He is Coming!

Let me start off by saying congratulations you did it!  If you have been with us since last January and have been faithful to read God's word each day you have completed the 1-92 challenge.  1 year and 92 hours later you have finished. GREAT JOB!  What next?  Well I am starting back at Genesis 1 tomorrow and would encourage you to do the same.  Later this month I will be announcing a new challenge that has to do with God's word, but until then go back and start again at the beginning of the Old Testament or New Testament.  The main thing is that you stay in the word!
I love how the Bible ends, "Yes I am coming soon." Jesus says.  And the writers response is AMEN, Come, Lord Jesus.  It is true Christ is going to return very soon the question is are we as ready as John was?  If Jesus spoke these words directly to you what would your response be?  "Wait, I still have more to do", or "can I have another day or two?", or "no, no, no I'm not ready yet"?  Could you say with full confidence AMEN come Lord Jesus?
If you can't say that I would challenge you to examine how you are living your life as a new year approaches.  If you need more time to tell others about Christ, do it now, Christ is coming.  If you want to spend more time with your family or kids, do it now, He is coming.  Whatever it is that would keep you from saying come Lord Jesus come, should be done this very day if possible because He is coming soon.
I don't expect that any of us will get it all done, but we should live each and everyday as if it were our last.  So we can say with confidence come Lord Jesus!

HAPPY NEW YEAR MAY YOU BE BLESSED IN 2010!!!
Pete

You can endure

You have almost made it to the end of the 1-92 challenge.  For those who finished I know you have been blessed because God's word never returns void.  I pray that you will continue with me by starting again on January 1 and go through God's word again.  I will be announcing a new challenge later in January that will take us right up to Easter weekend, but I want to encourage you to take your daily Bible and go back to the first page with me on January 1st.  This was the verse that spoke to me today.
 
Revelation 14:12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.

So many people think that the Christian life is easy, soft, and simple, but we walk on a narrow and difficult road.  Loving your enemy is not easy, forgiving the unforgivable seems impossible, accepting those who persecute us is unimaginable.  But it is what we are called to do.  The Christian life calls for patient endurance.  While our eternal transformation was immediate at our conversion, our external earthly transformation is still a work in progress.  God is still working on each of us and we are learning more each day about who we are in Christ.  Even the Apostle Paul said he had not yet attained perfection.

Philippians 3:12   Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  13 Brothers, 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.

So wherever you are and whatever you are doing continue to be faithful and press on with patient endurance.  You can do this!  Even when you think you can't go any further stay faithful and God will see you through.

There's Still Time In 2009!

I know many people were out of town yesterday and could not make it for worship so here is a quick review of what we talked about.
There's still time for Jesus' return- Don't count Jesus out, 2009 is not over yet and there is still time for the sky to open up and for Christ to return.  Live your life in eager expectation for his return so you won't be caught off guard. 
There's still time for you to surrender-There is still time for you to surrender to God's call on your life.  There is a Divine plan for each of us but we must first surrender.  No one can reach their full spiritual potential without surrender. Why wait for 2010 to get involved in the membership of your church, or join a ministry or mission team?  Why wait to start the process of maturity?  Why wait to make praising and magnifying God a life style?  Start today, there's still time!  But you have to be willing to surrender.
There's still time for salvation- For those who don't know Christ there is still time in 2009.  They don't have to wait until 2010 to give their lives to Christ and we should not wait until 2010 to tell them about Jesus either.
2010 is going to be another great year at Cowboy Fellowship and for your family too.  But let's finish 2009 strong!!!  Let's use every single minute we are given to glorify God in all we do.  After all there's still time in 2009.
Pastor Pete

Don't forget you can hear this sermon and others on our website by clicking here, or by using the button below.

The Dead Church...

The church in Sardis thought it was alive, in fact others thought it was alive.  They had a reputation of being alive but Christ does not look at reputations he looks much deeper.  And Christ said this church was dead. Like most churches today the church at Sardis was full of many different kinds of people who were all at different places spiritually.  John MacArthur provides the following thoughts on this.

John MacArthur (Click here for the whole study)

Christ gives the church at Sardis five key commands that are critical to understanding the letter: watch, strengthen, remember, hold fast, and repent. Those commands are directed to the different types of members of the church in Sardis. Each command has at least one of the three specific types of people in view: the unsaved, who are in the majority (the dead people); the carnal Christians, who are sleeping-- hanging on the fringes; and the few who have not defiled their garments.

A. Watch (vv. 2a, 3b)

1. CONSTANT VIGILANCE (v. 2a)

"Be watchful ..."

That command was especially applicable in Sardis because on two occasions, the city hadn't kept anyone on guard, and it was captured.

2. COMING JUDGMENT (v. 3b)

"... If, therefore, thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."

Will Christ come upon believers as a thief in the night? No. Then He must be talking to the dead ones--the unbelievers. Christ never comes upon believers as a thief in the night. For example, in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 Paul says, "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." But in verse 5 he says, "Ye are all sons of light ... we are not of the night ...." Christ is coming in the night of judgment on unbelievers. Christians are children of light, not night. Christ says to the unbeliever, "Open your eyes and watch out because I am coming in judgment." Jesus is coming again. You say, "When is He coming?" I believe He will come very soon to take His church and begin the Tribulation (Rev. 7:14).

B. Strengthen (v. 2b)

"... and strengthen the things which remain ..."

Evidently there were some Christians in the church at Sardis who were hanging on the fringes. So Christ tells the solid Christians--the living saints, the worthy ones--to wake up the carnal Christians. They are described as being next to dead. They were just remaining. They needed to be strengthened and built up. The solid believers were to strengthen the ones that remained.

C. Remember (v. 3a)

"Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard ..."

In other words, remember your salvation. Christ is talking to believers. Remember to keep your mind occupied with the person of Christ and the things of your salvation.

D. Hold Fast (v. 3b)

"... and hold fast ..."

Whenever you see "hold fast" in the Bible, it is referring to sound doctrine. Christ is saying, "Remember how you were saved and hold fast to the doctrines you were taught at the beginning. Hold fast to what you know. Don't get distracted by the world. Don't be influenced by false doctrine. The injunction to Thyatira was, "But that which ye have already, hold fast ..." (Rev. 2:25). He was also referring to sound doctrine in that verse. Christ was telling the worthy saints to hang on and not let the world distract them.

E. Repent (v. 3c)

"... and repent ..."

That command refers to both the carnal Christian and the unsaved. The dead, hypocritical church member and the carnal Christian need to repent.

Those were the five general commands to the church in Sardis--and to any dead church.

A Sermon to a Dead Church

If I was ever invited to speak at a dead church, I know what text I would use: Revelation 3:1-6. I would divide the congregation into three parts and say, "I have two things to say to those of you who are dead and don't know Jesus Christ. One, watch because the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. God is coming in judgment, particularly on those who have feigned a love for Christ and have no such love. Second, repent of your sin, and turn to Jesus Christ and His grace before it's too late. To those of you who are carnal, sleeping Christians, repent of the sin in your life. Also, remember what you had when you came to Christ. To the few of you who have remained faithful to Christ, strengthen those who are on the edge and hold fast to sound doctrine." That is the three-fold message I would deliver to a dead church, addressing each kind of member.

He goes on to point out some of the main problems the church in Sardis had. 

"One of the main problems in the church at Sardis was that it was not operating in the Spirit of God. Why is that an important thing for churches and believers to do? Look up the following verses: Romans 8:1-2, 26-27; 14:17; 15:13; 1 Corinthians 2:4, 11-14; 12:7; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:16-18, 22-23; Ephesians 2:18; 3:16; 5:9; 2 Timothy 1:7; Titus 3:5-6; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 4:14; 1 John 3:24. List all the benefits of the Holy Spirit's work in the believer's life. As a result of those verses, determine how you are going to apply the working of the Holy Spirit in your life."

We must allow the Spirit to operate in our own lives and in the life of our churches.  We can't expect God to move when we gather as a church to serve or worship, if we have not made following and obeying him our lifestyle outside of church.  Total surrender is required if we are going to experience the life that only Christ can bring to us as individuals and as churches. 

 

No Burden Here!

There are many things that seem so burdensome about life.  For some just getting up and going to work each day is a burden.  Others face difficult personal battles each day.  Some have health problems that cause life to be a burden.  It seems that we all have something in our lives that at one time or another is a burden.  Many misunderstand the commands of God and conclude that they are simply to burdensome to complete.  Some feel His commands and tasks are impossible.  The burden becomes so great for some that they fall away from the faith all together.  But today's reading sets the record stright.  The scriptures declare.

1John 5:3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome..

Those who love God obey God, and obeying his commands is not burdensome according to this verse.  This does not mean His commands are light, easy, or simple.  But because we are His children and the Holy Spirit guides us the scriptures assure us that we are able to do all that we are commanded.   God will never give us more then we can handle.  The burden comes when we remove the Spirit from our lives and we try to do things ourselves.  If you try to walk through the christian journey alone, the burden will be to much.  But with the Holy Spirit all things are possible.  The challenge for today is simple, obey God, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, this is the only way we can ever experience the burden-less life that is promised for those who obey His commands.

Do you like where you are?

 So many people, especially young people don't like where they are in life.  The small town we live in is generally a place most people long to escape just as I did growing up.  It's strange how myself and many of my friends have made our way back to this small town through God's divine calling on our lives and today we love it and hate to think of ever leaving it.  I wonder what Jesus thought of his home town of Nazareth?  The NIV New Study Bible says this about the town Jesus grew up in:

"Matthew 2:23 Nazareth. A rather obscure town, nowhere mentioned in the OT. It was Jesus’ hometown (21:11; 26:71; see Lk 2:39; 4:16-24; Jn 1:45-46). He will be called a Nazarene. These exact words are not found in the OT and probably refer to several OT prefigurations and/or predictions (note the plural, “prophets”) that the Messiah would be despised (e.g., Ps 22:6; Isa 53:3), for in Jesus’ day “Nazarene” was virtually a synonym for “despised” (see Jn 1:45-46)."

This is the point that God drove home for me today.  No matter where you are, how big or small your world may seem, or what others think about your way of life, God can and will use you in mighty ways.   If we would focus less on our circumstances and focus totally on God we would find fulfillment like few have ever experienced.  Where we are in life matters very little compared to who we are, and I am a child of the KING, who could ask for more?

One Year Bible

Now is a great time to start reading your Bible daily if you are not already.  Start 2010 off right!  Get one of these for yourself or a friend and read through God's word this year!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Pastor Pete

Who Could Make This?

About 6:45 this morning this question came into my mind as I watched the sun rise out the window of my deer blind. Who could make this? The answer of course is God ALONE. There is no way man with all of his wisdom, technology, or nuclear power, could ever even come close to doing what God has done. In fact we can't even get close enough to even make a comparison at all. God is amazing and that is all there is to it.

As I continued to wait for the deer to arrive I read:

Habakkuk 2:18–20 NIV ““Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. 19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. 20 But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

Let us be careful not to worship the things we do, or make, for they are nothing more then idols. May we trust in God alone, and long for his breath of life, words of wisdom, and holy guidance! What a great reminder this Christmas season!

Falling Away

Today's reading contains many warnings about falling away from the faith. It is strange to think that anyone would fall away at all but we see it happen all the time. People fall away for many reasons. Family or personal problems, work schedules, internal conflicts at church, laziness, pride, bitterness, stress, Sunday afternoon football, and thousands of other reasons pull us away from our faith. Why? Simply put, I believe much of it has to do with what we value. More specifically, it is our lack of values in the modern world. The fact is that what we value shapes and directs our lives and it seems that the values of people today change with the seasons. Many seem to go through a time in their lives where they value faith, church, and a personal relationship with God. But then, for one of a million different reasons, that value is replaced by something else at the top of the list. It is a slippery slope to be sure when faith moves to the second most important value in your life. It is never long before it is replaced at number 2, and pushed to number 3. Then it moves down to number 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and so on. Before you know it your faith has moved so far down the list you only practice it a few times a year on special holidays, why? Because you no longer value your faith.
This is not a new problem, it has existed since the first century as those believers who were once so faithful began to fall away. I suspect from the descriptions of why in the Bible, then as now, it had a great deal to do with values. As a new year approaches I would like to challenge you to examine your values. Don't put them in the order you want them to be in, until you have been honest enough to see what order your current actions prove they are in.

May you all be blessed and have a very Merry Christmas this week!!!
Pastor Pete

Sorry

WOW guys I am sorry it looks like there has not been much action on the 1-92 blog for over a month. As most of you know I was out most of the month of November due to the illness and death of my father in law. And I have not been able to get caught up since I have been back in the office. However I am still reading with you and am on pace to finish up the Bible in just a few days. Some of you have told me that you got ahead and have already finished. To that I say way to go over achievers LOL Just kidding! Great job though if you have done that. If you are a few days behind stay with it you will make it. I am praying about a few different things for next year's church wide push, if you have any ideas though I would love to hear them. I will try and get a few more post up before the end of the year. I hope to see you all at church this weekend!

Pete

Because I said so...

I can't even begin to count how many times I asked my parents "why" and they simply responded "because I said so..." That answer always frustrated me and never seemed to fully satisfy my need to understand or know the answer to the question I had asked. To be honest that answer still frustrates me to this day. One of the hardest things to learn in my opinion is total obedience. But that is the main thing God demands from us, and if we want to live a life worthy of our calling we must learn to obey without question. Matthew 21:6 says:

"The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them."

They have clearly grown and matured in their faith. Early on they would have no doubt questioned Jesus' request for them to go into town and find a donkey. But after years on the road with Christ they had learned the secret of total obedience. Jesus asked and they simply went and did what he told them to do.
Are we as loyal? Do we trust Christ in this way? Or do we bombard him with questions and demand answers before we agree to comply with his request? Do we want to know all of the details, and see the entire plan prior to departing to complete the assigned task? Or are we the kind of people who trust Him enough to simply obey because He asked us to?
What is it that Christ has called or asked you to do that you have yet to comply with? Make it your goal to start on it today. Why? Because HE said so... That should be more then enough!

Excuses... really?

In Luke 14:18 in today's reading it says "But they all alike began to make excuses..." When I read that today I stopped to think about the excuses I have given God. They sounded so weak, petty, and silly to say the least. I was reminded that God never gives us excuses so why do we give him ours? God does not give excuses instead He gives His all. He gave His one and only Son, and it would have been much easier to give an excuse to be sure. I make fewer excuses when it comes to God then I use to, but it's still too many.
Take a minute to list some of the excuses you have given God today, yesterday, or this week. How do they sound to you? Here is the better question, how do you think they sound to Him?

PS... it's a tough pill to swallow I know but it's what stuck out to me in today's reading.

Hearts, Lips, & the Blue Cyclone!

Hey Guys.. Hope you enjoy the South Texas morning beauty.

The Worthy Life

We are flying through the New Testament! I have been on the road a bit more than usual the last two weeks and I have neglected to write here on the blog but I am reading with you so don’t worry about that.
Last Sunday we talked about living the worthy life and walking the worthy walk. In today’s reading Christ gives us a look into the heart of God. He says in John 6:40 that the will of His Father is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life… If our goal in life is to please God in every way as we learned from Colossians this week, then we must be active in sharing our faith. After all the Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes will be saved. When was the last time you told someone about Christ? The worthy walk involves us telling others our story about how our Father saved us through His one and only Son. We must do this daily as we attempt to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Don’t miss this Sunday it’s going to be great as we look at the results of living a life that is worthy of the Lord.

Hey Guys as always tons of stuff today, but by far my favorite most challenging thing i think of that speaks to my flexibility as a Christian and holds me in accountability is what Jesus tells to do for our enemies.

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Grace and Truth

Hey i just wanted to try something new today. I wanted to save our secretary some time in editing my stuff today. She is blessed with enough on her plate this week. Amen for good work. hope you enjoy a change in pace. let me know if you couldn't see it. Scotty

Welcome to the New Testament

We start our reading from the New Testament with the gospel of Luke. Luke wrote both the book of Acts and the Gospel of Luke, most likely around the same time. Many think that it was written around 60-61 AD. Many think that he wrote the book of Acts around 61-62 AD and that is why the book of Acts ends so quickly as Paul is still awaiting trial in Rome. One of the most interesting things about both the Gospel of Luke and Acts is who Luke was writing to.
It says in verse 3 that he wrote the letter to "most excellent Theophilus." When someone was called most excellent they were generally very important political figures and some believe this person was a relative of Caesar. Others think it was just a general statement by Luke because the name Theophilus means "Lover of God" so they say it was written for all who love God. Others say that this was the person that had paid for Luke's education to become a doctor, and the list goes on and on.
While this does not have anything to do with salvation, baptism, or any other great theological issue it is neat to think about all those in the New Testament that we really don't know anything about. Of course we know Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We have all heard of Peter, and Paul, but who was Theophilus? Was he a friend of the church? Was he a believer at all? Was this an influential person that Luke was trying to convert so the gospel could be advanced even further? Perhaps we will never know. Like the Old Testament, the New is full of mystery and wonder for those who dare to read it and dwell on such things. It's gonna be a great Fall for those who continue to stick with the 1-92 challenge.

Do some of your own research on this guy and see what you can dig up.

Confession Is Good For The Soul

Ever hear that old saying “confession is good for the soul”?
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Nehemiah 9:29-33 "You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. "Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong.
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People try to disassociate all the time, but when it comes down to it, we are still Americans, we are still responsible for what happens in our country, we are still responsible for what happens in our State, we are still responsible for what happens in our city, we are still responsible for what happens in our home. And that’s where it starts, in your home. If you want to change a nation, if you want to change the world, start where you have the most influence; in your home. Realize it is our fault that we are where we are today. But we can change, we can repent, and our God is just the same today as He was yesterday, and will be the same tomorrow. He is just, He will always be faithful. Our efforts are not in vain despite what the world says, our changes, our closeness to God, make a difference in the lives that are around us. See a people repent and turn to him Nehemiah, know that we can do the same.

Great Read

WOW we are almost to the New Testament! It is coming up fast but I sure am enjoying the OT readings like today. From the very first verse that says "your hands made me and formed me, give me understanding to learn your commands." To the last verse "I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant for I have not forgotten your commands." God spoke to me in a special way. There is just too much to pick from today, so let me just encourage you to do what I did. Read today's reading twice!!!! Even if it's sometime later in the week, come on back to Sept. 21 and give it another read. What a day! I took a peek into tomorrow as well and it is another good one. I can't wait.

Now Thats Confessing!

Hey everyone sorry I did not blog last week. As many of you know Abby's father is sick and is currently in the hospital undergoing a very intense round of chemo. Last Monday (the day i normally blog) I took the day off to be with her and the family in San Antonio. As a result It took me the rest of the week to get caught up and I never got to sit down and put my thoughts on paper. Maybe I will blog twice this week to make up for it (LOL).
I must start by saying I have jumped ahead. After reading today's reading I decided to keep on going into the reading for the 17th and I would like to comment on that just a bit. The 16th is almost over so I figure most of you will read this tomorrow anyway.
I was struck at the way the people confessed their sins to God in the reading for the 17th. It says Ezra was weeping and throwing himself down... Other people wept bitterly according to the scriptures. When was the last time you confessed like that? I am not saying we should do this just for the drama of it, or to prove we are serious about our confession. But I am not sure I take the confession of my sins seriously enough many times. I tend to in passing ask for forgiveness from God as a part of my prayers. I almost expect that God will forgive me because I know that He always has and always will. But that makes me lazy, and incredibly complacent in understanding how serious my sins are. I like most (I assume) take forgiveness for granted.
I am not suggesting that we weep every time we confess or that we must throw ourselves down on the ground. But I do suggest that as we pray and as we confess we take time to remember how serious sin is. I hope that we all will remember that our Lord hates sin. I pray that we remember that sin destroys everything that it touches! And when we take time to do that tears may flow, and knees will likely bow as we all stand in awwwww of what Jesus has done to restore our souls and grant us unending forgiveness.

Divine Encounter = Weakness

Ever notice how people talk about seeing an angel, or a glimse of God, but seldom do people talk of the fear that stuck them, or how they were not able to stand, or how they had no strength?

Change of Tune

Change of Tune

Daniel 4:2 (NIV) It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.

Daniel 4 is a very unique chapter in the Bible because it is essentially composed under the authority of a pagan King, Nebuchadnezzar. While Nebuchadnezzar may have been intellectually convinced of the sovereignty and omniscience of the one true God, he had not had a true heart conversion in my opinion. The decree showed his gratitude to the Lord for delivering him from insanity and restoring him to his throne. But it’s a start and ol Nebuchadnezzar is changing his tune at this point about God.
You and I know people like this too. People who are grateful and thankful that God has preformed some miracle for them, or come through when they were in a bad spot. These are people who before cared very little if any about God and his ways. Then all of a sudden they are singing his praises. We are tempted to sit back and judge and say things like “we will see if this lasts” or “give it a week or two” or “its all fake just wait and see.” Or we can take advantage of their change of tune and do our best to plug them in even further to what God is doing. This is the perfect time to invite them to church, or a small group. This is a great time to ask them to serve on a team at your church. This is when we should pour it on, not wait and see.
God has a special way of changing people’s tunes. I believe it is time we see this not as an opportunity to watch someone fall back down, but instead as a time to do whatever we can to help push that person up even higher. The “Divine high” will fade away over time, and what we do during these times will determine if those people like Nebuchadnezzar hit rock bottom, or sore to new heights once it’s over. When you see God changing someone’s tune, jump in and get to work. Where God is at work we should be too!

The Great City Falls!

As you well know over the past couple of days the Great City has been laid siege to by the great King Nebuchadnezzar. An it is amazing how gracious our God is and how he even offers peaceful solutions to Zedekiah. But, because he had allowed himself to be stricken with Fear he could not hear God’s voice.
Did you see that.. Zedekiah allowed himself to be stricken with fear, instead of listen to God, trusting God, obeying God, Zedekiah's fear lead him to make the wrong choice, time after time after time.
What is fear leading you to do? Is it leading you doubt, is fear leading you to anger, is fear leading you to lying, is fear leading you out of close relationships, if fear making you run from God instead of to God, is the fear of being alone leading you to make take the wrong decision in improper relationships, is fear of what people think keeping you from hearing God’s voice and doing what he asked you to do?
Learn this lesson today, see what is happening. The city did not have to be burned, the great Temple of God could have been left standing, and we possibly could still see it today had Zedekiah listen to God’s voice, instead of the voice of fear. Zedekiah through away all the work God had done through Solomon the wisest man in the world built the temple of God with the greatest architecture, art, & materials. The Greats building ever built in a lifetime of lifetimes was burned down destroyed, the entire wall of the city crumbled to rubble because of fear, and fear leads to even worse things when we allow it to control our lives instead of God. Fear lead Zedekiah to seeing his own kids put to death in front of him, his wives, his entire family, and as the City was being finished burned to the ground for lasting affect the Great King Nebuchadnezzar had his eyes put out. At the end of those things. All of that Tragedy would forever be the last things he would see on this world. Fear is mean, fear is evil, fear is devious in it’s plot to destroy your hope, your dreams, your family, your friends, your life, but most of Fear wants to devour you spiritual site of God and you dependence on Him.
Because you know what the opposite of fear is, peace, strength, comfort, courageousness, confidence, and most of all Life. Fear wants to keep you from having life. And God wants to give you life.
Now my question to you today is this, do you hear God’s voice, if you do, Trust it. It leads to life, even in the mist of the most powerful king left on this earth (Satan) is laying siege to your life, do not give into the fear of who he is but give into the Word of our God and how peaceful it can be in the mist of life’s storms of Fear. God’s word will lead you to do what’s right. Jeremiah in the midst of a storm followed God and did what he was asked to do, even though no one else did and because of that, he had Life.

