Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Grace”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Ephesians 1:7-8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Grace is amazing!”

 

In my personal opinion one of the most important and helpful Bible studies written in the last thirty years is Philip Yancey’s “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” The reason I say that is because so much of Christianity has been, and still is, steeped in “un-grace”, or the lack of grace.

 

Philip calls the word grace “the last best word” in the English vocabulary. The reason he says that is because so many of our words have lost or changed their meanings and therefore no longer carry the weight they once did. But grace is still grace. It has held its meaning through centuries of use. In its purest form it still means “Undeserved blessings freely bestowed upon people by God.”

 

The grace of God is not only a prominent theme in the New Testament but it is the foundation upon which the Good News of the Gospel is based. The undeserved blessing of forgiveness of sins, freely given through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, is the greatest and best news the world has ever known. It is the very essence of grace.

 

Then, grace in all its ramifications and applications is preached and taught and modeled all throughout the New Testament. Not only does God freely bestow grace upon us, but He calls us to freely bestow grace on others.

 

But therein lies the problem. Historically we haven’t done that. Far too often the Christian church has been the recipient of grace but not the dispenser of it. In too many cases we have been, and continue to be, more like modern-day Pharisees. Rabid fundamentalism continues to infect the church in our day. Way too often the church is the dispenser of “un-grace”.

 

This month we will explore grace as it is taught and modeled for us on the pages of Scripture. I’m looking forward to growing in grace with you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “When Job’s three friends … heard about all this adversity that had happened to him, each of them came from his home. They met together to go and sympathize with him and comfort him … Then they sat on the ground with him seven days and nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering was very intense.” Job 2:11; 13 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Have the confidence to simply be there.”

We need each other – especially when times are tough. When we’re going through hard times one of God’s greatest gifts is a friend who will simply be with us. It’s called “The ministry of presence” and it involves just being with someone and entering into their suffering with them. You don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to say anything, just be there.

As much as we’re critical of Job’s three friends for the way they ended up being so unhelpful, we need to acknowledge that they started out well. They heard their friend was suffering and so they went to him and simply sat with him. They entered into his suffering and they mourned with him, they comforted him, and they blessed him with their presence. That was good – it was very good.

Pastor and author Tony Campolo tells the story of the time he was going to the funeral of a friend but accidently ended up in the wrong funeral home. When he got there he found a widow mourning her husband and the funeral was about to begin. But there was nobody else in the room. Tony realized that the widow was the only one who was going to be there. So he sat down and attended that funeral even though he didn’t know the man. Then he went to the cemetery too and attended the burial. As they were leaving the cemetery the widow thanked him for being there. Tony sheepishly admitted that he didn’t know the man. The widow just smiled, patted his arm and said, “I know that. My husband didn’t have many friends and I didn’t recognize you. I realized you were just being kind -and it means more to me than you will ever know. Thank you very much.”

The ministry of presence is one of the most meaningful things we can do for others. But it is also something that many of us don’t have the confidence to do. It makes us uncomfortable because we don’t know what to say, we don’t know what to do. We have the mistaken belief that we have to do or say something that will make things better for our suffering friend. But that’s just not true. Most of the time there is nothing you can say or do. The person needs to go through the stages of the grieving process and that takes time. But it helps to have someone there.

Philip Yancey once asked a group of people to name someone who had been a great source of comfort to them during a difficult time in their life. He reported that not one of the people named a famous philosopher or self-help guru. Many people named a quiet, unassuming individual who was simply there when they needed them to be; a person who didn’t do or say much, but just sat with them, hugged them, cried with them.

I encourage you to have the confidence to be there for others. We need each other.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Stay focused on what really matters.”

In his book, “The Purpose Driven Life” author Rick Warren includes a wonderful chapter about how to focus on the eternal things that really matter, rather than on earthly things which are temporary at best. He writes,

“To make the best use of your life, you must never forget two truths: First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief. Second, earth is only a temporary residence. You won’t be here for long, so don’t get too attached to it.”

