Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”

Our Bible verse for today: “I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago … These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us.” 1 Corinthians 10:1, 11 (NLT)

Our thought for today: “We can learn from the examples of others.”

We can and should learn from the examples set for us by others – both the good examples and the bad ones. More specifically, and maybe more importantly, we can learn from the mistakes of others. That’s what Paul was writing about in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. He was reminding his readers of how the ancient Jews disobeyed God, didn’t trust Him to deliver the Promised Land into their hands, and how they suffered greatly as a result. Paul was urging his readers to learn from that bad example and to avoid making a similar mistake.

One of the greatest learning tools God has provided to us are the examples set for us by other people. God brings into our lives godly and faithful men and women who will serve as good examples for us. We should observe their good conduct, consider the benefits and rewards of living that way, and then emulate their examples. If their good conduct produced good results for them, then similar conduct on our part will likely produce similar results for us.

Likewise, we can learn important lessons from the bad examples set by others. If we see someone jump off a tall building, and we observe that they ended up looking a lot like a squished bug on the sidewalk, we can conclude that a similar choice on our part probably wouldn’t turn out any better for us. Of course we can also apply the same logic to virtually any other example. If robbing a bank landed the other person in jail then chances are good it would put us behind bars too. If a lifetime of smoking resulted in the other person dying from lung cancer, there’s a good chance we are at similar risk for developing that disease too if we also smoke.

One of the keys to successful living is to surround yourself with people who are already living the kind of life you would like to have, and to avoid people who don’t. The old adage that over time we become like those we associate with is very true. So find people who are making good choices and getting good results from those choices, and copy their example. Then watch closely the lives of those who are not doing well, carefully consider the poor choices that have gotten them into the situations they are in, and avoid similar conduct in your own life.

We can learn important life lessons by considering the examples of others.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”

Our Bible verse for today: “Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” Psalm 139:7 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s a mistake to take the presence of God for granted.”

How often do you think about gravity? If you’re like most people then the answer is “Not very often.” And yet, gravity exists and if it didn’t, we would all float away into outer space. How about air? How often do you think about air? Again the answer is probably “Not often.” However if all of a sudden there wasn’t any air you’d sure think about it then, at least for the last sixty seconds of your life.

The reason we don’t often think about gravity or air is because they’re invisible to us and therefore we take them for granted. They are always present, and our very lives depend on that presence, but because we can’t actually see them they are usually far from our thoughts.

The presence of God can be like that too. He is always with us but because we can’t actually see Him He is often far from our thoughts – to the point that we take His presence for granted. That’s a mistake. While being numb to the presence of gravity or air is really of little consequence, being numb to the presence of God is tragic.

Nicholas Herman was a Carmelite monk who lived in France in the mid to late 1600’s. He’s better known to modern Christians as “Brother Lawrence”. In his famous book “The Practice of the Presence of God” he describes how it was that he learned to develop an ongoing awareness of God’s presence at all times. Although he spent his days in the monastery’s kitchen preparing meals and washing pots and pans, Lawrence wrote that God’s presence with him there in that kitchen was usually more spiritually profound than anything he ever experienced during his most devoted times of prayer in the chapel.

Brother Lawrence’s relationship with the Lord was so personal, so real, and so obvious for everyone to see, that it became legendary even in his own day. People from all over Europe flocked to that monastery to spend time with him and to receive counsel from him about how they too could develop that kind of deep and real awareness of God’s presence with them. For more than three hundred years since then, his book has been one of the best selling Christians books of all time.

That awareness of God’s presence is also what King David was writing about in Psalm 139. This Psalm is well worth some extra devotional meditation for anyone who wants to become more aware of the ongoing presence of God.

God’s presence is real and we can train ourselves to remain aware of His presence. Psalm 139 and Brother Lawrence’s book will both help us to do that. It’s a mistake to ever take His presence for granted.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”

Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord sent all His servants the prophets to you time and time again, but you have not obeyed or even paid attention. He announced, ‘Turn, each of you, from your evil way of life and from your evil deeds; But you would not obey Me.” Jeremiah 25:4-5; 7 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “It is a big mistake for people who know better to rebel against God.”

