Devotional for Saturday and Sunday January 11-12

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Change”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Going to church changes us.”
 
When it comes to bringing about and sustaining positive change in our lives we have to consider the power of association. The fact is that over time we become like those we associate with. So if you spend time with a band of thieves, it won’t be long before you too are a thief. If you hang out with people who abuse drugs and alcohol, soon you will do it too. If everyone around you regularly uses profanity, pretty soon those words will begin coming out of your mouth also.
 
Conversely, if the people you surround yourself with are honest, trustworthy, well-spoken and kind, over time you will become that way too. There’s a lot of truth in what your mother used to tell you “Choose your friends carefully.”
 
The best change that can ever occur in any person’s life is the change that occurs when Jesus comes into their life, and the Holy Spirit then begins to transform them into the person God wants them to be. One of the best ways to sustain and nurture that change is by your faithful attendance at the regularly scheduled gatherings of your church family. In other words, we need to be in church.
 
Psalm 122 is known as “A song of ascent”. The picture David paints is of a group of God’s people gathering together in the valley and then joyfully traveling together to Jerusalem, which was known as  “The city on a hill”. In verse one David tells us that he rejoiced at the prospect of joining with his brothers and sisters to go up to the house of the Lord.
 
Is that how you feel about the prospect of “going to church”? I hope you do. I hope your regular experience of gathering with your church family is so joyful, so uplifting and encouraging, so helpful and transforming, that you look forward to it with eager anticipation. It’s true that going to church changes us.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Friday December 10th

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Change”

Our Bible verse for today: “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Change is easier when we have others to help us with it.”

In recent days we’ve been considering strategies which will help us to implement and maintain needed change in our lives. We have already spent some time thinking about the fact that first and foremost, we need to seek for God’s guidance and empowerment when it comes to bringing about changes in our lives. And we have considered the truth that many times God will use other mature Christians to help us understand the change He wants to bring into our lives.

Another way others can help us with change is to experience the change with us. Workout programs are more fun and more effective when we do it with another person. Being part of a group of people who are in the process of reading the entire Bible and then meeting weekly to discuss it, can be motivational and encouraging.

Another way to involve others in the change that God is bringing about in our lives is for them to serve as an accountability partner. Years ago I knew a new Christian who had the bad habit of using profanity. He had spent years in a military environment where foul language was the norm. Now, as a new Christian, he discovered that in unguarded moments those words still came popping out of his mouth – sometimes even when he was with other Christians and sometimes even at Christian events. Obviously this was embarrassing for him and for everyone else. So he recruited his spouse and a couple of Christian friends to hold him accountable for his language. Whenever he used a curse word someone would confront him about it, and make him pay a dollar into a fund that was ultimately donated to the church. In the process his language got much better and the church got a little richer. So it worked out well for all of us (Lol).

One of my favorite “guy” Scriptures of all time is Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Although the language used is masculine, the truth applies to all of us regardless of gender. We need each other because we can strengthen and help each other. Change is easier when we have others to help us with it.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday January 9th

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Change”
Our Bible verse for today: “You guide me with your counsel.” Psalm 73:24 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “A prayerfully developed plan is an essential tool for bringing about needed change.”
Yesterday I left you with the promise that today we would begin discussing some strategies for implementing and maintaining needed change in our lives. When it comes to bringing about needed change it is essential that we be intentional about it. Real change that endures and which results in a significant improvement in some aspect of our lives, almost never comes about by chance. We have to be intentional about it, and that means we have to have a plan.
When we take the time to prayerfully think a thing through, and then develop a logical and sequential plan to deal with it, our chances of being successful increase substantially. A written plan not only clarifies our thinking about the issue or situation that needs to change, but it also provides us with a road map for then walking it out and for sticking with it.
The first thing to do is to bring the matter to the Lord in prayer. Remember, He has a great plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11); and He has promised to work in you and with you to bring it to pass (Philippians 1:6). Also, as the Psalmist reveals in Psalm 23:3 and 73:24, and as James teaches in James 1:5, God is willing and eager to guide and direct you in the best course for your life. So prayerfully bring your issue – your need for change – to Him and ask Him to help you develop a good plan for dealing with it.
Sometimes part of God’s guidance comes to us through the counsel of other mature Christians. As Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 11:14, there is wisdom to be found in the help of godly counselors. So go ahead and discuss your situation with a spouse, a few friends, or with your pastor, and ask them to help you develop a plan for dealing with it.
One of the most effective strategies for bringing about and sustaining needed change in our lives is to have a written plan for dealing with it.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday January 8th