To help make his point he builds on Paul’s analogy in 2 Corinthians 5:20 where Paul explains to us that we are in this world only as Christ’s ambassadors. Our real home is in heaven. Our loyalty belongs to the Kingdom of Heaven. We are on temporary assignment in this foreign land only to represent our King and to conduct His business. And while we necessarily have to be involved in the life and activities of this land in which we live, we are not to become so involved in it that we become part of it. Our loyalty is to our homeland in Heaven and our conduct and values are to be those of our homeland.

Therefore we should not expect to be rewarded or honored by the land in which we live. The rewards and honors for years of faithful service will be waiting for us when we get to our real home in heaven. Rick writes,

“In God’s eyes, the greatest heroes of faith are not those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.”

As you go about your business this week, whether at work, at home, in school, or wherever your current assignment takes you, stay focused on the business of your King whom you are here to represent. And if you don’t appear to be reaping a bounty of rewards and honors from the culture around you, don’t worry about it. You’re not supposed to. Just confidently and faithfully represent the One who sent you, trusting that in due time you will receive your reward and it will be better – much better – than anything this foreign land has to offer.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Have confidence in God to help you withstand temptation.”

Today you are going to be tempted. Not once and not twice, but many times. Some of those temptations may be big, most will be small, but they will all require strength of character and discipline to resist.

The problem is that we are often weak in the face of temptation. This is an individual issue which varies considerably from person to person. Something that is very tempting to me might not be a problem for you, and visa-versa. I have a sweet tooth and find it difficult to resist ice cream, donuts, and jelly beans. But a big juicy steak appeals to me not at all. For one person alcohol holds no attraction but for another, take that first sip and he will soon be gutter-crawling drunk.

So when it comes to resisting temptation we must first of all know our weaknesses and then take steps to protect ourselves. If I need to lay off the donuts then I need to bypass the parking spot right in front of the donut shop.

But even still, I have little confidence in my own ability to be strong in the face of temptations. I need more than just my own will power – much more. Fortunately, God provides the strength that I lack. That is what Paul was writing about in 1 Corinthians 10:13.

First, he tells us that we will never be faced with any temptation that isn’t common to all people. You’re not the only one dealing with this issue. Second, God will never allow us to be faced with any temptation that we are not able to withstand. No matter how strong the pull seems, it will not be more than we can bear. Third, and this is the key, God Himself will show us a way of escape from the power of that temptation. We just have to turn to Him and ask Him to show us the way out. And then we have to take it.

When it comes to resisting temptation my confidence cannot be in myself and in the strength of my own willpower. If it is, no donut in Cumberland County Tennessee is safe from me. My confidence is in God and in the power of His promise. He will always provide a way out. I just need to ask for it, look for it, and then take it. That’s true for you too.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Acts 17:23 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “We must confidently tell people about Jesus.”

I once read a very provocative statement about man’s search for God which has stuck with me for many years. The writer claimed that, “Every man lying in the arms of a prostitute is really searching for God.”

What he meant was that there is an empty place in the human heart which can only be filled by God. It’s what King Solomon was referring to in Ecclesiastes 3:11 when he wrote, “He has set eternity in the hearts of men.” God created us as spirit-beings designed to live forever. Eternity is in our DNA. That’s why virtually every person who has ever lived has had a sense that this life is not all there is. It’s why every culture that has ever existed has always had a theology of an afterlife and worship practices designed to help them to connect with the spirit world.

God has created us for eternity and deep in our heats we know it. There is a space in the human heart, an emptiness that longs to be filled. But in our human nature we try to fill that place with everything except God. We try to fill it with achievements and possessions, with earthly relationships and sex, and often we end up relying on addictive substances such as drugs, alcohol, or food which all provide a temporary (and false) sense of fulfillment.

I love the scene in Acts 17:23 where the Apostle Paul was in Athens. As he looked around he noticed that the Athenians had images and altars of worship for multitudes of false gods. Clearly these were a spiritual people; observably they were seeking after spiritual fulfillment; and Paul recognized this for the opportunity it was. He immediately began explaining to them that although their spiritual yearning and searching was a good thing, they were looking for God in all the wrong places. He then went on to tell them about the One True God.

People all around us today are seeking after God, and most of them don’t even know it. What they think they’re yearning for is the next promotion, a big raise, a new car, the next meal, or physical satisfaction in the arms of a prostitute. But what they’re really yearning after is God. They’re trying desperately to fill the emptiness in their heart with the things of this world when in fact that place can only be filled by God Himself.

