I just finished reading through the Bible in 2007. It's not my first time. I have done this a few times before. The question, I ask now is where do I go from here? Well, it's time to start over and do it again in 2008.
When I was in Seminary, I remember a professor telling our class that we had better know God's Word better than anyone else in our church. I have taken that word to heart and have made it a priority to read through the Scriptures each year.
Looking back at 2007 it has been a good year and a difficult year. God has brought many blessings into my life this last year. It was the first full year in our new home in Maple Park. Our daughter Abby grew in so many ways, and is so fun to be around. She is continually taking on a new adventure in life.
2007 has been a year of refining. I see 2008 as a year of transition. I envision some big changes on the way. Some are pleasant and others may not be so pleasant.
As I shared in my Christmas Eve sermon, I am praying for disappointment in 2008. What I mean by that is that I am praying that God would take my small plans and replace them with his bigger plans. Not my will be done, but his.
I am praying for faith. I envision there are some steps of faith to be taken in the next year. I pray for a strong trust to take the steps that need to be taken.
Whatever will come to be in the next year, I know it will be good. I know that it is all part of God's plan whether I like it or not.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
God's Word in 2008
As 2007 comes to a close, we have got two more great worship opportunities at Lord of Life. Sunday morning our Lord of Life Youth will be leading worship and we will also welcome back a special guest, our former worship leader, Chad Negley. And finally, on New Year’s Eve we’ve got worship at 7pm as we look to move forward in 2008.
Speaking of 2008, I hope that you will consider joining me in reading through the Bible. For the last few years I have used the popular One Year Bible reading plan (www.oneyearbibleonline.com). I will be using this plan once again, and invite you to join in this journey through the Word. I will also make sure to post the listed readings for each day in my blog (www.pastorpr.blogspot.com) and also in our Sunday morning bulletin at Lord of Life.
If you have never attempted to read through the Bible before, my suggestion would be to set a goal in 2008 to read through just the New Testament and not the entire Bible. The entire Bible is a big investment and when you get a little behind it becomes easy to get frustrated and give up. The New Testament is something that is very manageable and if you get behind it doesn’t take that much to catch up.
Another option for going through the New Testament would be to use the audio Bibles that have been distributed at Lord of Life the last few weekends. The “You’ve Got the Time” listening plan is a 40 day plan that takes 28 minutes each day. There are still a handful of copies available in the Fellowship Center.
God’s blessings in 2008,
Phil Ressler
Pastor
Lord of Life Church
(630) 513-5325 ext. 39
web: www.lolchurch.net
email: pressler@lolchurch.net
blog: www.pastorpr.blogspot.com
---------------------------------------------------------
Readings for Next Week:
January
Tuesday
01 Genesis 1:1-2:25
Matthew 1:1-2:12
Psalm 1:1-6
Proverbs 1:1-6
Wednesday
02 Genesis 3:1-4:26
Matthew 2:13-3:6
Psalm 2:1-12
Proverbs 1:7-9
Thursday
03 Genesis 5:1-7:24
Matthew 3:7-4:11
Psalm 3:1-8
Proverbs 1:10-19
Friday
04 Genesis 8:1-10:32
Matthew 4:12-25
Psalm 4:1-8
Proverbs 1:20-23
Saturday
05 Genesis 11:1-13:4
Matthew 5:1-26
Psalm 5:1-12
Proverbs 1:24-28
Speaking of 2008, I hope that you will consider joining me in reading through the Bible. For the last few years I have used the popular One Year Bible reading plan (www.oneyearbibleonline.com). I will be using this plan once again, and invite you to join in this journey through the Word. I will also make sure to post the listed readings for each day in my blog (www.pastorpr.blogspot.com) and also in our Sunday morning bulletin at Lord of Life.
If you have never attempted to read through the Bible before, my suggestion would be to set a goal in 2008 to read through just the New Testament and not the entire Bible. The entire Bible is a big investment and when you get a little behind it becomes easy to get frustrated and give up. The New Testament is something that is very manageable and if you get behind it doesn’t take that much to catch up.
Another option for going through the New Testament would be to use the audio Bibles that have been distributed at Lord of Life the last few weekends. The “You’ve Got the Time” listening plan is a 40 day plan that takes 28 minutes each day. There are still a handful of copies available in the Fellowship Center.
God’s blessings in 2008,
Phil Ressler
Pastor
Lord of Life Church
(630) 513-5325 ext. 39
web: www.lolchurch.net
email: pressler@lolchurch.net
blog: www.pastorpr.blogspot.com
---------------------------------------------------------
Readings for Next Week:
January
Tuesday
01 Genesis 1:1-2:25
Matthew 1:1-2:12
Psalm 1:1-6
Proverbs 1:1-6
Wednesday
02 Genesis 3:1-4:26
Matthew 2:13-3:6
Psalm 2:1-12
Proverbs 1:7-9
Thursday
03 Genesis 5:1-7:24
Matthew 3:7-4:11
Psalm 3:1-8
Proverbs 1:10-19
Friday
04 Genesis 8:1-10:32
Matthew 4:12-25
Psalm 4:1-8
Proverbs 1:20-23
Saturday
05 Genesis 11:1-13:4
Matthew 5:1-26
Psalm 5:1-12
Proverbs 1:24-28
A Christmas Eve Sermon: Disappointing Blessing
One of the most interesting emails distribution lists I subscribe to is from a website called spaceweather.com. The emails provide alerts to interesting astronomical phenomena that are visible in different parts of the world. Meteor Showers, Aurora Borealis (also known as Northern Lights), Comets. When God decides to put on a show, I get an email to alert me in my inbox. I think these things are fascinating. If I didn’t receive these emails, I imagine I would miss out a great majority of these phenomena just the same as most other people.
I received an alert recently that tonight, in the spirit of the Christmas star, God had a surprise up his sleeve.
The Christmas full moon, here is a picture of the moon.
A beautiful image. NASA is currently making plans to once again return to the moon. While most of us will never set foot on the moon, this Christmas is one the best looks we will ever get of it. In the sky is the highest, brightest full moon that will be visible until the year 2023.
What is more, the planet of Mars, you know earth’ next door neighbor, the little red planet, here it is on the screen, is in perfect opposition from the sun with the earth right in the middle. And because of the orbits of both Mars and Earth, Mars will be closer to earth tonight than it will be in the next nine years. It is only a mere 55 million miles away. Just a hop, skip, and a jump away. I was reading that even amateur astronomers may be able to see some of the geographical features of the red planet with a good telescope.
It’s God’s little surprise and I don’t think it is any coincidence that he set these astronomical occurrences to take place on this night of all nights. It brings to memory another sight he put in the sky that first Christmas. I recently wrote in my blog online about this ‘if we don’t cry out this Christmas, at least the heaven will.’
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1
It all got me thinking what it must have been like to have seen that first Christmas star when it appeared in the sky. When we visualize the Christmas star, many of us likely visualize an image that looks something like this:
We visualize this star shining almost as brightly as the sun, radiating directly down upon the tiny stable in Bethlehem, illuminating the holy family and the baby Jesus. But was this reality?
There are lots of different theories about what the Christmas star was – a comet, a convergence of planets, or maybe a nebula (the formation of a star). Yet, another possibility is that God just put it in the sky. It was just simply the light of God shining down on the earth.
The Christmas star certainly drew the attention of the wise men, also known as Magi, who were astronomers. But while it drew the attention of these ancient scientists, and likely made them all giddy, it likely went unnoticed to the general public. Just like today, a lot of things that make astronomers excited, really don’t get the general public all that enthused.
The Christmas star is probably was a little disappointing compared to the grand vision of the star that we carry with us. But that reality was that there was a lot that was disappointing things about that first Christmas. If we were to really see it for what it was, it really failed to live up to the expectations of so many.
Such an important figure to be born in such an unheralded way! The fulfillment of more than 1500 years of prophecy. The long expected Christ. The long expected Messiah. He wasn’t born in a palace. There were no trumpets sounded to announce his birth. He was born and life just kind of went on. No one really took notice, except for a few shepherds.
I would imagine that the first Christmas is not the only thing that is disappointing in the world. For many of you, the holiday, is a bitter disappointment. Maybe you don’t find that present under the tree you hoped to find. The perfect family gathering you spent weeks preparing for was a disaster.
It seems to me that every year that all the hype leading up to Christmas remains so unfulfilled. I chuckle when the radio station that has been playing Christmas songs since the end of October suddenly goes back to their regular music before Christmas day is even over. All the hype, leading up to such an anti-climatic ending. All this in spite of the fact that the 12 days of Christmas is now just beginning and will conclude in the beginning of January.
Maybe you have experienced a more significant disappointment. Maybe this is the first Christmas that you will experience apart from a loved one. Maybe as this year draws to a close, you realize that what you hoped 2007 would have been, did not come to be. Or maybe there is a relationship that you had high hopes for, just crumbled and fell apart.
Life is filled with disappointment. And there are certainly times when life does not meet our expectations. Times where we say, “Is that it?”
It’s only a little baby in a manger, in a stable. Is that it? Couldn’t God have done better? We expect the extraordinary from God! Not the ordinary!
So why doesn’t God meet our expectations?
First, he doesn’t meet our expectations because we are not Him.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
In our humanness we do not even begin to grasp the mind of God. He is just on an entirely different plane and level.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 1 Corinthians 1:25
There is really no comparison of our minds to the mind of God, even our grandest thought or ideas we can’t even begin to compare with God, we are not even on the same scale.
Another reason God does not always work in the way that we expect is because it gives us an opportunity to put our faith in him.
Anyone thirsty? If you need a drink, you might go to the vending machine. Pop your quarters into the coin slot. Make your selection and out pops your drink.
But that is the way that I think a lot of people view God. We perceive him operating much in the same way a vending machine operates. We put our change in, we make our choice, and then out pops what we have chosen. Sometimes the wrong item comes out of the machine and we get upset, and we blame the machine that it is broken.
In much the same way, we send our prayers and requests up to heaven. When God hears our prayers he answers our prayers according to our request. But when God’s answer doesn’t match our request, we feel frustrated and upset at God for not meeting our expectations.
I can almost here God saying when he doesn’t match our expectations, trust me, trust me. You may not understand right now at this given moment. None of this may make sense. But trust, down the road, looking back everything will be so clear.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. John 14:1
A few weeks back when we had our first big snow, I wanted to take my 2 year old daughter Abby sledding for the first time. She was all excited and we got our snow suits on.
But when we got to the hill we started to climb to the top, but I could tell that Abby was starting to get scared. Now I didn’t say it in those exact words, “Trust me.” But that was essentially what I was saying. I assured her that everything would be ok, that her daddy would be there to protect her, and that it would be a lot of fun.
She went reluctantly, but she went. When we got to the top of the hill she didn’t want to sit down on my lap on the sled. No daddy, no daddy, I don’t want to. But I grabbed her anyways and pushed off down the hill we went.
Yeah, wee. We got to the bottom. Daddy, that was fun, can we do it again. I could have said, you see, just trust me!
I imagine God does that a lot with us. Just trust me. It my be scary, it might be difficult, I might not be doing this the way you want to do it, but just know that my way is higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.
I think of Mary and Joseph. Certainly things did not work out the way that they planned. It all started when she was found to be with a child that was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Then there was the census that took Mary and Joseph from their hometown to Bethlehem and even later down into Egypt, before retuning to Nazareth.
But God had a plan that no one could fathom on that first Christmas night. God had plans for this baby that would change the world forever.
Years later, Jesus would die upon a cross. For those who followed Jesus it was something that they had not expected or anticipated. Certainly they were disappointed with what had happened.
After Jesus had died one the disciples on the road to Emmaus was quoted as saying: "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Luke 24:19-21
You see their plan was not God’s plan. But the bitter disappointment of Good Friday, made possible the great surprise of Easter Sunday.
In 2008, I have got a prayer. My prayer is that God will bitterly disappoint me. I pray that he will replace my plans with his plans. My ways for his ways. I pray that he will take me out of the driver seat and that he will assume the proper place.
I pray for faith to trust, that no matter what may or may not happen, that I will know that God has a plan to bring blessing into my life and your life.
I received an alert recently that tonight, in the spirit of the Christmas star, God had a surprise up his sleeve.
The Christmas full moon, here is a picture of the moon.
A beautiful image. NASA is currently making plans to once again return to the moon. While most of us will never set foot on the moon, this Christmas is one the best looks we will ever get of it. In the sky is the highest, brightest full moon that will be visible until the year 2023.
What is more, the planet of Mars, you know earth’ next door neighbor, the little red planet, here it is on the screen, is in perfect opposition from the sun with the earth right in the middle. And because of the orbits of both Mars and Earth, Mars will be closer to earth tonight than it will be in the next nine years. It is only a mere 55 million miles away. Just a hop, skip, and a jump away. I was reading that even amateur astronomers may be able to see some of the geographical features of the red planet with a good telescope.
