Ascent Week 22

Psalms 125

Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion;
   they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem,
   so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever.
The wicked will not rule the land of the godly,
   for then the godly might be tempted to do worng.
O LORD, do good to those who are good,
   whose hearts are in tune with you.
But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O LORD.
   Take them away with those who do evil.

May Israel have peace!

Down in My Heart

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart!

   Where?

Down in my heart!

   Where?

Down in my heart!

This popular children’s worship song is most likely known to most (if not all) of us. We used to sing it when we were kids and most of the time we may not have even stopped to think about the words we were singing, but rather thinking about how loud we could shout, “WHERE?!”

But when we think about these words, and the meaning behind them, we should take pause and think about what we are singing. We are singing about the Joy of the Lord! We sing that we have the joy of the Lord in our hearts…deep down inside. But here’s the problem: most of us live as if the joy, joy, joy, joy was down in the gutter, not in our hearts. We sulk, we worry, we pine, we fret, and we are anxious, nervous and just plain grumpy at times. God’s word commands us in Philippians 4:6 to not be anxious about ANYTHING. And yes, friends, it is a command.

So what are you doing today to make joy a part of your life? Are you listening to the voices of the world that are telling you to fear, fret and freeze? Or are you listening to the voice of Jesus saying, “I’m here, I will always be here, and I will never leave you.”

Please understand that I know we live in a world of perilous times. We are surrounded by sin on every side and there is little to nothing we feel we can do about it. But to listen to those voices that tell us to take worry as our own and hold it tight is to miss the really joy and blessing that God has for our lives.

So choose today to be joyful. And you will see amazing things happen.

And we’ll see you on Sunday!

Celebration Week 21

One from the early 90's...

And one from today...

How Can We Do It?

Yesterday's blog challenged us with some very difficult things. We were challenged to love those who have betrayed us, hurt us, gossiped about us, and so forth. We were challenged that those people deserve our love, because they have God's love, and because Jesus died for them. We are called to love like Jesus loved, and therefore, we are called to love them as well.

But as I thought about this, the obvious question that came to my mind was, "How? How can I love those who hurt me, my family, or my kids?" Today I want to explore that just a little bit.

It is my contention that the only way we can truly love those who have hurt us in such a way is because of the love that we have been shown. Jesus, in Luke 7:36-50, tells the story of two men. One owed his master the equivalent of $60,000, the other owed him $6,000. The master canceled the debt of both of them. Then Jesus asks this question, "Which of these two men loved their master more?"

This is poignant question because it gets to the heart of the matter. It speaks to the fact that our love for God is based on the love that He has already shown to us. 1 John 4:19 speaks to this when John says, “We love because he (Jesus) first loved us.” We are able to love those who hurt us, betray us or whatever, because of the love we have already received from Jesus.

Chris Tomlin sings a song that talks about God being a “Good, Good Father.” This song demonstrates the love that God has for us in that He is a Father who looks after His children. He loves us so much that nothing stood in the way of Him getting to have a relationship with us. He loves you and He loves me. This love is the springboard from which our love for the people around us swells…no matter what.

It is my hope that you can love the way Jesus loved because of the love that you’ve been shown.

God bless, and we’ll see you on Sunday!

Love Like Him

Yesterday we touched on the fact that God is seeking followers who will love like Jesus loved. We noticed in John chapter 13 that Jesus washed His disciples' feet, a task that was reserved for the lowest servant. Jesus even washed Judas Iscariot's feet...the man who He knew was going to betray Him later that night.

Now I touched on this a bit in my sermon, but I wanted to expound on this just a bit in this blog post. Namely, that Jesus' love didn't stop with just those who loved Him and treated Him with respect and dignity. He loved Judas, even to the point of serving him by washing his feet (John 13:1-28). He loved His captors even to the point of healing one who had been injured (Luke 22:49-51). He loved those who crucified Him even to the point of forgiving their sins (Luke 23:33).

So what does this mean for us? Simply this: showing love to our neighbors, families, even our enemies, doesn't stop...no matter what. We are to love the way Jesus loved. He showed love by laying down His life for His friends, yes, but He also laid down His life for His enemies as well. Jesus' death and His life was for all people. Men and women; Americans, Muslims, Mexicans, Canadians, Brits, and all other people groups of the earth; Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and all other skin colors; His life and death and were for ALL of them. So when we live our lives, when we love through our service, sacrifice and smile, we should do so for all people everywhere.

Love like Jesus...there is no greater way to show the world that you are His disciple!

We'll see you on Sunday!

Ascent Week 21

Instead of the Psalm this week, I want to allow you to hear the end of Dr. Tony Evans' sermon, "The Root of the Problem." Please click below and enjoy.

Another Post From Dr. Tony Evans

Good morning all. It is my hope that you will indulge me once again to focus on what our world and culture is doing and needs. Here is the second installment of Dr. Tony Evans' message, "The Root of the Problem." Please listen today as Dr. Tony Evans concludes his message on what is going on in America today.