Like Paul, this presents great opportunities for us to tell people about God. We can do so with confidence because even if they don’t realize it, God is who they’re really looking for. I encourage you to be confident as you tell people about Jesus today. He is who they need, and He is who they’re really looking for.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “… and they sent out Barnabas to travel as far as Antioch … for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” Acts 11:22; 24 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “It takes a healthy sense of self-confidence to stay focused on blessing others.”

Barnabas is one of my favorite people in the New Testament. “Barnabas” was not his given name. His real name was Joseph but we learn in Acts 4:36 that once they got to know him the Apostles nicknamed him “Barnabas”, which means “Son of Encouragement”.

The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about Barnabas but what we do know is that he was a generous man who shared his resources joyfully with his church family (Acts 4:36); he was not afraid to befriend outcasts such as the new convert Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:27); he was a dependable man who could be trusted with important ministry tasks (Acts 11:22); he endured hardship and danger for the cause of Christ (Acts 13:3); he was willing to serve as a mentor to younger Christians such as his nephew John Mark (Acts 15:39); and of course, he was a great encourager of people (Acts 4:36).

I believe it requires a great deal of self-confidence and spiritual maturity to continually focus your time and attention on being a blessing to others. The natural human tendency is to be self-centered – to worry about our own wants, needs, and desires. It takes a contented and confident person, one who fully trusts in the Lord’s provision and protection for his own life, to continually focus on blessing and encouraging others. Barnabas was that man. In his example we see the words of Jesus come alive, “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26)

I want to encourage all of us today to be intentional about blessing and encouraging others. Trust the Lord to take care of you and your needs, while you bless others in His Name. Wouldn’t this world be a better place if all of us were striving to be “Sons and Daughters of Encouragement”?

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, who we can appoint to this duty.” Acts 6:3 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “It takes confidence to serve humbly.”

Soon we will be celebrating Easter. For many people Easter, like at Thanksgiving and Christmas, there is an extra emphasis on serving others – especially those in great need.

This Easter, since we’re also gearing-up for another election cycle, we will soon be seeing stories on the television news of high profile politicians with their sleeves rolled up, on the serving line at a Rescue Mission, serving dinner to homeless people. At best these scenes remind us of the importance of service. At worst it’s a staged photo op for a politician trolling for votes. They’re doing it for the attention it gets them.

However in the scene described in Acts 6:3 we find another standard for service. In this case there were widows in the early church who needed special attention. The Apostles were concerned about it, but tending to that need themselves took them away from their primary roles of prayer and preaching and teaching. So they needed dependable men to assume responsibility for ensuring the widows were properly cared for.

Now look at the qualifications they felt were necessary for those who would fulfill this ministry role of mercy and compassion. They were to be of good reputation, full of the Spirit, and wise. As we read on we come to realize that each of these godly men could probably just as easily have filled the role of Apostle, or preacher or teacher or elder. But instead they gladly assumed the responsibility of distributing food to widows.

I personally believe it takes spiritual maturity and confidence for a person to serve in a low profile ministry and to do it humbly, joyfully, and with a commitment to excellence. People like that serve in those ministry positions, and with that attitude, out of great love for the Lord and for His people. Such servants are a joy and a blessing to any church.

As a pastor I am very thankful for the faithful saints who serve in the multitude of low profile, but essential, ministry positions in the church. Without their service the church will be very ineffective. The widows would go hungry, the children would not be cared for, and the Pastor would be a worn-out wreck. Thanks for all you do!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds from the field? … You have not lied to men but to God!” Acts 5:3; 4 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Have the confidence to be honest with people.”

This morning I was reading in Acts chapter five and once again came upon that odd and disturbing story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. They were part of the early church in Jerusalem. In chapters three and four we read about the great spirit of fellowship, compassion, love, and generosity which prevailed in that church. All the members were making great sacrifices on behalf of others; many were selling their possessions and bringing the proceeds to the Apostles to be used for the benefit of everyone.

Ananias and Sapphria saw the selfless sacrifices and the joyful giving that others were engaged in, and they saw the high esteem the most generous givers were held in by the rest of the congregation, and they wanted some of it for themselves.