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Change”
Our Bible verse for today: “Change your hearts and stop being stubborn.” Deuteronomy 10:16 (NLT)
Our thought for today: “We must actually make the changes we know are needed.”
Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.”  In other words if you keep doing what you’ve always done you will keep getting what you’ve always gotten.
Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. People can be so stubborn and prideful. We tend to live in denial and resist the changes which are needed. Many of our problems we bring on ourselves simply by failing to make the changes we know we need to make.
For instance, many people desperately need to change their financial habits. They spend too much, live way beyond their means, carry much more debt than they should, and although they have the best of intentions to one day get it all under control, they don’t. As a result they have endless financial problems and perhaps even end up in bankruptcy. They know they need to change but they don’t.
Others have bad nutritional and exercise habits. They know they need to eat better, exercise more, and lose weight, and if they don’t do it, they know it’s just a matter of time before they begin experiencing serious health issues. And yet, they just don’t make the needed changes.
One common reason people fail to bring about the needed change in their lives is because they give up too soon. They begin taking college courses but don’t stick with it. They start reading the Bible every day and do ok for a month or so, but then they start missing days and soon they’re not doing it at all. They implement the diet and exercise program and go full-guns for a week or two, but soon they’re back to sleeping late and eating Krispy Crème donuts for breakfast. But change usually occurs slowly and progressively over time as we establish a new and better pattern in our lives and then stick with it. If we give up, then the change doesn’t occur. 
There are many other examples we could consider but the point is that we bring many of our problems on ourselves simply because we fail to make the needed changes. Over the next few days we’ll consider some strategies that will help us implement the changes we know we need to make.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday January 7th

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Change”
Our Bible verse for today: “But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much!” Luke 19:8 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “A genuine change of heart will result in changed behavior.”
Zaccahaeus was a changed man. How do we know that? Because his behavior changed. Up to this point he had been a scheming, cheating, ruthless tax collector. Driven by greed and a lack of integrity, he made his living by collaborating with the Romans against his own people (the Jews) by extracting exorbitant taxes from them. In the process, he skimmed off the top some hefty profits for himself. Zaccahaeus was a wealthy man but he was also a hated and despised man.
But then Jesus came to town. Zaccahaeus had evidently heard about Jesus, and something deep in his heart drew him to find out more about this Miracle worker who was rumored to be the long promised Messiah. Zaccahaeus sought out Jesus, had a personal encounter with Him, and he was never the same again. How do we know that? Because that greedily little man suddenly wasn’t greedy anymore. In fact he voluntarily repaid all those he had cheated – with interest!
Yes, Zaccahaeus was a changed man but the change involved much more than just words. He didn’t just profess to be a new man – He demonstrated that he was; he walked it out. The change of heart was evident by a change of behavior.
If change is real it should be observable. If it’s not observable, then we have to wonder how genuine it really is. Over the years I’ve had more than one person answer the Sunday morning invitation with tears and apparent repentance, receive baptism, and then go right back to their previous way of life. In them there was no real change. But then there have been many others who also repented and were baptized, but they then went on to live redeemed lives that were very different from how they lived before. In them the change was genuine and it was observable.
Have you had an encounter with Jesus, and has it changed you? If you answered “yes” then be sure to also ask yourself if the change in your heart resulted in a change in behavior. Can the people who knew you back then see an observable difference in your life now? Real change should be seen in how we live.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday January 6th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Change”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him (Joseph) in a dream … When Joseph woke up he did as the angel of the Lord commanded.” Matthew 1:20; 24 (NLT)
 
Our thought for today: “God may change your plans.”
 
