Ascent Week 9

Psalm 128

1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
     who walk in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
     blessing and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
     within your house;
   your children will be like olive shoots
     around your table.
4 Yes, this will be the blessing
     for the man who fears the LORD.
5 May the LORD bless you from Zion;
     may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
     all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children's children--
     peace be on Israel.

Please comment below!

See you Sunday!

Knowing God's Will

People tell me all the time that it is difficult to know what God's will for their lives is. But the fact of the matter is that there are only three things in the New Testament that specifically tell us what God's will is.

The first is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, where Paul tells us that "It is God's will that you should be sanctified...". He then goes on to explain what he means by that in the next 5 verses. He says that sanctification (while it is deeper than just this issue) begins with committing to sexual purity. God's will for you, Christian is that you should be sexually pure, avoiding the lusts of the body. When you come to think of it, if we can get a hold of our own passions, then we will find that much of the rest of life will take care of itself.

The second is found in 1 Peter 2 and verse 15, where Peter tells us "it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people." Basically what God is saying through Peter here is that He wants us to not only not do stuff, but to also do things that are good by His standards and not some arbitrary feeling or emotion that is coming from us. You see God's purpose for us is that we do things for Him. We aren't to just sit around waiting for His return, but we are to get to work. If you are a Christian, and you're breathing, then there's work for you to do my friend!

The last thing we'll mention today is found again in 1 Peter, but this time in chapter 3 and verse 17, where it says that it is God's will for you to suffer for doing good, if you suffer at all. But add 2 Timothy 3:12 (In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted), and suffering seems to be pretty certain for all of us. So let's make sure that when suffer, it's because we've done the right thing.

So God's will, as it is spelled out for us here in these three passages, tells us that we need to avoid sexual sin, get busy doing the work that God has for us to do, and then get ready to suffer for doing it. Now I know this isn't going to make me "Mr. Popular" today for saying these things, but it is a place for us to start doing God's will.

Now there is a lot more to God's will than just these three verses. In fact, if you read the entirety of the Scriptures then you'll have a better grasp on what God's will is for your life. But the truth of the matter is that God hasn't hidden His will from us. He wants us to know...that's why He gave us His Word. So read it, live it out and rejoice every day that you get to be counted among those who love Him and are called according to His purposes!

Feel free to make a comment (I'd really love to see some of those!) and we'll see you on Sunday!

Who I Am

The Bible tells us that we are created for the purposes of God. We have been saved in order that the balance of our lives might be spent being used by Him to reach a lost world with the Gospel of Christ. That purpose is never suspended or retracted. As long as we draw breath, God wants us to lead people to His Son.

The Bible also has some things to tell us about the fact that when we are saved, there some things that happen to us. First, we receive the Holy Spirit and are “born again” not of natural processes, or the will of someone else, but born of God! In this we are given the right to be called “children of God.” (John 1:10-13)

It also says that we have been given an opportunity to be an ambassador for the Kingdom of God. The ambassador is the representative of a certain country to a foreign entity. That is what God has called us to be…ambassadors for Christ. We share that which our king wants the country in which we live to know about.

And finally, God calls us to be His ministers…ministers of reconciliation. We are to tell people that God desires a relationship with them. And we are examples of that relationship in action. We are the illustration. We are the object lesson. We are the tool that God will use to show an unbelieving and unholy world just Who He is! (2 Corinthians 5:11-21)

And so live as you are, and don’t take a second place job. God’s calling on you is sure, and so is your ability to fulfill the call when you keep your eyes on Jesus! He will never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)

Feel free to comment below and we'll see you on Sunday!

Celebration Week 8

Dear Friends! I am so sorry that the post for yesterday was not posted. I did some looking around and could not find a reason for it to not be posted, but felt that perhaps it was the Lord not wanting it to be posted. As such, there was no post yesterday and for that I am truly sorry. I do pray that your day was blessed having been able to spend time with the Lord.

Today, however, is Wednesday! It's celebration day! So take some time today and celebrate what God has done in you this week! Praise Him for his wonderful peace and the way He is able to take you and help you see the things that need to be changed and the things that need to be honed! Keep growing in your faith and keep going in your purpose! God bless you and have a great Wednesday!

Comment below and we'll see you on Sunday!

How's Your Vision?

