting for worship, study, and fellowship. They will be filled with good people, nice people, people who love Jesus and who love you too. They are people who would be happy for join them.

 

We become like those we associate with. It’s more than just a basic truth about human nature it’s a Biblical principle and a rule of life. Choose your friends and associates carefully. A good Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church filled with friendly and caring Christians is a great place to start.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Samuel said … Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord? ‘But I did obey the Lord,’ Saul said.” 1 Samuel 15:17; 19-20 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Partial obedience is disobedience.”

 

1 Samuel chapter 15 records one of the saddest chapters in the life of King Saul. He was instructed by God to lead the armies of Israel to completely wipe out the nation of the evil Amalekites. It was to be a scorched earth campaign. God said the Amalekites were so evil, they were such an offense to Him and such a plague on the earth, that they were to be completely wiped-out, every man, women, child, animal, building, crop – all of it.

 

But Saul didn’t do it. Not completely. Saul spared the life of King Agag, and he led the army to selectively hold out for themselves the best of the plunder. Then, when confronted by Samuel the prophet regarding his failure to fully obey the command of the Lord, Saul lamely attempted to rationalize and justify his actions. He tried to make his partial obedience look like full obedience and then he tried to make the case that it really made sense for him to do it the way that he did, rather than the way the Lord commanded.

 

In their commentary on this passage the editors of “The Leadership Bible” challenge us to consider the question, “What’s your price? What will it take to get you to disobey God and do it your way instead of His?” For Saul all it took was his desire to save the life of a fellow king who he liked, and the opportunity to acquire a little bit of plunder.

 

If you read the history of the nation of Israel you quickly realize that they always had a price. There was always a point at which they decided to do it their own way rather than God’s way. And they always suffered for it. Whenever Israel obeyed God, He never failed to bless them. But whenever they disobeyed Him, He never failed to punish them.

 

So, what is your price? At what point will you decide, “I want what I want and I’m going to do what I want, regardless of the fact that God has clearly instructed otherwise.”?

 

I want you to know that’s it’s impossible for a child of God to intentionally disobey God without suffering for it. There are always consequences. Those consequences may come fast or they may come slow, but they will come and they will hurt.
God has made it clear to us what His standards are and what He expects from us. We have to play by the rules or we will suffer the consequences.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim