March 31

Luke 9:22 And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

Are you an optimist or a pessimist these days?  I think I was much more optimistic during the 80's and 90's. Some of my optimism died on 9-11 and I am still having a hard time getting it back. The rapid decline of our culture away from a Biblical worldview has also impacted my joy levels. The craziness of a world with North Korea threatening war saps my enthusiasm. The daily barrage of news on CNN (Continual Negative News) steals my joy. And the reality that I will never run a 7-minute mile again is a total bummer.

Now I know as a pastor I am supposed to live above circumstances and events of life and have joy all the time, but the truth is, it is very difficult. I even have a long list of sermons that tell people exactly how to do this. But knowing how to live the right way, and actually living the right way, are miles apart.

Maybe you are struggling with the same pessimism. So where are we going to find hope in a hopeless world? The very foundation of hope is discovered in an empty tomb. The resurrection of Jesus is, by any objective measure, the most significant event in history. The resurrection replaces the pessimism of Good Friday with hope.

A few years ago during a GYRO youth meeting (our elementary school ministry) I asked, "If Jesus had to die for our sins, how serious is sin?" One of the young people, Thomas, said, "Sin must be very bad if God had to come to earth and die to save us from it. Sin must be very, very bad."   Thomas nailed that answer. The world is not OK when God has to die. We have such a shallow understanding of the enormity of sin. If the only way to deliver us from it means God had to come to our planet and die for us, then sin must be a very critical issue.

But here is the hope. Jesus didn't stay dead. On Sunday morning death and Satan could not hold Jesus in that tomb. He rose again. Death did not have the final say. Pain, suffering and death don't win. God wins; they lose. So we can't be despairing. Theologian Richard Neuhaus said, "Despair is a sin because Christ is alive."

So here is our answer to the pessimism in our broken world.

We say to Kim Jong-un and his threats…. Christ is Risen!

We say to every terrorist in the world…. Christ is Risen!!

We say to every fresh grave…. Christ is Risen!!

We say to our declining culture… Christ is Risen!!

And finally we say to our outwardly decaying and slower moving bodies… Christ is Risen!!

As the praise song says, "In Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song."   

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, March 30

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

"After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, 'The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.'  No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you." (Deuteronomy 9:4)

This statement and two others that I read today highlighted the "offensive" nature of grace.  In Moses's words, we see that God had indeed planned for the Israelites' great conquest of the people that resided in the land He had promised to His people.  Yet, their triumph would not come through their might, strategy, or righteousness, but rather according to God's set plan and purpose.  God would bring His judgment on these entrenched peoples due to their unrighteousness.

I would like to focus on the implications for us as Christ-followers.  We understand from the Scriptures that, due to the immeasurable sacrifice of Christ and our faith therein, we have become part of God's family (John 1:12).  Paul summarizes the regenerating work of Christ in Titus 3:3-8:

"3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone."

As "heirs having the hope of eternal life," how shall we live?  How may we see ourselves and our world realistically, in similar tones as our Father?  Shall we live in condemnation because of our shortcomings?

I share that last question because I have frequently found myself in that place.  It feels "natural" and "comfortable" to construct my structure of righteousness and work towards fulfilling it.  That drive for "perfection" energizes me towards that goal of self-justification.  Yet, ultimately, this path leads to disappointment because it neglects God's grace and fails to include His perspective.

Instead, I have found freedom in welcoming God's presence into each day.  Instead of seeking to prove my righteousness, I have been trying to rest in God's grace and to live in gratitude.  As the Scriptures teach, "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2 Corinthians 3:17)  And joy.  Thanks be to God that He desires to bring real and lasting freedom and joy for us, as we rely on Him.

Dorotheus of Gaza (505-565) wrote:  "A man who prays without ceasing, if he achieves something, 

knows why he achieved it, and can take no pride in it; for he cannot attribute it to his own powers, but attributes all his achievements to God, always renders thanks to him and constantly calls upon him, trembling lest he be deprived of help."

As Pastor Scott has shared, the extent of our prayers demonstrate our reliance on God's grace.  May we experience God's joy and freedom by laying our burdens before Him and trusting Him completely.