If you’ve read the book of Jeremiah then you know it’s basically fifty-two chapters of God saying to the Israelites, “I’m running out of patience with you! In a minute you’re going to get it!” But the Israelites didn’t listen and so, they got it. The next book of the Bible, Lamentations, tells that story. It’s essentially a record of the Jews in a Godly time out after having been spanked real good.

The thing is – they knew better. These people had been trained in righteousness. They had been raised in church and they knew God’s standards. Beyond that, they had been warned repeatedly. What we learn from their example is that it’s a big mistake for people who know better to rebel against God. He is very patient, and He will give us lots of chances to correct our behavior, but once He runs out of patience with us look out! The most powerful force in the universe is about to deliver some discipline you’re not going to soon forget.

We often talk about how the “nation” of Israel disobeyed God, and it’s true, the “nation” did disobey Him. But in order for the “nation” to have disobeyed Him it had to mean that “individuals” were disobeying Him. Therefore when we read that the nation was punished, what it really means is individuals were punished. Lots of the them. All of them.

It’s bad enough when an individual who knows better rebels against God and ends up suffering the consequences of their rebellion. But when you have lots of individuals rebelling, an entire nation of them, the magnitude of the Godly discipline becomes historic in scope and we end up with something like what we read about in Lamentations.

As I consider the history of the Jews, and I then observe the rapid downward slide we see occurring in our own society, I shudder to think about where our country is headed, of what lies ahead for us. It can’t be good. Is there a “Lamentations” in our own future? I think there could be.

But let’s not forget that as was the case with the nation of Israel, in order for the nation to be in rebellion the individuals who make up that nation have to be in rebellion. And although you and I as individuals may not be able to influence the entire course of the nation, we can be faithful and righteous in our own behavior. If enough of us do that, then the nation will no longer be in rebellion to God. People often say something like, “I’m only one individual. What can I do?” The answer is, “You can do your part.” And if enough of us do that, there will be an exponential ripple effect throughout society.

The history of the nation of Israel didn’t have to include the story that’s told in Lamentations. That only happened because enough individual Israelites allowed it to happen. But their story doesn’t have to be our story – and the solution begins with you and me. It’s a big mistake for people who know better to rebel against God. You and I know better. So let’s be the ones who obey Him instead.

God Bless,

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:17-18 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t make the mistake of being influenced by ungodly people.”

As I write this it is early Monday morning. If you’re a practicing Christian then in all likelihood yesterday you were safely surrounded by your church family. It was probably a joyful, encouraging, and nurturing time and chances are the influences you were exposed to were positive and they made you a better person. But where will you be today? What kind of people will you be around on your job, at school, in the store? What kind of language will the conversations consist of? Will the business dealings be honest? Will people be treating others with kindness and respect?

The world can often be a harsh place, and the influences we’re exposed to out there are frequently bad. As Peter alludes to in the passage above, we know this in advance. It shouldn’t catch us by surprise that the world is like that and that we will find ourselves confronted with negativism, dishonesty, profanity, unkindness, and much more. So we have to be ready for it. We must have taken the steps in advance so that our faith is strong, our convictions are firm, and our knowledge of the Bible is such that we can immediately recognize right from wrong, good from evil – and then act accordingly.

If we’re not properly prepared to face the world we will quickly discover how easy it is to get steam rolled by peer pressure and swept along with the cultural tide. Many Christians make the mistake of being naive about what they are going to be faced with each day out there in the world and they don’t prepare themselves for it.

It is essential that we protect ourselves by being strong in the Lord. Don’t make the mistake of allowing yourself to be influenced by ungodly people.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”

Our Bible verse for today: “What are your sacrifices to Me?” asks the Lord. I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I have no desire for the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats. When you come to appear before Me, who requires this from you – this trampling of My courts? Stop bringing useless offerings. Your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons and Sabbaths, and the calling of solemn assemblies – I cannot stand iniquity with a festival. I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals. They have become a burden to Me; I am tired of putting up with them. When you lift your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look at you; even if you offer countless prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.” Isaiah 1:11-15 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “God hates empty religion.”

As I write this it’s the day before Easter. Tomorrow we will gather to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. It will be a joyful time of celebration and renewal. So what does Isaiah 1:11-15 have to do with Easter?

