Love in Action

1 John 3:18,  "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." (NIV)

This passage of scripture challenged my thinking this morning. Have you ever heard someone make this statement, "Words are cheap." It is very easy to make great declarations with our words yet fail to follow up these words with the appropriate actions. Is that what the Spirit through the writings of the Apostle John was seeking to establish in our hearts? Our love for God and our love for each other must be more than just the use of words but our love toward God and man must be established through appropriate actions being taken.

Let us remember the words of Jesus found Mark 7:5-7, "So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.” 6 Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7  Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’" (NLT) 

I believe that God is calling us to action as well as to a time of conversation or discussion with Him and with each other. I am constantly asking myself these questions; "Am I backing up my words (both public as well as private) with the proper actions? Do I expect more out of others than I am willing to do myself? Do I preach one thing and live another way? Does my life demonstrate and reveal those principles that I am promoting to others?"

I truly desire for my life to reflect the life of Christ at work in my heart. I desire for my life to be more than just a series of words that I have learned to articulate whether it be through the songs we sing or the messages that I preach. 

Dear God, let our lives be lived in a manner that reveals the fact that our walk with Christ is more than just an assortment of religious words that we have learned to memorize!!

Loving God

Matthew 22:37-39, "Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’"

On Monday and Tuesday of this week I was given the awesome opportunity of sitting with two young men and listen to them describe what God was teaching them during their times of prayer, mediation and devotion. It was both challenging as well as inspiring as I listened to these brothers in Christ describe the revelation of Christ that was taking place in their lives. The scripture passage that I shared with you today was a part of my devotional reading this morning and I felt impressed that I needed to write about our need to "love God" more fully and completely. After all, we have no trouble (in most situations) believing that God truly loves us but do we believe that God desires for us to love Him with all of our might, passion, desire, energy, etc.?

I shared these words in an earlier tweet this morning; "Insecure times are great times for the Gospel." Listening to the early morning news as they review the trouble that took place in the world on Tuesday brings a sense of insecurity. We soon realize that our "world" as we once knew it is in serious trouble in so many areas of our society. This blog post today is not necessarily aimed at identifying these areas as much as it is aimed in asking each of us this question; "Where are we looking to combat these feelings of insecurity?"

It certainly appears that no one individual or even a group of individuals have answers to the problems that we are facing around the world. But does not reality teach us that people have never really had the answers? Humanity may have created or prepared "stop-gap" measures that alleviated some of the concerns/problems/anxieties we face but they never really provided a complete resolution to these matters. EX: How many wars have been fought just in my lifetime? Our human response only brought a temporary relief but it never fully resolved the situation that we were facing.

Isn't it easy for these words of Jesus found in Matthew to get lost in the discussion about the challenges of life? We "love" so many things and we "love" so many people but do we truly love God and do we truly love our neighbor as we should? Those questions can only be answered by each of us as we allow the Spirit to examine our hearts!! The message of the Gospel still provides the answers that we need!!

Faith

I don't normally make any posts on Sunday due to the activities of this day. But we are facing some weather issues in our area and so I realize that I have some time on my hands. So I decided to share a brief synopsis of what I was going to share in the message today. I truly believe that the enemy of our soul is doing his best to undermine or at least weaken our faith. It seems that many people that I know are facing some "storms" in their lives. It is during those moments that our faith will either "hold up or fold up." I do not want my faith growing weaker but I desire for my faith to be growing stronger. Would you take a moment and read the thoughts that I felt led to share today?

For the past few weeks I have been sharing about God being our place of refuge. Today I was going to remind us that it is our faith that encourages us to look to God and trust Him to be the refuge that we need. Faith has always played a major role in our walk with Christ. Faith encourages us to believe when everything going around us says give up and don't trust God. Faith encourages us to keep moving forward when the situations that we are facing tell us to stop or even turn back in our walk with Christ. 

