Focused

Hebrews 11:24-26, "It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward." (NLT)

Millions of people watched the NCAA Basketball Championship game last night  and a large portion of that number were located in the state of Kentucky. People were cheering for their favorite team to win the game so that they could be declared the "Champions." But the only participants in that sporting event who could actually win the game were the players on the basketball court. Many of those players have been involved in the game of basketball since they were a child. Would you like to have a dollar for every time that they have shot the ball, dribbled the ball, passed the ball or ran up and down the court? 

But there is another element to the game that they had to learn. They had to develop the element of "focus." They had to learn that the missed shots, missed free throws, the rebounds that they should have grabbed and the games that they could have won had to be put out of their minds and "focus" on the game at hand. Christians have to remind ourselves of the need to focus on those things that God has planned for our lives. We can easily remember our failures, our "what could have been", our "what should have been." We all have endured those moments of "why me" and those moments of "how can I get through this moment?" 

We can learn a valuable lesson from the decision making process of Moses. The Word of God shares that lesson in v. 26, "He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward." How long has it been since we thought of the reward of serving Christ? How long has it been since we have thought about the blessings that are provided for us as we serve Christ? How long has it been since we looked at our future and not our past? Moses took the better route and I believe that is time for each to remember that serving Christ is the better route!!!

God's Care

I realize that I wrote about God's care and concern in a recent post. But the past few days have brought that characteristic of God to the forefront of my thinking once again. I am sure that many of you are aware of people that are facing some very challenging situations at this time in their life. I am made aware of many situations of people both near and far in my role as Pastor. I hear from friends all across this nation and I even hear from people outside this nation who desire to share a prayer concern with me. There are days that my prayer list could be categorized as overwhelming to say the least.

 

It is at those moments that I realize that I do not have the power or ability to change or alter any of the situations that have been brought to my attention (some family needs could be excluded). But I am connected to them through the relationship that I have developed with the individuals who have shared the need with me. I willingly commit to prayer, care (if possible) and concern for the need that was shared. But as a human being I am limited to what I can do to relieve the pain, sorrow, difficulty, challenge, etc. I truly emphasize the word "limited" in each of those situations. Many of you who are reading these words have also felt that type of helplessness. It is during those moments that we realize that our care and concern is limited because of our humanity but our faith and hope is not limited.

 

We know where to turn at those moments. We turn to God who is truly unlimited and all powerful. He not only possesses those characteristics but He also possesses the genuine characteristics of love, care and concern for His children. Today I need to remind someone of the promise found in 1 Peter 5:7. I feel led to share that familiar passage with you once more today. Take a moment and allow these words to sink deep into your heart as you look at your own prayer list (both for yourself, your family as well as others). God cares and we can celebrate His care today!!

I Peter 5:7, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (NKJV)

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (NIV)

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (NLT)



Taking Action

I John 3:17-19, "If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. ¹⁹ Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. (NLT)

 

Today's thoughts are somewhat a follow up to some of the challenge that I shared yesterday on this blog. Once again I sensed the Spirit challenging my heart as I prayed this morning. This morning the Spirit issued to me a challenge to "take action" against the attacks and strategies of the enemy. We are a generation that is long on words, ideas, opinions, think-tanks, commissioning studies, meetings and making decisions regarding the actions that other people should take. But is it possible that we are falling short when we are asked to take actions that can and will make a difference in this world?

Many people know what they should do but they fail to act on that knowledge. I have known people who would tell you, "Preacher, I know what is wrong in my life but I am not prepared to make the right choice or decision." We are a generation that has developed our own set of excuses and we use them when we look for a reason to shirk our duties and responsibilities.

 

The Apostle John shares a stern warning with us in today's scripture passage. It appears that the people of his day and time also had their own set of excuses when it came time to take the appropriate actions. In my opinion John makes this simple point; there are times that talking is not enough. Our culture might say it this way, "It is time to put up or shut up." Our Christian lifestyle can be full of religious rhetoric and very little action. We say we can't pray yet we can talk at length about various issues in our world. We say we don't have time to attend church yet we make time to do everything else that satisfies us. We say we don't have time to read the Bible but we will DVR our favorite television program so we can view it later when it is more convenient. Or we will DVR one program while we are watching another program. We say we don't have the time or resources to bring our child to children's or youth ministry training yet we will travel all around the state to make sure they are participating in their favorite sporting event. None of these previous actions that I have mentioned are sinful UNLESS they have become our "god" (little g). Don't you think it is time that each of us realize that satan is looking for people who will choose to make the wrong decision and God (big g) is ready to work in the lives of people who will make the correct decision?