Joseph was probably little different from other young Jewish men of his day in that he had plans to marry a good respectable Jewish girl, have a family, and make a decent living in some trade (in his case as a carpenter). He probably expected to live a quiet life, without controversy, and to be a faithful and respected member of his local synagogue.
God had similar plans for Joseph, but with a few minor twists. Mary was a good respectable Jewish girl – exceptionally so! But it wouldn’t appear that way to the rest of the community. And evidently Joseph did make an average living as a carpenter but maybe not as good as it could have been if Mary’s reputation hadn’t been questionable. And that quiet life without controversy? Probably not. His oldest boy (Jesus) presented some special parenting challenges that Joseph probably hadn’t planned on. It turns out that he was God in a human body, that He was perfect in all his ways, and even as a child He knew more than the most learned Rabbis in Jerusalem. Can you imagine?
 
As it turned out, God’s plans for Joseph were just a little different than Joseph’s plans for Joseph. But they were better. Much better.
 
The same is true for you. While it’s unlikely that an angel of the Lord will appear to you in a dream to inform you that God is going to use your life to help alter the course of human history, it’s still true that He has a great plan for your life. But please don’t miss the fact that Joseph had a choice. God never removed the man’s free will. He could have refused to participate in God’s plan and divorced Mary, and then gone in search of another wife whose situation was a little less complicated.
 
You too have a choice. As the weeks, months, and years of your life unfold you will inevitably make some plans that aren’t quite in synch with what God wants for you. During those times there will need to be some changes, some adjustments made in order for you to live God’s plan instead of your own. Like Joseph you will have to actually choose God’s plan over your own. You will have to accept the changes and make the adjustments.
 
I can tell you from personal experience and from hard lessons learned, that the best place for you and your family to be is in the center of God’s will. From time to time that will involve making some changes.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
 

Devotional for Saturday and Sunday January 4-5

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Change”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Sometimes bad circumstances lead to good change.”
 
There’s no question that many of the changes we experience in life are not good – especially in the short-term. Bad things often happen to good people and the results can be tragic and painful. However, as Paul explains in Romans 8:28, God is with us in those tough times, and He is at work in the middle of them to bring some good thing out of it for us. That doesn’t mean that the circumstances or event is a good thing, it may not be. But it does mean that God will be at work in the middle of those bad circumstances to bring good things out of it for you. The bad circumstances might even ultimately lead you to some great blessing you would not have otherwise had.
 
I know a Christian man whose wife one day informed him that she had been having an affair with another man, had decided this other man was her true soul-mate, and she was therefore leaving her husband and their children so she could go start a new life with this other guy. That turned out to be a tragic, traumatic, and extremely painful ordeal for the husband and children. Ultimately however, the Lord led this man into a second marriage with a truly fine Christian woman. The second marriage has turned out to be much happier, much healthier, and much more God-honoring than the first one ever was. God worked in the middle of that very bad situation to bring a very good thing out of it for that man and his children. 
 
I know of another man who was a successful, hardworking professional who made a lot of money, but who worked so many hours that he had little time left to take proper care of himself, or to really spend enough time with his family. One day he had a major heart attack which left him weak and out of work for months. However it also caused him to rethink his priorities. Today he works less, takes better care of himself, and spends more time with family and friends. He is actually healthier and happier today after the heart attack than he ever was before it. Once again God went to work in the middle of a bad situation and brought a very good thing out of it.
 
I don’t know what you’re going through in your life right now. It might be a dark and troubling time for you. The good news is that God is there with you and He is at work in the middle of those circumstances. You can be sure that in His way and in His time, He will bring some good thing out of this bad situation. Sometimes bad circumstances lead to good changes.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Deovtional for Friday January 3rd