Maybe what the Temple looked like before it was destroyed
http://www.esvstudybible.org/images/illust-sample.jpg

The song Trust & Obey (came to my mind as I read these set group of scriptures)
http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh467.sht

Pride

Part of today's reading is about the Pride of Egypt. As I read those verses I was reminded of the danger and power of pride in our own lives. I was also reminded of an article I once read by John Piper on the subject of pride and how he avoids it. His words are far better then my own so I would encourage you to read them below or click on this link to go to his article.

How To Fight the Sin of Pride, Especially When You Are Praised

Ten Things I Do
By John Piper
November 9. 2004


I call to mind that I am not self-existent; only the triune God is. Only God is absolute, but I am contingent. I remind myself that I am utterly dependent on God for my origin and for my present and future existence. I call this to mind and ponder its truth.

I remember that I am by nature a depraved sinner and that, in all my sinning, I have treated God with contempt, preferring other things to his glory. I take stock that I have never done a good deed for which I don’t need to repent. Each one is flawed because perfection is commanded. Therefore I realize that God owes me nothing but pain in this life and the next.

I ponder that this condition of mine is so desperate that it could only be remedied at the cost of the horrid death of the Son of God, to bear my punishment and provide my righteousness. And I revel in the forgiveness and righteousness that is mine in Christ.

I meditate on those Scriptures that say, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,” (1 Peter 5:5-6; see James 4:6-10). And, “He who is least among you all is the one who is great” (Luke 9:48; Mark 9:35; Matthew 20:26).

I pray that the eyes of my heart would see these biblical truths for what they really are.

I ask God to make me not just see them but also feel them with a sense of the meekness and lowliness and brokenness that corresponds to their true weight.

I renounce desires for praise and notoriety and esteem when I see them rising. I say, “No! In the name of Jesus get out of my head!” And I turn my mind afresh with prayer toward the beauty and truth and worth of Christ.

I try to receive all criticism—from friend or foe—with the assumption that there is almost certainly some truth in it that I can benefit from. “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).

I strive to cultivate a joy in Christ and his wisdom and power and justice and love that is more satisfying than the pleasures of human praise, with the goal that, by the Spirit, I would be granted the miracle of self-forgetfulness in the admiration of Christ, and in love toward people.

Finally, I turn often to older writers who knew God at depths which most of us modern people seem incapable of. I turn, for example, to Jonathan Edwards whose descriptions of humility awaken the deepest longings in me, as, for example, when he wrote to Mrs. Peperell on November 28, 1751, concerning Christ:

He is indeed possessed of infinite majesty, to inspire us with reverence an adoration; yet that majesty need not terrify us, for we behold it blended with humility, meekness, and sweet condescension. We may feel the most profound reverence and self-abasement, and yet our hearts be drawn forth sweetly and powerfully into an intimacy the most free, confidential, and delightful. The dread, so naturally inspired by his greatness, is dispelled by the contemplation of his gentleness and humility; while the familiarity, which might otherwise arise from this view of the loveliness of his character merely, is ever prevented by the consciousness of his infinite majesty and glory; and the sight of all his perfections united fills us with sweet surprise and humble confidence, with reverential love and delightful adoration. (Works, Vol. 1 (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth), p. cxxxix)

Longing to forget me, and treasure Christ, and love you,

Pastor John

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Little Things

Do the little things really matter? I would say they do. So many times we think that the little things are unimportant, and insignificant but to God they do matter. Take our reading today for example. If you were Daniel would you have refused the royal food? This is such a small thing! To be honest I don’t think this would have even crossed my mind. But Daniel say’s he did not want to defile himself in any way, not even by eating the royal food that the king provided. At the end of the day God blessed his attention to the little things. Daniel became wise and was blessed by the hand of God in amazing ways. Daniel continually experienced God’s provision in his life. Why? Because he understood that there are no little things when it comes to God.

To Be Or Not To Be

Today’s reading is one that causes me to ask myself a simple question: to be or not to be faithful? Which will I choose? Which will you choose? One is far better to be sure, however, for some reason we are quick to choose the other instead. Our country, states, cities, churches, and families, repeatedly choose to be unfaithful to God. As a result, we face the consequences of those choices. Obedience and faithfulness are much more important to God than you might think. Disobedience and unfaithfulness lead to sin, and God despises sin on every level and for any reason. All sin carries consequences and when we choose to be unfaithful we find ourselves separated from God and facing those consequences. Each day when you wake up you have a choice to make, to be or not to be faithful. I pray that at the end of my life and yours someone will be able to write or speak of our lives the way they did the workers in Chronicles 34:12 and say, "they did their work faithfully!" However, before anyone can say that, you and I must make our choice.

Without Cost

It seems like years since I last posted a blog but I am back (for now). Abby and I were out on vacation the week before last and then last Monday I took off so we could get our stuff moved into our new house. So I have not been in the office the last two Monday’s to blog. Today’s reading is one of those that one could write pages on. It contains many powerful truths and promises. But the passage that spoke to me the most this morning was Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." The word here for “come” in the Hebrew is hoy. This word is often used in funeral laments or is generally attached to some form of judgment. But here the writer uses it as a simple interjection only to grab the reader’s attention. I believe it also shows that God cares about those who are thirsty or in other kinds of need. I find it especially moving to know that the God of the universe says come to me! No matter what, I can run to God for my needs and He cares enough to take care of me. He does not charge me for his services He simply provides for my needs without cost. It is even more moving when you remember that despite the fact that God’s provision is without cost for me, it was not without cost for Him. He has provided for me at great cost, through the blood of His own son.

Yes, No, and Contentment

There is just so much to share. I would like to encourage all of you to leave a comment from time to time, share the blog with other people, and encourage them to be reading as well. We are pretty much at the halfway mark. We hear from some of you from time to time when we miss a day or two or sometimes a whole week. Please forgive us for those times that we have all missed posting our blogs. As i checked up on a friend yesterday and read his blog, I realized just how important it is to keep up with mine. This picture is from the Pastors conference held this year in Africa. It reminds me of a people who don't have much but yet who are really blessed by that. With that in mind let me share.

As always there are a lot of things we can all focus on from the reading but i will choose just a part of the passage and not the whole.

It speaks a lot of Speech. It reminds me of the proverb, (even a fool if silent is consider wise). Today we are reminded of the power of speech, choosing our words wisely, and the weight that our words carry not just before people, but before our God as well. When we hit a stretch of the new testament, you will find this reinforcement, because He says that even our words we speak out of carelessness are called into account. I don't know about yall but that is pretty heavy.

So let your yes be yes and your no be no. I encourage people that the only vow that should be made is the day of their wedding, and if that is the case, be quick to fulfill it, be persistent in making the choice to do what is right.

Contentment, do you ever notice how over and over the poor might not have much, but they are grateful for what they do have, and they have much more contentment then the rich? It is written that those who are rich seem to be preoccupied with obtaining more, or are restricted from enjoyment, and seeming to have to watch others enjoy what they have had to work for. I know there is a great number of you who have wealth, but God has blessed you with it, you know that, and I believe a lot of you have been allowed to enjoy it and you enjoy seeing others blessed by it. Y'all are an exception to the norm. There are a vast many people who have and what they have is still not enough. They base their values on what they have. If you are friends with men and women who are like that, I pray that you are praying for them, I pray that as you get the chance, you are sharing the love and forgiveness of God with them. I pray that by your friendship that they are seeing it's not what they have that keeps you close to them, but it's who they are, it's who they can be, that keeps you close to them.

May our God who is alive and well bless you with uncommon relationships with people who need an uncommon God who loves them. An may you not fall into temptation with the wealth that your friends have, fight to keep you mind about you and do not become drunk with want and desire when they come to you out of genuine friendship. May you never hear these words from them, "you are just like everyone else, you just want my money"! Stay strong people of God and may our God hear your prayers and answer them in the lives of your friends and may they see how alive our God really is and how much He does care.

be content.