Last week, during our Wednesday celebration, we listened to a version of a hymn done by a band called Ascend the Hill. I think the song deserves another listen, as we begin to discuss what we learned yesterday.

We challenged you to start seeing people as created in the image of God. We called you to begin to see others, no matter who they are or what they may believe or even do as people who were created in the image of God. The words to this song, Be Thou My Vision, hold a clue in helping us to see how we can do this.

"Be Thou my vision, oh Lord of my heart/Naught be all else to me save that Thou art/Thou my best thought by day or by night/High King of Heaven, Your treasure my light!"

When we allow God to be the "glasses" that we look through to look at the world, something astounding happens. Namely, we begin to see people for who they really are. We begin to see people as souls, whom the Lord died to save. Christ's death is sufficient to forgive every sin, every transgression, every misstep, and every omission. God's Son died so that you could have salvation...and so that every other person on the planet could have it too. Sometimes we, as believers, walk around like those who do despicable things are somehow less valuable to the Kingdom of God. Here is the truth of the matter people:

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM AND YOU!!!

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SIN OF MURDER AND THE SIN OF GOSSIP!

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SIN OF ADULTERY AND THE SIN OF LUST!

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SIN OF RACISM AND THE SIN OF FAVORITISM!

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HITLER AND GRAHAM!

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIN LADEN AND MOODY!

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RICHARD DAWKINS AND BILLY SUNDAY!

ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD!

And guess what!? You're a member of all! So when we begin to see all other people as people who are loved by their Heavenly Father, we'll begin to see with the vision of God. And when that happens, your life will never be the same, because you will grow to love them as you love yourself!

Think about that today, and if you'd like to leave a comment, do so. And we'll see you Sunday!

Ascent Week 8

Psalm 127

1 Unless the Lord builds the house,

the builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the guards stand watch in vain.

2 In vain you rise early

and stay up late,

toiling for food to eat—

for he grants sleep to those he loves.

3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,

offspring a reward from him.

4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior

are children born in one’s youth.

5 Blessed is the man

whose quiver is full of them.

They will not be put to shame

when they contend with their opponents in court.

Good For the Soul

One of the things that I think we have lost a great deal of in our national religious consciousness is the idea of confession. This is one area that I think our Catholic friends might have it on us (not that I believe that any man has the power to forgive sins). Though there is something about sharing your sin with another human being that is not only cathartic, but healing in both the soul and the body.

David said it best in the 32nd Psalm. Take a moment and read it, then come back and let's finish this post together.

So David says that the one who is forgiven is blessed, or happy. When you've screwed up, you know you need someone to forgive you. And when you receive that forgiveness there is a weight that just lifts off of your shoulders, isn't there?

At the end of verse 2, David talks about the one in whose spirit there is no deceit. What does that mean? It means that there is happiness when one isn't so concerned about "keeping a lid" on the sin that is in their lives. When we are bold enough to say, "This is my sin, and this is what I deal with," we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and we can be hurt. It's dangerous to confess our sins. But look at the next verse. Keeping quiet about sin, or making everyone think that we have no sin is the best way to loose our grip on reality. Look at the words David uses here: "my bones wasted away", "my groaning all day long", "your hand was heavy on me", "my strength was sapped" (emphases added). These are words that describe both physical and emotional draining...emptiness.

But in verse 5, David says, "Then I acknowledged my sin." He confessed that his sin was real, that it was he'd done what he had done and didn't try to "keep the lid" on it anymore. And what happened? He was forgiven! Not only that, but he found that his life was now not only rejuvenated, but also protected! He was protected by his "Hiding Place," God Himself!

Finally, in verses 8-10, David talks to you and I. He says (and I paraphrase here), "Don't be an idiot. Don't be a donkey (or whatever other word you may want to use)! Don't be one who lacks understanding! Don't be a loser who can't understand right from wrong! Don't kick back at God and keep on telling Him 'NO!' Be one who listens to wise instruction. Be one who is surrounded by God's unfailing love! And you will have reason to rejoice!"

My brothers and sisters, confession is, indeed, good for the soul, but it is also good for the body. And when we confess and repent of our sins, God is all about forgiving us...and not only that, but keeping us, too!

Feel free to leave a comment below, and we'll see you on Sunday!!!!