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Change”
Our Bible verse for today: “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Jesus is in the process of changing you.”
Yesterday we spent some time thinking about the change that occurs when an individual opens his or her heart and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. They are “born again” – they become a brand new spiritual creation. That’s the most important change any person can ever experience.
But it’s just the beginning. From that moment forward the Lord begins a process of transformation which theologians refer to as “sanctification”. Sanctification is a fifty-cent theological word which simply means that the Holy Spirit is at work transforming you from the person you were, into the person Jesus wants you to be.
While it’s the Holy Spirit who brings about the change, we have a role to play in the process too. The spiritual disciplines are the practices we engage in which place us in a position before the Lord whereby He can change us. By means of prayer, Bible study, scripture memorization, meditation, fasting, worship, service, fellowship, and a variety of other practices, we give God the access to our lives which He needs in order to change us. The more of those practices we engage in, the more access to our lives He has and the more change He can bring about.
What kind of changes are we talking about? The changes will be many and they will vary depending on the individual, but in Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul listed nine that are pretty standard and which are evident to varying degrees in every life surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. He called them “The Fruit of the Spirit”: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” The more you allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life, the more those virtues become evident in you.
I don’t know about you but I want as much of those things as I can get.
It’s true, Jesus is in the process of changing you into the man or woman He wants you to be. But it’s not all up to Him – you have a role to play in the process of sanctification too. In fact to a very large degree how much change occurs, and how fast, depends on how cooperative you are, how faithful you are to do your part.
As we begin this New Year I encourage you to establish a daily routine that includes plenty of time for the basic disciplines of the Christian faith. If you do, by this time next year I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the amount of change the Lord has brought about in your life.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday January 2nd

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Change”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “The most important change a person can experience is being born again.”

The most important thing about any person is who or what they place their faith in. What we believe to be true about the spiritual realm, about God, about salvation, and about eternity determines virtually everything else about us. Our faith constitutes the very core of who we are and therefore will ultimately determine what we think, say, and do.

That being the case, the most important change that can ever occur in any person’s life is the change that occurs when a decision is made to place their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. In that moment they become a brand new spiritual creation. They are “born again.” It’s what Jesus was referring to in John 3:3 when He said “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (HCSB)

Being born again occurs in a moment of time when a person makes an intentional decision to invite Jesus Christ into their life. By means of prayer, you simply ask Him to come into your heart, to forgive your sins, and then to take control of your life and to begin changing you into the person He wants you to be. It’s an intentional decision which instantly results in being “born again” – you become a brand new spiritual creation.

If there has never been a moment like that in your own life when you have made that intentional decision to open your heart and invite Jesus into your life, I encourage you to do it now. It will result in the best and most important change you will ever experience.

God Bless, Pastor Jim

 

Devotional for January 1, 2014

Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Change”
Our Bible verse for today: “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” Malachi 3:6 (NLT)
Our thought for today: “We are in a constant state of change, but the Lord never changes.”
Change is inevitable. As human beings we are in a constant state of change, even if we don’t realize it. Nothing ever truly stays the same. Sometimes change comes upon us quickly as the result of some cataclysmic or traumatic event, but more often it occurs very slowly over time. People change, seasons change, the world changes. As you sit there reading this, your body is changing. You may be perfectly motionless at the moment as you sit in front of your computer, yet your body is rapidly changing as old cells die and new ones are created. We are in a perpetual state of change.
Many changes are good and positive, such as a new and better job, or the results you’re going to get from that new exercise and nutrition program you just started. Other changes are bad and negative, such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or a natural disaster. Good or bad, change is part of life.
The question isn’t whether or not change will come – it will; the question is in how we handle it. Many people don’t like change, good or bad. They’re set in their ways and they resist anything new or different. For such folks life will be hard. Those people are usually reluctant to initiate needed change and they’re poorly prepared to handle unexpected change. On the other hand, those who are proactive about change tend to do better. If you’re the kind of person who recognizes the need for change and then takes the initiative to implement it, you’ll be happier and healthier than those who don’t. Psychologically you are also more likely to receive unexpected change in a more positive way – embracing it and dealing with it constructively.
All this month we will consider the fact that change is one of the great constants of life and we therefore need to be well prepared to deal with it. In the meantime, I want to leave you with this comforting thought:
“Although we as individuals are always in a constant state of change, and although the world around us is also constantly changing, Jesus never changes. He is the one constant in all of creation and therefore He is our Rock, our Anchor, and our Firm Foundation that keeps us grounded and steady in a world that is not.”
God Bless,
Pastor Jim