I would like to share some verses of scripture with you today. The passage is found in Matthew 8:23-27, "Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (NKJV)

Each of us have faced or possibly are facing storms in our lives. We have felt the waves of doubt, fear, frustration, discouragement, failure, etc. rise against us so much that we even thought that we were about to be swallowed up by the force of the waves. And there may have been moments in those times that we looked for the presence of God and possibly even felt that He had forgotten about us. Notice these words that Jesus spoke to the disciples, "...Why are you fearful, O you of little faith." They still possessed faith although Christ identified it as "little." But their faith did exist and so does your faith. Don't give up in the storm. Trust in God and recognize His presence. He sill possesses the power to bring calm into your storm. A line from an old hymn declares, "Hold to God's unchanging hand..."

Participation

Luke 9:23-26, "Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels." (NLT)

I believe that Lent can remind us that Christ calls us to participate with Him in the work of His Kingdom. I must make a definite decision to follow Christ; that will require more than just being a spectator. I define a "spiritual spectator" as someone who enjoys the view from the sidelines but chooses not to become involved in what is taking place on the field. 

Jesus uses some words of action in verse 23 of Luke 9. These words are "turn from, take up, and follow." These actions are going to be very difficult to complete as long as we remain in an easy chair on the sideline. I must take willful action to put myself in a position to fulfill these commands/directives from the lips of our Savior. These are not the requests of a Pastor, parent or a dear friend. These are the words of our Lord and Savior as He describes the activity of a person who chooses to become a disciple (follower, learner) of His. 

I encourage you to NOT focus on the requirements of this challenge but to focus on the rewards of walking through life in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to remember the Love of God that was demonstrated for you as Christ went to the cross in your place. I encourage you to remember the promise that Christ would never leave you alone as you travel the road called life. Walking with Christ is a blessing to those who choose to enter into the fullness of that relationship. 

URGENT Need for PRAYER

James 5:16, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (KJV)

I feel that I must share the burden that the Spirit placed on my heart this morning during prayer. Many of you are aware of this but often the needs of others somewhat get pushed to the back of our prayer times as we deal with our own set of challenges. I do not desire to diminish in any way those situations that you may be facing today BUT there is a great tragedy transpiring around the world. And I am afraid that there are not enough Christians especially in America paying attention to this tragedy.

The tragedy is the open physical persecution of our fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ throughout various parts of the world. Death is the end result in many of these cases that are being reported through various media sites. What will I (we) do regarding this travesty? Will I choose to ignore this difficulty because I do not personally know any of the victims? Will I choose to ignore this difficulty because it is not happening in my neighborhood or local church family? Will I choose to ignore this difficulty because I don't perceive the threat to be one that will spread to other parts of the world?  Will I simply just choose to live in denial and hope that this effort to destroy Christianity as we know it will run its course and disappear? 

I am happy to report to you that I can not afford to answer "yes" to any of the above stated questions. I am choosing to respond with sincere prayer for these "family members" who are facing an enemy that is seeking to destroy them. I can not sit idly on the sideline while the fires of persecution are burning red hot and creating havoc in the lives of many wonderful men, women and children of God. Let me share the NLT translation of this passage in James, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." 

I challenge each of you to be a part of the solution that is found in the last sentence of that passage. Can our Brothers and Sisters in Christ depend on us to pray for them?

Beginning of Lent

Today is commonly referred to as Ash Wednesday. We are enduring a blast of "ole man winter" in Louisville this week. We have seen our largest snowfall in several years as well as brutal cold (at least by Kentucky standards). But none of that can compare to the suffering that Christ, our Savior endured for each of us. He brought to earth God's plan of salvation for the human race. Our early ancestors, Adam and Eve had committed sin against God and their sin led to open rebellion and disobedience. The influence and desire to sin has been fueled through disobedience and rebellion and it has filled the souls of mankind since that day. BUT God has provided each of us a remedy for the aliment of sin and that remedy was nailed to the cross over 2,000 years ago. 

I would encourage you to reflect on the provision of our salvation over the next 40 plus days as we move toward Easter on April 5th. I read the following words in one of my devotionals this morning and I thought they would prove challenging as well as informational this morning. 

For some Christians, Lent has always been a part of their spiritual life, but for others it is unfamiliar. Lent is a season leading up to Easter, a time when Christians have historically prepared their hearts for Easter with reflection, repentance, and prayer. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and proceeds for forty days, excluding Sundays, and culminating with Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Since Sundays are weekly celebrations of the resurrection of Jesus, the six Sundays in Lent are not counted as part of the forty-day season, which focuses on introspection, self examination, and repentance. Many Christians choose to celebrate a fast throughout the season of Lent, but the focus is not on depriving themselves of something as much as it is on devoting themselves to God and His purposes in the world.

The Power of Love

I shared this passage of scripture in a blog that I wrote a few days ago but I felt that it needed to be brought to our attention once more. The words are written from the hands of Paul as he shared the inspiration of the Spirit with the church at Thessalonica. 2 Thessalonians 1:3, "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing." (NIV))

How often do I thank God for my brothers and sisters in Christ? How often do I applaud and encourage their efforts as they serve within the family of God? How often do I recognize the fact that these men and women are instruments in the hands of God and how often God works through them to encourage me? Is it possible that I may take the family of God for granted and only fully appreciate them during an emergency in my life or in the lives of my family members? The Spirit implies in this passage that thanking God for my brothers and sisters in Christ is something that I "ought" to do! Let's be honest with each other; it is so much easier to criticize, critique and even judge someone than it is to offer prayer, praise and encouragement to our fellow travelers on the road of life. 

Paul also noticed something else very significant taking place among the Thessalonians. I will let him express it in his own words; "...and the love all of you have for one another is increasing." WOW, now that is the type of church that I would like to attend. Paul identified people drawing closer to one another rather than drawing apart from one another. Paul saw love rather than dislike or even hatred. Paul recognized that the love for each other was "increasing" rather than decreasing. Undoubtedly people were seeing the positive characteristics in each other rather than the negative characteristics in each other. What do we see when we attend our local corporate worship gatherings? What is our attitude/mood when we leave a corporate church setting? 

Is our love for one another increasing or is it decreasing? 

Valentine's Day

One of the local utility providers in our area sent out an interesting email this morning on the day prior to Valentines Day. They were encouraging us to share a "HUG" with someone today. Their concept of a "HUG" was a "Home Utility Gift" Certificate. This gift certificate would be applied to the account of certain people in your life in which you desired to celebrate and appreciate on Valentines Day. I do not this post to be misconstrued or misunderstand. The utility company's idea is certainly a novel approach that might be more beneficial than any other gift that you could share with these individuals.

BUT the word "HUG" grabbed my attention. There was a Public Service Announcement that ran in Kentucky for many years and it asked this question; "Have you hugged your kid today. Did you send him on his way with love?" It was a subtle reminder to hold close to your heart those children that God had placed in your life. I can still hear that jingle in my head even to this day.

Millions of dollars will be spent on cards, candy, flowers, jewelry and dinner dates. I do not want anyone to jump to the conclusion or make the assumption that I am against any of these actions that someone may take today, tomorrow or in the future. But I will share this thought with you; that many of the "gift ideas" that I just mentioned will not fully meet the need of those special people that you love. Many of them are truly in need of a HUG and I am not referring to any type of gift certificate. 

I am referring to a warm, thoughtful and loving embrace that only you can share with those you love. Cards, candy, dinner, or any other gift that you can offer will never take the place of you and the hug that you can share. I know that I may be accused of being cheap and looking for the easy way out of this holiday. But when did "love" become a holiday that we had to celebrate with fancy gifts? Many of us can remember those times in our lives in which our finances were short and our budget was very tight. BUT the love for our spouse, children, parents, siblings, dear friends etc. was present in a very deep, appreciative, respectful and thankful manner. And that love flowed like a river from the depths of our heart and soul. 

Give whatever you can afford to give. Share whatever you feel led to share. Enjoy a great meal at a wonderful restaurant. BUT please remember this at the end of the day; "True love can not be bought with a price. It is a gift that comes from God and comes through God. Share yourself with those you love today. Share YOUR HUGS WITH THEM! Your gifts will never take the place of your HUGS!!!" 