Lord Jesus, thank You for preparing the way for us to experience lasting joy and freedom.  We thank You that Your grace is sufficient for us and that Your power is made perfect in our weakness.  We thank You that You have designed us for Yourself and that our hearts find no rest until they rest in You.  We thank You that Your Word shows us the truth and helps us to recognize our desperate need for You.  Bring us into closer communion with You and help us to hear Your voice more clearly.  Make us into a better reflection of Your awesome character.  We love You and honor You today.  In Jesus's Name, amen.

March 29

Psalm 70

When I read this prayer of David, I could hear his intense passion and as he cried out to God for help.  We've all been in desperate places that are catalyst for fervent prayer but what I'm beginning to learn is that God wants us to pray like that always. When life seems to be in it's "right place" is not the time to get sidetracked into thinking the same flame and passion behind prayer can become a flicker. Nothing is more important to God than our prayers. When we lift up our prayers they are just as important to God as was Davids, Mary's, Hannah's and all the others. It's where we sit in His presence, hear His voice, and invite Him to come not only into our lives but into our hearts.  Prayer brings God into our circumstances and as we cry out to Him, in joy or in pain, then submit to His will, we allow Him to work and be present in our lives.  The Prayer Team has started to keep a prayer journal.  In the past few weeks, we have seen and recorded God's answers to some our prayers. We give Him praise and glory for each answer and praise Him still as we wait for His answers on others.  Scripture is filled with prayers so that we are reminded and refreshed in our spirit to the fact that God rules this world. E.M. Bounds says that "prayer puts God to work, it puts angels to work, and it puts man to work. He orders all events, and then all the results and power He holds in His hands will be bestowed in lavish and unmeasured munificence to carry out prayers and to make prayer the mightiest energy in the world."  Brothers and sisters, let's all go to work!!! I would like to encourage us all to lift each other up in fervent prayer and see how God works in our daily lives.   How can I pray for you today?

Randi 

March 27th blog

Action Steps

Something I have started to do when reading verses to help gather strength, encouragement, hope, peace, etc. is to not just look for God's promises but to look for action steps on my part.  I've been learning that God has so much good stored up for me that he wants to bless me with, but often times he first invites me to have a part in it.  What I do is underline the words or phrase that speaks to my role in the verses (promises) I am reading.

Today one action word stood out on 3 separate occasions (a 4th was implied) in our OT reading.  That action word is: REMEMBER!!!

Deuteronomy 7:18, the Lord was letting the Israelites know that battles lay ahead that will be bigger then they are but he said not to worry (action step #1) and to "remember" well what the LORD your God did in Egypt, your God is great and awesome (vs 21).

Deuteronomy 8:2, the Lord reminds the Israelites to be obedient in their lives lived for the Lord.  He encourages them to remember that their obedience (and disobedience) is not unseen and God guide and he will bless them just as he did for those 40 years in desert.

Deuteronomy 8:10-11, the word remember is not used here but the line, "Be careful that you do not forget the Lord" is.  In my book do not forget and remember pretty much mean the same thing.  The Lord is warning them that when things are going well be sure to remember, do not forget, the Lord who sees us through and gives us the blessing.

Deuteronomy 8:18, this goes along with vs. 10-11 as the Lord is telling us that when things do go well it will be easy for us to take credit and say that it is with our own hands and strength that we have what we have so we need be sure to remember that it is God who gives us abilities and provides for us.

This action of remembering is something I have tried to practices as daily as possibly for a few years now.  I do it in the form of a gratitude journal.  It is a small spiral bound notebook that I use to reflect on my days or day and write down all the different ways God has blessed me. Looking at everything and anything and seeing it all as gifts to me from God.  I assure you that I have been challenged the most when I face Deuteronomy 7:18 days, when battles in my life seem overwhelming and bigger then myself.  But when I sit in the quiet and remember, when I look at my day I see God in so many little things that it often causes me to be able to sit back and start to reflect and remember the other times in my life when God saw me through and provided.  Sometimes I just can't seem to remember or see God in my day.  That is when I read through my journal and remember all the things I have been and truly are thankful for.  Things that I know God has blessed my life with and if he has given me a notebook of things in the past why should I doubt that he doesn't have many more notebooks of blessings for me to remember and be thankful for in the future.  Reading these memories of past gratitude's helps me start to see clearly the blessings that are around me that life has blinded me to.

