Devotional for Wednesday September 3rd

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “We need peace and quiet”

 

One of the greatest needs for most Christians today is periods of simple peace and quiet. For most of us, life is seldom truly peaceful and quiet. The alarm goes off, we pop out of bed, and we’re off to the races. Our days are usually filled with jobs and school and chores and plenty of demands and expectations placed on us by others.

 

Several years ago I wrote an article entitled “Room for the Singing of Angels” (you can read it at http://www.JimMersereauBooks.com). In that article I explained that many Christians fill their lives right to the outer edges with as much activity as they can possibly squeeze in, often even spilling over beyond what they can really handle. Instead of allowing that, I argue for intentionally establishing a buffer zone of quiet inactivity. In other words, all the activity needs to stop well short of the outer edges of your life, and between the end of activity and the outer edge, there needs to be a buffer zone of quiet and peace and rest.

 

And then there’s the issue of noise. We live in a noisy world – much of it of our own making. In many households the television or radio comes on almost as soon as we get out of the bed. In the car, more noise. At work, more still. When was the last time you experienced real quietness? I’m talking about a deep and profound stillness where no manmade noise can be heard.

 

We need this. More than we realize. That’s why in Psalm 46:10 God tells us to stop all the activity, turn off all the noise, and just be still. He doesn’t want us to do anything, He doesn’t want us to say anything, He just wants us to be quiet – just be still and sit there with Him for a while.

 

When it comes to establishing appropriate boundaries in our lives, we have to be very intentional and very firm about making the activity and the noise stop for a while. We need peace and quiet. We need to be still and know that He is God.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday September 2nd

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:6 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God will help us to find the right balance.”

 

King David was a contented man. As he considered his life he decided that he truly was blessed and the boundary lines of his life, which God has established, were pleasant to him. If you go back to verse five you will find that David affirmed that it was God Himself who was his portion, his blessing, and it was God who held David’s future. It was all from God.

 

This is an important understanding for us. It is God who establishes the proper boundaries for our lives. And I’m not just talking about Biblical boundaries. While it’s certainly true that the Bible provides us with the boundary lines for living a holy life, in this case David was referring to more than that. His family, the profession he was employed in, the income he enjoyed, the possessions he owned, the skills and abilities he had, all of it was an inheritance from the Lord and he was happy with it.

 

The truth is that God has a life sketched out for each of us that is defined by boundary lines He Himself decided would be good and appropriate for us. The problem is that many of us don’t seek out, and then remain content with, the life God wants for us. Either we’re lazy and we don’t fulfill our God-given potential, or we’re not content and so we strive and strain and constantly reach for more and more and more.

 

The key is to live within the God-ordained boundaries for our lives. This takes wisdom. It comes through prayer and from the counsel of wise friends and mentors. It also requires that we learn to be content with whatever God wants for us. For some of us that will involve ramping it up and getting off our duffs. But for most of us it will probably involve backing it down a bit, perhaps downsizing and simplifying our lives.

 

Throughout this month we’re considering the issue of the God-ordained boundaries for our individual lives and we’ll explore different ways to discover and achieve them. But as a starting point, we need to be in prayer asking God to help us see those boundaries which He has chosen for us. We will be happiest when we are able to say along with David, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.”

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday September 1, 2014

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

 

Our thought for today: “We must establish reasonable boundaries for our life.”

 

Ok admit it, how often have you felt like (and acted as if) Genesis 1:28 was your personal responsibility? Seriously, do you live as if the sun won’t rise without your personal involvement? Do you act as if you are personally responsible for every thing, every one, every task, and that somewhere in the world there may be fish in the sea or birds in the sky that are missing your personal attention? Most of us would say “no” to that, but the way we live our lives appears to tell a different story.

 

Most people today are stretched way too thin in terms of demands on their time and the amount of activities and responsibilities we have crammed into our lives. The result is a population of people who feel hassled and harried, discontent and often unhappy – and tired. It’s amazing, really, that in the most technologically advanced society that has ever existed, enjoying the highest standard of living that any society has ever had we also have one of the highest percentages of our population on anti-depressant medications of any nation in the world. How can people have so much and still be so stressed, so tired, and so unhappy? Most of us need to gain better control over our lives.

 

In their wonderful and helpful book “Boundaries” Henry Cloud and John Townsend write, “Part of taking responsibility or ownership, is knowing what is our job and what isn’t … It takes wisdom to know what we should be doing and what we shouldn’t. We can’t do everything.”

 

Many of us need to take drastic steps to slow down and simplify our lives. We need to learn to say “no” more often. Yes, sometimes your boss needs to hear you say “No, I can’t work that overtime”. Sometimes our adult children have to be told “Ok, that’s it, enough is enough”. Sometimes the PTA project needs to be led by someone else. And, well, you get the idea.

 

This month we’re going to devotionally consider how we can establish and maintain proper boundaries in our lives. And as we will see, doing so is Biblical. The old saying is still true, “God created us to be human “beings” not human “doings” “. We the people of God have to learn to establish proper boundaries in our lives. I look forward to exploring this subject with you.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim
 

Devotional for Saturday and Sunday August 30-31

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.” Proverbs 20:3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Pick your battles carefully”

 

The conflict lasted for almost two decades and as a result the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was in crisis. Beginning in the late 1970’s a theologically liberal group of SBC pastors and seminary professors began leading the denomination to question, and even to modify, some of the most important foundational beliefs of the Baptist Faith and Message.

 

Conservatives within the denomination responded by resisting the changes, and for almost two decades there was heated battle within the SBC. Finally, in the mid 1990’s, conservatives won the fight. The liberal elements left the SBC and formed a new denomination. One of the leaders of the conservative forces at that time was a man named Judge Paul Pressler. In 1999 Judge Pressler wrote a book entitled “A Hill on Which to Die”. In it he explained that the issues at stake were so serious that they could not be overlooked. The Biblical compromises being advocated by the liberal element were so at odds with sound Christian doctrine that they had to be opposed. For our denomination it was “A Hill on Which to Die”. The battle had to be fought and somehow it had to be won.

 

Some conflicts are like that. The issues are just too important to ignore and so the battle has to be fought. But most issues do not fall into that category. Most things people fight about are actually much less serious and in the end, the outcome one way or another actually matters very little. In those cases it is not a hill on which to die and therefore the battle should not be fought, the conflict not engaged in.

 

This is where wisdom is needed. We have to be able to discern those issues that truly must be fought for, and those which really are not worth it. That’s what Solomon meant in Proverbs 20:3. In many cases a conflict can be avoided, and so a wise and honorable person will find ways to resolve a potential dispute without it developing into a full fledged battle, but any old fool can get himself into a quarrel.

 

I want to encourage all of us to be smart about potential conflicts. Pick your battles carefully. Make sure it is an issue that really does need to be fought for. Most of the things we fight and argue over really are small and sometimes even silly, and in grand scheme of things matter very little.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim
 

Devotional for Friday August 29th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “There was such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed off to Cyprus. Then Paul chose Silas and departed … ” Acts 15:39-40 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God sometimes uses our conflicts to accomplish good things”

 

Throughout this month of devotional messages on conflict we’ve considered the fact that conflict is part of the human condition and sooner or later, we all end up in one. Some of us more often than others, but conflict between people is part of life. Yesterday we considered the example of Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement” who was known for his unique ability to lift people up, encourage them, and to serve as a mediator to help resolve conflicts between others. And yet in today’s Bible passage we read that even he ended up in a major conflict with his closest friend Paul.

 

In this case, Barnabas was just being himself as the Son of Encouragement. He was attempting to lift up and encourage the young man Mark who had experienced a failure in his life and who therefore needed a second chance. And Paul was being very much himself too, he was much more stern and just a bit unforgiving. The conflict was so heated and the rift so wide, that Barnabas and Paul went their separate ways.

 

Enter the Holy Spirit of God. If you know your New Testament history then you know that the Holy Spirit went to work in the middle of this situation and used the conflict to accomplish some good things. Paul and Silas went on to establish churches all across that part of the world and Paul ended up being the greatest evangelist Christianity has ever had. Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus and had similar ministry success for many years. Mark grew and matured and became a dedicated and reliable worker for the cause of Christ – so much so that decades later, in 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul instructed Timothy to “Find Mark and bring him to me because he is useful to me in the ministry.”

 

Mark also went on to write one of the Gospels. Christian history tells us that Mark had also become a close associate and valued ministry assistant to the Apostle Peter. It was Peter who actually dictated The Gospel to Mark and Mark simply recorded what Peter had to say.

 

All of this just goes to show that God is bigger than our conflicts and that in spite of our stubbornness He can work in the middle of our conflicts to bring about good things for His kingdom.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim
 

Devotional for Thursday August 28th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Joseph, a Levite and a Cypriot by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas, which is translated Son of Encouragement …” Acts 4:34 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “An encourager helps to avoid and to resolve conflicts”

 

Barnabas is one of my heroes. I’ve always known that he had it right. The “Son of Encouragement” from Acts chapter four was regarded by the Christians in that early church in Jerusalem as a man who lifted others up, offered them hope and second chances, and made them want to be better people. He was also great at helping to bridge the differences between people. It was only because of the efforts of Barnabas that the suspicious Apostles even agreed to meet with the new convert previously known as Saul of Tarsus (The Apostle Paul).

 

Yup, Barnabas is my hero. He was an encourager and I’ve always wanted to be one too. Years ago my wife and I owned a home-based business we called “The Barnabas Book Company”. We sold “Encouraging books for successful Christian living.” It was a wonderful concept but I turned out to be a lousy businessman. I was way too eager for people to use my products and I ended up giving away more books than I sold. I just wanted people to be encouraged!

 

In the churches where I’ve had the privilege to be the Pastor, I have always made sure there were “Encouragement Note Cards” in the pew backs. These are little cards with instructions that read, “Everyone can use some encouragement. Please use this card to write a short note of encouragement to someone and then place it in the offering plate. We will then deliver your note of encouragement to that person for you.” The neat thing is that I get to read all those notes before they get delivered. That has always been a great source of encouragement for me.

 

What does all this have to do with our theme of conflict? Just that encouragers help to avoid and to resolve conflict. People who make it a point to intentionally encourage others are the ones who will lift people up instead of dragging them down; they will notice the potential for conflict and quickly take steps to counter it; and if a conflict already exists, the encourager will serve as a mediator to help quickly find a resolution. 

 

What a great thing it would be if we had more sons and daughters of encouragement in our churches and in our lives. There would certainly be a lot less conflict.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday August 27th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “The Holy Spirit can work through you to resolve conflict”

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 is part of a larger teaching by the Apostle Paul regarding sexual purity and the importance of believers not allowing their bodies to be used in immoral ways. To emphasize that point, in verses 19-20, he reminded his readers that the human body of a Christian is actually a vessel – the temple – of the Holy Spirit. And therefore it should not be used for immoral purposes or subjected to impure and unholy activities.

 

However the larger and universal point contained within that lesson is that the physical body of every believer is actually a walking talking mobile temple of the Holy Spirit. Wherever you go, you bring the Holy Spirit of God with you. And therefore, you also bring with you the Fruit of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

 

That being the case, we can quickly see how it is that the Christian should be an instrument of peace and a resolver of conflicts. Being a walking talking mobile temple of God’s Holy Spirit, you bring with you into every situation the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. If you walk into a room and there is anger there, you can introduce the peace of the Holy Spirit. If there is sorrow, you can bring joy. If there is hate, you can counter it with love. Hurts can be healed with kindness, evil opposed by goodness, betrayal covered by faithfulness, aggression met with gentleness.

 

It has been said that a Christian has the ability to be either a thermometer or a thermostat. A thermometer simply reflects back whatever the temperature in the room is, but a thermostat changes it. A person who is like a thermometer is influenced by, and reflects back, whatever the emotional situation is. But the person who is the thermostat takes immediate and positive action to change it. The Holy Spirit within you gives you the ability to be a thermostat for Him. If you let Him, in every situation, He can use you to change things for the better.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday August 26th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ Therefore, we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “With God looking out for us, we don’t need to worry and we don’t need to fight.”

 

If you had to guess, where would you say the most conflicts occur? In the Middle East? How about in the halls of Congress? Maybe in the aisles of Walmart on Black Friday? Nope. While all those locations certainly do host an inordinate amount of conflict, the most conflict people are typically exposed to occurs behind closed doors, in the home, and among those we are closest to.

 

And what do you suppose is the number one source of conflict, especially between husbands and wives? No, it has nothing to do with who left the toilet seat up. The number one source of conflict in the home is usually finances. When money is tight people fight. The pressure that comes with worries over money causes more stress and strain than almost anything else a family has to deal with. Much of the concern is legitimate – job security may be a very real issue; or perhaps there is already unemployment to deal with. The bills have to get paid, the family has to eat, the car has to be repaired. It’s all very real and often very worrisome. 

 

I wish I had financial advice or a job lead that would ease your financial pressures but I don’t. I have something better. I have the promises of God to share with you. In Matthew 6:25-34, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed this very common concern about income and provisions. In that passage he spoke of how our Heavenly Father is well aware of all our needs and that He has committed in advance to provide for us. The caveat comes in verses 33-34: “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

 

This is what the writer of Hebrews was referring to in 13:5-6 cited above. God is aware of your situation. He has promised (repeatedly and in many places throughout the Bible) to be with you and to provide for you. Therefore you do not need to fret and worry, only trust.

 

What does this have to do with conflict – especially conflict in the home? Just that those closest to us are our allies not our enemies. They are the ones who are going through these tough times with us, and rather than fighting and arguing, they need peace and reassurance just like you do. When a family is going through tough times, that’s the very time they need to come together – in prayer – and together claim the promises of God over their situation. If you will do that as a matter of regular practice, you will discover that the tough times push you closer together rather than driving you apart. With God looking out for us we don’t need to worry, and we certainly don’t need to fight with each other about it.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday August 25th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” 2 Peter 3:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Give God time to resolve the conflict for you.”

 

This morning I was reading a devotional written by the great devotional writer from the last century, Oswald Chambers. In it he wrote about what he calls “The enormous leisure of God”. He wrote, “Think of the enormous leisure of God! He is never in a hurry. We are in such a frantic hurry.”

 

That statement reminded me of a lesson my original Pastor and mentor taught me many years ago about conflict in the church. This was during the years that he was getting me ready to serve in the pastoral ministry on my own. His counsel went something like this: “Jim, not every conflict needs to be immediately dealt with. Sometimes the best thing we can do is just hang back, say nothing, and be patient as God does His work. Many times He will resolve the issue for us without us having to do or say anything.”

 

Over the years since then, I’ve found that to be true more times than I can count. Many times it has turned out that if I would just leave the situation alone God worked it out in His way and in His time. My problem is that it’s not in my nature to just leave things alone. If I see a potential conflict brewing I’m inclined to step into the middle of it and try to do something about it right away. Many times that is the right way to handle it, but sometimes it’s not. This is where spiritual discernment comes in. We must be prayerful and rely on the Spirit to lead us to the right approach.

 

Unfortunately, the situation is further complicated by the fact that in those cases where God is working it out, He often takes His sweet time about it! This is the “enormous leisure of God” that Chambers wrote about. God is never in a hurry. God has all eternity to work with. So here I am fretting and fuming and practically wetting my pants wanting to jump in and handle it, and God is evidently in no hurry at all!

 

And yet in those cases where the problem is God’s to handle and not mine, I need to keep my hands off it. Because in the end He will resolve it to His satisfaction and it will be a much better resolution than I could ever have arranged. But again, the key is to know when to get involved and when to just leave it alone. The only answer to that is “spiritual discernment”. Pray about it, seek the Spirit’s leading, and if it seems appropriate, just be still and give God time to work it out.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Saturday and Sunday August 23-24

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Conflict”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “In those days, as the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. Then the Twelve summoned the whole company of disciples …” Acts 6:1-2 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Disputes, handled correctly, can lead to improvement and growth”

 

In Acts chapter six we read of how the young Christian church was growing in numbers and in diversity. There were many from a “Hebraic” or traditional Jewish background, and there were many others from a “Hellenistic” or Greek background. They were a culturally diverse group and consequently they saw things differently. In this scene we read of how a dispute arose among the two groups regarding the division and distribution of food for the widows.

 

The Apostles wisely brought the entire group together, talked it out, and arrived at a solution that was acceptable to everyone. In verse five we read, “The proposal pleased the whole company.” Then in verse seven, “So the preaching about God flourished, the number of disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.”

 

As a result of a dispute that was handled correctly, the church actually grew.

 

Tension within a church is not always a bad thing. “Tension” is the stretching of two opposite forces while searching for a proper balance. Tension in itself is neutral and natural. It occurs naturally as a force of nature, and it is common and expected in group dynamics. But how we handle tension can either be constructive or destructive. In every area of life we must learn positive and constructive ways to deal with tension so as to achieve the proper balance.

 

It has been said that tension is a sign of life. That can be especially true in a church. Tension shows that people care. Granted, their care may be pulling them in opposite directions at the moment, but at least they do care. A lack of tension could indicate apathy, and in a church, apathy is death.

 

Tension in a church, handled well, can lead to stretching, growth, health, and ultimately proper balance. The key is to handle it well.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim