All too often I find myself struggling in this life. I find that I allow busyness, stress and frustration to overwhelm me. When this happens I start to close myself off from the world. Now don't get me wrong, I am not hiding away where I can't be seen. I start hiding in public. I am living life but I refuse to let anyone in. This may be one of the most destructive patterns in my life and if I am honest about it, I have been here a lot lately.
During times like this life gets harder, not easier. I get angry, or depressed, or cold and even when I don't mean to I become mean. I answer simple questions with harshness. It is at these times that I feel like the Psalmist who says, "My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest." (Psalm 22:2)
In the midst of my struggles I am reminded of a powerful truth: the Gospel. The good news that tells me how an all-powerful, all-loving, and holy God loves a worm like me. Proverbs 25:25 says, "Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land."
Sometimes I need good news.
One day, while teaching, Jesus extended an invitation to people like me, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) This is good news! This is what I need. A God that will give me rest. A peace that is beyond circumstances. This rest is only found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory and praise forever!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Unexpected
Sometimes things happen that are way outside our control. For example, one week ago today, a man was killed in the apartment right behind mine and one of the bullets came through my dining room wall and into another wall. There was nothing I could have done to prevent this from happening. I can't even imagine the odds and I even tried to look them up. One of the police officers even told me that there hadn't been a gun fired in our apartment complex for 10 years and that one was an accidental discharge.
Since last Monday I have been reflecting on all the ways that night could have went wrong. What if my wife would have went grocery shopping? Would one of us been standing in the bullets path putting food in the pantry? What if my daughter wouldn't have struggled about what to say during family devotion time? What if the bullet went through the wall at a different angle? Would one of my children had been hit? What if that second wall wouldn't have been load-bearing? Would the bullet have went through into my daughters bed?
So many details, and I have no control over any of them.
This event has served as a great reminder to me that life is short and no one is guaranteed tomorrow. What if one of those uncontrollable, unexpected things happened to you. Are you ready?
In Luke 12, Jesus tells this story about a man who's farm was very productive. It was so productive that the man didn't have room to store it all. The man then made the decision that he would tear down his existing barn and build a bigger one so he could store all his crops. Then he would take it easy for the next few years.
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’" Vs. 20 NLT
This man was so caught up in himself that he missed what was important. He wasn't focused on God or people just himself and God announced that the unexpected had come.
My friends, this could very well be the last blog I ever write, it could be the last blog you ever read. With that in mind I want to take this chance to share with you the greatest news the world has ever known. "God Loves You!"
God loves you so much more than you will ever know. You see in our selfish ways we have turned our backs on God. We have lived to fill our selfish desires and as a result we have separated ourselves from God. This selfishness in our life is called sin and the result of sin is eternal separation from God in hell. This is the second death.
Because of God's nature, His holiness, His righteousness, and His goodness He can't even look upon sin. But because of His love, His mercy, His grace, and His compassion , He sent His Son Jesus to die, to pay the price of our sin. And anyone who believes in Him can receive the free gift of salvation and eternal life that follows.
I hope and pray you will consider what I have shared. If you would like to know more or ask questions, just let me know.
So many details, and I have no control over any of them.
This event has served as a great reminder to me that life is short and no one is guaranteed tomorrow. What if one of those uncontrollable, unexpected things happened to you. Are you ready?
In Luke 12, Jesus tells this story about a man who's farm was very productive. It was so productive that the man didn't have room to store it all. The man then made the decision that he would tear down his existing barn and build a bigger one so he could store all his crops. Then he would take it easy for the next few years.
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’" Vs. 20 NLT
This man was so caught up in himself that he missed what was important. He wasn't focused on God or people just himself and God announced that the unexpected had come.
My friends, this could very well be the last blog I ever write, it could be the last blog you ever read. With that in mind I want to take this chance to share with you the greatest news the world has ever known. "God Loves You!"
God loves you so much more than you will ever know. You see in our selfish ways we have turned our backs on God. We have lived to fill our selfish desires and as a result we have separated ourselves from God. This selfishness in our life is called sin and the result of sin is eternal separation from God in hell. This is the second death.
Because of God's nature, His holiness, His righteousness, and His goodness He can't even look upon sin. But because of His love, His mercy, His grace, and His compassion , He sent His Son Jesus to die, to pay the price of our sin. And anyone who believes in Him can receive the free gift of salvation and eternal life that follows.
I hope and pray you will consider what I have shared. If you would like to know more or ask questions, just let me know.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
A Thought
It seems that every time I set out to write on here I just get frustrated. There are so many different things that I long to say but the words just never come out right.
So tonight I want to set out to do something different. I'm not going to deal with a passage of scripture. I just want to share my heart. I hope that you will read this and find some encouragement.
If you don't know by now, I am planting a church in Miamisburg, OH. It is called LifePoint Community Church and it is amazing to see what God is doing. But life as a church planter can be frustrating yet very rewarding. I get frustrated because everyday I am faced with my inadequacies to preform the tasks necessary to start a new church. At the same time I am rewarded in seeing God work in ways that are far beyond my understanding to fulfill His purpose in me.