Lessons from Lincoln

Today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday. We are very familiar with the successes of Lincoln such as him being elected the 16th President of the United States. We read about his leadership during the Civil War that America endured as well as the major role he played in the abolition of slavery in our country. We are also acquainted with some of his famous speeches in which he challenged the nation to persevere and seek a solution to end the terrible war that was dividing our country. One of the most famous speeches would certainly be the Gettysburg address which was delivered on one of the bloodiest battlefields of the Civil War. Earlier today I read some very interesting biographical material that reminds us that President Lincoln also endured his share of setbacks, difficulties and dare I use the word, failures.

"Based on his past record of failures, Abraham Lincoln had no right to think he could win the presidency of the United States. But that didn't keep him from trying, consider this: Abraham Lincoln failed in business at age 21; was defeated in a legislative race at age 22; failed again in business at age 24; overcame the death of his sweetheart at age 26; had a nervous breakdown at age 27; lost a congressional race at age 34; lost a congressional race at age 36; lost a senatorial race at age 45; failed in an effort to become vice-president at age 47; lost a senatorial race at age 47; but was elected president of the United States at age 52!"

Abraham Lincoln proved to be a great success in his ability to take failure and turn it into a success. It is possible that we could define/describe him as a successful failure.

I truly believe that we can learn valuable lessons from President Lincoln's failures as well as his successes. Mr. Lincoln chose not to be defined by his failures. His tenacity to keep reaching for his goals in life caused him to reach for success even as he moved through his failures. This post is not about "glorifying failure" but it is about reminding each of us that we must choose whether or not that we will allow our failures to define us or whether we will use those failures as stepping stones that will end in success. I have been taught valuable lessons from failure. I have been taught humility, remorse and to accept assistance from others just to name a few of the lessons. I have also seen my "pride" revealed to me as I leaned on my own abilities rather than the abilities of God to lead me to a proper and correct decision. 

Philippians 3:12-14, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (NIV)

Each of us must keep reaching for those things of God that are in front of us. We must continue to move toward the prize and realize that we do not have to be defined by our failures. God has not given up on us and neither should we give up on our selves!!

February Reminder

I would like to share with you an email that I sent out earlier this morning. I truly sense in my spirit that the Holy Spirit is desiring to awaken in each of us the need to share genuine Christian love with each other. People are needing to not only hear about the love of God they are needing to see His love in action. I desire for the Love of God to be "active" in my heart and life. 

Ann enjoys watching the Hallmark Channel. As a matter of fact I must confess that I get "caught up" in some of the movies they show. This month's focus is on "Love" and how it can make an impact our lives. These stories are meant to inspire us to love and cherish those special people that God has placed in our lives. You may have even read other great romance/love stories in your life such as Romeo and Juliet. 

BUT THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD IS FOUND IN THE BIBLE. It is the story of God's love for this whole world. It is the story of Jesus Christ giving His life on a cross that we could be forgiven of our sins. It is the story of each of us sharing His love with our fellow man as we travel this road called life. 

The Spirit of God continues to remind me of that story. He reminds me that I am to play a role in the continuing telling of that story. The Spirit also is reminding me that I need to "live out" that story in my daily life.

I would like to share with you two passages of scripture that God has placed in my path in recent days. These scriptures have been God's way to remind me that His love is real and that His love needs to be shared with those in need.

1 Corinthians 13;1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." (NIV)

2 Thessalonians 1:3, "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing." (NIV)

Let us take the time to notice the important role that love needs to play in the life of believers!!

Word of God

Psalm 33:4-5,  "For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. (NIV)

It appears that the authority and the authenticity of the Word of God is under attack in our culture to say the least. There is an element in our society who is choosing to completely ignore many of the principles of the Word of God and this attitude is leading people to disregard the application of these principles to their lives. This action is requiring the church to re-examine our commitment to the Word of God. This action is also requiring the church to reconnect with the process of these principles being applied to our individual lives. I sincerely desire to do more than just "believe" in the power and authority of the Word of God. I want to take the next step of faith and allow the Spirit to make the proper application of the Word of God to my life on a daily basis. 