It’s God’s little surprise and I don’t think it is any coincidence that he set these astronomical occurrences to take place on this night of all nights. It brings to memory another sight he put in the sky that first Christmas. I recently wrote in my blog online about this ‘if we don’t cry out this Christmas, at least the heaven will.’
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1
It all got me thinking what it must have been like to have seen that first Christmas star when it appeared in the sky. When we visualize the Christmas star, many of us likely visualize an image that looks something like this:
We visualize this star shining almost as brightly as the sun, radiating directly down upon the tiny stable in Bethlehem, illuminating the holy family and the baby Jesus. But was this reality?
There are lots of different theories about what the Christmas star was – a comet, a convergence of planets, or maybe a nebula (the formation of a star). Yet, another possibility is that God just put it in the sky. It was just simply the light of God shining down on the earth.
The Christmas star certainly drew the attention of the wise men, also known as Magi, who were astronomers. But while it drew the attention of these ancient scientists, and likely made them all giddy, it likely went unnoticed to the general public. Just like today, a lot of things that make astronomers excited, really don’t get the general public all that enthused.
The Christmas star is probably was a little disappointing compared to the grand vision of the star that we carry with us. But that reality was that there was a lot that was disappointing things about that first Christmas. If we were to really see it for what it was, it really failed to live up to the expectations of so many.
Such an important figure to be born in such an unheralded way! The fulfillment of more than 1500 years of prophecy. The long expected Christ. The long expected Messiah. He wasn’t born in a palace. There were no trumpets sounded to announce his birth. He was born and life just kind of went on. No one really took notice, except for a few shepherds.
I would imagine that the first Christmas is not the only thing that is disappointing in the world. For many of you, the holiday, is a bitter disappointment. Maybe you don’t find that present under the tree you hoped to find. The perfect family gathering you spent weeks preparing for was a disaster.
It seems to me that every year that all the hype leading up to Christmas remains so unfulfilled. I chuckle when the radio station that has been playing Christmas songs since the end of October suddenly goes back to their regular music before Christmas day is even over. All the hype, leading up to such an anti-climatic ending. All this in spite of the fact that the 12 days of Christmas is now just beginning and will conclude in the beginning of January.
Maybe you have experienced a more significant disappointment. Maybe this is the first Christmas that you will experience apart from a loved one. Maybe as this year draws to a close, you realize that what you hoped 2007 would have been, did not come to be. Or maybe there is a relationship that you had high hopes for, just crumbled and fell apart.
Life is filled with disappointment. And there are certainly times when life does not meet our expectations. Times where we say, “Is that it?”
It’s only a little baby in a manger, in a stable. Is that it? Couldn’t God have done better? We expect the extraordinary from God! Not the ordinary!
So why doesn’t God meet our expectations?
First, he doesn’t meet our expectations because we are not Him.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
In our humanness we do not even begin to grasp the mind of God. He is just on an entirely different plane and level.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 1 Corinthians 1:25
There is really no comparison of our minds to the mind of God, even our grandest thought or ideas we can’t even begin to compare with God, we are not even on the same scale.
Another reason God does not always work in the way that we expect is because it gives us an opportunity to put our faith in him.
Anyone thirsty? If you need a drink, you might go to the vending machine. Pop your quarters into the coin slot. Make your selection and out pops your drink.
But that is the way that I think a lot of people view God. We perceive him operating much in the same way a vending machine operates. We put our change in, we make our choice, and then out pops what we have chosen. Sometimes the wrong item comes out of the machine and we get upset, and we blame the machine that it is broken.
In much the same way, we send our prayers and requests up to heaven. When God hears our prayers he answers our prayers according to our request. But when God’s answer doesn’t match our request, we feel frustrated and upset at God for not meeting our expectations.
I can almost here God saying when he doesn’t match our expectations, trust me, trust me. You may not understand right now at this given moment. None of this may make sense. But trust, down the road, looking back everything will be so clear.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. John 14:1
A few weeks back when we had our first big snow, I wanted to take my 2 year old daughter Abby sledding for the first time. She was all excited and we got our snow suits on.
But when we got to the hill we started to climb to the top, but I could tell that Abby was starting to get scared. Now I didn’t say it in those exact words, “Trust me.” But that was essentially what I was saying. I assured her that everything would be ok, that her daddy would be there to protect her, and that it would be a lot of fun.
She went reluctantly, but she went. When we got to the top of the hill she didn’t want to sit down on my lap on the sled. No daddy, no daddy, I don’t want to. But I grabbed her anyways and pushed off down the hill we went.
Yeah, wee. We got to the bottom. Daddy, that was fun, can we do it again. I could have said, you see, just trust me!
I imagine God does that a lot with us. Just trust me. It my be scary, it might be difficult, I might not be doing this the way you want to do it, but just know that my way is higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.
I think of Mary and Joseph. Certainly things did not work out the way that they planned. It all started when she was found to be with a child that was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Then there was the census that took Mary and Joseph from their hometown to Bethlehem and even later down into Egypt, before retuning to Nazareth.
But God had a plan that no one could fathom on that first Christmas night. God had plans for this baby that would change the world forever.
Years later, Jesus would die upon a cross. For those who followed Jesus it was something that they had not expected or anticipated. Certainly they were disappointed with what had happened.
After Jesus had died one the disciples on the road to Emmaus was quoted as saying: "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Luke 24:19-21
You see their plan was not God’s plan. But the bitter disappointment of Good Friday, made possible the great surprise of Easter Sunday.
In 2008, I have got a prayer. My prayer is that God will bitterly disappoint me. I pray that he will replace my plans with his plans. My ways for his ways. I pray that he will take me out of the driver seat and that he will assume the proper place.
I pray for faith to trust, that no matter what may or may not happen, that I will know that God has a plan to bring blessing into my life and your life.
A Stewardship Sermon on the Parable of the Talents
Entrusted
We are going to look at the story of the talents this morning. It was a story Jesus told about a master going on a journey. When the master leaves, the NIV text in Matthew 25:14 says that the master entrusted his property to his servants.
Entrust! That is an interesting word. The very word itself conveys the idea of trust. We talk a lot in church about putting our trust in God.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
So put your trust in God! But have you ever thought about this in reverse? Have you ever thought about God putting his trust in you?
You have been given what you have – everything – because God trusts you. He trusts you with your children, your money, your body, and your time. It is all God’s in the first place, but he trusts you enough that you will make the best use of all these blessings that you possibly can.
So when we mismanage what God has put into our lives, we are betraying God’s trust in us, and we are letting him down. Just as the master entrusted his servants with his property, so God entrusts us with what is his.
Richly Blessed
In 25:15 it says that the master gave one servant 5 talents, to another servant 2 talents, and a third servant 1 talent. Now I want you to know what a talent was. A talent was a sum of money in the ancient world in Jesus time.
A talent was no small amount of money. It is really hard to give you a modern day equivalent of just how much money this was, because of inflation the shifting value of money.
But let me do my best. In Jesus day, the common form of money was a denarius. A denarius was one single days wage for the common laborer. So if you worked a 5 or 6 day work week, you would earn 5 or 6 denarii.
A talent was equal to about 6000 denarii. So what the master entrusted these servants with was more than 16 years worth of wages for each talent. This is a truly significant amount of money to look after. It truly demonstrates the trust that the master is putting into these servants.
What is the point here? God is not in the business of giving insignificant gifts. Yes, there are some people who have more, some people who have less, but every single person is blessed in some significant way by God.
Contentment
It might have been very easy for the guy who had only been given one talent to look at the guy with 5 talents and to have been a little jealous. We do that often. We are jealous of what we don’t have, rather than recognizing the great blessing we do have. This servant had been given a talent. A tremendous sum of money.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6
It is when we start to compare ourselves to others that we loose any godliness and contentment we might possess. Because the problem is that we usually compare ourselves with those who have more, rather than those who have less.
Rather than have a heart of compassion towards those who have less, we develop a heart of jealousy towards those who have more.
If we don’t enjoy what we have got, we are not going to enjoy what we don’t. When we receive more, there is always more. There is always someone out there that has more than us.
I came across this verse last week from Proverbs. It says:
Give me neither poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread. Proverbs 30:8
There is great, great wisdom in these words. The writer of Proverbs is asking God to give him just enough, but not so much that his life spins out of control. He goes on to say: “Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’”
So often we want more. But God knows that we don’t need more, but rather we need to learn to be content with what we do have and also to learn to properly manage that which we do have in our lives. He does not want us to go beyond the point were we begin to rely more upon our money and our things rather than him.
It says he gave to his servants, each according to his ability. God is not going to give us more than we can handle! Remember, the Scripture says, that he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. Sometimes this means giving us less rather than more. The more we have, comes greater temptation! Thank God that you don’t have more than what you do have, and that you have just the right amount to nurture your relationship, faith, and trust in him.
Failure is not an option
25:16-17 The first two servants went off and it says they put the money to work. What is the result – they discover a profit. Here is the point – if we put to work, what God has entrusted us with, we cannot fail.
I always wondered about what would have happened in this story if one of the servants had put the money to work, but produced a loss. What would of happened if the first servant put his 5 talents to work, and ended up producing only 3?
Why does Jesus not address this potential situation in this story? I believe here that Jesus silence is the key! When we invest in the kingdom there is always a payback. We say it often, that we cannot out give God.
We give God our minutes, he will multiply our minutes. We give God our skill and he will enhance and refine our skill. We give God our treasures to God, and he just has this way of removing expenses.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10
Investing in the kingdom will bring back a return. There is no doubt about it!
Keep in mind, we don’t give to God in order to get something back in return. The reason we give time, treasure, and talent to Jesus is because it is a way that we honor him and thank him for what he has done for us and how much he loved us to die on the cross for us. We give because we want to do what is best with that which he has entrusted us with.
Advance or Defend
25:18 - This third servant goes off and hides his master’s money. He hides what has been entrusted to him. For the longest time I read this, and it really didn’t make much sense to me. It seemed that what this servant did with the money was not all that bad. He focused on preserving what he had been given.
But that was exactly the problem. God is not as interested in us preserving what we have, but rather using what we have, sharing what we have, and building the kingdom.
We are not called to hide our faith, but to show our faith. In another part of Matthew, Jesus says:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
Did you catch that? It cannot be hidden.
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Letting your light shine is an investment. There is a cost involved in letting the light shine. But as you shine that light, there is a return. They will see! They will hear! They will praise your Father in heaven!
Return of the King
25:19 So after a long time the master returns. We have been waiting awhile now for Jesus to return. Almost 2000 years! But we know he will return. It is important we be ready.
We wait now and it seems Jesus may never return. And many live their lives as if Jesus may never return. They live there lives as if there will certainly be a tomorrow and a day after that. They live their lives as if there was not a master, there was not God.
But as Pastor Barry shared with us last week – there is coming a time called “too late.” A time when there is no taking back and what is done is done. No second chances.
On Friday night I officiated a funeral for a 17 year old. We never know when our life might be taken from us. All it takes is a drunk driver, a slip on the ice . . . the lives we live our delicate. And keep in mind Jesus might just return.
Faithfulness
It says the master will settle his accounts with his servants. So the first servant brings the before the master what he was entrusted with, but also the increase he had been blessed with. The second servant does the same.
Both men are complimented, and are promptly entrusted with more. The master says, “you have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many more things.”
Remember 5 talents is a tremendous amount of money, but the master said he would put them in charge of more. Do you want God to entrust you with more? Well it starts with being faithful with what you have now.
Are you managing what God has entrusted you with in a way that honors God? Because if you are not using what you already have in a God honoring way, there is no guarantee that God will give you more.
Debt
Studying this parable I began to think about the tremendous amount of debt that so many Americans are burdened with. Often times this debt is a result of poor choices and mismanaging what God has entrusted us with.
It is a time of the year when many people put themselves in debt buying Christmas presents and other expenses. We have given into the marketing that tells us we need to buy all this stuff in order to show other people that we care about them and to make us happy. All of those holiday offers to buy now and pay later, that entice us because why, because we are not content with what we have. I recently read that 10% of adults still have to pay off what they owe from last Christmas.
Do we really honor Jesus, when we put ourselves in debt to buy so much stuff that we so often don’t really need in the first place? I think it really saddens Jesus, what so many Christians have made his birthday about.
Many of us need repentance in this area of our lives. We need to cut up our credit cards. We can’t pay off our debt when we keep adding to our debt. We need to learn to be content no matter what our situation or circumstances might be. We also need to tithe.
I was listening to a preacher recently who was talking about tithing out of debt. If we believe tithing honors God, and that God will bless us in areas of our life where we honor him. How can we not tithe?
The greatest debt we have is the debt that Jesus purchased on the cross. And so we put that debt of salvation to be first and foremost in our lives. When we honor our debt to Jesus first and foremost just begin to fade away.
I am not saying that Jesus is going to pay your credit card bill. But to seek God’s blessing in a certain area of our life, it starts with honoring God in an area of our life.
In just a moment we are going to be receiving the offering. We have used this prayer in the past here at Lord of Life. I really like what it says, because it puts it all into perspective.
As we receive today’s offering we are believing the Lord for:
Jobs . . . and better jobs.
Raises and bonuses
Benefits
Sales and commissions
Favorable settlements
Estates and inheritances
Interest and income
Rebates and returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts and surprises
Finding money
Bills paid off
Bills decreased
Blessing and Increase
Great relationships with family and friends
A great relationship with Jesus.
Thank you Lord for meeting all of my financial needs that I may have more than enough to give into the kingdom of God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Amen.
In conclusion, there is something very important to point out. Ultimately, what Jesus is talking about in the parable of the talents is not time, treasure, or talent. What he is talking about is faith.
Each of who believe in Jesus as Savior has been given a certain measure of faith. Today we have a choice. To put our faith to work, to use our faith.
I would imagine that as we enter into a new year, that God might be calling you to take a step of faith. I am not certain what exactly that step of faith might be. For each of us it is unique.
The choice is yours to hold your ground, plant your feet in the ground and stay right where you are at or to take that step of faith and to let God give you increase.
We are going to look at the story of the talents this morning. It was a story Jesus told about a master going on a journey. When the master leaves, the NIV text in Matthew 25:14 says that the master entrusted his property to his servants.
Entrust! That is an interesting word. The very word itself conveys the idea of trust. We talk a lot in church about putting our trust in God.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
So put your trust in God! But have you ever thought about this in reverse? Have you ever thought about God putting his trust in you?
You have been given what you have – everything – because God trusts you. He trusts you with your children, your money, your body, and your time. It is all God’s in the first place, but he trusts you enough that you will make the best use of all these blessings that you possibly can.
So when we mismanage what God has put into our lives, we are betraying God’s trust in us, and we are letting him down. Just as the master entrusted his servants with his property, so God entrusts us with what is his.
Richly Blessed
In 25:15 it says that the master gave one servant 5 talents, to another servant 2 talents, and a third servant 1 talent. Now I want you to know what a talent was. A talent was a sum of money in the ancient world in Jesus time.
A talent was no small amount of money. It is really hard to give you a modern day equivalent of just how much money this was, because of inflation the shifting value of money.
But let me do my best. In Jesus day, the common form of money was a denarius. A denarius was one single days wage for the common laborer. So if you worked a 5 or 6 day work week, you would earn 5 or 6 denarii.
A talent was equal to about 6000 denarii. So what the master entrusted these servants with was more than 16 years worth of wages for each talent. This is a truly significant amount of money to look after. It truly demonstrates the trust that the master is putting into these servants.
What is the point here? God is not in the business of giving insignificant gifts. Yes, there are some people who have more, some people who have less, but every single person is blessed in some significant way by God.
Contentment
It might have been very easy for the guy who had only been given one talent to look at the guy with 5 talents and to have been a little jealous. We do that often. We are jealous of what we don’t have, rather than recognizing the great blessing we do have. This servant had been given a talent. A tremendous sum of money.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6
It is when we start to compare ourselves to others that we loose any godliness and contentment we might possess. Because the problem is that we usually compare ourselves with those who have more, rather than those who have less.
Rather than have a heart of compassion towards those who have less, we develop a heart of jealousy towards those who have more.
If we don’t enjoy what we have got, we are not going to enjoy what we don’t. When we receive more, there is always more. There is always someone out there that has more than us.
I came across this verse last week from Proverbs. It says:
Give me neither poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread. Proverbs 30:8
There is great, great wisdom in these words. The writer of Proverbs is asking God to give him just enough, but not so much that his life spins out of control. He goes on to say: “Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’”
So often we want more. But God knows that we don’t need more, but rather we need to learn to be content with what we do have and also to learn to properly manage that which we do have in our lives. He does not want us to go beyond the point were we begin to rely more upon our money and our things rather than him.
It says he gave to his servants, each according to his ability. God is not going to give us more than we can handle! Remember, the Scripture says, that he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. Sometimes this means giving us less rather than more. The more we have, comes greater temptation! Thank God that you don’t have more than what you do have, and that you have just the right amount to nurture your relationship, faith, and trust in him.
Failure is not an option
25:16-17 The first two servants went off and it says they put the money to work. What is the result – they discover a profit. Here is the point – if we put to work, what God has entrusted us with, we cannot fail.
I always wondered about what would have happened in this story if one of the servants had put the money to work, but produced a loss. What would of happened if the first servant put his 5 talents to work, and ended up producing only 3?
Why does Jesus not address this potential situation in this story? I believe here that Jesus silence is the key! When we invest in the kingdom there is always a payback. We say it often, that we cannot out give God.
We give God our minutes, he will multiply our minutes. We give God our skill and he will enhance and refine our skill. We give God our treasures to God, and he just has this way of removing expenses.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10
Investing in the kingdom will bring back a return. There is no doubt about it!
Keep in mind, we don’t give to God in order to get something back in return. The reason we give time, treasure, and talent to Jesus is because it is a way that we honor him and thank him for what he has done for us and how much he loved us to die on the cross for us. We give because we want to do what is best with that which he has entrusted us with.
Advance or Defend
25:18 - This third servant goes off and hides his master’s money. He hides what has been entrusted to him. For the longest time I read this, and it really didn’t make much sense to me. It seemed that what this servant did with the money was not all that bad. He focused on preserving what he had been given.
But that was exactly the problem. God is not as interested in us preserving what we have, but rather using what we have, sharing what we have, and building the kingdom.
We are not called to hide our faith, but to show our faith. In another part of Matthew, Jesus says:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
Did you catch that? It cannot be hidden.
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Letting your light shine is an investment. There is a cost involved in letting the light shine. But as you shine that light, there is a return. They will see! They will hear! They will praise your Father in heaven!
Return of the King
25:19 So after a long time the master returns. We have been waiting awhile now for Jesus to return. Almost 2000 years! But we know he will return. It is important we be ready.
We wait now and it seems Jesus may never return. And many live their lives as if Jesus may never return. They live there lives as if there will certainly be a tomorrow and a day after that. They live their lives as if there was not a master, there was not God.
But as Pastor Barry shared with us last week – there is coming a time called “too late.” A time when there is no taking back and what is done is done. No second chances.
On Friday night I officiated a funeral for a 17 year old. We never know when our life might be taken from us. All it takes is a drunk driver, a slip on the ice . . . the lives we live our delicate. And keep in mind Jesus might just return.
Faithfulness
It says the master will settle his accounts with his servants. So the first servant brings the before the master what he was entrusted with, but also the increase he had been blessed with. The second servant does the same.
Both men are complimented, and are promptly entrusted with more. The master says, “you have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many more things.”
Remember 5 talents is a tremendous amount of money, but the master said he would put them in charge of more. Do you want God to entrust you with more? Well it starts with being faithful with what you have now.
Are you managing what God has entrusted you with in a way that honors God? Because if you are not using what you already have in a God honoring way, there is no guarantee that God will give you more.
Debt
Studying this parable I began to think about the tremendous amount of debt that so many Americans are burdened with. Often times this debt is a result of poor choices and mismanaging what God has entrusted us with.
It is a time of the year when many people put themselves in debt buying Christmas presents and other expenses. We have given into the marketing that tells us we need to buy all this stuff in order to show other people that we care about them and to make us happy. All of those holiday offers to buy now and pay later, that entice us because why, because we are not content with what we have. I recently read that 10% of adults still have to pay off what they owe from last Christmas.
Do we really honor Jesus, when we put ourselves in debt to buy so much stuff that we so often don’t really need in the first place? I think it really saddens Jesus, what so many Christians have made his birthday about.
Many of us need repentance in this area of our lives. We need to cut up our credit cards. We can’t pay off our debt when we keep adding to our debt. We need to learn to be content no matter what our situation or circumstances might be. We also need to tithe.
I was listening to a preacher recently who was talking about tithing out of debt. If we believe tithing honors God, and that God will bless us in areas of our life where we honor him. How can we not tithe?
The greatest debt we have is the debt that Jesus purchased on the cross. And so we put that debt of salvation to be first and foremost in our lives. When we honor our debt to Jesus first and foremost just begin to fade away.
I am not saying that Jesus is going to pay your credit card bill. But to seek God’s blessing in a certain area of our life, it starts with honoring God in an area of our life.
In just a moment we are going to be receiving the offering. We have used this prayer in the past here at Lord of Life. I really like what it says, because it puts it all into perspective.
As we receive today’s offering we are believing the Lord for:
Jobs . . . and better jobs.
Raises and bonuses
Benefits
Sales and commissions
Favorable settlements
Estates and inheritances
Interest and income
Rebates and returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts and surprises
Finding money
Bills paid off
Bills decreased
Blessing and Increase
Great relationships with family and friends
A great relationship with Jesus.
Thank you Lord for meeting all of my financial needs that I may have more than enough to give into the kingdom of God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Amen.
In conclusion, there is something very important to point out. Ultimately, what Jesus is talking about in the parable of the talents is not time, treasure, or talent. What he is talking about is faith.
Each of who believe in Jesus as Savior has been given a certain measure of faith. Today we have a choice. To put our faith to work, to use our faith.
I would imagine that as we enter into a new year, that God might be calling you to take a step of faith. I am not certain what exactly that step of faith might be. For each of us it is unique.
The choice is yours to hold your ground, plant your feet in the ground and stay right where you are at or to take that step of faith and to let God give you increase.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The Heavens Declare
Sounds like the heavens are putting on a display for the celebration of Jesus birthday. If we don't cry out, at least they will.
I am sure the timing of all this is just coincidence, just like the Christmas star. =) I also think God is the one to thank and not Fido.
From nasa's website:
I am sure the timing of all this is just coincidence, just like the Christmas star. =) I also think God is the one to thank and not Fido.
From nasa's website:
Dec. 24, 2007: It's Christmas Eve, and you're snuggled cozily in your den. A glowing fire gently crackles and pops in the fireplace, and your head starts to droop as you nod off. Just then, something cold and wet nudges your cheek. You open your eyes to stare directly into a large black nose. It's time to take the dog for his walk.
Grumbling in vain, you put on your coat, snap the leash onto the wiggling dog's collar, open the door to a rush of cold air. You step outside and enter a magical landscape.
The night isn't dark, it's glowing with a silvery-white light. Up above, the 98% full moon looks huge and clear in the azure sky. It just might be the brightest moon you've ever seen. That's because it's the highest-riding full moon until the year 2023.
Above: The Moon photographed by P-M Heden of Vallentuna, Sweden.
And not far from the beautiful moon glows fireplace-red Mars. This Christmas Eve, Mars is at its closest to Earth for the next nine years. Mars is also "at opposition." That's astronomy-lingo for "directly opposite the sun." It means Mars is up whenever the sun is down: on Christmas Eve, the Red Planet will be visible all night lon
As Christmas scenes go, it doesn't get much better. Gliding in formation across the sky, the moon and Mars seem so close you could almost reach up, grab the pair and bounce them down the street for Fido to retrieve.Or maybe you could lasso them, as George says in the movie It's a Wonderful Life. "Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey! That's a pretty good idea! I'll give you the moon, Mary...."
In the years ahead, NASA is going to lasso the moon. NASA's giant Ares rocket, still on the drawing board, will take form and then take mankind back to that brilliant silver orb where scientists will learn how to harness the moon's powers.
Plans are to establish a lunar base for exploration and use the moon's surface as a springboard to even further destinations. At the moon's poles there is evidence of hydrogen and perhaps actual water frozen in the soil. Furthermore, ordinary moonrocks are made of minerals that contain more than 40% oxygen. These are resources that can be used to produce rocket fuel, breathable air and a welcome drink on a dry, dusty world.
Maybe on some future Christmas Eve, one of us will step outside of our cozy lunar cabin and walk our space-suited dog with long, floating steps down some dusty lunar road. We'll look up and say, "There's a pretty full Earth tonight!"
But on this frosty Christmas Eve, your feet crunch Earth's cold ground with a crisp clear sound as you walk back toward the house looking up through the silvery stillness at the lovely moon and its bright partner, Mars. The only other sounds you hear are dog tags jingling like sleigh bells. Suddenly a shadow flits across the moon. A cloud? A plane? A sleigh! Maybe those were sleigh bells you heard!
Smiling to yourself, you open the door to go back inside, taking one last glance at the night sky and one of the loveliest heavenly sights you’ll see for years.
Don't forget to thank Fido.
Careful thought
I pray you will join me in reading through God's Word in 2008. I will be using the One Year Bible plan. You can find a copy of it at http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/
-----------------------------
Christmas time is a time of plenty. There is plentiful food. There is plentiful to do. There is plentiful consumerism. And plentiful anxiety!
Christmas time is an important time to guard our relationship with Jesus. Even though this holiday is all about him, it is so easy to neglect our time, our thought, and our worship of him. In all the busyness Jesus sometimes get lost.
As I come to the end of my 2007 reading plan of God's Word, I spent some time in the book of Haggai this morning. It is a short book, only two chapters long.
In the book of Haggai, God’s people have returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple after it had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The problem was that they spent most of their time building their own homes rather than the house of God.
Haggai writes: Now this is what the Lord Almighty say: “give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” Haggai 1:5-6
They had spent all their time, money, and effort on themselves – but it failed to satisfy them. Without making Jesus part of our Christmas, it will fail to satisfy us. Without Jesus we will plant much, but harvest little. What that means is a lot of work with little reward.
Give careful thought to your ways. Take some time to build up your house, but do not neglect the house of God. Take some time to share your gifts and love with others, but do not neglect giving God the precious gift of your time and your devotion.
Have a great Christmas,
Pastor Phil Ressler
Just a reminder: There is only one worship service this Sunday at 9:30 (no Sunday School).
Christmas Eve Worship is at 5, 7, and 11pm.
Christmas Day Worship is at 9:30am.
Hope to see you there and don’t forget to invite a friend.
-----------------------------
Christmas time is a time of plenty. There is plentiful food. There is plentiful to do. There is plentiful consumerism. And plentiful anxiety!
Christmas time is an important time to guard our relationship with Jesus. Even though this holiday is all about him, it is so easy to neglect our time, our thought, and our worship of him. In all the busyness Jesus sometimes get lost.
As I come to the end of my 2007 reading plan of God's Word, I spent some time in the book of Haggai this morning. It is a short book, only two chapters long.
In the book of Haggai, God’s people have returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple after it had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The problem was that they spent most of their time building their own homes rather than the house of God.
Haggai writes: Now this is what the Lord Almighty say: “give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” Haggai 1:5-6
They had spent all their time, money, and effort on themselves – but it failed to satisfy them. Without making Jesus part of our Christmas, it will fail to satisfy us. Without Jesus we will plant much, but harvest little. What that means is a lot of work with little reward.
Give careful thought to your ways. Take some time to build up your house, but do not neglect the house of God. Take some time to share your gifts and love with others, but do not neglect giving God the precious gift of your time and your devotion.
Have a great Christmas,
Pastor Phil Ressler
Just a reminder: There is only one worship service this Sunday at 9:30 (no Sunday School).
Christmas Eve Worship is at 5, 7, and 11pm.
Christmas Day Worship is at 9:30am.
Hope to see you there and don’t forget to invite a friend.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Catching Up
I am a little late on my weekly email this week. I have been technically challenged. My laptop computer died on Tuesday, and it has taken me a bit of time to get up and running with a new computer. I am happy now that everything is well.
With my problems this week I have gotten a little behind in more ways that one. I am in the process of playing catch up. It happens to all of us.
I have even gotten a little behind in my devotions. I am going to need to do a little extra reading in the next couple of days to complete my reading of the entire Bible in 2008.
It is a good time of the year to play catch up in more ways than one. For some of us, maybe it is time to catch up with some old friends or some family members we have grown distant from. Maybe we need to catch up on some of those resolutions we made way back at the beginning of the year. Or maybe we just need to do some catching up with our heavenly Father.
As the year draws to a close, I would just encourage you to consider some of those things that you have neglected this past year. Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today. It’s called finishing well.
At the end of the year, let’s be able to say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
In close, please keep all the Christmas preparations at Lord of Life in your prayers. It is hard to believe that we will be celebrating the Saviors birth in about a week and a half. Also, please keep Pastor Barry (and Nancy) in your prayers as he considers this new call to First Lutheran in Texarkana, TX.
With my problems this week I have gotten a little behind in more ways that one. I am in the process of playing catch up. It happens to all of us.
I have even gotten a little behind in my devotions. I am going to need to do a little extra reading in the next couple of days to complete my reading of the entire Bible in 2008.
It is a good time of the year to play catch up in more ways than one. For some of us, maybe it is time to catch up with some old friends or some family members we have grown distant from. Maybe we need to catch up on some of those resolutions we made way back at the beginning of the year. Or maybe we just need to do some catching up with our heavenly Father.
As the year draws to a close, I would just encourage you to consider some of those things that you have neglected this past year. Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today. It’s called finishing well.
At the end of the year, let’s be able to say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
In close, please keep all the Christmas preparations at Lord of Life in your prayers. It is hard to believe that we will be celebrating the Saviors birth in about a week and a half. Also, please keep Pastor Barry (and Nancy) in your prayers as he considers this new call to First Lutheran in Texarkana, TX.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Proper Use of Email
I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that your joy may be complete. 2 John 1:12
I am loving technology right now. To give you the short story my computer is dying and is on life support. I have kept this computer running for a year and I am about to give up. It is virus free runs like top, but it is physically failing me. The power supply keeps surging, shorting, and over-heating the computer.
First and foremost, I pride myself in my knowledge of the Bible, but I also pride myself in my knowledge of computers. There are certainly people who know much more than me. But for someone who has absolutely no training, I do fairly well. When people have problems with their computers, I am happy to help them out as long as it is not too time consuming. I recognize I have better things to do with my time and so if it takes more than 10minutes I recommend they get professional help.
But the time has now come for me to make a new decision on a computer. I am tired of fixing and maintaining my computers. I am looking to enter the world of the Mac. Window Vista scares me. And from what I have been told, it should. I recently spoke with someone who is "in the know" who spends all day fixing PC's. They have a Mac at home, because they don't want to spend their time at home fixing their computer like they do at work. I have been using PC's for more than 20 years now. This is going to be a big change.
What does this have to do with anything? The point is that I am frustrated with technology. And I am frustrated with email. Actually, I should say that I am frustrated with the misuse of email. Email is something that is very beneficial, but is something that is very dangerous when it is misused.
When John wrote his second epistle, I doubt he envisioned email. But his point is clear! Nothing beats a face to face, heart to heart conversation. Email has its time and place, but it should never substitute the personal touch.
So here are some simple rules of thumb for proper email etiquette:
1. Never forward and email that tells you to forward this email to all of your friends. This is one way in which viruses are transmitted. Beyond that, most people get more emails than they really want. We are overloaded with information. These supposedly cute, funny, informative emails are often designed to waste people's time and productivity. If you are like me, you know the usual suspects: "An interview with God", "New dangerous virus discovered", "Watch out for syringes in the seats at movie theaters."
If you are really interested in these "Urban Legends" and such, visit www.snopes.com. There you can find the Hottest 25 Urban Legends. The top three legends today are: 1) Sears maintains benefits for military reservists, 2) The Golden Compass movie's anit-God bent, and 3) Watch out for the "Life is Beautiful Virus."
If for some reason, you do choose to forward one of these emails. Then please clean it up before you forward it. Get rid of all the addresses of people it has previously been forwarded to. And make sure that no one needs to open up an attached email to be able to read it. When you open an email the text should be right there.
Always, always verify that the information you are forwarding is indeed true. Even if it says that it has been verified on snopes, does not mean that it actually has been. As Christians we are called children of the light and children of the truth. If we begin to forward and pass on untrue information to others. We will be seen as gullible and people will begin to question the truest message we have about Jesus the Savior. Don't allow others to be able to question your ability to discern the truth.
Finally, never, ever, ever forward an email that is being sent out as a petition. Bill Gates is not going to give you a million dollars for signing and forwarding an email. Have you ever thought about how is this email going to get back to the person who originated the petition to be signed. Just so you know, Madalyn Murray O'Harra or whatever her name is, she is dead, and ABC has already taken Touched by An Angel off the air a long, long, long time ago.
The best thing to do with most all of these emails is delete them before you ever read them. Don't waste your's or anyone else's time. I will tell you now, people rather receive a message from you personally rather than something your are passing on to perpetually fill all our in boxes with spam.
2. Do not use email to criticize anyone or to express a concern. Email will inadvertently distort what you are trying to communicate because there is a lack of body language.
Always think twice before you hit the send button. It is often too easy to hit that button. Make sure you fully consider how the message will be received on the other end. I remember awhile back I read that George W. Bush never uses email. It is not because he doesn't like technology. Rather he does it so that his email will not be taken out of context, used against him, and used as ammunition for his dissenters.
3. Do not use email to resolve an issue. If an email requires a sequence of more than one reply, you are better off picking up the phone.
4. Do not use email to personally recruit. This applies very much to the church. Sure it is ok, to send out generic, general invitations for others to be a part of something. But the best invite is the personal invite. Email is not a substitute for the personal invite. Pick of the phone, or better yet, do it face to face.
5. Do not expect a reply to your email or that your email got through. There are many, many people who own a computer and have email, but that does not mean that email is a part of their world, like it is a part of your world. We all communicate in different ways. Email is a good form of communication but it is far far from perfect. Also keep in mind that technology fails. There are virus scanners and spam blockers. Sometimes the wheat is thrown out with the chaff and there is no guarantee the email got through unless the person actually replies to you.
6. If you receive an email that is critical of you or points to a difficulty in your relationship. Do not respond. Remember that it is unlikely the person really meant what you are perceiving as an attack. Your replying by email will add fuel to the fire. Pick up the phone, or better yet, do it face to face.
7. Use email for announcements, reminders. Keep emails short and specific. I personally do not often read emails that are more than a paragraph or two long. Sometimes! If it captures my attention, but more often than not, I don't have the time to sit there and read all these long emails.
8. Use email to compliment and thank people. I would not have email replace a thank you note in the mail. But we all appreciate have a quick line of appreciation sent to us.
9. Do not use email to send ecards. This is a well known way to disseminate viruses. Unfortunately, a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch.
10. Use email to communicate items for prayer and special occasions such as the birth of a child. But be careful not everyone appreciates getting an email announcing your child has been potty trained. (BTW- Abby is now officially potty trained as of two weeks!!!!!!!)
11. Send emails to those who would desire to receive emails from you. Don't send unsolicited emails unless your have permission or have a relationship that allows you to do so. Don't send anything that you would not talk about with that person face to face.
12. Use group emails for their intended purpose. If participate in a group email. Make sure that the emails you send are in line with the intended purpose of the group.
There is probably more, but that is enough for now. I've need to go and check my email!
I am loving technology right now. To give you the short story my computer is dying and is on life support. I have kept this computer running for a year and I am about to give up. It is virus free runs like top, but it is physically failing me. The power supply keeps surging, shorting, and over-heating the computer.
First and foremost, I pride myself in my knowledge of the Bible, but I also pride myself in my knowledge of computers. There are certainly people who know much more than me. But for someone who has absolutely no training, I do fairly well. When people have problems with their computers, I am happy to help them out as long as it is not too time consuming. I recognize I have better things to do with my time and so if it takes more than 10minutes I recommend they get professional help.
But the time has now come for me to make a new decision on a computer. I am tired of fixing and maintaining my computers. I am looking to enter the world of the Mac. Window Vista scares me. And from what I have been told, it should. I recently spoke with someone who is "in the know" who spends all day fixing PC's. They have a Mac at home, because they don't want to spend their time at home fixing their computer like they do at work. I have been using PC's for more than 20 years now. This is going to be a big change.
What does this have to do with anything? The point is that I am frustrated with technology. And I am frustrated with email. Actually, I should say that I am frustrated with the misuse of email. Email is something that is very beneficial, but is something that is very dangerous when it is misused.
When John wrote his second epistle, I doubt he envisioned email. But his point is clear! Nothing beats a face to face, heart to heart conversation. Email has its time and place, but it should never substitute the personal touch.
So here are some simple rules of thumb for proper email etiquette:
1. Never forward and email that tells you to forward this email to all of your friends. This is one way in which viruses are transmitted. Beyond that, most people get more emails than they really want. We are overloaded with information. These supposedly cute, funny, informative emails are often designed to waste people's time and productivity. If you are like me, you know the usual suspects: "An interview with God", "New dangerous virus discovered", "Watch out for syringes in the seats at movie theaters."
If you are really interested in these "Urban Legends" and such, visit www.snopes.com. There you can find the Hottest 25 Urban Legends. The top three legends today are: 1) Sears maintains benefits for military reservists, 2) The Golden Compass movie's anit-God bent, and 3) Watch out for the "Life is Beautiful Virus."
If for some reason, you do choose to forward one of these emails. Then please clean it up before you forward it. Get rid of all the addresses of people it has previously been forwarded to. And make sure that no one needs to open up an attached email to be able to read it. When you open an email the text should be right there.
Always, always verify that the information you are forwarding is indeed true. Even if it says that it has been verified on snopes, does not mean that it actually has been. As Christians we are called children of the light and children of the truth. If we begin to forward and pass on untrue information to others. We will be seen as gullible and people will begin to question the truest message we have about Jesus the Savior. Don't allow others to be able to question your ability to discern the truth.
Finally, never, ever, ever forward an email that is being sent out as a petition. Bill Gates is not going to give you a million dollars for signing and forwarding an email. Have you ever thought about how is this email going to get back to the person who originated the petition to be signed. Just so you know, Madalyn Murray O'Harra or whatever her name is, she is dead, and ABC has already taken Touched by An Angel off the air a long, long, long time ago.
The best thing to do with most all of these emails is delete them before you ever read them. Don't waste your's or anyone else's time. I will tell you now, people rather receive a message from you personally rather than something your are passing on to perpetually fill all our in boxes with spam.
2. Do not use email to criticize anyone or to express a concern. Email will inadvertently distort what you are trying to communicate because there is a lack of body language.
Always think twice before you hit the send button. It is often too easy to hit that button. Make sure you fully consider how the message will be received on the other end. I remember awhile back I read that George W. Bush never uses email. It is not because he doesn't like technology. Rather he does it so that his email will not be taken out of context, used against him, and used as ammunition for his dissenters.
3. Do not use email to resolve an issue. If an email requires a sequence of more than one reply, you are better off picking up the phone.
4. Do not use email to personally recruit. This applies very much to the church. Sure it is ok, to send out generic, general invitations for others to be a part of something. But the best invite is the personal invite. Email is not a substitute for the personal invite. Pick of the phone, or better yet, do it face to face.
5. Do not expect a reply to your email or that your email got through. There are many, many people who own a computer and have email, but that does not mean that email is a part of their world, like it is a part of your world. We all communicate in different ways. Email is a good form of communication but it is far far from perfect. Also keep in mind that technology fails. There are virus scanners and spam blockers. Sometimes the wheat is thrown out with the chaff and there is no guarantee the email got through unless the person actually replies to you.
6. If you receive an email that is critical of you or points to a difficulty in your relationship. Do not respond. Remember that it is unlikely the person really meant what you are perceiving as an attack. Your replying by email will add fuel to the fire. Pick up the phone, or better yet, do it face to face.
7. Use email for announcements, reminders. Keep emails short and specific. I personally do not often read emails that are more than a paragraph or two long. Sometimes! If it captures my attention, but more often than not, I don't have the time to sit there and read all these long emails.
8. Use email to compliment and thank people. I would not have email replace a thank you note in the mail. But we all appreciate have a quick line of appreciation sent to us.
9. Do not use email to send ecards. This is a well known way to disseminate viruses. Unfortunately, a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch.
10. Use email to communicate items for prayer and special occasions such as the birth of a child. But be careful not everyone appreciates getting an email announcing your child has been potty trained. (BTW- Abby is now officially potty trained as of two weeks!!!!!!!)
11. Send emails to those who would desire to receive emails from you. Don't send unsolicited emails unless your have permission or have a relationship that allows you to do so. Don't send anything that you would not talk about with that person face to face.
12. Use group emails for their intended purpose. If participate in a group email. Make sure that the emails you send are in line with the intended purpose of the group.
There is probably more, but that is enough for now. I've need to go and check my email!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Weekly Email - Spiritual Solitude
Christmas time is an extremely busy time of the year. We have extra demands upon our schedule that are not there at other times of the year. We have additional activities at home, at work, at school, and at church. Take for example the morning I experienced today:
My morning today started with a breakfast meeting at 6:30am which in turn rolled into a second meeting when I arrived at my office which then rolled into a third meeting. It was around 11:30 by the time I finished these meetings. I literally had no time between these meetings. My morning was packed. As a result, I did not spend any time this morning in God’s Word.
This happens to all of us. One activity leads to another and then to another and our schedule becomes over-packed and overloaded. It is in these times that it all the more important for us to retreat, to rest, and to recharge the spiritual batteries.
Jesus saw the importance of times for spiritual solitude. If Jesus needed it, then certainly we need it as well.
"After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone..." (Matt. 14:23)
"After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land" (Mark 6:46-47).
Jesus withdrew again to a mountain by himself... (John 6:15).
There are other times in the Bible when God powerfully speaks to others in solitude:
God called Jacob to become
Moses encountered God when he was alone, in the burning bush (Ex. 3) and on
God called to Samuel only when he left Eli and was alone (1 Sam. 3).
Elijah couldn't hear God's soft whisper until he was separated from other turmoil (1 Ki. 19).
John received his great Revelation when he was alone on
This Christmas season, make sure you set some time aside for just you and God!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Happy New Year (Weekly Email - 11/27/07)
Happy New Year! Yes, Happy New Year. It is the beginning of a new church year. Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. All things are new. That is especially true as we serve our loving God who is full of forgiveness. With him, not only is every Sunday a new start, but every day.
We have a big Sunday coming up at Lord of Life. We have an Every Member Breakfast where Lord of Life members can come and meet their elders and learn about the upcoming Every Member Visit in 2008. WYLL (http://www.wyll.com/) will be here to feature us as their church of the month. The Northern Illinois District (http://www.ni.lcms.org/) will be here as our mission of the month. We begin a new message series called "Return of the King." It is going to be a great weekend!
Another thing to happen this Sunday is every person in attendance this weekend will have the opportunity to receive a mp3 CD Bible. Best of all it will be free! Keep in mind that this CD will not play in most regular CD players. You will need a computer or a special mp3 capable CD player. Of course you can always transfer the mp3's to a mp3 player or iPod. It is another great opportunity to be in the Word.
This got me thinking about how we can reflect on God's Word in diverse ways. One person might reflect upon the Word by seeking to memorize it and write it upon their hearts. Another person might reflect upon the Word by blogging about what they have read and heard and experienced. Still another person might seek to capture the heart of the Word through music and song. And yet another way to reflect could be through art (check out http://www.wordsofgreatreward.com/).
God's Word will capture your heart and imagination if you allow it to. Our youth did a great job with this last week with the video they made (www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN8NaPuoqR4).
Seek to creatively express what God speaks to you through the Word and you will not only discover blessing yourself, you will bless others as well. Don't keep the Word to yourself. Live it, share it, express it!
We have a big Sunday coming up at Lord of Life. We have an Every Member Breakfast where Lord of Life members can come and meet their elders and learn about the upcoming Every Member Visit in 2008. WYLL (http://www.wyll.com/) will be here to feature us as their church of the month. The Northern Illinois District (http://www.ni.lcms.org/) will be here as our mission of the month. We begin a new message series called "Return of the King." It is going to be a great weekend!
Another thing to happen this Sunday is every person in attendance this weekend will have the opportunity to receive a mp3 CD Bible. Best of all it will be free! Keep in mind that this CD will not play in most regular CD players. You will need a computer or a special mp3 capable CD player. Of course you can always transfer the mp3's to a mp3 player or iPod. It is another great opportunity to be in the Word.
This got me thinking about how we can reflect on God's Word in diverse ways. One person might reflect upon the Word by seeking to memorize it and write it upon their hearts. Another person might reflect upon the Word by blogging about what they have read and heard and experienced. Still another person might seek to capture the heart of the Word through music and song. And yet another way to reflect could be through art (check out http://www.wordsofgreatreward.com/).
God's Word will capture your heart and imagination if you allow it to. Our youth did a great job with this last week with the video they made (www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN8NaPuoqR4).
Seek to creatively express what God speaks to you through the Word and you will not only discover blessing yourself, you will bless others as well. Don't keep the Word to yourself. Live it, share it, express it!
Postive Energy: Postive Hospitality (Message from November 25)
A special thanks to Brian Zielke and our Lord of Life Youth (Greg Albers, Kyle Straughn, Danny Banovz, Anna Summinski, and Chelsee Gatchel) who made the video for the day's message. Great job!
The Lord put something upon my heart this past week I want to share with you: There are many hurting people in this world, in our community, and in our church
I want you to look to the person to your right. Now look to the person to your left. I want you to realize that they have hurt in their life.
No matter how together they may seem to be – they are facing struggles in their life at this very moment.
You may not be able to see it on the outside by just looking at them. But some of them need a friend. Some need encouragement. Others need someone to show them kindness.
We need to get past the surface here and we need to go deeper with each other. We need to see others as God sees them. How is that you ask?
It says in 1 Samuel 16:7 "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Peeling off the layers, God so often sees something very different in others, that we don’t see, because we don’t get past the surface.
That hurtful person, you know the one who belittles you, the one that is constantly critical of everything you do, the reality is that they are hurting on the inside. That person that seems to have everything on the outside (they got the good looks, when they enter a room all attention is drawn to them, they seemingly have the world at their finger tips) they are really empty on the inside.
In Matthew 9:10 Jesus is having dinner with Matthew and his friends. Matthew was a tax collector. Tax collectors were not looked upon very pleasantly by the Jews. Tax collectors were seen to be corrupted in more ways that one.
The Pharisees in verse 11 ask Jesus disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
But Jesus response in verse 12, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
So while the Pharisees saw one thing, Jesus saw quite the other. The Pharisees saw the tax collectors and sinners, as people beyond hope, as people who had wronged cheated them, cheated them, hurt them. They could use a lot of four letter words for these people.
Jesus saw these as people just like you and me who needed hope, healing, and forgiveness.
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our world, that all we see is how this other person offended us, how they took advantage of us, how they cheated us. The reality is that what we perceive as an attack against us, when we see it from God’s perspective it is really more often than not a cry for help.
If you brought your Bibles I want to invite you to follow along with me as we look at Matthew 25 starting in verse 31.
Next week we begin a new message series called “Return of the King.” Jesus is coming. Matthew 25 describes that coming. Here it says:
NIV Matthew 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
We don’t know when he will return, but we know that Jesus return is certain. And Revelation 1:3 indicates that the time is near. We need to be ready!
When he will come in his full glory and majesty which is so eloquently described in Revelation 1.
Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will
mourn because of him.
So shall it be! Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and
who is to come, the Almighty.”
When Jesus came on the first Christmas, there was only a handful of people who knew about it. And I doubt hardly anyone recognized the full significance of the event at the time. There wasn’t much fanfare accompanying the birth of Jesus. A few shepherds, Mary and Joseph, some of the townspeople.
But when Jesus returns again, it will be much more triumphful. There will be no mistaking that it is indeed him who is coming. Everyone will know that it is Jesus. Even those denied him, doubted him, or even defamed him.
The person who says there is no God. The person who says there is a God, but lives as if there no God. The person who persecutes the followers of the true God. In the moment that Jesus returns, every eye will see, and more than that every eye will recognize that it is Jesus the King, the Lord of Life, the righteous judge.
When he comes he will judge the peoples of the earth. It says he will separate them, the sheep from the goats. Not only will Jesus return as king, he will also return as judge, as a God of justice. He will make right what is wrong. He will make a declaration between the righteous and the unrighteous and set them towards the destinations prepared for them.
The hearers in Jesus day would have been very familiar with this custom of separating the sheep from the goats. It was a common practice of shepherds, especially on cold nights. With their thick wool sheep could better resist the cool evenings, so the shepherds would separate out the goats so that they could provide adequate warmth for them.
In a similar way, Jesus will separate and divide the people of the earth. It may not be as easy as it seems.
In Matthew 7:7 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven . . .”
Just because we come to church and sing “Lord I lift your name on high” does not mean that we will be separated with the sheep to enter the kingdom of heaven.
When we stand at the judgment it is not going to matter if we own a Bible. It is not going to matter if we give our tithe to your local church. It is not going to matter if you forward do good emails about keeping “under God” in the pledge of allegiance, “in God we Trust” on our money, and prayer in our schools. There are many that carry the name Christian today, do Christian things, that when the judgment comes, Jesus will say, “I never knew you.”
That might sound scary, but listen to this:
Matthew 25:34 “the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”
An inheritance is not given to a worker, but to a relation. It is given to a son, to a daughter, to a child.
When Jesus comes to judge, he is not going judge us based upon our religion, what we did to be a Christian. He will judge us upon the relationship we share with the Father through him.
So verse 35 continues with the evidence of that relationship. Works is the resulting consequence of a relationship of faith.
I am not here today to tell you how to live, for you to follow my teaching, but first and foremost to tell you what Jesus has done for you. About how he loves you so much. That there is nothing he would not do for you. He loves you more than anyone else has ever loved you. His love is not self serving, but self-giving, sacrificial.
He doesn’t care about your past, where you came from, what you look like. He doesn’t care about what you can do for him, only what he can do for you.
He wants to know you, and to be known by you.
When you know what Jesus has done for you, when you experience what Jesus has done for you, when you taste what Jesus has done for you – the rest will just follow.
The gospel is not instruction about how to live. The gospel is what Jesus has done for us. We can turn to a lot of different places for advice on how to live. Jesus doesn’t give us advice to live, but gives us a reason to live, to love, to share, to help, to serve.
There is no looking back when you know Jesus. You will never be the same.
So Jesus says, “NIV Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Jesus is describing here, people who know him, people who love him. It is the evidence of the relationship we share with Jesus. Because when we know in an intimate way, we will seek to live as Jesus lived and to be like Jesus to others.
Jesus is not describing here the means of salvation, do these things to be saved, but the result/consequences of salvation.
For one who has received the gift of salvation, when they see that other person in hurt, they will not to see them as a bother, but to see them as the next best thing to having Jesus actually present.
For the one who has received the gift of salvation, when they see the other person in need, they will not see it as a burden, but as an opportunity, a privilege to do for someone else what Jesus has done for them.
The way we interact with others is the evidence of what is truly inside us. James the brother of Jesus writes in the book of James 2:18 “Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
That is what Jesus is getting at here. I am not saved because of what I do for others. But rather I do what I do for others because I am saved.
It comes naturally. Notice that those who are saved ask, “When did we do these things.” Just another thing to point out, it is not about what we do. It is about what Jesus has done.
So what does this mean? Our place this morning is first to know Jesus. To learn of him. His hurt upon the cross. What he went through. The pain of the Father for loving you his child.
It is simply for us to linger in his presence. To listen for his voice and the compassion, the mercy, the acceptance, and the forgiveness he offers to you this morning.
To hear it in the words that are sung, are read, and preached. To taste in the meal offered for forgiveness. And to experience it through the hugs, the smiles, the handshakes, and the greeting of his people. This is a place where God lives and dwells.
As we experience him more and more, we will grow to be more and more like him.
I have a prayer for Lord of Life. My prayer is that we will not be a friendly church. In my travels, I have come to discover that being described as a friendly church is one of the worst descriptions that someone can give of their church. The reason for this is that usually what they mean is that the people of the church are very friendly with themselves. But for the newcomer, they will find themselves outside the holy huddle of friends.
So my prayer for God’s church in this place is that we would be a welcoming church. I pray that when someone walks in the door for the first time that they recognize this is no ordinary place. This is a place where God lives and dwells, where he walks and talks through the words and actions of his people.
My prayer is that we would take to heart the words of Jesus: "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." (Matthew 18:5) I pray that we would be accused as Jesus was accused that we welcome and eat with sinners (see Luke 15:2).
I pray that a person, no matter what their background, no matter what they look like . . . they would know that this is a place where they are cared for and loved.
That we would perceive every person here today as someone who needs a loving touch. That they are looking for healing. That they are looking for something worth trusting in. That they are looking for a friend. That they are looking for to get past the dead end they have found themselves in.
How do we do this? Let me suggest some things real quick.
One is to walk slowly. Too often we are going through life fast and busy. We are so wrapped up in our everyday affairs that we miss seeing the hurt and the need.
Sometimes we can get so busy with the business of the Church that we miss out on the work of the Church. Just look around and observe.
Closely tied to that is be open to the holy interruption. Don’t be so consumed by your work, that you skip out on God’s work. You never know how the work of God might just interrupt your day.
Hospitality is found in the small stuff. It is in remembering someone’s name. It is in sharing with them a cup of coffee. It is in writing a thank you note. Making a phone call. Sometimes it is the most insignificant stuff that is so significant.
Don’t assume a person is content. What if you could look into their heart? Treat every person, no matter how gruff or rude they might be on the exterior as if they were hurting on the inside.
Get to know someone new. I would encourage you to greet two people this morning you do not know. Learn who they are. Where they are from. What brought them here. What they enjoy doing.
If we know others as Jesus knows us, there is only one response we will have. It is to feed them, give them drink, visit them, clothe them, love them, serve them, minister to them.
So what’s the point of this message? Let’s get to know Jesus! Let’s get to know him in worship and through his Word. But let’s also get to know Jesus through working to serve his people in need.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving (Weekly Email - 11/21/07)
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am so thankful for you. I am thankful that we share together in the Lord's blessings and that he has brought us together as a church.
Perhaps you have read this, or perhaps not. As such I would like to share with you the presidential declaration made by Abraham Lincoln that inaugurated Thanksgiving as a national holiday:
The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
Thank you Jesus for everything you have done for me. May I give you the gratitude you deserve. Amen.
Perhaps you have read this, or perhaps not. As such I would like to share with you the presidential declaration made by Abraham Lincoln that inaugurated Thanksgiving as a national holiday:
The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the field of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than theretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.
In testimony wherof I have herunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
[Signed]
A. Lincoln
Thank you Jesus for everything you have done for me. May I give you the gratitude you deserve. Amen.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Living Positively (Message from Nov. 18)
We all struggle with living positively, whether it be maintaining a positive outlook, filling our lives with positive influences, or looking at our relationships in a positive way.
The negative will kill you! There is a reason the negative sign is a flat line. It will cause you to flat line. The negative will just suck the life right out of you.
So today we are going to talk about living positively. We have no other choice! No other way! Either we live positive or we die. We may not die physically, but if we hold on to the negative we will die mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
As I prepared for this message, I was trying to think of one of the most negative parts of the Scripture. I did not have much trouble doing so.
We are going to start at the beginning of Exodus. Israelites, had been enslaved in Egypt for many, many years. They had been treated very harshly.
Exodus 1:13-14: (The Egyptians) worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with hard labor . . .
Exodus 2:23 The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.
Let’s just say it was not a very pleasant time. We might say a negative experience. But there is hope, it goes on to say:
Exodus 2:24-25 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Out of that concern for them he sends them a deliverer Moses. Through Moses and many miracles it says, Exodus 13:13 with a mighty hand the Lord brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Israelites were delivered from their slavery. They were given freedom. They find themselves in the desert. Certainly life is not easy in the desert. But it is not a life of slavery and harsh labor. God provides them food. It was called manna. It wasn’t anything fancy. But it was food to eat.
We pick up the story in Numbers 11. Here in spite of the freedom God had given them, the food God had provided them, the Israelites spin a serious negative vibe.
So Numbers 11 and we will pick up in verse 4:
The rabble . . .
I love the name – “The rabble” Right away you can tell this is not the most positive group.
They began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna.
They bring out the first form of negativity on our outline and that is discontentment.
They complain. “How good we had it back in Egypt. Those were the good old days!”
The problem was that the good old days that they remembered were not so good. They forgot about their slavery and their harsh labor. The way they were treated ruthlessly and how they groaned under their oppression.
Anyone here like candy corn? I am not a big fan, but it one of those things that I start snacking on, and I can’t stop. This week coming up is Thanksgiving. We have probably all heard about the story of the pilgrims.
I was reading something interesting this past week, that the ration of food that they had for the winter was five kernels of corn a day! That is one, two, three, four, five kernels. One kernel for breakfast. Two whole kernels for lunch. And two whole kernels for dinner! Five kernels of corn.
What I found interesting was that after they survived the first winter, that they would place 5 kernels of corn beside their dinner plates. The 5 kernels of corn served as a reminder to them of the many blessings they have been given.
Five kernels of corn is not much, but it is something. Most of us can point to blessings that far surpass five kernels of corn. We have so much and yet we complain. We are discontent.
Discontentment sometimes comes in the form of jealousy. God why can’t I have a house or a car like that person? Why can’t I have the recognition and the success that they do? Why can’t I be as influential as him? Why can’t I be as smart, or artistic, or as athletic?
Discontentment says to God the cross is not enough. There is something more that I need.
I have been reading through the book of Daniel recently in my devotion time. One of the stories that struck me was the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If you know the story, King Nebuchadnezzar sets up a golden statue and orders that everyone should bow down and worship its likeness. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship this image. They declare that they will only worship one true God. You can imagine this does not make King Nebuchadnezzar too happy. He orders that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be thrown into the fiery finance.
The response of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is one of true contentment, as the result of faith, in a difficult circumstance. They say:“O Nebuchadnezzar we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16
What an amazing display of contentment. They put their future into the hands of God. And the story goes on that they are indeed saved. They are thrown into the furnace, but the fire has no power over them.
Is the cross enough or do you need more?
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
This is a hard verse. And I want you to ask yourself this morning if you really believe what it says here. Because there is a hard truth in this verse.
It is that all things work for the good of those who love him? It says not just some things, but all things work for our good and for his glory. This includes tragedies, this includes disappointments, this includes everything we don’t understand.
If you are thrown into a fiery furnace, do you believe God will use that for your good and his glory? If you loose your job, your home, your spouse, your child, do you believe God will use that for your good and for his glory? If you are diagnosed with cancer, do you believe that God will use that for his good and his glory? Whatever it might be, if God’s blessings do not match your expectations, do you believe that he will use it for your good and his glory?
Beyond discontentment, another form of negativity is judgmentalism. In chapter 12 the negative vibe continues.
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.
In our minds, one of the easiest ways to cover up our shortcomings is to point out the shortcomings of others. Why is it that when someone gives us a jab, we give them a jab right back. It is because we find ourselves exposed and we are falsely led to believe that if we expose someone else, then the attention will be drawn to them.
The best way to overcome this negative vibe is to really put ourselves into perspective. To see ourselves for what we really are.
Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
It is the big “H” word. It is humility. Notice in Romans 12:3 what Paul starts with. He starts with the grace that God gives him. When we recognize just how much grace God has extended to us, we are better able to extend his grace to others.
Pray for others! Do you have negative feeling towards someone else? I need to ask you if you have prayed for that person? I am not talking about praying that they get what is coming to them! Pray for their welfare, for their well-being, for their salvation, and for reconciliation.
I had an anonymous email sometime ago. Someone asked me to pray for them and a difficult marital relationship. I replied that I would pray for them and their husband. I soon received a reply back asking me not to pray for the husband involved in this situation.
There is this passage in James that says, “wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy . . . that is a big one. We don’t like to be merciful, but vengeful . . . so be full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Yet, a third form of negativity is pessimism. Pessimism is discovered in chapter 13.
The very next chapter, the Israelites, send 12 spies to scout out the promise land. When these spies return, Caleb give the first report. It is filled with positive energy. He says, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.
But! The big but! The men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”
The Word, can’t does not exist in the vocabulary of child of God. Jesus said it, “With God all things are possible!”
There is no doubt about it. Yet too often we add the word but. No! With God all things are possible. Say it with me – With God all things are possible.
One thing I have learned about negative pessimism is that the negative side of things is typically exaggerated. The mountains and walls are seen as insurmountable against a limited power of God. But it is really the reverse. The power of God far surpasses the size of any obstacle that stands in our way.
Lord of Life’s financial situation is one obstacle that seems enormous at this moment. But we serve a God that is much, much bigger!
Jeremiah 17:7 says: Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
This is some positive stuff. And it all starts with God.
The moment we loose our focus, the moment we begin to look at ourselves and away from God is the moment we go negative. I can’t do it. We can’t do it.
Well of course we can’t do it, but God can! With God all things are possible.
And it is with that confidence, I want to invite you to be ministered to this morning. Part of the reason that we felt led to do this message series, there seems to persist a negative spirit.
This morning, maybe you feel that you cannot overcome the negative spirit that is in your heart. Maybe you are feeling discontent this morning. Maybe the grass seems greener on the other side of the fence. You are not content where God has placed you. You want to be at a different place in life, even though you may not know where that place is.
Still others of you, maybe you have a relationship where you are experiencing bitterness. Someone is not treating you the way you think you deserve to be treated, or that someone is not doing what you think they should be doing. Maybe you are continually talking down to or about another person or people. You greatly desire to be a voice of encouragement, but more often than not you are spouting discouragement.
Or you have an obstacle before you that seems impossible to overcome. You feel like you have walked down a dead end. You have lost hope.
This morning if a negative spirit is weighing heavy upon you. It is sucking the life right out of you, you are dying a slow death, but you don’t know where to turn, you don’t know what to do.
But I will assure you of this. God does. Not only does he know the answer. Not only does he provide the answer. He is the answer.
If you feel the weight of negativity, whatever that form of negativity is, and you want a word spoken to that negativity, I want to invite you to come forward, to be prayed for and to receive a word from the Lord.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Weekly Email (11/13/07) - Long term accomplishment
Have you been feeling a little down recently? Getting some serious negative vibes? Feel like the life has been sucked right out of you? Need a little positive energy? This Sunday we will be talking about positively living as we overcome discontentment, judgmentalism, and pessimism. If you know someone who might benefit from this positive message, make sure to invite them to join you in worship!
Have you ever bitten off more than you could chew? Have you ever made a commitment that was bigger than you could handle? Pastor and author John Maxwell says that most people over estimate what they can accomplish in the short term, but underestimate what they can accomplish in the long term.
In other words we often aim too high in short term. We have grand visions of what we will accomplish on a given day, a week, or a month. More often than not, these visions of grandeur are far from reality. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we often aim too low in the long term. We don't dream big enough for what we can accomplish in the next year, the next 5 years, or next 10 years.
Growing in God's Word is no different. Let's face it. The Bible is a thick book. It has small print. It is not always easy to understand. You are not going to master it in a short amount of time. It takes consistency and regularity over the long haul.
It is nice to have a goal to read the sum of God's Word over the course of a year. Yet for some of you, that may be shooting too high in the short term. You might consider reading through just the New Testament over the course of the year. Then the following year consider jumping into the Old Testament. Reading the sum of God's Word might be goal to aim for over the course of the next two or even three years.
It is not important how much we read as much as it is important that we are consistently reading, studying, praying, and meditating on the Word. If we are consistently in God's Word on a daily basis, even if it just a little bit, we will be amazed how much of Scripture we will cover over the course of time.
Take your time. Don't rush. Take time to read, reflect, study, and pray. Seek understanding and application. In the God's Word you will find great wisdom!
Psalm 119:97-104
97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
Have you ever bitten off more than you could chew? Have you ever made a commitment that was bigger than you could handle? Pastor and author John Maxwell says that most people over estimate what they can accomplish in the short term, but underestimate what they can accomplish in the long term.
In other words we often aim too high in short term. We have grand visions of what we will accomplish on a given day, a week, or a month. More often than not, these visions of grandeur are far from reality. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we often aim too low in the long term. We don't dream big enough for what we can accomplish in the next year, the next 5 years, or next 10 years.
Growing in God's Word is no different. Let's face it. The Bible is a thick book. It has small print. It is not always easy to understand. You are not going to master it in a short amount of time. It takes consistency and regularity over the long haul.
It is nice to have a goal to read the sum of God's Word over the course of a year. Yet for some of you, that may be shooting too high in the short term. You might consider reading through just the New Testament over the course of the year. Then the following year consider jumping into the Old Testament. Reading the sum of God's Word might be goal to aim for over the course of the next two or even three years.
It is not important how much we read as much as it is important that we are consistently reading, studying, praying, and meditating on the Word. If we are consistently in God's Word on a daily basis, even if it just a little bit, we will be amazed how much of Scripture we will cover over the course of time.
Take your time. Don't rush. Take time to read, reflect, study, and pray. Seek understanding and application. In the God's Word you will find great wisdom!
Psalm 119:97-104
97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Loving God's Commands
Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments. Psalm 112:1
We are blessed when we put our trust in God above all else. We are blessed when our delight is found in God's commandments.
As believers we are called to obedience. We often raise up the importance of obedience. But as I read this verse there was something that I really had not thought of before. We are to love obedience. Obedience is to be our delight, our desire, and our joy.
When I think about my obedience, I have trouble saying that obedience is always my delight. There are many times in my life where obedience does not seem so delightful and more like a burden.
Certainly obedience is not always pleasant. It is often difficult. But we can take delight knowing that obedience is really the only way to go. Disobedience may be pleasant for a time, but it will only be a short time.
For the one who delights in the commandments of the Lord . . . He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. he has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor. (112:7-9)
We are blessed when we put our trust in God above all else. We are blessed when our delight is found in God's commandments.
As believers we are called to obedience. We often raise up the importance of obedience. But as I read this verse there was something that I really had not thought of before. We are to love obedience. Obedience is to be our delight, our desire, and our joy.
When I think about my obedience, I have trouble saying that obedience is always my delight. There are many times in my life where obedience does not seem so delightful and more like a burden.
Certainly obedience is not always pleasant. It is often difficult. But we can take delight knowing that obedience is really the only way to go. Disobedience may be pleasant for a time, but it will only be a short time.
For the one who delights in the commandments of the Lord . . . He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. he has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor. (112:7-9)
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Weekly Email (11/06/07) - Practical Application
I was greatly encouraged this past Sunday. It was great to have Bill and Marilyn Berg (Curt’s parents) here with us to share about the work of Love & Action, our mission of the month. It was great to see the time of fellowship between services in the Cup of Life Café. There were so many people and all the cookies were gone before 11am worship.
But what encouraged me the most was the feedback that I received from Sunday’s message. What encouraged me so much was what you shared with me about what you were able to take away from Sunday’s message. So many of you shared with me specific and practical ways in which you were going to be more conscious about working together with others.
If you missed Sunday’s message you can listen to it online at Lord of Life’s website http://www.lolchurch.net/ or you can read it on my blog at http://pastorpr.blogspot.com/2007/11/sundays-message-110407.html. The cookie video is also posted on the blog.
Hearing your comments got me thinking about a very important aspect of reading God’s Word. It is taking away practical application.
A few months back I was speaking with a Lord of Life member about reading God’s Word. They shared with me that they were in the Word every day. But they were not getting much out of their reading. They would walk away from their reading forgetting most of what they read.
So the question is how do we get more out of our reading? We should never read the Bible for the sake of reading the Bible. Reading the Bible for the sake of reading the Bible is a pointless exercise. When we read, we ought to look for practical application. Look for nuggets of truth to uncover to take with us into our day. It was one of the reasons I began writing a blog. It provided me an opportunity to write out some practical applications of the Word that I was reading on a daily basis.
When you read God’s Word, ask yourself these questions: 1) what is this Scripture about? 2) What does it teach me about God? 3) What does it teach me about life? 4) Is there a command for me to follow? 5) Is there an example for me to follow? 6) Is there a warning given? 7) Is there an error to avoid? 8) How does this apply to my life and how can I practically put it into practice.
Be specific here. If the passage is about love, don’t write that your practical application is to be more loving. Write a specific way that you are going to be more loving such as giving three compliments to you child today before you go to bed.
You might consider writing down a passage that you believe to be important. Try to memorize it and carry it with you into the day. Look for ways to live out the passage. You might read 1 Peter 4:7 which says, “Be clear minded and self-controlled so you can pray.” When you start to get upset about something that happens to you in the middle of the day, remember that verse, and talk to the Lord about what is making you so frustrated.
Some other great material on this subject comes from one of Pastor Barry’s messages in October. It was called “Get a Grip on Your Bible.” You can read it on his blog at http://docvmp.blogspot.com/2007/10/get-grip-on-your-bible.html .
Groups Page:
If you have not yet discovered it, there is a groups page for this mailing list. You can visit it at: http://groups.google.com/group/pastorpr . On this page you can see previous emails, download the One Year Bible Reading Plan, and find some other resources. I will be adding more to this page as we go along.
Have a great week.
In Jesus,
Phil Ressler
But what encouraged me the most was the feedback that I received from Sunday’s message. What encouraged me so much was what you shared with me about what you were able to take away from Sunday’s message. So many of you shared with me specific and practical ways in which you were going to be more conscious about working together with others.
If you missed Sunday’s message you can listen to it online at Lord of Life’s website http://www.lolchurch.net/ or you can read it on my blog at http://pastorpr.blogspot.com/2007/11/sundays-message-110407.html. The cookie video is also posted on the blog.
Hearing your comments got me thinking about a very important aspect of reading God’s Word. It is taking away practical application.
A few months back I was speaking with a Lord of Life member about reading God’s Word. They shared with me that they were in the Word every day. But they were not getting much out of their reading. They would walk away from their reading forgetting most of what they read.
So the question is how do we get more out of our reading? We should never read the Bible for the sake of reading the Bible. Reading the Bible for the sake of reading the Bible is a pointless exercise. When we read, we ought to look for practical application. Look for nuggets of truth to uncover to take with us into our day. It was one of the reasons I began writing a blog. It provided me an opportunity to write out some practical applications of the Word that I was reading on a daily basis.
When you read God’s Word, ask yourself these questions: 1) what is this Scripture about? 2) What does it teach me about God? 3) What does it teach me about life? 4) Is there a command for me to follow? 5) Is there an example for me to follow? 6) Is there a warning given? 7) Is there an error to avoid? 8) How does this apply to my life and how can I practically put it into practice.
Be specific here. If the passage is about love, don’t write that your practical application is to be more loving. Write a specific way that you are going to be more loving such as giving three compliments to you child today before you go to bed.
You might consider writing down a passage that you believe to be important. Try to memorize it and carry it with you into the day. Look for ways to live out the passage. You might read 1 Peter 4:7 which says, “Be clear minded and self-controlled so you can pray.” When you start to get upset about something that happens to you in the middle of the day, remember that verse, and talk to the Lord about what is making you so frustrated.
Some other great material on this subject comes from one of Pastor Barry’s messages in October. It was called “Get a Grip on Your Bible.” You can read it on his blog at http://docvmp.blogspot.com/2007/10/get-grip-on-your-bible.html .
Groups Page:
If you have not yet discovered it, there is a groups page for this mailing list. You can visit it at: http://groups.google.com/group/pastorpr . On this page you can see previous emails, download the One Year Bible Reading Plan, and find some other resources. I will be adding more to this page as we go along.
Have a great week.
In Jesus,
Phil Ressler
Monday, November 5, 2007
A Higher Calling: Working Together
www.jesus.me
A Higher Calling
Today’s message is about sharing our work. It is about working together which is a higher calling than working alone.
It is a principle grounded in Scripture. We start in Genesis. God made Adam.
Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man (Adam) and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
God created Adam to work. Work is not a dirty word. Through the “Work” God gives us, we find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. We were created to work.
As we read a little further in Genesis, we also recognize God did not create Adam to work alone, but to share the work God gave him.
Genesis 2:18: “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”
God knew there is great value in working together and sharing work. It is shown in the very nature of God, the Holy Trinity. The Father does the work of creation. The Son does the work of salvation. The Holy Spirit does the work of converting hearts. Together they share the work as one God in three persons.
The values of sharing work:
First, our work is multiplied
We can do so much more together than we could ever do individually. The work of two will double the work of one. The work of four will double the work of two.
You listen to an athlete being interviewed and they are asked about the effort that they will give for the game. They reply is usually along the lines of giving 110%.
The problem is that they cannot give 110%. It is impossible. We can only give 100% of ourselves and nothing more. We our not infinite beings, but finite beings. We have a limit, which is 100%.
You can only do so much. When you try to do too much you find yourself in a world of hurt. Overstretched, overburdened, burned out. This is a prime reason God calls us to share the work.
As 1 Corinthians 3:9 proclaims: “we are God's fellow workers . . .” We are more than just God’s workers, but fellow workers.
As believers one of our most important jobs is to reproduce ourselves. When we reproduce ourselves our 100% becomes 200%. Our 200% become 400% and so on. We end up being able to give much more than 110%.
I want to give you just one practical way that this works out. It is the loose change that you find in your pocket. It does not seem like very much. I put $.75 in the offering plate for the mission of the month. You can’t do much these days for $.75. You can’t even buy something off the dollar menu at McDonalds.
But when we combine our $.75 with another persons $.75 it begins to add up. Our $.75 is multiplied into $500/month. The $500 is multiplied into $6000/year that goes towards missions and the work of God’s people.
When we share our work, we multiply our work. Multiplication is the reason we partner with Love & Action, HELPS, and other ministries. To be able reach more people, than we could reach on our own. Working together expands the scope of our impact. There is just some things we cannot do alone as a local church – but when we join with other believers in other places – the possibilities are endless.
Second, we will have someone to pick up where we leave off.
You will only do what you do for so long. Whatever your calling, your work, your ministry – there will come the day when you will no longer do that work - whether it be retirement, death, or you just move on to a different type of work.
By raising others up, when you leave, there will be others to pick up where you left off. Others will be there to do the work that you are no longer able to do.
If you are involved in a ministry, whatever that ministry is, invite others to participate with you, to serve with you. Ask yourself this question. If you died today – would there be someone able to step up and fill the gap that you have left void?
Sure it was great that Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt. But what would have happened if he had not raised up Joshua to lead the people into the promise land.
Sure it was great that Jesus died on the cross the salvation of the world, but what would have happened if he had not raised up his disciples to take his message of hope to the ends of the earth after he ascended to heaven.
Sure it was great that the Apostle Paul started churches throughout Roman Empire, but what if he had not raised up pastors like Timothy and Titus to lead these churches after he left.
“Never do ministry on your own.” I want you right now just to think about the particular work that you do. The ministry here at Lord of Life that you contribute to. Now ask yourself this question. Do I do my ministry alone?
If the answer to that question is yes – then ask yourself who can I bring along? Who could help me in my ministry, that I could share the work with? Whether we are a pastor, a tech team member, an usher our goal should be to work ourselves out of a job. To reproduce ourselves.
To do this we invite and bring others alongside of us to serve with us? When was the last time you invited someone to serve with you?
Third, working together develops relationships.
Many of us are task oriented. We have our to-do lists, the things we need to get done. We work to efficiently and effectively accomplish our tasks to the best of our ability. Our focus is getting the job done and we do that fairly well.
But when we get so focused on the task, we miss the big picture. God has given us a higher calling. God is not as concerned about our tasks as much as he is about our relationship with him and with others.
On Friday, I spent part of the day, with my daughter Abby, working and serving together. I would like to share with you a little bit of this experience.
By making the cookies on my own, I would be able to do it faster, more efficiently, and there would certainly be less of a mess. I could have made it real easy and have gone to the store and bought a couple of dozen.
But this is the key. It really is not about baking the chocolate chip cookies is it? It is about spending time and building that relationship with my daughter. It is about instilling in her the value of service and ministry.
Ministry is never about the task is ever about the task, it is always about the person. It is always about the relationship.
Parents – I want to emphasize the importance of teaching your children the value of work and service. Find ways that are appropriate for you to serve with them. Whether it is through Feed my Starving Children, a Lord of Life event at Marklund, baking cookies for IYC - look to share experiences of service together.