Gloomy

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.” Those words caught my eye tonight as I read the daily reading. This should be the case for Christians but often times it is not. We are too often gloomy people. Just today I was a bit gloomy over some political matters that I was discussing with friends. Later tonight I found myself in personal gloom as well. This should not be the case. I bear the name of Christ. I am a Christ follower. I have an eternal hope, future, and home waiting for me. I have nothing at all to be gloomy about for I am a child of the KING! Next time you feel distress or gloom starting to creep in, cut it off at the pass and understand it is a trick and a lie from the evil one to bring you down. Christian, you have no reason for either gloom or distress unless it is for the lost souls who surround us all each and every day. May we speak truth and hope into their lives. May we show them the reason for our hope by refusing to be a distressed gloomy people.

The Simple Things In Life

We always talk about the simple things in life and how they seem to make us the happiest, but we choose so often to ignore them or make them more difficult to reach than what they really are. What keeps you from enjoying the simple things? For me, it’s no one else but me unfortunatly ,that keeps me from enjoying them. The everyday readings can cover a lot of territory in the Bible so with that, like so many others, I want to choose one area and comment on the simple things and the value of speaking up out of your circumstances.
First, there is a servant girl. She is a young girl that was captured and brought back and became a servant to Naaman’s wife. As she served in the home and learned about her master, she started to care about them. What we here in America often forget is the reality of powerful nations and the whims of men. America has been blessed by providing equal rights to any man or woman and that is a huge blessing that we take for granted. In other countries this is not the case. You have to know how to survive. You can observe some people and what they say about others. Some people would say this girl was a traitor, because she allowed herself to be captured, and then she worked as a slave. She had no real life to begin with or she would have escaped or died trying! On the other hand people may say, “she was very wise, she learned the system, she was alive, and she looked out for the welfare of those that were taking care of her, therefore giving her a better life in return.”
After observing men like Daniel and Joseph, hearing stories of men in prison camps that some men hated because they served the enemy, but not realizing the extra food, supplies, medicine, even water that they were able to smuggle to other prisoners because they choose to put their energy to helping any way they can. I see this in the life of this girl. She was taught a love for God and knew of Elisha the prophet of God. She carried that love of God into this home of a master despite the circumstances she was thrust into. She had to make a choice to live or to die. What choice would you make? Some say to die would have been heroic, some say to die would have been cowardly, some say to live would have been heroic, and some say to live would have been cowardly. My personal opinion does not matter here but yours does, because it determines how you live your life. So how do you live your life, how will choose to live your life, not making a choice of how to live is making a choice.
I do have to say this, I admire a man or woman who take the worst of circumstances, endure hardship, and bless one another in the midst of it. For a man or woman to do something like that, makes me believe they have grit, inner strength, passion, and a willingness do what others say is impossible. I admire this young girl. She lived, she brought value to those who were around her, and she brought life into a house. Now to speak to the character of Naaman. Even though this man was a man of God he was a “valiant soldier”. One thing you can observe, the girl had to feel safe and feel a great need to go the extra mile to share with Naaman that there was a prophet of God in Israel that could heal him. He had to have shown a great deal of love and care, not only to his family, but also to the servants of his house, for them to want good for their master, and for her to want her master to find healing speaks to who he was as a man. Are you that kind of boss? Do your employees look out for your welfare because they know you look after them?
Last but not least, the things God asks us to do seem to be so complicated when they are really so simple. Look Naaman, go to the Jordan, jump in and out 7 times and you’ll be clean! “What can’t I go climb a mount find a rare herb bring it back to you, can’t you come out here and do some kind of dog and pony show to call God down to heal me? Surly it can’t be as easy as go to this dirty, murky, muddy river and bathe in it 7 times. Surely it’s not that simple!” Yes it is that simple. Often we try make God’s commands for us more complicated than they really are. May today be the day that you look to what you thought was complicated and see that it was an easy task to do the whole time, you just needed to do it Gods way and not the way you thought it needed to be done.

So Sad...

It causes my heart to sink when I read verses like 2 Chronicles 24:18-19. “They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols…19 Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.” Perhaps I feel the way I do about these verses because I see this all too often in the ministry of today as well. People who abandon their faith, the church, and God, to worship the things of this world. I recently encountered this with someone I know from college who was, at one time, extremely faithful in his walk with the Lord. He was active in church, in fact he was a leader in the Christian community on our college campus and in our local church. He and his wife have decided that success, earthly pleasures, and careers are more important then their faith. They have quit going to church and have no plans to return until “later in life, when they have done all they want to do.” Another, once strong Christian couple, have recently become atheist and completely abandoned their faith. I see it time and time again even in our own church and it breaks my heart! God never gives up on these people, however. Verse 19 says that God sent prophets to them to bring them back. We can be thankful that God never gives up on us when we abandon him. But the question is will they listen? Here in our verses for this day, they did not, instead they killed the one God had sent. Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt called to deliver a word to someone who had fallen away from the faith only to be pushed away yourself? Many times they will not listen, but it is not our job to make them listen. As God’s messenger it is our job to deliver the message! We all know someone who has abandoned their faith in one way or another, let’s pray for them, and if called, boldly deliver the message of grace, acceptance, forgiveness, and God’s unending love and patience, to those who have fallen away.

You Can Find Forgiveness

Through all of the arrows, the swords, the blood and the battles, Ahab was able to repent and find forgiveness from God. This is Ahab! The wort king ever in the history of Israel! How amazing is that? Ahab had a heart that chased after evil! I guess I could go on and go on about this reading but the fact that he received forgiveness after all that amazes me!

So just how evil do you perceive your heart to be? How wicked do you think you have been in your folly? In the midst of your reasoning as to why God doesn’t want a relationship with you, just repent and realize that He does! No matter how bad it’s been you can still find His forgiveness.

Tell Us What You Really Think...

June 16
Tell Us What You Really Think…

Before I comment on today’s reading let me first apologize. For the past few weeks my posts have been coming on Tuesday instead of Monday. It seems that Monday’s have been so full I have barely had time to read my reading for the day, much less sit down and write about them. Tuesday’s to be honest have not been much better but I am committed to getting something up no later then Tuesday if at all possible. After next week some of the things, which have been demanding my time early in the week, will be out of the way so I hope to be able to post earlier. Thank you for your patience, prayers, and prodding to keep me on task.
There was so much in today’s reading that one could elaborate on. However, I could not get away from the sections out of Psalms. The writer certainly thought highly of God. The descriptions of God’s power, control, steadfastness, love and glory are wonderful in this section of scripture. As I read many of these verses I thought to myself “what a line!” Or, “I wish I would have said that!” May I ask you a question? How would your place of employment, school, town, or community be different if you spoke this highly of God? When was the last time you even attempted to tell those you know or love what you really think about God? What do you really think about Him? Who is He to you? Have you ever thought about it? The world would be different if we really knew God the way the writer of these Psalms did, and if we had the courage to tell the world what we really thought about Him. Strange isn’t it, we tell the world what we think about politics, family, religion, taxes, and ourselves, but we seldom express what we really think about God. Why? Maybe it is because we don’t know. Taking the 192 challenge myself for the fourth year has taught me this one thing. I still have much to learn about God. There is more to know, more to experience, and more left to understand of Him then I can even comprehend. I want to know God like the writer of the Psalms did. Not for my own benefit, although that will be a welcomed byproduct, but I want to know God like this so I can tell people what I really think about Him. Why are we holding back? Join me and make it your aim to tell someone what you really think about God each and every day you are given the breath to speak!