The Jews in Isaiah’s time had become mostly just a “culturally” religious people. By that I mean that the practice of the Jewish faith had become a routine and somewhat monotonous part of daily life. Attending the services, saying the prayers, performing the rituals, it was all just what was expected of a good upstanding Jew. You did it because everybody else did and you would have stood out if you didn’t do it too. So everybody went to the synagogue, they lit the incense and they offered the sacrifices. And of course, their conversations were peppered with all the appropriate God-talk and religious clichés. 

And God hated it. It was detestable to Him. He essentially told them they could take their empty religion and just get on out of His temple. He had no use for it and it was worse than meaningless.

What they needed was genuine spiritual renewal of the heart. It’s what we need too. And that brings us to the subject of our annual Easter celebration. It’s more than just “High Attendance Sunday”. It’s more than just the one day of the year when Billy Bob wears a suit to church. And yes, it’s more than just the annual Easter egg hunt on the church lawn.

Now please don’t misunderstand me, those things are all ok. I’m in favor of high attendance – especially on Easter Sunday; and I think Billy Bob looks good in a suit; and the egg hunt is fun for the little kids; those things are ok in conjunction with Easter – but only in conjunction, not as the main point. You see, one of the most important aspects of an appropriate celebration of Easter is when it becomes for us a day of renewal.

Throughout the year, if we’re not careful, the practice of our worship services can become routine, mindless, and empty. We can become very much like the Jews of Isaiah’s day – just going through the motions. Easter helps to correct that. Although every worship service should be a celebration of the resurrection of our Lord, Easter Sunday is the day of the year when the resurrection is most prominently celebrated.

God hates empty religion. Our celebration of Easter helps to renew and freshen and revitalize our faith. Tomorrow may you be renewed as your worship the resurrected Lord.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”

Our Bible verse for today: “Finally brothers, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise – dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t make the mistake of dwelling on bad thoughts.”

Philippians 4:4-13 is one of the greatest and most encouraging passages in the Bible. In verse four Paul emphatically calls for God’s people to “Rejoice!” He then urges us to display a gracious spirit that is evident and obvious to all. In verse six he gives us the prescription for dealing with fear and anxiety. There he tells us that rather than worrying about anything we should simply commit it to prayer and then trust the Lord. If we do that we will discover that the peace of the Lord floods our heart. In verses seven and eight he exhorts us to focus our minds on good, lovely, and pure things rather than dwelling on negative things and being pessimistic. He then moves on and in verses eleven and twelve he writes of how he has learned to be content and satisfied in whatever circumstances he happens to be in. And he sums it all up by declaring that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him.

It’s a bright, cheerful, and excessively positive passage of Scripture written by an old man, incarcerated in a Roman prison, and probably facing execution. Amazing!

The mind set Paul models for us in Philippians 4:4-13 actually serves to illustrate by contrast a big mistake that many Christians make. In this situation we see that Paul was upbeat and positive, trusting in the Lord and singing His praises, even though he was going through some pretty tough times. Unfortunately many of us tend to do the exact opposite. When times are hard we tend to grumble and groan, we criticize and complain, we whine and whimper. All too often we indulge in self-pity as we feel very sorry for ourselves, and we want others to feel sorry for us too.

The approach Paul prescribes for Christians is to be intentional about praising the Lord. He says we should engage in extra prayer about the situation, make it a point to fill our mind with uplifting and encouraging thoughts (hymns and scripture work nicely), be content, and trust in the Lord. What will happen if you will approach your tough times like that? He tells us in verse seven, “And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

It’s a big mistake to allow ourselves to indulge in self-pity and to dwell on negative thoughts. Make it a point to follow Paul’s model in this passage. If you do, you’ll discover that you feel a lot better, those around you will be grateful and encouraged by your good example, and your problems will probably get resolved a lot faster than if you grouse and groan and wallow in self-pity.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”

Our Bible verse for today: “Your way of life and your actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. It is very bitter because it has reached your heart.” Jeremiah 4:18 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Much of our suffering is our own fault.”