I once heard someone sarcastically say, “Ministry would be great if it wasn’t for all the people.” I recognized this as a sarcastic comment, but sometimes it is easy to feel this way in our heart.
There are many of us who are not good at working with other people. We get frustrated. They do not do the job the way we would do it or in the way we like it.
My wife can probably attest to this. This last summer we painted our basement. I probably was not the best person to work with. I wanted it done my way. And when it was not done my way I would grow irritated and get short with her.
The problem was that I made it about the task and not the relationship. 100% of the time, the relationship is the most important thing. When we loose site of that, we loose our ability to work alongside of other people.
We need to continually be reminded, it is not about the task, but the relationship.
Fourth, we find encouragement and help.
Working together offers a place of encouragement, refreshment, and hope. Working together replaces loneliness and despair.
Psalm 133: How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! . . . For there the Lord bestows his blessing even life forevermore.
When we have someone serve with us, we have someone to encourage us and to pick us up. To pray with and for us.
You don’t need to do it alone. To often we are left out all alone. We feel isolated in our work.
The result is we often feel overwhelmed in our work. We feel as if the weight of the world is upon our shoulders.
How many of you can relate to this: You sometimes feel as if you don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done. You feel scattered and spread so thin. You have an endless to-do list that seems to get larger rather than smaller. You feel pressure from our employer. You feel pressure from our family. You feel pressure from our church. Pulled in so many directions, you are not really devoted to any one thing.
Stress! Burn out!
But know this: You don’t need to do alone. At the very least, God wants to be a part of your work.
Many of us, we don’t think much about God until Sunday, and then we wonder: “God, where have You been? I’ve had such a crummy week. Work has been so difficult”
Then Sunday is over, God is out of our life for another six days. We complain about our work to God, but we fail to make God a part of our work. How do we make God more a part of our work and share our work with him:
1 Thessalonians 5:16 says to “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
What always grabs me about this verse is the idea of praying continually. I don’t think this means that we bow our heads, close our eyes, fold our hands, and formally pray. I perceive this to be more of an ongoing conversation with God.
Talk with God about how much you love him. At the start of the day just simply welcome his presence. Thank him for the day ahead. As you brush you teeth, thank him for those teeth. Thank him for the school you attend or the job you have to go to. When your boss yells at you, thank God that you have a pay check. Say grace over your meal. On a cold day, you breath the cold air into your lungs, thank him that you have air to breath. Sometimes just slow down and look around, remember it’s all there (everything you see) because of God.
Another part of sharing our work with God, is asking him about your work. Is he a part of the decisions you make in regards to your work. Do you listen to what he has to say about your work? Are you doing work that he can approve of and be involved in? Ask yourself, “is my work within the boundary of what God desires for me.
Maybe the employment requires you to work long hours that keeps you away from your family, beyond your family it keeps you from serving through your local church. You need to ask yourself if you have stepped outside of the bounds of the work God has appointed you for and the type of work God will bless. Are you are engaged in work, that God will not be a part of?
Another way – if we want God to be more a part of our Work – we need to treasure his Word. Colossians 3:16 “Let the Word dwell in you richly.”
This means that God’s Word is something that is deep in our heart and at the tip of our tongue. It is about memorizing his word and carrying it with us. In our heart, in our head, and in our mouth.
Consider posting God’s Word in places you regularly see. If you are on the computer often, post a Bible verse on your monitor to help you focus. Maybe your work has you driving in the car. Post a verse on your dash board. Put God’s Word where you can see it and be reminded of God’s presence in your work.
Finally, just know this. God is always present with us. Psalm 46 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in time of trouble. When you are struggling in your work, it is not because God is not there, but that you have not recognized or welcomed his presence and his help.
So we come to the close of this message series. Worship, Word, and Work. WWW. We come to this point that we recognize the importance of how these three work together. It is like a three legged stool. A stool cannot stand with just one leg. Or even two legs. It needs three legs to be balanced.
As Christians we need to ask ourselves, are we standing on three legs. Is our walk of faith balanced? Are we consistent and weekly in our worship? Are we daily growing the in the Word? Do we have a way in which we are working to serve the kingdom of God, through our time treasure, and talent?
A Higher Calling
Today’s message is about sharing our work. It is about working together which is a higher calling than working alone.
It is a principle grounded in Scripture. We start in Genesis. God made Adam.
Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man (Adam) and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
God created Adam to work. Work is not a dirty word. Through the “Work” God gives us, we find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. We were created to work.
As we read a little further in Genesis, we also recognize God did not create Adam to work alone, but to share the work God gave him.
Genesis 2:18: “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”
God knew there is great value in working together and sharing work. It is shown in the very nature of God, the Holy Trinity. The Father does the work of creation. The Son does the work of salvation. The Holy Spirit does the work of converting hearts. Together they share the work as one God in three persons.
The values of sharing work:
First, our work is multiplied
We can do so much more together than we could ever do individually. The work of two will double the work of one. The work of four will double the work of two.
You listen to an athlete being interviewed and they are asked about the effort that they will give for the game. They reply is usually along the lines of giving 110%.
The problem is that they cannot give 110%. It is impossible. We can only give 100% of ourselves and nothing more. We our not infinite beings, but finite beings. We have a limit, which is 100%.
You can only do so much. When you try to do too much you find yourself in a world of hurt. Overstretched, overburdened, burned out. This is a prime reason God calls us to share the work.
As 1 Corinthians 3:9 proclaims: “we are God's fellow workers . . .” We are more than just God’s workers, but fellow workers.
As believers one of our most important jobs is to reproduce ourselves. When we reproduce ourselves our 100% becomes 200%. Our 200% become 400% and so on. We end up being able to give much more than 110%.
I want to give you just one practical way that this works out. It is the loose change that you find in your pocket. It does not seem like very much. I put $.75 in the offering plate for the mission of the month. You can’t do much these days for $.75. You can’t even buy something off the dollar menu at McDonalds.
But when we combine our $.75 with another persons $.75 it begins to add up. Our $.75 is multiplied into $500/month. The $500 is multiplied into $6000/year that goes towards missions and the work of God’s people.
When we share our work, we multiply our work. Multiplication is the reason we partner with Love & Action, HELPS, and other ministries. To be able reach more people, than we could reach on our own. Working together expands the scope of our impact. There is just some things we cannot do alone as a local church – but when we join with other believers in other places – the possibilities are endless.
Second, we will have someone to pick up where we leave off.
You will only do what you do for so long. Whatever your calling, your work, your ministry – there will come the day when you will no longer do that work - whether it be retirement, death, or you just move on to a different type of work.
By raising others up, when you leave, there will be others to pick up where you left off. Others will be there to do the work that you are no longer able to do.
If you are involved in a ministry, whatever that ministry is, invite others to participate with you, to serve with you. Ask yourself this question. If you died today – would there be someone able to step up and fill the gap that you have left void?
Sure it was great that Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt. But what would have happened if he had not raised up Joshua to lead the people into the promise land.
Sure it was great that Jesus died on the cross the salvation of the world, but what would have happened if he had not raised up his disciples to take his message of hope to the ends of the earth after he ascended to heaven.
Sure it was great that the Apostle Paul started churches throughout Roman Empire, but what if he had not raised up pastors like Timothy and Titus to lead these churches after he left.
“Never do ministry on your own.” I want you right now just to think about the particular work that you do. The ministry here at Lord of Life that you contribute to. Now ask yourself this question. Do I do my ministry alone?
If the answer to that question is yes – then ask yourself who can I bring along? Who could help me in my ministry, that I could share the work with? Whether we are a pastor, a tech team member, an usher our goal should be to work ourselves out of a job. To reproduce ourselves.
To do this we invite and bring others alongside of us to serve with us? When was the last time you invited someone to serve with you?
Third, working together develops relationships.
Many of us are task oriented. We have our to-do lists, the things we need to get done. We work to efficiently and effectively accomplish our tasks to the best of our ability. Our focus is getting the job done and we do that fairly well.
But when we get so focused on the task, we miss the big picture. God has given us a higher calling. God is not as concerned about our tasks as much as he is about our relationship with him and with others.
On Friday, I spent part of the day, with my daughter Abby, working and serving together. I would like to share with you a little bit of this experience.
By making the cookies on my own, I would be able to do it faster, more efficiently, and there would certainly be less of a mess. I could have made it real easy and have gone to the store and bought a couple of dozen.
But this is the key. It really is not about baking the chocolate chip cookies is it? It is about spending time and building that relationship with my daughter. It is about instilling in her the value of service and ministry.
Ministry is never about the task is ever about the task, it is always about the person. It is always about the relationship.
Parents – I want to emphasize the importance of teaching your children the value of work and service. Find ways that are appropriate for you to serve with them. Whether it is through Feed my Starving Children, a Lord of Life event at Marklund, baking cookies for IYC - look to share experiences of service together.
I once heard someone sarcastically say, “Ministry would be great if it wasn’t for all the people.” I recognized this as a sarcastic comment, but sometimes it is easy to feel this way in our heart.
There are many of us who are not good at working with other people. We get frustrated. They do not do the job the way we would do it or in the way we like it.
My wife can probably attest to this. This last summer we painted our basement. I probably was not the best person to work with. I wanted it done my way. And when it was not done my way I would grow irritated and get short with her.
The problem was that I made it about the task and not the relationship. 100% of the time, the relationship is the most important thing. When we loose site of that, we loose our ability to work alongside of other people.
We need to continually be reminded, it is not about the task, but the relationship.
Fourth, we find encouragement and help.
Working together offers a place of encouragement, refreshment, and hope. Working together replaces loneliness and despair.
Psalm 133: How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! . . . For there the Lord bestows his blessing even life forevermore.
When we have someone serve with us, we have someone to encourage us and to pick us up. To pray with and for us.
You don’t need to do it alone. To often we are left out all alone. We feel isolated in our work.
The result is we often feel overwhelmed in our work. We feel as if the weight of the world is upon our shoulders.
How many of you can relate to this: You sometimes feel as if you don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done. You feel scattered and spread so thin. You have an endless to-do list that seems to get larger rather than smaller. You feel pressure from our employer. You feel pressure from our family. You feel pressure from our church. Pulled in so many directions, you are not really devoted to any one thing.
Stress! Burn out!
But know this: You don’t need to do alone. At the very least, God wants to be a part of your work.
Many of us, we don’t think much about God until Sunday, and then we wonder: “God, where have You been? I’ve had such a crummy week. Work has been so difficult”
Then Sunday is over, God is out of our life for another six days. We complain about our work to God, but we fail to make God a part of our work. How do we make God more a part of our work and share our work with him:
1 Thessalonians 5:16 says to “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
What always grabs me about this verse is the idea of praying continually. I don’t think this means that we bow our heads, close our eyes, fold our hands, and formally pray. I perceive this to be more of an ongoing conversation with God.
Talk with God about how much you love him. At the start of the day just simply welcome his presence. Thank him for the day ahead. As you brush you teeth, thank him for those teeth. Thank him for the school you attend or the job you have to go to. When your boss yells at you, thank God that you have a pay check. Say grace over your meal. On a cold day, you breath the cold air into your lungs, thank him that you have air to breath. Sometimes just slow down and look around, remember it’s all there (everything you see) because of God.
Another part of sharing our work with God, is asking him about your work. Is he a part of the decisions you make in regards to your work. Do you listen to what he has to say about your work? Are you doing work that he can approve of and be involved in? Ask yourself, “is my work within the boundary of what God desires for me.
Maybe the employment requires you to work long hours that keeps you away from your family, beyond your family it keeps you from serving through your local church. You need to ask yourself if you have stepped outside of the bounds of the work God has appointed you for and the type of work God will bless. Are you are engaged in work, that God will not be a part of?
Another way – if we want God to be more a part of our Work – we need to treasure his Word. Colossians 3:16 “Let the Word dwell in you richly.”
This means that God’s Word is something that is deep in our heart and at the tip of our tongue. It is about memorizing his word and carrying it with us. In our heart, in our head, and in our mouth.
Consider posting God’s Word in places you regularly see. If you are on the computer often, post a Bible verse on your monitor to help you focus. Maybe your work has you driving in the car. Post a verse on your dash board. Put God’s Word where you can see it and be reminded of God’s presence in your work.
Finally, just know this. God is always present with us. Psalm 46 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in time of trouble. When you are struggling in your work, it is not because God is not there, but that you have not recognized or welcomed his presence and his help.
So we come to the close of this message series. Worship, Word, and Work. WWW. We come to this point that we recognize the importance of how these three work together. It is like a three legged stool. A stool cannot stand with just one leg. Or even two legs. It needs three legs to be balanced.
As Christians we need to ask ourselves, are we standing on three legs. Is our walk of faith balanced? Are we consistent and weekly in our worship? Are we daily growing the in the Word? Do we have a way in which we are working to serve the kingdom of God, through our time treasure, and talent?
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