The Psalmist reminds us that "the word of the Lord is right and true." He also goes on to remind us of the faithfulness of God to His Word. The Word of God is a spiritual guarantee that we can rely on as we navigate the troubled waters of life. But it is our individual choice of whether or not that we will allow the Word of God to exert its influence and guidance in our lives. The Word of God teaches us of the importance of surrender and obedience in all areas of life. The Word of God teaches us the reward of faithful obedience to the Word of God. I believe that there is a difference in a living a life of "compliance" and living a life that is being lived in "sincere and heartfelt obedience." I will let you meditate on the difference of those two concepts (i.e., if you feel there is a difference).

Have a great day and walk in the strength of "his (God's) unfailing love."

Should I Praise Him?

Psalm 59:16-17, "But I will sing of your strength in the morning I will sing of your love, for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. 17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely." (NIV)

This song is written during a difficult time in David's life. Saul has sent men to David's house. They are there seeking an opportunity to kill him. But in the midst of this trial/challenge/battle/struggle David lifts His voice in a declaration of praise and hope. 

David compares his enemies to "snarling dogs that prowl the city" looking for an opportunity to move in for the kill. These enemies were not snipers on a hillside; they were literally in close proximity to his home. They were dutifully looking for an opportunity to spring their plan of death and destruction. BUT what was David's response?

David declares these words in verses 9 & 10. "You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely." Do we watch for God to show up in the midst of our challenges/struggles? Do we turn our eyes toward Heaven and look for our Helper to arrive? Or do we bask in gloom and despair as people without hope?

I truly believe that some of our greatest times of praise, worship, and adoration can take place and has taken place during our most difficult times. Brokenness can tenderize our hearts toward God and tender hearts become more sensitive to the presence of a Loving God who is truly interested in our spiritual well being. 

The title of this post raised a question, "Should I Praise Him?" I answer that question with an unequivocal YES! Yes, we should offer our praise to God and realize that He never leaves us alone. He is our refuge and fortress in times of difficulty. 

my God on whom I can rely.

Prayer Focus

Those of you who read this blog on a consistent basis realize that I have a strong belief in the power of Prayer. I truly believe that in many cases the lack of a consistent Prayer Life can lead to spiritual problems in our lives. I am not speaking of the short bed-time prayers nor the prayers over our meals although all of these are important and they do play a role in our lives. I am speaking more about those type of intimate, getting alone with God and seeking His face (relationship) and not His hand (blessings) time of prayers. And I completely understand that all of us have busy schedules and our time is limited. But let's be honest and be real with each other for a moment; we always find time to do what we enjoy and do what we think is important. We need to remember that if we know this statement to be true than our Heavenly Father also knows this statement to be true.

Years ago I used this acronym to encourage people to pray. You may have seen it before but it is worthy of using one more time. It is the word PUSH.

Pray

Until

Something

Happens

I would like to share with you a Prayer Focus that I shared with our local church at the beginning of 2015. This focuses on the connection of the Pastor with God as well as the connection of the Pastor with the local congregation. It also focuses on EACH OF US CONNECTING WITH EACH OTHER AS WELL AS WITH GOD. I truly believe that the enemy seeks to create an atmosphere of "disconnection" when we gather for our corporate worship services. The enemy certainly does not want us to connect with the Spirit and he does not want us to connect with the power of the Word of God. But we all know and believe that the power of God is greater than the power of the enemy. The enemy desires to hinder the power of spiritual agreement that can take place in the hearts of the family of God. I encourage you to review this list and see if any of them will speak to your heart. I would also ask you to join with us in prayer if you feel that these requests are worthy of your prayer time.

PRAYER FOCUS FOR 2015

1)      Pray for the Pastor to receive the message that God desires to share with our church family.

2)      Pray for the Pastor to have freedom to declare the Word that God has placed on his heart and in his Spirit.

3)      Pray against the powers of darkness that work to cause the Pastor to mis-carry or abort the Word that God has placed in His heart.

4)      Pray for “ears to hear” the Word of God as it is being declared and revealed.

5)      Pray for a “divine connection” between the Pastor and congregation so that the Word of God can flow in its life-giving authority.