You know what happens when I sit and remember and write down the blessing God has shown me?  My battles are put into perspective.  My pride is brought down and I am humbled (in a good way) before my God.  Each day becomes sufficient because I remember the bounty God has already given me and I don't doubt that he has so much more.

You know what happens when I have forgotten to remember and haven't written in my journal for a while?  My problems will cause me to fear and I begin to feel overwhelmed.  That's when I the small gentle voice of the Holy Spirit whispers, "When was the last time you remembered?  When was the last time you thought about and wrote in your gratitude journal?"  After a day or two (sometimes more) my life begins to fall into a proper perspective with the great and awesome God taking the center stage over the difficulties and remembering the bounty and blessing God has been and will continue to pour into my life.

Just to clarify, I don't live in a big house and I don't have a large bank account.  The bounty and blessing that I am speaking of are in the things that I can so easily overlook.  The everyday things I can take for granted or chalk up as nothing special.  The more I write in my journal the more I see around me that I want to record, that I want to remember.

Below are literally just a few of the things, a snapshot, from my gratitude journal over the years that help me to remember that I have a great an awesome God who loves me and will always see me through:

Generator's
Watching and laughing at old cartoons with my son
The miracle of Kym Smith not dying
Petting my dog after he sit in the warm sun
Birds
My umbrella keeping me dry
The still small voice of the Holy Spirit to guide me
The privilege of prayer
Zip lining
Laura Ignarra and all she has done for Valerie Johnson
Carrot Cake
Bic Razors
Hope
My grill
Reading Glasses
Green grass
The healthy birth of Everest Zion Coetzee
Air Mattresses
The beauty of a blackberry
Sunlight sparkling on the water
Camera's - they allow us to capture moments
A working furnace
Carollton's song "Tell Me"
Diversity
Knowing that God is never worried
Melina's body accepting her brother's marrow and that she in now his blood type - God continues to heal
Struggles that draw us to a deep faith and knowledge in the Lord
Exercise
My thankful journal (I really put that in there)
Toothbrush and Toothpaste
My hearing
Bug spray
Vanilla and Chocolate ice cream cups
A day dedicated to gratitude and giving thanks (Thanksgiving)

I want to always see and remember that I have a great and awesome God who is not just in the big events of life (the struggles and challenges) but who I can see and remember in all the little day to day things.  When I accumulate things to remember and be thankful for each day I have a store house to lean on when those big challenging moments arrive.  I know that since God has provided for me in such great abundance in all these little things how much more he is ready to help me remember and trust in him during the harder times.  It also helps keep me grounded and I remember that all I have is from the Lord. 

I encourage each of us to spend time each day looking around us at the all the blessings, especially the little easily overlooked ones, and thank God for them.  Let them fill you up with joy, peace, a knowledge of how much you are loved, and a hope that you have a great and awesome God who is and always will be there to help see you through.  Let's not stop remembering.

March 25: Those who would teach must first learn...

Deuteronomy 4:1-49

Luke 6:39-7:10

Psalm 68:1-18

Proverbs 11:28

I have many responsibilities, but the one that stresses me out the most is my role as a parent.  I worry about my kids - even my eldest, who is already in her sophomore year in college.  I understand my parents so much better now, and now know that, like them, I will never stop being a parent to my kids, no matter how old they get.  

It's funny how parenting, to continue to be effective, has to change as the kids get older.  How we parent our kids today is very different from how we parented them, say, even 5 years ago.  The issues were different, the receptiveness was different, their ability to understand was different.  And the stakes just get higher.  Where then to go for good guidance on what and how to teach them? Today's reading is instructive - in Deuteronomy 9:9 we read "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them."

I used to focus on the second part of that verse - teach them to my children.  The first part is equally important, though - to watch myself closely so that I do not forget the things I have seen, or let them slip from my heart for as long as I live.  See, I can't just tell my kids to learn God's lessons, can't teach it to them like lessons from a book.  Key here is they have to see me live them.  I can't expect them to remember how God has blessed them, unless they see me remember how much He has blessed me.  I can't expect them to want Him in their lives unless they see how happy I am to have him in mine.

Father, it seems strange to pray for our children by praying for ourselves, but we have to.  Please guide us, the parents of the children you've given us, so that our lives reflect the relationship with you we hope our children will want for themselves, will one day enjoy.

March 24

Luke 6

 

Growing up in a solid middle class row home in Allentown, Pa. I quickly and effectively learned the cultural values of my day.  

 

Don't get mad, get even.

If someone messes with you, you mess with them. "Go ahead,make my day," was our motto!

If you wanted to rise above dull living, drink Colt 45 Malt Liquor.

Big boys don't cry. Big boys don't even show weakness. My heroes were John Wayne and Superman. You never saw either of them crying. The only guys crying were the bad guys as the bullets bounced off of Superman's chest, a real man of steel.

Movies taught me many cultural values. In the sappy movie, Love Story, released in 1970, Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal taught me, "Love means never having to say you're sorry."  

 

These were the very foundations of my childhood. I was an angry, revengeful, stoic, thirsty-for-a-beer, rugged individual who never had to say I was sorry. All of this created a pretty sad and lost young man.

 

Then I met Jesus. And when I did, there was an immediate conflict in values. Jesus said that the values of this world were exactly opposite to his eternal kingdom values. In the "Sermon on the Mount" Jesus laid out exactly what He expected of me if I was going to a follower.  

I would be blessed if I were broken in my spirit and learned to say,

 "I am sorry."    

I would be blessed if I hungered and thirsted after God, not Colt 45

 Malt Liquor.  

I would be blessed if I had a tender heart and not a heart that

 bullets bounced off of.  

I would be blessed if I stood up for Jesus even though the whole 

culture said I was a fool and wasting my life. 

Jesus' list was a complete transversal of everything I had been 

taught by my culture. Jesus said that the pathway to happiness, 

to an abundant life, was not found by buying Noxzema medicated

shaving cream, but by believing His values and making them the 

guide for my life. The pathway to happiness is not an outward 

purchase of a product; it is an inward commitment of the soul. 

So prepare for the battle today. You will have to choose between 

two warring kingdoms. The people from Hollywood and Madison 

Avenue are trying to convince you to buy more stuff, to make 

your name famous, to drink more beer, to spend more money 

so you will be happy. Jesus is calling you to love Him more and 

to invest your life in others. This is His pathway to happiness. 

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, March 23

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017

 

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

 

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:29–32)

 

 

This passage really shocks me.  It points to God’s wonderful compassion for people that the Lord Jesus would indeed wish to interact with tax collectors and “sinners.”  He enters this party not reluctantly, but joyfully.  He brings life by His presence and His broad invitation to “Come” and “Take my yoke.”

 

Please note also that Jesus calls not the healthy, but the sick.  Typically, only the sick seek the care of a doctor:  they recognize their desperation and look for medical intervention.  Only when we take account of our deadness in sin may we find real life in Christ.

 

Do you find stories of rehabilitation and restoration to be encouraging?  I certainly do.  Tonight, I was reading about a retired newspaper editor who dedicates time to help inmates publish The San Quentin News, which has circulation through the California prison system.  11 inmates serve as the sole journalists, with assistance from volunteers to bring everything together.  The experience transfers crucial values like accountability, teamwork, and curiosity.  For some of the inmates, the paper provides a bright hope in a monotonous world.

 

Where may we join the Lord Jesus in bringing reconciliation and restoration in our world?  As Pastor Scott asked, where in the world does the love of God need to shine?  May we be bold and courageous, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, to share the life of Christ in difficult spots.  May the Gospel multiply in our homes and community.

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your example of lovingly pursuing relationships with tax collectors and “sinners.”  Give us courage and strength through the Holy Spirit to follow You and give our hearts to those we see in need.  We love You and serve You today.  In Your Name, amen.

 

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