 

Once more read with me the Apostle John's closing words in this portion of his letter. They are found in verse 19, "Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God." I do not want to be embarrassed when I stand before God. I know that no one of us is perfect but we can sincerely desire to place our lives in God's hands and ask Him to lead us into the path of correct decisions.

Predators

John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (NIV)

 

The service at New River Worship Center on Sunday was a special one in many ways. We took the opportunity to celebrate the children and youth of our local congregation. Do you realize that the children and youth of any local congregation are one of the greatest resources that God has shared with us? The children and youth were very visible participants in the service as they shared their gifts in various forms of ministry through song, drama and the sharing of the Word of God. My heart was enriched as I viewed the various children and youth who shared their heart for God through and with their abilities. I was challenged as I realized that the harvest field is full of children and youth who need to hear about the grace, mercy, love, and acceptance of God. I can hear a dove cooing outside my window as I am typing these words. The sounds of the earthly dove reminds me that the Heavenly Dove (Holy Spirit) is actively pursuing the lost of this generation and that we need to join Him in that search. Will you and I be willing to become an active participant in the process of the harvest or will we choose to remain as spectators while the enemy continues to destroy more lives, more families, more future plans and the souls of more people? We can no longer afford just to complain about the darkness; we must be willing to turn on the light to this dark, sinful and rebellious world.

 

The word "predator" came into my heart as I was praying this past week. We read about various predators who prey on the children and youth of this generation. It seems that word has become a part of our modern vocabulary. Yet, the activity of sin has been taking place for all of the generations of man's existence. Jesus even described a predator in His words in John 10. He reminded us that we have an enemy who seeks "only to steal, kill and destroy"(emphasis added). Those words do not describe someone that any of us should desire to be associated with in any manner, shape or form. But we see the evidence of this "spiritual predator" all around us. We can identify the evidence of his presence but the key question remains, "Will you and I do anything to stop him from implementing his plan of action?" Dictionary.com describes a predator in these words, "any organism that exists by preying upon other organisms; or a plunderer," During prayer this past week I could sense that the Spirit was encouraging me to identify satan as a "spiritual predator" who has come to do damage to God's creation. In my opinion we are seeing the evidence of this predator in our society. I sensed that God was reminding me that the predator has come to "kidnap" this generation through all sorts of enticements, sins, and promiscuous activities that our culture is not only accepting but in many ways promoting. Again the question arises, "What will I do." We can choose to ignore these attempts to kidnap the soul of this generation or we can choose to arm ourselves with the spiritual weapons of warfare and stand in opposition to these forces of evil. It seems to me that the choice is simple yet it will require great courage, faith, perseverance, strength and commitment. I believe that the Spirit of God will provide what we need as we face these challenges and that He will lead and direct those people who will choose to walk in obedience. Our greatest resource in the church is not the buildings, the finances or even the ministries that we have developed. Our greatest resource is the people who sit in those buildings and those people who will sit in those buildings in the near future. 

 

Will you respond to Heaven's call to "throw out the lifeline?" There are people waiting for us to be "about the Father's business." Will you join with God in the process of evangelizing a world full of lost and hurting people?

The Strength of God

2 Thessalonians 2:13-16, “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.   ¹⁴ He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.  ¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (NIV)

Each of us has found ourselves at the point of physical weakness, emotional weakness, financial weakness and even spiritual weakness.   It is during those moments that we need strength that goes beyond human strength.   The strength we need must come from the Eternal God who possesses all power, authority and ability.   When it appears that all hope is lost we can count on the strength of God that far surpasses any difficulty that we are facing.   This passage of scripture was initially written to the church in Thessalonica.   The Apostle Paul reminds this group of believers that they are “loved by the Lord”; “chosen to be saved”; and “(they) might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”.   He concludes this portion of his letter with this prayer and I want to pray this prayer over each of us today; “ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

 

We can depend on God to supply the strength that we need as we face the situations and challenges of daily living. We must ALWAYS REMEMBER that God loves us and that He is aware of the challenges that we face.