So they sold a field they owned but then, they gave only part of the proceeds while attempting to convince everyone that they were giving it all – and they got caught. Peter made it clear that it would have been perfectly fine for them to have kept all or part of the proceeds for themselves. Their sin was not keeping some of it for their own use; their sin was the sin of deception. They lied about it and they deceived others.

Why did Ananias and Sapphria do that? Obviously it was because they were jealous for the praise other people were getting. They were so concerned with what other people thought of them, and so eager to be held in high esteem by the group, that they engaged in a despicable act of religious deception. However, we cannot sin against the people of God without also sinning against God. That’s the lesson we learn from the example of Ananias and Sapphria.

Public praise can be an addictive thing. The strong desire for approval and acclaim can drive us to present ourselves and our motives in dishonest and deceptive ways. It’s essential that we have the confidence to be completely open and honest with God – and with God’s people. Resist the temptation to deceive or mislead people in an attempt to get them to think more highly of you. Be honest and let your words and actions speak for themselves. Just be you.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “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 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “God will give you the confidence you need to face the day.”

 

Well, welcome to Monday. How are you doing today? Did you pop out of bed this morning like a piece of toast out of a toaster? Are you bright and chipper, eagerly anticipating the start of a new week?

 

Or maybe you’re feeling like David was in Psalm 63:1, thirsty, longing, weary, like you’re trudging through a dry land where there is no water. (I hope that doesn’t describe your job!)

 

David was just being honest. We all have days like that. But don’t stop reading at verse 1, continue on in the Psalm and see what David did about those feelings. In verse two he recounted some of his best moments in church. “I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.”

 

In verses 3-4 he savored God’s love and gave Him praise. In verse 5 he considered how deeply satisfying his relationship with God is, “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.”

 

He goes on from there and dwells on times of rich prayer (verse 6); he gives thought to how much he relies on God (verses 7-8); and in verses 9-11 he records his memories of previous times when he was faced with enemies and difficulties and found himself feeling like he did in verse 1, but God delivered him then too.

 

All of this was a shot in the arm for David. He went from trudging, grudging, despair and depression, to tip-toeing through the tulips as he sang the Lord’s praises.

 

I don’t mean to suggest that you should now be prancing around your workplace doing the Snoopy Happy Dance, but turning your thoughts to the Lord will certainly lift your spirits and give you a better perspective about the day and the upcoming week.

 

Start your day with Him; give careful thought to His glory, to His majesty, and to His great love for you; think about His watch-care over you; and you will find renewed confidence to deal with whatever it is you’re facing today.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “If your heart is right, you can have confidence that God will guide you.”

I want to return to the question we considered in yesterday’s devotional, “How can I have confidence that I’m doing the things that God wants me to do?” For the serious disciple of Jesus, it’s an important question, and the answer almost always comes in subtle ways that require spiritual discernment. Seldom does God peel back the clouds, poke His head through, and say “Hey Jim, take a left at the next light.”

So how do we know, especially when it comes to the big things in life? Unfortunately there is no simple five-step formula we can apply for discerning the will of God. As has already been noted, knowing when God is speaking, and understanding what He is saying, is a subtle thing that comes with spiritual maturity. But there are many principles and patterns given to us in the Bible that are intended to guide us in spiritual growth, and help us to better understand God and His ways and His desires for us as individuals.

One lesson that comes through loud and clear in the Bible is that God wants to be understood by us so that He can then be obeyed. We also see on the pages of Scripture that God goes to extraordinary lengths to communicate His will to His people.

Although God can communicate with us in an infinite number of ways, in our age He typically does so in five basic ways: through the Bible, through prayer, through the circumstances of our lives, through the counsel of other mature Christians, and sometimes through the testimony of the church as a body.

As we learn in Proverbs 3:5-6, the starting place for understanding and obeying God is to have a heart that is fully surrendered to Him. If you are determined to trust in Him rather than in yourself, and your desire is to honor Him with your choices, you can then trust Him to guide you in the way He wants you to go. That then gives you the confidence to just begin moving forward the best way you know how, trusting that He is guiding you.

We will consider this subject in much greater detail in our Sunday night Bible Study, “What on Earth am I Here For?” which begins at Oak Hill Baptist on Sunday March 22nd, at 6:00. I encourage you to join us.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim