Devotional for Wednesday September 10th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 (HCSB)  “For each person will have to carry his own load.” Galatians 6:5

 

Our thought for today: “There is a difference between being responsible “to” another person, and being responsible “for” another person.”

 

This morning I want to continue our subject from yesterday regarding how much we are to buy into other people’s problems. This is important because it’s often a matter of confusion for many Christians. Many times we are so eager to help others – over-eager even, that we cross the line into enabling bad behavior or carrying burdens for people that they really should be carrying for themselves. And, unfortunately, there are those who are more than happy for us to carry their burdens for them.

 

Henry Cloud and John Townsend offer some helpful advice about this in their book “Boundaries”. In a section of the book which helps to clarify the difference between being responsible “to” someone and being responsible “for” someone, they discuss the apparent contradiction we find in what Paul wrote in the verses from Galatians chapter six cited above. They write:

 

“We are responsible to others and for ourselves. “Carry one another’s burdens,’ says Galatians 6:2, ‘in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” This verse shows our responsibility “to” one another.”

 

What that means is that sometimes people have burdens that are too big for them to bear alone. They don’t have enough strength, or resources, or knowledge to carry that load themselves and therefore they need a little help for a little while. This is something they simply cannot do alone and therefore in such cases, our assistance is not only appropriate, but it is also a demonstration of the love of Christ.

 

But then on the other hand, verse five tells us that each person is also responsible for carrying their own load. This means that there are burdens and problems that are first of all the responsibility of that individual, and secondly, that they are within that person’s ability to deal with on their own. That person does or should have the strength, resources, and knowledge to handle this and therefore they should handle it for themselves. If a person is capable of handling an issue or problem themselves, but you and I step in and handle it for them or we provide them more assistance than is appropriate, we have crossed the line into enabling.

 

At different times each of us encounters situations in life that we simply cannot handle alone. That’s where our responsibility “to” each other kicks in. We are to help one another carry those burdens. But most of the difficulties people encounter in life don’t fall into that category. Most of the things most people face are things they can handle themselves and therefore they should. That’s what verse five means. We are responsible “for” ourselves and we should each be carrying our own load to the greatest extent possible.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday September 9th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “We must have boundaries to protect our heart.”

 

In their book “Boundaries” Henry Cloud and John Townsend help us to understand what a boundary looks like and when one is needed. They write of how physical boundaries are easily discernable because they are visible. So whether we’re talking about a fence, a wall, a hedge, or a moat filled with alligators, it’s easy to determine where the boundary is and whether or not it’s ok to cross it.

 

Spiritual boundaries are a little tougher to discern but can actually be even more important than physical ones. Take the heart for example. In Proverbs 4:23 Solomon warns us of the need to guard it. We have to erect boundaries and make decisions about who or what gets into our heart, and then how deeply.

 

In one section of the book they write about knowing the difference between “Me and Not Me”. They explain that a good boundary helps me to understand where I end and where someone else begins. It helps me to know what issues and problems I do own, and therefore am responsible for, and what is not mine. 

 

This doesn’t mean that we don’t care and it doesn’t mean that we won’t help. But we all know people who do in fact want us to own their problems. They want us to buy into and even take responsibility for their stuff. But that’s where the distinction between “Me and Not Me” becomes so important. What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours. I can help you with your problems and you can help me with mine, but we each need to own what is ours.

 

Such boundaries give us the freedom to say, “I love you and I care about you, and I will even help you (to a reasonable degree and without crossing the line into enabling bad behavior), but I cannot live your life for you and I will not own your problems.”

 

Make sure you guard your heart because it is the spring from which all of the rest of life flows. When we allow people and their issues into our heart we quickly become involved at an emotional level. That’s ok, to a degree. But we do need to be smart about who we will allow in like that, and how deeply. Remember, no matter how much you love someone and how much you care about them (and even in those cases where some help is appropriate) you can’t live their life for them and you should not own their problems.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday September 8th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Boundaries”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Losing your sense of humor is a warning sign”

 

In his book “The Insanity of God” author Nik Ripkin writes about what it’s like for missionaries who minister for long periods of time in dangerous locations. He explains that a hostile environment and difficult circumstances take a toll on those serving there and over time, those missionaries begin to burn out.  Those who have been appointed to lead and supervise missionaries in those situations have been trained to watch for certain clues which help to reveal that the missionary is reaching a condition of overload and is in need of relief. One of those clues is humor. When a person begins to lose their sense of humor, when they can no longer smile and laugh, it’s time for a break. Nik writes:

 

“Humor is a powerful indicator of psychological health… When our workers found it impossible to see and respond to humor, it was clear that they were in serious need of emotional relief and healing. When that happened, it was time to retreat and recover.”

 

The same is true for us. When the pressures of life get to the point that we become grumpy, snippy, even depressed; when we can no longer laugh at ourselves and our situations; when smiling becomes an effort and nothing seems funny anymore; it’s time for some emotional relief.

 

You may not feel like a break is possible. You might think you don’t have the time, or the money, or someone to watch the kids or to take care of your responsibilities for you. But the truth is that you have to find a way to take that break anyway. Because if you don’t, you could end up like those missionaries who were so stressed and drained that they could no longer care for others. When it gets to that point, if you don’t take a break and take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of others. 
When your sense of humor starts to go, that’s a pretty good clue that you’ve had all you can take and it’s time for a break.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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