I am excited about this year. 2013 will be a big year for LifePoint and for my family. I have set out a challenge that we live this year as if it is the last year Christ gives, then I asked the staggering question, "what will that look like if we live it out?"
As I think about this question, I have to ask God to show me what needs to change but not just on the surface. Sure, I could put on a show and saw look at all the things I am doing but that would miss the point. Do I want Jesus to return and find me putting on a show? Do I want Him to see me going through all the motions that people define as my role as a pastor? or Do I want to be transformed as I surrender areas of my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
Please Lord let me surrender to you!
I don't want it to be about me at all. I need Jesus to take charge. I have a lot of things in me that I don't want in me. Why do I get so easily angered over little things? Why do I beat myself up every time I make a mistake? Why do I shut down mentally and emotionally when my wife needs me to talk? Why do I feel so alone sometimes?
The answer is simple. I get distracted. Rather than focusing on Christ I start focusing on self, circumstances, or others. I try to take control rather that pick up my cross and die so that Christ might live in me.
This year for me is about learning to surrender more than ever before. It is about learning to trust God with the big picture and the details. It is about learning to see myself and others through the eyes of the Gospel. It is about being faithful with what God has given me and praising Him in all circumstances.
What will this year be for you?
I pray that God will help you see what you could be if you gave Him the control.
So tonight I want to set out to do something different. I'm not going to deal with a passage of scripture. I just want to share my heart. I hope that you will read this and find some encouragement.
If you don't know by now, I am planting a church in Miamisburg, OH. It is called LifePoint Community Church and it is amazing to see what God is doing. But life as a church planter can be frustrating yet very rewarding. I get frustrated because everyday I am faced with my inadequacies to preform the tasks necessary to start a new church. At the same time I am rewarded in seeing God work in ways that are far beyond my understanding to fulfill His purpose in me.
I am excited about this year. 2013 will be a big year for LifePoint and for my family. I have set out a challenge that we live this year as if it is the last year Christ gives, then I asked the staggering question, "what will that look like if we live it out?"
As I think about this question, I have to ask God to show me what needs to change but not just on the surface. Sure, I could put on a show and saw look at all the things I am doing but that would miss the point. Do I want Jesus to return and find me putting on a show? Do I want Him to see me going through all the motions that people define as my role as a pastor? or Do I want to be transformed as I surrender areas of my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
Please Lord let me surrender to you!
I don't want it to be about me at all. I need Jesus to take charge. I have a lot of things in me that I don't want in me. Why do I get so easily angered over little things? Why do I beat myself up every time I make a mistake? Why do I shut down mentally and emotionally when my wife needs me to talk? Why do I feel so alone sometimes?
The answer is simple. I get distracted. Rather than focusing on Christ I start focusing on self, circumstances, or others. I try to take control rather that pick up my cross and die so that Christ might live in me.
This year for me is about learning to surrender more than ever before. It is about learning to trust God with the big picture and the details. It is about learning to see myself and others through the eyes of the Gospel. It is about being faithful with what God has given me and praising Him in all circumstances.
What will this year be for you?
I pray that God will help you see what you could be if you gave Him the control.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
...and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then... ~ Ephesians 6:13b-14a
We are at war. I'm not talking about a war fought with physical weapons on an open battlefield or in a deep jungle in some remote location in the world. The war rages in ourselves. We are the battle ground.
God knows we don't have what it takes to win this war. We are weak, we are afraid, and we don't always want the victory. This is the beauty in this passage in Ephesians. God is supplying everything we need to win the battle. Jesus won the war on the cross and He will win the battle that rages in you. All we have to do is let Him win.
Paul told the Ephesians, "After you have done everything, to stand." After you have done everything in your power, and you can't stand anymore, "Stand firm then..." Now stand in God's power. In His armor. In His might.
In Psalm 46:10 we read these words, " “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
May God give you victory today.
We are at war. I'm not talking about a war fought with physical weapons on an open battlefield or in a deep jungle in some remote location in the world. The war rages in ourselves. We are the battle ground.
God knows we don't have what it takes to win this war. We are weak, we are afraid, and we don't always want the victory. This is the beauty in this passage in Ephesians. God is supplying everything we need to win the battle. Jesus won the war on the cross and He will win the battle that rages in you. All we have to do is let Him win.
Paul told the Ephesians, "After you have done everything, to stand." After you have done everything in your power, and you can't stand anymore, "Stand firm then..." Now stand in God's power. In His armor. In His might.
In Psalm 46:10 we read these words, " “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
May God give you victory today.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Time to let it go
Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ~Matthew 9:5
So often the church is focused on meeting the physical needs of people that we forget the true message of Jesus Christ. Jesus didn't heal people physically just to heal people. He performed miracles to show that He had the ability to forgive sin.
As Christ followers we are called to forgive others. Jesus didn't just give us the ability to forgive but He commanded us to do so.
I don't know what burden you are carrying today, but it is time to set it down. It is time to let it go. It is a time for Forgiveness.