Image Bearers

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine wrote a poem expressing his feeling over what had been happening in America the week of all the police shootings and violence in places like Minnesota, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Dallas. His poem, entitled, "A Black Man's Lament," was a passionate plea to help people understand how he feels about all of this. (If you would like to read this poem yourself, click here. The poem begins about half way down the page. The paragraph immediately prior to it explains what he was thinking as well.)

Now if I'm honest with you, the first time I read it I had questions. I was concerned about this man, who was and is a friend, feeling the way he felt as expressed in this poem. My soul was conflicted because of the fact that one side of me was saying, "How can you feel this way in 21st century America?" All the while another side of me was saying, "This is someone you care about who is feeling this way." I decided to reach out and talk to him.

As we talked, I confessed that my understanding was limited, and that I wanted to understand, but was afraid of being offensive with my questions. My friend told me, "Jim, we are not going to be PC here. If we are going to get anywhere, we have to be honest." That was freeing to me, so I asked my questions and he answered and he asked me questions and I answered and when we finished, I was in a better place of understanding.

I then asked him how he thought that the church should respond to all of this. He simply stated, "Jim, we have got to get back to the point where we see each other as image bearers of God."

When we show favoritism, whether in the form of racism, or putting a higher value on people with power or someone affiliated with "our group," we ignore the image of God on that individual. And here's the rub: EVERYONE has that image placed on them. In Genesis 1, God created mankind (the Hebrew word is in the plural) in His own image, and through Adam, we all bear the image of God...no matter who we are.

So today, think about God and the image you bear, and remember that every other person you come in contact with, or see on TV, or hear on the radio, they bear God's image, too.

Leave a comment, and we'll see you on Sunday!!!

Celebration Week 7

God is good all the time!
And all the time, God is good!

I hope that you will celebrate today as you have reached the end of another week of walking with the Savior. I hope that we can rejoice in the fact that our lives are pure, holy and built on the foundation of wanting to serve others.

Rejoice today by singing this great old hymn of faith!

Or you can go directly to YouTube and watch it here.

Purity

At this time of year (Summer), we often have days that are so hot, a tall cool glass of water is exactly what you need. Your throat is so dry you can't hardly swallow, and you would give anything to have some water to drink.

Now imagine for a second that as you look at that glass of water that someone has so graciously poured for you, someone comes along and spits in that glass of water. Are you still going to drink it? Probably not. Or perhaps someone comes up while it is still a drinkable glass of water and takes an eye dropper and fills it with water from a toilet in the high school. Then the come and put just one drop into the glass. Would you drink it then?

I would guess that you wouldn't. Even though it's only one drop of contaminant, you would steer clear of that glass of water...or at the very least, dump it out and try again. Why? Because the water is no longer pure.

We challenged you on Sunday to think about those things in your life that cause your life to be impure. What are those things in your life that allow contaminants into your life? It could be the books you read, the music you listen to, the TV shows or movies you watch. I remember as a young man I would defend my movie choices and say something to the effect of, "There's only a couple of swear words in this movie. I can handle that." But why would I allow into my mind "only a couple" drops of contaminant? God calls me to live a wholly pure life. James said that pure and faultless religion is "keep[ing] oneself form being polluted (or contaminated) by the world." (Emphasis added)

So how are we doing? Are those things that are contaminating an otherwise pure life being rooted out of our daily lives? Or are we compromising in this area, thereby nullifying our religion? I hope that our lives are lived in purity and that the light we shine will be bright!

I hope you have a great Tuesday! Leave a comment, and we will see you on Sunday!

Widows and Orphans

One of our challenges yesterday had to do with finding ways in which we can reach those who are hurting, or disenfranchised, or not cared for. James used two groups of people as he singled out widows and orphans.

Sunday morning, I was listening to a broadcast put out by Our Daily Bread, and it had to do with a young man, Stephen, who was "orphaned" due to a dad who was making some pretty horrible choices. Listen to Stephen's testimony by clicking the link below. The program is long (close to 30 minutes), but listen to how God used not only Stephen's mother, but other godly men in his life.

CLICK HERE

I hope you will listen to the whole program, and remember that God wants to use you to help young people and widows just like Stephen and his mother. They are all around you. All you have to do is look.

God bless you today! Leave a comment if you would, and we'll see you again on Sunday!

Ascent Week 7

Psalms 126

1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
     we were like those who dreamed.
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter
     our tongues with songs of joy.
   Then it was said among the nations,
     "The LORD has done great things for them."
3 The LORD has done great things for us,
     and we are filled with joy.
4 Restore our fortunes, LORD,
     like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow with tears
     will ream with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
     carrying seed to sow,
   will return with songs of joy,
     carrying sheaves with them.

What Is It Going To Take?

God's call on the life of every Christian is twofold. He is calling us to take a stand against injustice. The events of last week with the two incidents involving the police and suspected criminals and then the shootings in Dallas, all help to remind us that this world we live in is a place that is missing justice.

But I don't really want to rehash last week again, but rather look ahead to the future. James says in chapter 1 and verse 27 that the worth our religion is predicated on what we do for those who are not only in distress, but cannot help themselves. James mentions widows (those who are older women who have lost their husbands) and orphans (those who have lost both father and mother and have no means of taking care of themselves) as two major groups of people that we can reach out and seek justice for.

So the question is this: What are you doing to look after widows and orphans in your community? I would challenge you to go to the website of Holt International. This group is similar to Compassion (another mission agency that I would highly recommend), with one major difference. This group hopes to encourage those who "sponsor" a child to consider eventually the adoption of that child into their family.

Now let me say up front that this is not for everyone. Adoption is a huge step for many people. But I would venture to guess that there are many who are reading this blog today who would have the wherewithal to do just that. It doesn't matter how old/young you are. If God calls you to this, don't wait. There are so many orphans in this world who need to know that Jesus loves them and has a forever family waiting for them.

Again, this is just a thought, and I hope that it sparks in some of you an idea to follow Christ's call on your life to stand up for those who are in need...widows and orphans!

Have a great weekend, and we look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Hypocrites

This week is our final week in James chapter 1. We will be looking at the final two verses of this chapter, so to get a head start feel free to read over this section several times before Sunday. If you want to read it in several different versions of Scripture, then click here. We will mostly be talking on Sunday about our tongue and how we can learn to tame it, and why.

But today, I want us to focus on something else this passage has to say. This passage tells us that if we fail to control what comes out of our mouths, it will be our undoing. Now I know we live in a society where the 3 second sound bite is all the rage. We take things out of context and "spin" it to fit our own agenda. And as such, many in the public eye are careful about what they say. But the truth of the matter is that our words will do one of two things. They will either prove that what we have to say is true, or they will prove us to be hypocrites.

Hypocrisy is one of the biggest reasons people use to stay away from the church. They say the church is full of them, and if that's the case, why should they be a part of it. My usual reaction to this comment is, "Yep! I agree." Usually I get a sideways glance, but then I get to tell them why I agree with them.

Generally it is because all of us have an issue in this area. We all say one thing, when what is true is something totally different. Even those of us who claim to be totally honest will fib about something to keep feelings from being hurt or from getting ourselves into trouble. We do it without thinking about it because it is a part of how we are built...with a natural bent to sin.

So, in essence, we are all hypocrites. We all say one thing and then do another. We are sinners...plain and simple. So if you call me a hypocrite, I'm not going to argue with you. But I will encourage you to admit your own hypocrisy. And when you do, then perhaps we can start having conversations that will lead us toward the holiness that God wants for us as believers.

I don't know...it's just something I thought about today.

Comment below and we will see you on Sunday!

Celebration Week 6

This week we've heard some hard things for us to hear. I hope that you can find encouragement in what we've said and understand that these things are not said to knock us down and depress us, but to
"spur us on toward love and good deeds." (Hebrews 10:24)

It is also my sincere hope that as you continue to walk in obedience to the Word of God that you read each and every day that you will find yourself continuing to become more holy and more like Jesus. This holiness that you exhibit will be the light that shines to a dark world that denies the very existence of God. We know Him, and to know Him is to love Him and to love Him is to obey Him. So walk in the knowledge, love and obedience of God to a life beyond anything that you could have imagined!

And CELEBRATE!!

And we'll see you Sunday!

The Deception of the Nation

Today I want to talk about something that is probably going to be a bit controversial. But I feel that it needs to be said. I'm going to post here and I'm also going to be posting this to my Facebook page as well. I feel it is a challenge that everyone needs to here.

Our nation is living in the midst of the greatest deception that we have ever seen...and we have done it to ourselves. I will explain what I mean in a minute, but first I want to lay down some facts.

