Tuesday, December 27, 2016
As We Prepare To Start 2017
Friday, December 23, 2016
Bedtime Conversation
I'm not really sure how my bedtime conversation with our 10, 8, and 6 year-olds tonight turned to dictators, Kim Jong-Il, and the present conditions of North Korea...
This led to Bennett crying with great confusion as to why someone would run a country this way and great uncertainty about the future of the people living under his regime.
When I thought all was better and Bennett was calm, I left the room.
Within minutes he was crying out again.
I went into the room to console him once again and I asked, "What has got you the most upset?" He replied, "That man that cares more about himself than he does about the rest of his people."
I then asked, "Have you prayed for him?" And our daughter, Addison, responded, "Yes! He keeps crying, and wailing, and mourning for him!" To which Bennett sits up straight in his bed, looks to the sky and raises his arms; " Dear God, help that Kim guy to start caring about other people and to stop killing people that love you."
I love these kids!
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Redeemed and Reconciled
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Since We Have Been Justified
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Hope
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Sorry
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Leading The Way
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Rest In His Love
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Opportunities
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Freely Justified To Be Righteous
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
RESET: heart
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Joy of Proclaiming the Gospel
Friday, October 7, 2016
RESET
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Blessed To Share
Be Love
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
When You Ask
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Give Me One Hundred
Friday, September 30, 2016
Another Play
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Walking On Water
Monday, September 26, 2016
Sinspiration
Saturday, September 24, 2016
The Answer
Friday, September 23, 2016
Blood and Witness
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Finish The Race
“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Sheep, Leadership, and Love
Sunday, August 7, 2016
One Year Ago
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Turn It Over
Monday, July 25, 2016
Glory Ahead
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
What Would You Do?
Although most of us will never find ourselves behind the yoke of a commercial jet – having to navigate it through the sky – we all face situations – everyday – that are more urgent and more serious than flying a commercial airplane with no training!
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Faithfulness on the Water
Friday, June 17, 2016
Rejoice - Pray - Peace
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)
This is a Scripture passage that I often struggle with. While I find it easy to be joyful in many of the circumstances of my life, I find it very difficult to be without anxiety. Often times I feel like this is just the way that I am, this is the way that God has made me. If you are struggling with anxiety this morning, if you have moments of your life that you are fearful of what is going to happen next or how you are going to find your way through a certain situation, this morning’s message is for you!
There are two commandments that we will look at this morning as we walk through this passage together, two requirements of a Christian that Paul writes of. The first commandment given to all Christians can be found in verse 4.
Rejoice in the Lord always. This means that regardless of the day, whether it is dark or bright, whether it is difficult or easy, whether it brings problems and temptations or a clear path to success. We are commanded to rejoice. He repeats it, in case we missed it the first time: “again I say, Rejoice.”
Joy is something that we cannot produce ourselves; it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, sometimes we forget this! Many of us are familiar with the fruit of the Spirit, we rattle it off and go on with our lives, Galatians 5:22-33; “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This same chapter in Galatians gives a list of the characteristics that oppose the fruits of the Spirit and goes on to warn that “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God”. I would urge you to read Galatians chapter 5 this next week and gauge where you stand with the fruits of the Spirit. Gauge where you stand in your joyfulness.
You see, you can’t be a Christian with power if you lack joy, that’s what gets up the steam. Joy in the Lord is the source of power. A successful salesman is a happy one. None of us have ever gone into a store to buy something and had some sad salesman begin to cry on our shoulder when we asked about something in the store! Of course not. He begins to smile and tell us how wonderful hisproduct is. On the same hand, how can we be good witnesses of what Christ is if we are not joyful, if the world cannot see the joy within our lives of the power that is Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior?
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Paul believed that the Lord would soon return and he wanted to remind others of this truth. We should be willing and eager to do the same with joyful hearts.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
In his inaugural address Franklin Roosevelt said: “let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance”. Perhaps this is where you are today. We have no lack of things to be fearful of and to be anxious about. But, you see, Paul took a different approach, which is where we find our second commandment of the passage.
Paul says that we are to worry about nothing because we are to pray about everything. This means that we are to talk to the Lord about everything in our lives. Nothing should be left out. If joy in the Lord is the source of power, prayer is the secret of the power.
The word “petition” caught my eye as I read this verse, by prayer and petition, other versions use the word “supplication” but I like the word petition. If we have a request, a need, God says bring it to me, I want to know what you desire, I want to know what needs you have so that I can meet them. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to “approach the throne of grace, the throne of God, with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” When we think of a petition we think of a list of names brought before a person or a committee to show support or displeasure over something. When I think of praying by petition I think of bringing my request before God day after day, I think of sharing my requests with others and asking them to pray for me and with me over this request until I am clear on the Lord’s answer. ”. And God answers every request that we bring before Him, sometimes the answer is not yet, sometimes it’s just no. Often times the best answers that we receive for our requests is no. A prayer by petition lets the Lord know that this need is important enough to you to talk to Him about, that you believe that He is your source of hope, that you believe He is able to meet this need and you are trusting in Him to do so.
As believers we need to get in the habit of bringing everything to Him in prayer, nothing excluded. And Paul says that when we go to God with a request, thank Him. Thank Him right then and there. Paul never lets prayer become a leap in the dark. It rests on a foundation.
Romans 10:17 says that faith comes through hearing and hearing comes from the Word of God. Prayer rests on faith and faith rests on the word of God. Romans 5 says “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ , through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”
Given these two commandments, what is the outcome? What will follow? Paul tells us in verse 7.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:7)
The Scripture speaks of other kinds of peace which we can understand. There is world peace. We have the assurance that someday peace will cover the earth as waters cover the sea. And it will come through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Jesus said in John 14:27; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
As we close this morning allow me to summarize by saying, prayer does change things. But that is not the primary purpose of prayer. We entered this passage in anxiety, with worry, and we come out of the passage with peace. Between the two was prayer. Have things changed? Not really. The storm may still be raging, the waves still rolling high, the thunder still resounding. In our anxiety we want God to change everything around us. “Give us this.” “Don’t let this happen.” “Open up this door.” We should be praying, “Oh God, change me.” Prayer is the secret of power. We enter with worry, we can come out with peace. Joy is the source of power, prayer is the secret of power.