Ok, so I’m sitting here reading today’s scripture, and after that first section, I’m thinking “ man, how would you like to tell this news to that lady?” This lady is sent by her husband, because their son is sick, and then bam! He lays it on her. Not only that, but this is the kings wife, its not your average Joe’s wife. It’s amazing that Ahijah didn’t even flinch when telling her the things that needed to be said. Think about how many of the apostles did the same thing, Stephen preaching to the crowds right before he was stoned, or Paul, who even after being beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and thrown in jail numerous times, always delivered what it was that God told him to speak. They didn’t try to sugar coat it to please the crowds, didn’t side step are try and drop hints as to what God was telling them to say. They delivered the cold, hard facts. I’m all for grace, but sometimes what we need to do is deliver exactly what God tells us to do. Not worrying about how the other person is going to react, or take the message. Will they get offended or cuss me out, will they stumble farther back or get on the right track? Sometimes we need to slay our flesh and just do it. You can lead the horse to water, but you can’t make it drink, no matter how sweet or pretty you make the water look. Its time that we starting being bold in the things God has called us to do and remember who he is, and who is bigger.

Is it really better?

Today’s reading starts in part by saying; The day of death is better then the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting. Really!? Which house would you choose? Which sounds better to you, a feast with family and friends, or a day at the funeral home to lay one you love to eternal rest? If we are honest I doubt many could say they would prefer the latter. But when we stop to think about the hope we have in Christ it should be an easy choice, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord for the believer. As hard as it is in times of loss and mourning to rejoice we certainly should. The day of death is better then the day of birth for the deceased even if it is not for those who are left to wait for their own passing to be with the family of God on the other side of eternity. May we rejoice for and with those we have laid to rest and eagerly anticipate the great reunion we will soon experience.

Halfway!

Can you believe it? You are roughly halfway through the 1-92 challenge!!! You are doing great so keep it up. If you have fallen behind jump back in with us on today’s reading and try again, but whatever you do, DON’T STOP OR GIVE UP NOW! Keep making time in your day to read God’s Word and be blessed by His wisdom and guidance.
We are in the Proverbs now, and while they are great nuggets of truth, they can also be hard to read. These chapters don’t read like narrative or prose. They are short statements and often times the previous statement has nothing to do with the next. It is also important to remember that the Proverbs are probabilities not certainties. For example “He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.” The probability is if you love pleasure and wine you will not be rich, however we could all name people who are indeed rich, but they love earthly pleasures and drink much wine. Or the proverb that says “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” This is a probability. If you train up a child in the way he should go the probability is that the child will grow up to follow the Lord and be a productive member of society. But this is not a guarantee it is a probability. We could all name parents who have done a wonderful job raising their children only to see them grow up and depart from the things they were taught. We could also name those who did a horrible job raising their children and the child grows up to be wonderful. So as you read these proverbs don’t get locked in thinking that these things are certainties or promises. Most of them are probabilities and wise counsel that we should follow in our daily lives to increase our faith, success, prosperity, and social standing in life. Once again keep up the good work, we have learned a lot in the first half of the year and we will learn much more in the coming days!

God will Provide

The temple is being built. Could you imagine if we had a time machine and going back and standing at the entrance to it on the day it was finished Looking at it sheer beauty, I mean you can read about all the magnificent things they built the temple out of, and the care that was put into it. Lining it with gold chains, pine, and cedar. Put precious stones of every kind inside it, having master artists coming in to make designs and carvings. It would have truly been a masterpiece, an awesome sight to see, and a great accomplishment for the Jewish people. Solomon definitely spared no expense when building this thing. This is a prime example of staying focused on a vision at hand. Originally, King David had the vision to build the temple, but do to circumstance and God’s will, David was not able to actually start the building of the temple, but he cast the vision for it, and Solomon was able to actually see that vision manifest into physical form. Now you may be asking, okay so what does all this have to do with the first couple sentences about how magnificent the temple looked? David was king, he could have built anything and called it the temple, but it would never have come close to have glorious the temple was that Solomon built. God was able to open doors and provide for everything needed to make the temple glorious. Our church has done the same, when casting the vision to build our church as well as doing it now for our covered facility. And it was done not by our providing, or by Solomon’s providing, but with the provision from God our father. So if you have a vision for something from God, and it hasn’t happened right away, be encouraged by this, that God is ultimately in control, and will see the vision through, in his timing, by his way.

Famous Last Words

Today we read about the last words of King David. These are the words he spoke at the end of his long life just before he died at a good old age as the Bible declares. King David was more fortunate then most in life and in his death as well, I suppose. He was afforded the time to speak one final time and relay his final wishes to those he loved and cared about. What would you say if you too were given this kind of opportunity? What would you say to your spouse, children, boss, or friend? What would your last wishes be? How would you bless them? What would you say? A time is coming when we will all take our last breath just as King David did. Perhaps we should not wait for that day and count on being given the time to deliver our famous last words though. Instead, I want to encourage you to speak blessings over those you love today. Whisper your wishes into their ears right now. Let your thoughts, dreams, and desires be known. Why wait until the end? Why take the chance of letting those thoughts, wishes, and dreams die with you without ever being spoken? Take some time to think today about what you would say with your famous last words. Then if it’s appropriate, say it!

Life Is Not Easy

Life is not easy. Especially when you have a child that is wayward. No matter how much you invest in them, no matter how much you support, encourage, bail them out, or let them suffer some of the consequences of their actions, they just don't seem to get it. But you need to recognize where this stems from. Recognize what the root of the problem is. Sin, lust of a brother, greed of a son, and complacency of a father makes for a bad cup of soup. We have to remember that our sin impacts our kids just as much as theirs impacts us.
Observe the mistakes made by men, see where they err in their ways and compare them to yours so that prayerfully, whether you are caught up in lust of something or someone, are greedy for something or someone, or the blindness of contempt and laziness seeks to choke you out, you can fight. Rise up as David did in Psalms and call to our Lord, cry out to a great God and plead with Him to be your rock, your fortress, your deliverer. Let His mighty hand steady your foot, shore up your hand, and guide you to make the right decision before a chain reaction starts that hurts those who are around you. We all are accountable for our actions. Sometimes we really just want to seek grace out and hope it ain’t so. But it is.

Sing A Song

I really enjoy reading the book of Psalms. Hebrew poetry does not translate well into English in many cases but it is wonderful to read in both languages. As I was reading the Psalms passage today I thought about how much I admire the way David was able to express himself to God. He lets out all of his frustrations, hopes, dreams, hardships, temptations, struggles, joy, and pain. He does a great job of using Hebrew poetry to do this. Maybe we should all try a bit harder to express ourselves to God. Perhaps we should choose our words more wisely when speaking to the KING of KINGS. I know I should! Maybe we should stop holding back and trying to hide what God already sees. Indeed we should open our lives and express it all to God just as David did. I want to issue you a challenge today that at first might seem and feel a bit strange. However, if you should dare to take the challenge, I bet you will find it quite rewarding. Here it is: write a poem to God. Take some time to sit down and express yourself through a poem or song. It does not have to rhyme or have a certain number of syllables in each line. Don’t make this hard, just sit down and express yourself with words and paper in the coming hours. You can throw it away when you are done, or keep it. You can share it with someone else, or not let another soul know you ever did it. The main thing is that you take some time to express yourself and give it all to God.

it has to cost something

I want to draw attention in today’s reading at 2 Samuel 24:18-25. David was visiting Araunah, and was needing to get the things together for the offering to the Lord. When David told Araunah what he needed, Araunah basically told David to take whatever he wanted at no charge. But look at David’s response, he tells Araunah that he will not sacrifice anything to the lord that did not cost him anything. Man how true is that. I mean, David is king. He could have offered every sheep, cow, chicken, everything living in the entire region at his very command, but no, he said he would not sacrifice anything that cost him nothing. He knew it would be meaningless to God if it cost David nothing. This reminded me of Pete’s sermon a couple weeks ago about “Uncommon Giving”. How many times do we offer up to God our leftovers? Or how many times do we tell God, I will do this, only if you do this? Or how many times do we say “I will go there lord, o but I need to take care of my things first, then I will go, if there is time left over”? Or how many times do we spend our money on things that we want, and if there is any leftover, maybe then I’ll give some to the church? What are you giving God today? Whether it be time, money, effort, is it costing you something, or is the leftovers?