Personal Recognition

The beginning of the new week has my mind full of many thoughts that I could share on this blog. I could review some of what I "did not say" during the declaration of yesterday's message. I could talk about the developing story lines of "March Madness" which is at a fever pitch in Kentucky at this time of the year. I could even write about some of the dreams, plans and visions that I have for my life as well as the lives of the people that I serve today. But my heart seems to be headed in a different direction as I sit at my desk to share what God has placed on my heart. It has always been my desire to only share what I truly believe was important to share and that those "important" thoughts come from deep within my heart that had been previously impacted by what I was writing. I trust and pray that can be said concerning today's blog post.

 

Tomorrow is an important day in the Willingham family. Our Dad will celebrate his 88th birthday. This milestone will not garner much attention across the larger part of this world's population but it does gather much attention from those of us who hold him close in our hearts. I am honored to be the oldest child of my parents. I am blessed with five wonderful siblings and each of them have their own unique perspective of our Dad. My Dad is a veteran of WWII. He served in the infantry and his unit was involved in some of the major battles in the European theatre. He received several battle field awards and recognitions during his time of service for his country. He has taught me to have a greater respect for those men and women who serve our country and our Dad has been involved in the Chaplaincy ministry of the Disabled American Veterans over the past years. Dad and Mom have continued to serve these former soldiers and their families though prayer, concern, and personal visits. I could write about these acts of kindness but that is not the full reason that I am sharing today.

 

I must write about the impression that my Dad has made on me and continues to make on me to this very day. I was born into the home of my parents in 1953. My Dad was a minister before my parents were married. He had traveled across the state of Alabama as an Itinerant Evangelist for several years prior to meeting the woman who would become his wife and our Mother. FYI, he met our Mother during one of the many Revivals in which he participated. But that is not the reason that I am sharing this post. I grew up in the home of a Pastor. I learned some wonderful lessons very quickly as I began to notice my parents actions toward people. Our Dad would be called a Bi-vocational Pastor in today's vernacular. He had two jobs and this is probably a prejudiced statement but he was excellent at both of them.

 

Our Dad probably never heard the word "mentor" mentioned in his days of Ministerial training. Let me quickly add that most of our Dad's training if not all of his training was "on the job experience." But I soon realized that my Dad was teaching me through his actions as much as and maybe even more than through his words. He modeled or lived out what he would preach on Sunday. No, I am not trying to paint my parents as perfect people or perfect Christians by any means. He and my Mom certainly faced their own set of struggles both inside the church as well as outside the church. As a young child I could not fully understand what kept my parents moving forward even as they faced challenges and difficulties in their personal lives as well as in their role of spiritual responsibility. But retrospect has taught me many things that I could not explain or understand as I watched them up close and personal for many years.

 

They possessed a quality that I think is very important to the modern day church. They desired to practice what they preached. There was an inner fire that was not stoked through the applause and recognition of human beings. Many times the servants of our parents generation served without much fanfare, appreciation and even financial support. But they were driven by a cause that was greater than their egos, greater than their pride, greater than their own needs being met and greater than the tactics that the enemy used against them. In my opinion those elements and many more associated with them must become important once again. This blog post could easily turn into a full chapter of a book but I sincerely felt that I wanted to recognize my Dad on the eve of His 88th birthday and let him publicly know that he has made a difference in my life. He mentored me through his actions and not just his rhetoric. His actions were not written in a book that reached the top sellers list but his actions reached out to people across Alabama. There are many people who could attest to these facts that I am stating. His actions were never reviewed by the news media but they were lived out in prayer times in church, shepherding visits in the hospital, assisting families as they walked through the valley of the shadow of death, food for hungry children, money for fuel, clothes for the needy, and even taking people to church who did not have transportation. I am not only a proud son today but I AM A THANKFUL SON.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! YOU ARE APPRECIATED, LOVED AND RESPECTED!!


You are VALUABLE to GOD!!

I wrote yesterday concerning the care that God possesses for each of us. It is a blessing, honor and source of encouragement to realize and understand that God has a special place in His heart for me. I don't write these words in arrogance or pride but from a heart that is full of gratitude and thanksgiving that God is genuinely interested in me and my journey though life. A few words of an old song expresses my feelings this morning; "...His eyes are on the sparrow and I know He watches me..." I ask that you take a moment and allow the following words of Jesus to sink deep into your heart today.

 

Matthew 6:25-34, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?   ²⁶ Look at the birds.  They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? (Emphasis added) ²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? ²⁸ “And why worry about your clothing?   Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, ²⁹ yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. ³⁰ And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? ³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. ³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (NLT)

 

AMEN!!!