FACT: The majority of our nation today has denied the existence of absolute truth. We see this in the growing numbers of people who claim that all people who are sincere in what they believe will eventually make it to heaven. We also see this in the number of people willing to take lives for the sake of a "cause" or "principle." We see it in the "decision" of the FBI director to not prosecute individuals who are clearly guilty of breaking the law. In fact, that last one stinks of the basic tenant of relativism, "what is truth for you may not be truth for me."

FACT: The majority of people living in America today would classify themselves as a part of the "Christian religion". This means that most people, when asked what religion they are would identify themselves as Christians, but would most likely be so in name only.

FACT: When people claim to follow Christ (that's what the term "Christian" means..."Little Christ") and then refuse to do what He said to do, they deceive themselves. James 1:22 says, "Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves; do what it says." We live in a society that claims to know Christ, but refuses on every hand to obey Him.

Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the church of America. We have been deceived, Church, and it all stems from the fact that we KNOW what God says to do and we REFUSE to do it.

For example, we know that the church is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the world. But the missions efforts of the church in America are now lagging behind the missions efforts of places like South Korea, Ireland, Malta and Palestine.* We are seeing our country lagging behind because (I believe) we have failed to emphasize from our pulpits the importance of walking in obedience to the Word of God.

We are hearing the Word of God, but we are not doing it. Friends, this needs to change. If we are going to save our nation, we must begin to wake up from the deception that it is okay to simply know what the Bible says, and not necessarily have to do it. If we are going to call ourselves people who know how to live rightly, then we must begin to obey God's Word.

Please feel free to comment below and we'll see you on Sunday!

*This is in terms of number of missionaries sent per 1 million church members.

Habitual Readers...UNITE!!!!

I hope that the title of today's blog post might have stirred in you a desire to read this post. If that is why you are reading this, then great! It worked! If you are reading this because you always read this, then I'm glad of that too. But the point of the post today is simply to remind you to read.

Reading is important. In fact, when I was a kid, there were Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on the Saturday morning cartoon circuit that encouraged kids to read. The group was called "RIF" and it stood for Reading Is Fundamental. One of the most memorable of these commercials was a group of kids hanging around a guy who played a newspaper editor on TV. He was talking about how reading was important if kids were going to learn. Then one of the kids spouted off some statistics (I can't recall those right now), and this man looks the kid straight in the eye and says, "Hey! You're pretty smart! How'd you get so smart?" And the kid leans in and says, "READING!"

I really have no idea why that made such an impression on me, but it did. You would think that having that kind of an impression put on my as a kid, I would have been more into reading. The fact of the matter is that I don't read as much as I should. It takes me a long time to read a book, because when I read I want to understand. So to fly through a book for me is counter intuitive.

But there is one book that I read often. It is a book that has been around for longer than any other book I own. It is a book that holds that secrets to life's mysteries and the answers to life's questions. It is a book that is capable of changing a man or woman to be better than they are, and it is also capable of bringing peace in the midst of some pretty dark times.

We are facing some dark times as a society today. We face killings and mass shootings and it is hard for us to think that things will ever change. But we can't look to the government to fix this. We can't look to politics to fix it. We can't look at race relations to fix this. We can't look at superheroes to fix it. We can't look to anyone to fix this, except the Author of this book.

Of course, that book is the Bible, and when we read the Bible, we are faced with the truth. We are faced with absolute moral truth that cannot be denied. But many in our society have tried to deny moral absolutes. Because of this, we are seeing what we saw last week, and we will continue to see it...more and more each passing day.

Friends, read the Scriptures. Don't let this be a habit that you allow yourself to break. Keep reading, but also do what it says (but more on that tomorrow!). ;-)

Please feel free to comment or ask a question below. We will respond to all comments!

And we'll see you on Sunday!

Ascent Week 6

Psalm 125

1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
       which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
       so the LORD surrounds his people
            both now and forevermore.

3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
      over the land allotted to the righteous,
   for then the righteous might use
      their hands to do evil

4 LORD, do good to those who are good,
     to those who are upright in heart.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways
     the LORD will banish with the evildoers.

    Peace be on Israel.


We will see you tomorrow!