Everyone Deals With It

Defeat is something we all deal with, everyone will have to face the pain, frustration, and problems that come with defeat. Even King David was defeated at times. We can certainly point to his moral and ethical defeats, but he was physically defeated at times in war as well. When he faced defeat he turned to God and we should too. Do you feel defeated today? Was it last week that defeated you, or will it be next week? The question is not “if” you will face defeat but instead “when.” How do, or how will you, deal with it? Will you feel sorry for yourself? Will you run and hide? Will you lash out in a fit of anger and rage at someone else, yourself, or God? Will you ignore it, cover it up, or pretend it never happened? Or will you turn to God and deal with it? Everyone deals with defeat but not everyone handles it well. Defeat is not cause to quit, instead it is cause to turn to God and keep going. The next victory is on its way, but what you learn and how you handle the defeats is as important as well. Examine your heart today and honestly discover how you deal with defeat. Decide today how you will respond to the next defeat and prepare yourself for it. We all deal with it, so let us all be ready to handle it in a way that honors and brings glory to God.

Do We Still Do This?

What a powerful reading. To read about all the things God did for His people and still they tested Him. Still they disobeyed, they refused to trust and believe, even after all that God had done. It is hard to believe that anyone could fail to trust or believe after seeing the things that these people saw. But what about you and I, are we any different? I have seen and experienced God do some amazing stuff. He has never let me down or lead me astray. He has proven Himself to be faithful time after time. He has guided me and protected me through some terrible storms in life. And yet I still find myself doubting His power. I still fail to believe and have the kind of faith I should. It’s easy to read these passages today and say, “how could these people still fail to trust and believe?”, after all they had seen and experienced. When maybe we should ask ourselves the same question. After all we have seen and experienced, eternal salvation and the power of Jesus’ blood. Even after that, we often lack faith and confidence and are unwilling to place our trust in God. Trust and obey God today, He has proven Himself faithful, not only to those in generations past, but to you and I as well.

Surprise Transition

I was surprised at yesterday’s reading and transition.
After reading Samuel, I just knew that the transition would be to Psalm 18, which starts off the very same way as a song that David wrote about what had happened as well, but was longer.
To my surprise, it went to them finishing up on commenting about the fool.
Just goes to show you, everyone gets different ideas about different things. I’m sure glad scripture is consistent.
Don’t think I am any kind of scholar… it just so happens that I use the first part of Psalm 18 in some of my funeral messages from time to time. I just had never realized that part of it was quoted in Samuel as well.
Another thought to ponder… if this was in coalition about the foolishness of Nabal, why didn’t David speak of the wisdom of Abigail? Usually if I speak about something that was bad but has a good point at the end, I drive home that good point. Maybe he just didn’t want to use names and maybe his point was the rewards Abigail received from being faithful to God and her king. Had she not, it surely would have meant death to her also.
All in all, for me it was about Psalm 18 and the exact words from the book of Samuel that really hit home. What hit home for you today?
May you realize you have been set free from the coils of death that grasp at you!

Shelter From The Storm

Have you ever found yourself in need of a place of refuge but could find no shelter? I certainly have. I can remember a time in high school when I was camping out on the ranch one night with my cousin. It was a wonderful night the stars and moon lit up the night sky and a cool breeze was blowing so we did not bother to put up the tent, in fact, we did not even take one with us. Instead, we just built a small fire and laid out on top of our bed rolls. Sometime just after midnight I woke up to the sound of thunder and the sight of lightening on the horizon. Not long after that the rain started and our small fire went out. We found little shelter or refuge inside of our sleeping bags and finally decided the best course of action was to walk over a half mile back to my grandfather's house. It was a long, cold, dark walk. But when we reached his garage there was an amazing sense of peace that overtook me. At last I had reached shelter, a refuge from the storm.
In today’s reading David said “for in you my soul takes refuge.” Can you say the same? Where do you find refuge from the spiritual, physical, and emotional storms of this world? Too many times we take refuge in our money, power, status, family, friends, jobs, education, or ourselves. While these may provide limited, temporary shelter, they will not last during the storm. Just like my sleeping bag could not provide the shelter I needed that night so many years ago. Sometimes we need to put our pride aside and take the walk back to the shelter we know can give us refuge from the storm. That shelter is God alone!

David and the Psalms

One of the things I am finding really cool about this bible is the fact that it is in chronological order. It’s awesome to look at how the Psalms tie into everything that is going on in David’s life. It kind of puts it into perspective, that David didn’t just sit around one day and start writing all these down, but no, it’s almost as if they were personal journal entries of what he was feeling and dealing with at specific moments in his life. You get a real personal look at how he viewed everything that was going on around him, and how he looked and turned to God during every situation, and looked to God to deliver him from all that was going on. Look at what David said in Psalm 5:4-5, you are not a God who takes pleasure in evil: with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. Also look at verse 11. But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. David was going through some bad stuff, but the entire time, no matter what it was he was always looking at things in the mindset of how GOD views things. Us as humans, having a flesh, we tend to view things how we want them done, or how we think they should be handled. But not David, he was always viewing things of how God views them, and relying on God to take care of all the problems that were coming up. But you notice also, David wasn’t just sitting around waiting on God. No he was taking action, and the entire time, realizing that God was with him and leading him through all that he was going through. We could learn a lesson from David, that no matter what God is always with us, and we should look to him in all our needs.

Scrapper

Every time you read through biblical history you can pick out something different to focus on. As we come to the good ol’ story of David and Goliath, something that sticks out to me more than ever. David liked to fight! He was a scrapper! Listen to Eliab, David’s oldest brother, “why have you come down here and with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
Then David being the shy guy that he is… ha ha, yeah right, goes on to tell his stories of how God gave him the ability to kill bears and lions with his own hands. I have to be honest with you, if God let me kill a couple of bears and lions with my own hands.. I would be telling every one of you about it as you came into my office with the bearskin rug on my floor, and a lion mounted by my desk…. I promise you that…. ha ha!
So God had stirred in David’s heart a passion to fight, fostered it if you will… but you have to see that it was focused to fight against what is wrong…It was a focused energy. It is just amazing what God can do even with a boy who is willing to follow him. All that time, killing the lions and bears, prepared David, gave him the confidence he needed to go against Goliath. What is God preparing you to go up against? How has He allowed you to experience life up to this point? Some of you may be young and just starting out and have not killed your first lion or bear yet. Some of you may have killed your first lion or bear. Some of you might have already done both and now God is preparing you even more for what is yet to come. Some of you are in front of the King, or in front of Goliath, or standing over Goliath at this point in life. I am not for sure where you are in your journey with God, but all of you need to remember the most important words that David spoke and we should keep them deep in our heart and at the edge of our lips: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and Ill strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give all of you into our hands!”

Half Way...

Have you ever done something only half way? Have you ever asked someone to carry out a simple task and yet they only completed part of it? Maybe it was a child who half-heartedly cleaned the room, or a co-worker who did just enough to get by, or a family member. Doesn't it frustrate you?
How many times do we do this to God though? In today's reading, Saul does what is convenient for him, but does not do exactly what God called him to do. Instead he did the task only half way. The result? He lost all favor in the eyes of God. When Samuel shows up, Saul says, "I have carried out the Lord's instructions." I love what Samuel then says. "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?" You were supposed to kill them ALL!!! Saul gives his excuses and says but...I am going to sacrifice them to God. And then Samuel replies with my favorite line for the day, "To obey is better than to sacrifice."
Are there cattle lowing, and sheep bleating in your life? What is it that God has called you to do that you have only completed half way? What is it that you have refused to do, or refused to let go of? There is no excuse that is acceptable, repent and obey today! Obedience is the key to living the full and abundant life. Anything less than total obedience to God is disobedience. It's a powerful lesson we should all learn as soon as possible.