So often the church is focused on meeting the physical needs of people that we forget the true message of Jesus Christ. Jesus didn't heal people physically just to heal people. He performed miracles to show that He had the ability to forgive sin.
As Christ followers we are called to forgive others. Jesus didn't just give us the ability to forgive but He commanded us to do so.
I don't know what burden you are carrying today, but it is time to set it down. It is time to let it go. It is a time for Forgiveness.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
You Can Do It
I can do everything through him who gives me strength. ~Philippians 4:13
Sometimes in life we come across people who push our every nerve. We want do whatever it takes to get away from these people. Sometimes we just want to be mean to them.
BUT God tells us to love these people.
One time, early in His earthly ministry, Jesus came upon a man named Levi. Levi was a tax collector. In those days it was the tax collector himself that decided the fees that they would charge. Most tax collectors at the time charged people 100% increase or more on their taxes, sometimes as much as a 400% increase.
To say the least, this didn't endear them to the people. Yet, when Jesus sees Levi, He doesn't yell out rude comments, He doesn't ignore Levi, He simply calls out, "Follow Me." Jesus saw the man Levi could be in Christ and not just the man sitting at the table.
Later that day we find Jesus at Levi's home having a meal. The religious leaders are complaining because a good and godly man wouldn't be around 'these kind' of people.
"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” ~Mark 2:17
How can I have this kind of attitude toward those that society calls unlovable? What if we could learn to love the worst that mankind has to offer? I'm not saying we should accept sin or say sin is okay, but rather embrace the sinner as a fellow image bearer of God who desperately needs the grace and mercy of the cross. (Just like you and me.)
I can do this. And so can you. Through Jesus we can have the strength to love the unlovable, touch the untouchable, reach the unreachable. I can do ALL THINGS through HIM. Will you give Jesus control today?
Sometimes in life we come across people who push our every nerve. We want do whatever it takes to get away from these people. Sometimes we just want to be mean to them.
BUT God tells us to love these people.
One time, early in His earthly ministry, Jesus came upon a man named Levi. Levi was a tax collector. In those days it was the tax collector himself that decided the fees that they would charge. Most tax collectors at the time charged people 100% increase or more on their taxes, sometimes as much as a 400% increase.
To say the least, this didn't endear them to the people. Yet, when Jesus sees Levi, He doesn't yell out rude comments, He doesn't ignore Levi, He simply calls out, "Follow Me." Jesus saw the man Levi could be in Christ and not just the man sitting at the table.
Later that day we find Jesus at Levi's home having a meal. The religious leaders are complaining because a good and godly man wouldn't be around 'these kind' of people.
"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” ~Mark 2:17
How can I have this kind of attitude toward those that society calls unlovable? What if we could learn to love the worst that mankind has to offer? I'm not saying we should accept sin or say sin is okay, but rather embrace the sinner as a fellow image bearer of God who desperately needs the grace and mercy of the cross. (Just like you and me.)
I can do this. And so can you. Through Jesus we can have the strength to love the unlovable, touch the untouchable, reach the unreachable. I can do ALL THINGS through HIM. Will you give Jesus control today?
Monday, September 17, 2012
While you still have today
Why,
you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You
are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ~James 4:14
One day while Jesus is teaching He tells this story about this farmer. This farmers crops are growing with great abundance. When the harvest comes he quickly realizes that his barn isn't big enough to store all his crops.
This farmer comes up with a plan to build a new and bigger barn so he can store up all his stuff and then he plans on taking it easy for a few years. God then shows up and tells this farmer that he is a fool, because God is demanding the man's life that very night.
In our lives we tend to live like we have an everlasting string of tomorrows, but the truth is all we have is now. This moment. God can call our lives to account at this very moment.
The problem is we want to put things off till another day. We say things like, "I'll get right with God when I am older." "One of these I'll start giving to help those in need."
When we procrastinate about spiritual things, we become fools. God told James that our lives are but a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. We have right now, this moment to get right with God through Jesus Christ. Today is the day of your salvation. You may not have another chance.
Thomas Jefferson once said, " Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today."
This is never more true than accepting the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. So act now while you still have today, because no one is promised tomorrow.
One day while Jesus is teaching He tells this story about this farmer. This farmers crops are growing with great abundance. When the harvest comes he quickly realizes that his barn isn't big enough to store all his crops.
This farmer comes up with a plan to build a new and bigger barn so he can store up all his stuff and then he plans on taking it easy for a few years. God then shows up and tells this farmer that he is a fool, because God is demanding the man's life that very night.
In our lives we tend to live like we have an everlasting string of tomorrows, but the truth is all we have is now. This moment. God can call our lives to account at this very moment.
The problem is we want to put things off till another day. We say things like, "I'll get right with God when I am older." "One of these I'll start giving to help those in need."
When we procrastinate about spiritual things, we become fools. God told James that our lives are but a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. We have right now, this moment to get right with God through Jesus Christ. Today is the day of your salvation. You may not have another chance.
Thomas Jefferson once said, " Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today."
This is never more true than accepting the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. So act now while you still have today, because no one is promised tomorrow.
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