With Great Knowledge Comes Great Responsibility

If you happen to be a nerd, like me, you'll at least recognize that the title of our blog post today comes from a movie released way back in 2002. The movie was titled, Spider-Man, and in this movie, a young Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider. In turn, his body begins to change and he is now able to do “whatever a spider can.” Peter’s change was also enhanced by great power and strength. He was able to jump, run, lift and do things with reflexes not many could. He had enormous power and not many knew about it.

One night, he witnessed a crime being committed, and he did nothing to stop it. As a result, the man he let go was the same man who shot and murdered his Uncle Ben, who was his guardian. When he finds Uncle Ben lying in the street bleeding to death, Ben gives Peter a word of wisdom that would then guide the rest of Peter’s life. He said, “Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.”

The same is true with God’s Word. In His Word there is great power, and knowledge, and wisdom. If we choose to listen, we find that the wisdom and power and knowledge give us strength. However, if we fail to obey, our lives become nothing more than a discordant noise in the symphony of life. Simply put, our outsides will not match what we say we believe on the inside…or what we know.

We are called to be active in our faith…in living out the Christian life. But if we refuse to obey, our lives become labeled as “hypocritical” or “not genuine”. None of us wants that label, so let’s do what needs to be done to make our lives a living replica of what Jesus has called us to be and to do!

Please feel free to leave a comment or question. We will respond to every one. And we hope to see you Sunday!

Good Morning!!!

How many times has this happened to you:

You wake up; you get out of bed, and then head off to the bathroom. Once you get there, you look at yourself in the mirror. There you see one of the most horrifying images that anyone could have stuck on your mirror. You reach out to take it down, but find that what you're actually looking at is your own reflection.

At this point there are a couple of things you can do. Most normal people would take the time to make adjustments to the image they see. They might comb their hair, or wash their face, or even put on make up. But sometimes (and especially if you are a parent) something comes up that takes you away from what you're seeing, and for one reason or another, you forget to go back and take care of that "horrifying image."

I certainly hope that has never happened to you. But there is a very real sense in which many Christians walk around with that "horrifying image" in their lives. This week, we will be looking at the mirror of God's Word and how it is able to help us correct those things in our lives that need to be taken care of. James said in James 1:25 that the Word of God "gives freedom." This is so true because when we allow God's Word to change us, we will be free from sin, free from condemnation, free from regret. God's Word is the mirror that helps us to know how we should "look" in our lives, and when we obey it, it will help us change us from the "horrifying image" to the "beautiful reflection" of Jesus!

Feel free to leave us a message or comment below and we'll see you Sunday!

Celebration Week 5

I don't know about you, but I feel as if we've wrestled with some pretty tough topics this week. But here we are on the other side of it and we have been changed! So let's celebrate today the God who is forever seeking our best and who always will be there for us. Celebrate today that God is good and that His mercies are new every morning. Celebrate the God whose Son died on the cross for your sins and mine. And above all, thank God that you are becoming a listener who not only hears, but understands as well.

Celebrate with your brothers and sisters today what God has done in your life and rejoice that He isn't finished yet!

We'll see you Sunday!

Take Off/Put On

Colossians 3 gives us a list of things that we are to "put to death" or "get rid of" in our lives. These ten things that are listed are all things that James would call "moral filth" in James 1. They are things like sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language. I don't think many of us (if we call ourselves Christians) would disagree with this list of things that should be taken out of our lives.

But Paul then goes on and tell us that as God's children, we are to clothe ourselves with something that is in stark contrast to these things. Things such as compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are to bear with one another and forgive each other. We are to put on love, because it is the "belt" that hold everything in place so that we look like Children of God.

So as we challenged you on Sunday to get rid of the moral filth and evil that is so prevalent in our society and culture today, I also want to encourage you to accept the power of God's Word in your life. Allow it to "clothe" you with the things listed above. And this is by no means an exhaustive list on either side, but it is a start. Allow God to do His work in you through His Word and walk in humble obedience to what He is calling you to do!

Please take the time to comment below on some of the things that you feel God might be wanting you to get rid of...and we'll see you on Sunday.

Listen AND Understand

At the end of the sermon yesterday we challenged you all to start listening better...actually we challenged you to RELEARN how you listen. Today, I just wanted to remind you all that there are certain things that you can do to improve your listening skills. We went over them on Sunday, but let me go over them one more time here in case you weren't with us, or forgot to write them down.