The southern kingdom of Judah had strayed far from the commands of the Lord. God had repeatedly sent prophets to correct them, to convict them, and to call them back to righteous living. But the people rejected the messages and continued in their evil ways. Finally God had had enough. Through the prophet Jeremiah he pronounced judgment and punishment, and in Jeremiah 4:18 He made it clear that the people had brought it all upon themselves by the way they had chosen to live. In 5:21 He even said that the people have been foolish and senseless – that they have eyes but have refused to see, they have ears but they have refused to hear. And so, they suffered.

For the most part the life each of us has today is a result of the choices we have made in the weeks, months, and years past. The choices we make on a day-by-day, moment-by-moment basis all combine and add up to the situation we find ourselves in today. Oh sure, sometimes there are circumstances beyond our control, and sometimes we are impacted by the poor choices of others, but for the most part our current situation is largely the result of our own past choices, good and bad.

Likewise, our future will be determined largely by the choices we make today, and tomorrow, and the next day. Make good choices and you’ll probably have a good future. Make bad choices and, well, you know.

God’s purpose for sending His messengers to the people was to alert them to the bad choices they were making and to get them back on the right path so they could then live lives that were blessed by Him. As they repeatedly disobeyed Him things continued to get worse and worse for them. But that didn’t seem to make a difference. They continued in their destructive ways anyway. So finally God sent Jeremiah to announce that severe punishment was about to come upon them. But again, God’s purpose was just to move them back into the center of His will. Once that happened the punishment would stop, the blessings would once again commence, and their lives would be so much better, so much happier.

Can I get an “Amen!”? Isn’t this our own story and the story of so many we know and love? How many people do we all know whose lives are a train wreck and will continue to be unless they change their ways? And how many of those people know it and hate it, and yet refuse to change? Just like the people Jeremiah was preaching too, their situation was entirely of their own making, they hated what was happening to them, and yet they persisted in their disobedience to God. So, they continued to suffer.

Much of what we suffer from in life we bring on ourselves through our own poor choices. The good news is that God will continue to send messengers into our lives to correct us, to convict us, and to help us – if we will only have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that is willing and ready to repent. The future can be better than the past, but it will require change on our parts.

God Bless,

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”

Our Bible verse for today: “This is what the Lord says: ‘When people fall down don’t they get up again? When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back? Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path?” Jeremiah 8:4-5 (NLT)

Our thought for today: “To avoid repeating our mistakes we must change our ways.”

In the last couple of years I’ve been doing some work in the jails. It’s mostly been with young men who have fallen into the drug culture and have spent some number of years using drugs, selling drugs, and committing crimes in order to get money to buy drugs. As you would expect, they all have criminal records and have been in and out of jail numerous times. The ones I work with have come to the point that they hate the life they’ve been living and they want their future to be different from their past, but they know they need help to accomplish the change. That’s the opening the Lord has given me. I visit with them, talk to them about the life God wants them to have, and then working with defense lawyers, district attorneys, judges, and probation offices, I help them to enter a Christian recovery and transition program in South Carolina where my brother is on staff.

The key to success for these young men is to change their ways. If you want your future to be different from your past then you need to stop doing what you’ve been doing and start doing something better. It’s like the old adage says, “If you keep doing what you’ve always done you will keep getting what you’ve always gotten.”

For those guys the change involves first of all, turning their lives over to the Lord. Second, they need to accept help. And third, they need an entirely new circle of friends, because if you hang around with drug users you too are going to do drugs. So if you want to be drug free, spend all of your time with other people who are also drug free. That principle applies to anything in life also by the way. If you hang around with a bunch of bank robbers then sooner or later you too will be robbing banks. If you surround yourself with people who use profanity, it won’t be long before those words are coming out of your mouth too. So surround yourself with the kinds of people you want to be like. Spend your time with the people who already have the kind of life that you would like to have.

How does this apply to our theme of “mistakes”? It was summed up in our thought for the day: “To avoid repeating our mistakes we must change our ways.” Whatever your mistake is, especially if it is repetitive and has become a pattern in your life, the only way to avoid repeating it is to do things differently from this point forward. If you want to lose weight then you need to employ new patterns of living which help you to not overeat. If you want to quit smoking then you need to stop buying cigarettes. If you’ve been divorced four times but would like your fifth marriage to be successful, then you need to figure out what mistakes were made in the first four marriages and make sure you don’t repeat them in the fifth.

