Devotional for Wednesday January 15th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Change”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair.” Isaiah 61:1-3 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Jesus is for you.”
 
Now there’s an encouraging thought: “Jesus is for you.” That’s right, He’s your biggest fan and He wants the best for you. Read Isaiah 61:1-3 again. God sent Jesus to bring good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, and to proclaim liberty and freedom to those in various forms of captivity (this is a reference to being in captivity to sin, and to things like drugs and alcohol, as well as to actually being behind bars). He came to proclaim the Lord’s favor as well as the Lord’s judgment. He comforts those who mourn, and He brings festivity and rejoicing where there had been mourning and despair.
 
I don’t know what you’re dealing with in your life right now, what kind of despondency, despair, depression, or addictions you might be wrestling with; and I don’t know what financial pressures you may be facing, or if key relationships in your life are in turmoil. I also don’t know if perhaps you could be struggling with a sense of shame, guilt, and inadequacy.
 
What I do know however, is that in and through Jesus we find true freedom and victory. I also know that whatever change is needed in your life, Jesus is the One who can bring it to pass. He can lift you out of the depression; He can free you from the drugs and alcohol; He can heal your broken heart, restore your joy, provide for your needs, and remove your shame. Yes, Jesus is for you. And, He is able. He is able to deliver you.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday January 14th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Change”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “When Jesus stood up, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, Lord,’ she answered. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus. ‘Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” John 8:10-11 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Jesus gives us the opportunity to change, and to make a fresh start.”
 
I love the scene John records for us in John 8:2-11. Bible scholars debate whether or not it was part of the original manuscript of the gospel of John but I personally believe it must have been. This is so Jesus!
 
Here we have a woman caught in the act of committing adultery. Evidently there was no question about her guilt. She did it. She was caught in the very act, and the self-righteous, overly pious, hypocritical religious professionals were eager to make an example of her. So they bring her to the temple compound, make her stand in the center of a circle of her accusers, and then ask Jesus to pronounce judgment and punishment.
 
We don’t know if it was a one time event or if this was a promiscuous woman who had a habit of engaging in illicit sex, but it really doesn’t matter. We do know that she was guilty of this offense and there was something about her that needed to change. In a masterful way, Jesus cleverly turns the tables on the accusers by convicting them of their own sinful ways. But then, in a beautiful act of mercy, grace, and forgiveness, Jesus grants the woman clemency. There will be no punishment. The only caveat is that she change her ways – “Go and sin no more.”
 
Jesus is more interested in changing us than He is in punishing us. Oh, there will be godly discipline if that’s what’s needed, but He would much rather teach us, forgive us, and send us on our way as changed people.
 
Is there something in your life that needs to change? Maybe you stand accused for it before others; or maybe you just stand accused as you look in the mirror. Either way, Jesus is willing to forgive, forget, and help you to move on. If you’re willing to change, He’s willing to help you do it. All this month we’ve been considering strategies that will help to facilitate needed change. I encourage you to go back and review some of them now.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday January 13th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Change”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to all humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (HCSB)
 
Our thought for today: “You can resist temptation.”
 
Change is hard. You’ve probably heard the old adage that the only one who likes change is a wet baby. That’s a funny and clever saying and although maybe not entirely true, it’s close. Positive change requires effort and sacrifice and usually, even if we do want the change to happen, we’re still not crazy about the effort required to bring it about. Therefore we’re often faced with the temptation to give in or to give up. We give in and eat that twinkie. Or, we give up and drop out of college. Change is hard and the temptation to give in or give up is real. So what do we do?
 
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 the Apostle Paul gives insight into a great spiritual truth about temptation and change. He writes that God will never allow us to be faced with a temptation we’re not able to resist. Paul says that with every temptation, God will also provide us with a way of escape so that we don’t have to give in or give up.
 
The lesson here is that before you give in and eat the twinkie; before give up and drop out of college; before you allow the temptation to deter you from the change and transformation God is trying to bring into your life; go to Him in prayer and ask Him to show you the way of escape from the temptation. It will always be there. The challenge for us is to resist the impulse of the moment long enough to bring God into the situation by means of prayer. If we do that, and if we then wait for Him to show us the way out, we will be a lot more successful at resisting temptation and we will experience a lot more positive change in our lives.
 
You can resist that temptation – if you ask God to help you.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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