Courageous Women

Today you find the end of a story about a courageous woman and the beginning story of another courageous woman.
Ruth was a woman who took her role as a woman seriously. In the world today where we have seen servitude slandered, put down, and un-glorified, it's nice to see that some things still have not changed in this world. (Wow! Solomon comments on that). It is tough for us, as people, to accept what God has placed on us, as men and women, to do forever. Men were created to work, lead, and provide for their families. Women were created to nurture, bear children, and be a help mate (that includes working).
Both men and women are equal in value but given different responsibilities. Ruth was a woman who was strong, understood her role, embraced it, and did it in such a way that God allowed her to be a part of the heritage of Christ.
It is amazing what happens when we submit our will to God's will. I don't care if you are a man or a woman, we all have to submit our will to His will. Jesus himself showed us that in the Garden before his death, "not my will, but Your will be done".
1. Ruth doesn't leave her family even when her family pushes her way.
2. She doesn't complain about her circumstances.
3. She does something about it..
She shows love to her mother-in-law who is embittered and she wins her over with loyalty. Ruth sees that Naomi is mentally unstable and sticks with her to provide for her. Naomi is so overcome with bitterness and maybe physical sickness, to the point she allows Ruth to go out and work for them.
Ruth shows Naomi love and care and earns the respect of men because of her hard work ethics. I don't know for sure how much 6 measures of barley weighs, but I would almost bet that it weighs more than 50 lbs. She worked in that field every day, she even brought back leftovers for Naomi. She earned the respect of Boaz so much, he allowed her to glean with his own servant girls.
Naomi is no dummy, she realizes she has a blessing and coached her and Ruth listened. Nothing like a girl that smells good. When my wife wears her perfume around me it gets my attention. And any time I smell how good she smells, from oils or lotions, it gets my attention quick.
There is a lot we can all learn from Ruth: her dedication to her family, her loyalty to trust God, and the result of being faithful to God's will, even if it isn't what is popular.
Now for Hannah; a woman who is faithful to cry out to God, until finally her petition is heard: a husband that loves her and has compassion for her and gives her double portions for sacrifice.
Men, if your wife is at home, are you empowering her to give to God, are you sharing a portion with her to be able to give to back to God as well? If she needed it, are you willing to give her a double portion so that she can do what she fills called to do? Part of our responsibility is to magnify the gifts our God has given our wives so they too are able to bring glory to God in the talents that He has given them.
Hannah, courageous enough to go before the Lord to asked to be blessed; faithful enough to give her son to the Lord when it was time; and maintained her love over the years as her son served the living God who blessed her.
I hope out of the character of these two women you learn something about courageousness, love, faithfulness, respect, and God's amazing love for you. May He find you as faithful as they were, despite their circumstances.

Depressing To Read

WOW it is so GREAT to be back in Texas!!! I have missed you all and am so ready for Easter. Don’t forget to bring someone with you this weekend!!

I was reading today’s scriptures on the plane ride home and to be honest I was very depressed. My heart ached as I read about the horrible things that those men did to the concubine. Then the Master did what he did to incite violence and tried to attain justice through his own vengence on those evil men. It saddens my heart to think of all the evil mankind has done and continues to do. There is no shortage of sin and evil in the world and none of us are exempt from dealing with the pain it causes. When we see or read about obvious sins like in our text for today, we are quick to judge and condemn. But are our sins any less offensive or evil in the eyes of God? As I read, I thought to myself, "if this scene in the Bible is so bad what will the Day of Judgment be like when all evil is exposed and revealed for what it really is?" Just think about all of the evil things that have not been written down and all of the sin that is unseen or unheard. What a day that is going to be! As Easter approaches we should all rejoice because as believers our sins have been washed away. We are forgiven, we are free, we are clean, we are Christians, thanks be to God! May we rejoice because evil will not prevail, Jesus will.

God uses the least of us

When you are reading today’s scripture, pay attention to how Gideon responds when the angel of the lord came to tell him that he was with him, calling him a “mighty warrior.” Now me, if someone called me a mighty warrior, especially an angel of the lord, my head would swell so big and I would be walking around thinking I was Obi Wan Kenobi (star wars jedi that kicked everyone’s butt). But Gideon was an Isrealite, and culture was a huge part of what they believed in. He knew what his tribe, or what his clan was and he knew he was basically at the bottom of the pole in social status. But so many times in history, God uses the lowly in his work. Sure he could have grabbed a guy that was a huge warrior, that was big and cut, knew great war techniques and was dashingly good looking (just kidding), but using a person like this, it would be really easy to give all the reward and the credit to that individual. God doesn’t always use what we would think to be the best choice in handling whatever situation is at bay. Just look at all of Jesus’ disciples. If we were alive back then and we saw who he chose we would probably think what a bunch rag tag heathens, what would he chose these guys for. But God knew these men’s heart and what they could become, and as a result these guys were critical in helping form the early stages of what Christianity was to later become. Look at Paul, who was a huge jerk that basically went around killing Christians, who became the guy who pretty much revolutionized what Christianity was to become and was probably the biggest church planter in history. The same with Gideon, God calls the unworthy, the shameful, the imperfect, to do his will. It is through these peoples imperfection that God shines through, so we would know without a shadow of a doubt that it is God at work, through these people who allowed him to work through them. God uses the least of us for his glory.

To Be Commanded

It is amazing the things that happen when we don’t work together. You can pick up on some of that, now that Joshua is dead. You can also pick up on some things that can happen when you don’t obey the word of God in your life.
There are some great things that we will be observing as we go through the old Testament. The one thing I want to focus on is Deborah. God allowed her to be a judge to the people of Israel but when it comes time for war, God gave her a message to give to Barak… “The Lord, The God of Israel, Commands you: Go take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon river and give him in to your hands.”
Wow! Receiving a command from the Lord, nothing more, nothing less, but to go and get after it.
But Barak is hesitant and it does not tell us in what attitude he responded, but it tells us his words and those words must have been spoken out in words of doubt in some way, for God comes back to tell Deborah that Barak will not receive the glory of victory, but a woman will, because of the way he responded.
It seems like I keep on landing on days that the Lord commands someone to do something and they don’t obey! That’s the tough thing about being a Christian I think, reading the Old Testament. In the New Testament we really grasp a hold of forgiveness. So is there ever a point where we go too far with the sin that we all struggle with? Will there be a time that God says, “ok that’s it you have reached your limit in the trial and error process!”
My personal line of thought: Where is your focus? It is one thing to make mistakes when you are trying to build something good, its another thing to make mistakes when you are up to nothing at all. It’s when we wander away from our focus, or stagnate, that we start to really mess up the good things we have been trying to build.
So keep working towards what is right, listen to what God commanded you to do and stay focused. Don’t miss out on His commands for you. Do you know what they are? Has God already spoken them to you or has He yet to speak to you?

Our God Does Not Fail!

I wanted to start today’s blog with an explanation and word of encouragement. First the explanation: several people have asked why I did not post last week and Scotty the week before. We try to post on a regular schedule Monday (Pastor Pete), Wednesday (Scotty), and Friday (Tanner). However, due to vacations, sickness, and personal issues, we may not always be able to post. Scotty was gone on vacation the week before last, and last Monday I took the day off to be with my son for his eye surgery. I know you all understand things like this, I just wanted to be clear with the explanation. If we do not post, chances are something major came up or we are out of the office. To be honest, it was great that so many of you said you missed our postings. That was encouraging to us!! Thank you!!
Now to encourage you: KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK! If you are still reading along with us then you are doing great! We have had a lot of names again here the last few days and it can become discouraging and frustrating when you are reading all these names. However, each name is important, and it is in the Bible for a reason. You don’t have to understand all of the family trees, but read the names and do your best to pronounce them. You will be surprised at the different dots you will be able to connect later on just because you took the time to read through the names. As I have said before, don’t try to understand everything, just read it, and God will reveal what He wants you to understand. Keep up the great work, stick with it, we will be halfway before you know it.
I love how today’s reading ends: Not one of ALL the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. Our God does not fail! And He does not break promises! That is great to remember as we walk through life. We can always count on God. His good promises to you and I will NOT fail! Every one of them will be fulfilled. Whatever is going on in your life, no matter how good or bad things are right now, that verse should bring joy to your heart. You can count on God! Don’t forget that as you start this new week.