The point is that if we want the future to be different from the past then we have to change the way we do things. To avoid repeating our mistakes we must change our ways.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”

Our Bible verse for today: “Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many.” Hebrews 12:15 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “It is a mistake to refuse to forgive and to allow bitterness to take root in your heart.”

One of the greatest mistakes people often make is to allow a lack of forgiveness to dominate their thinking and for bitterness to take root in their heart. A lack of forgiveness serves only to perpetuate a bad situation and make it worse. Bitterness becomes an acid in the gut that churns and percolates and ultimately poisons the one harboring it.

In one short sentence the writer of the letter to the Hebrews noted three problems stemming from a lack of forgiveness and the resulting bitterness which comes from it. First, it is in opposition to God’s grace. Resentment, hostility, bitterness and refusing to forgive are all the exact opposite of grace. Second, a lack of forgiveness and the resulting bitterness causes trouble. Rather than peace and harmony prevailing, there is dissension, discord, and disunity. Third, there is always collateral damage. Unresolved conflict and feelings of bitterness are almost never confined to only the parties in conflict. Almost always there are innocent bystanders and loved ones close to the situation who also get hurt by it.

It’s also true that very often the person who has offended us and towards whom we are nursing our grudge forgot the incident ten minutes after it happened and hasn’t given it two thoughts since then. While you’ve been quietly nursing the grudge and marinating in the acid of bitterness, the other person has merrily gone on their way and couldn’t care less. So they hurt you then, and they continue to hurt you now (weeks, months, or even years later). So while you’ve been stewing in resentment, that other person has long since forgotten the incident altogether!

Someone once wisely observed, “Forgiveness is setting a prisoner free and then discovering the prisoner was you.” Most of the time our lack of forgiveness and the resulting bitterness ends up hurting us much more than it does anyone else.

Likewise, “Nursing a grudge is like drinking a cup of poison and hoping the other person gets sick.” Isn’t it silly? The one we hurt the most from our lack of forgiveness and our nursing of a grudge is our self.

Of course, conflict resolution has to be a two way street. Both parties have to be willing. And like Paul explained in Romans 12:18, sometimes it’s not possible to live in peace with others because others won’t allow you to – they reject your overtures of peace and reconciliation. Towards that end you can only do so much. But still, in your own mind and in your own heart, you can release them and refuse to bear a grudge. You don’t have to do it for their sake, you do it for your sake because very often the prisoner who gets set free is you.

God Bless,

Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”

Our Bible verse for today: “A second time He asked him, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said to Him, ‘You know that I love You.’ “Shepherd My sheep,’ He told him.” John 21:16 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Our God is a God of second chances.”

So, have you made any mistakes lately? Yeah, me too. I starting counting them up and quickly discovered I don’t have enough fingers and toes. And that was just this morning – before breakfast. We all make mistakes, lots of them, every day.

For that reason I love this scene in John’s gospel when Jesus forgives Peter and restores him to ministry. Peter had failed in a big way when he denied three times that he even knew Jesus. But to his credit he was genuinely sorry for it. We read in Luke’s Gospel that after it happened, Peter went out and wept bitterly. The picture we get of Peter in the days and weeks afterwards is of a man who was humbled, chastened, and convicted.

That was exactly the right response for Peter. He did wrong, he knew it, and he repented of it. He didn’t make excuses, he didn’t attempt to rationalize or explain away his actions, and he made no attempt to shift the blame to others. And since in his case his mistake impacted another person, as soon as he had the opportunity he went to Jesus and made things right.

The mistake many of us make is that we refuse to acknowledge when we are wrong and we allow situations to remain unresolved. But our God is a good of second chances, and third chances, and fourth, and tenth and…

I sure am glad that He is because Peter’s story has so often been my story. I can’t count the number of times in my life (and would prefer not to have to) that I have been impetuous like Peter, failed miserably, and been in deep need of correction, forgiveness and restoration. You too? Well fortunately our God is always ready and willing to forgive us and to restore us. 

The first and most obvious lesson we learn here is that when we make a mistake we need to admit it and we need to do whatever is needed to correct it. God is a God of forgiveness and second chances, but it begins by us admitting our mistake.

God Bless,