First, you need to make sure that you are listening to people with your eyes open. Look at them when they're talking. Make sure that you see what they are saying with their bodies as well as their voices. Sometimes we hear a whole lot more when we watch what someone is doing with their hands, eyes, feet and head. So watch people as they speak to you.

The second thing we mentioned was listening to the person so that you might truly understand what they are trying to say. Far too often as we listen to people we are thinking more about what we're going to say rather than what they are actually saying. So to spend that time listening and actually taking the time to hear and understand what someone is saying is huge. I firmly believe that if we do whatever we can to actually understand what someone is saying, we can avoid so many of the relationship pitfalls that come our way.

Finally, we talked about following up on our conversations. So often we say, "Hey we ought to do such and such" or "We should tell so and so about this." And then we never do anything about because we get busy, or we just don't care that much. But the truth of the matter is that if we are really engaged in a conversation with people we care about, then we need to make sure that the things that we talk about, and the ideas that come from those conversations are followed up on. This will help all the people involved in the conversation to feel as if what they have said is important and valued.

So. Are you doing your best to keep focused in your conversations? Are you really listening and understanding what people are saying to you? Remember that when we seek to understand first, then it is that much more likely that we will be understood!

Leave a comment below or ask a question. We accept them all (as long as they're clean...hahaha)

And we'll see you Sunday!

Ascent Week 5

Psalm 124

1-If the LORD had not been on our side--
       let Israel say--
2-if the LORD had not been on our side
       when the people attacked us,
3-they would have swallowed us alive
       when their anger flared against us;
4-the flood would have engulfed us,
       the torrent would have swept over us,
5-the raging waters
       would have swept us away.

6-Praise be to the LORD,
       who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7-We have escaped like a bird
       from the fowler's snare;
    the snare has been broken,
       and we have escaped.
8-Our help is in the name of the LORD
       the Maker of heaven and earth.

We'll see you Sunday!

Holiness Breeds Perfection (you didn't misread that...read on...)

Holiness is what we are to strive for. Check out these passages of Scripture and then let's talk:

1 Peter 1:13-16

Matthew 5:43-48

In the first passage, we find Peter speaking to those who are going through incredible trial. He is calling them to set themselves apart for the task of being holy. He is calling them to be sober, to be focused, to be in complete control so that they keep their hope on Jesus. He wants them to not conform to the patterns of this world (see Romans 12:2 also), but to, in contrast, live holy lives. And why does Peter say to live those holy lives? Because the One Who granted them their life is holy, and therefore, we must be holy too.

You see, our holiness is a reflection of Christ already at work in us. So we need to make sure that our lives demonstrate that holiness. So how are you doing there, Christian? Are you living your life in a manner that would be accused of being "holy"? If not, then it is never too late to begin to demonstrate holiness in your life.

In the second passage, we find Jesus challenging His disciples to love their enemies just as they love their neighbors. They are called to do good to those who hate them, pray for them, and treat them as God has treated them. Jesus concludes these comments with the words, "Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."

I don't know about you, but I was always told that perfection in this life is impossible. And I agree with it to a point. But friends, there are couple of things that I want you to understand. First of all, if Jesus says, "Be perfect," then He expects those who follow Him to be perfect. It's not a negotiable item on the list.

"But Pastor Jim, perfection is impossible!" I'm not so sure. If Jesus commanded it (and He did...we just read it), then He's going to give us the grace (the power to do what He wants us to do) to do it. He doesn't call us to perfection because we are perfect. He calls us to perfection so that we will always be striving toward that perfection. And what you say is impossible...well, let me just direct you to Luke 1:37, where the angel says to Mary, "Most things are possible with God." Wait, what? No that's not what it says. It says, "All but a few things are possible with God." No, no, no, no, no! It says (for real this time), "NOTHING is impossible with God." Nothing! Even perfection in this life.

"Well if someone were perfect, we'd never hear the end of it!" I'm not so sure about that either. Because if someone were perfect in the way that God is perfect, wouldn't patience and humility also be a part of that? I think there is something to be said that we can be perfect.

I think far too often, we cop out and say, "Well perfection is not really what God wants. So I will just live the best I can." Stop it right now! The best you can is awful, just like the best I can do is awful. God desires perfection, and we can do it with the help of the Holy Spirit.

So don't settle! Don't stop trying! Don't stop setting the bar at perfection! It's not impossible. GO FOR IT!!!!!

We'll see you Sunday!