A little girl came to her dad crying because she had gotten a splinter in her finger. As she held it crying for help he took her into the bathroom, dug the tweezers out of the drawer, laid out the tube of antiseptic ointment, some alcohol, and a Band-Aid.
As the little girl looked at all the stuff laid out on the counter, she didn’t like what she saw. It all looked a little too painful, involving more than she imagined. She said, “Daddy, I just want the Band-Aid.”
Are we like that with Jesus? We come to Him with our sin and all we really want is a Band-Aid not a cure. Just cover it up. I mean we do talk about the covering of Jesus’ blood. Doesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible that love covers a multitude of sins? (1 Peter 4:8)
Sin not only needs to be forgiven. It needs to be removed, rooted out, like the splinter. If it is just covered over, like the splinter, it will cause infection, swelling, pain, and maybe even cause more serious consequences. That infection from a small splinter can spread through an entire body and cause serious sickness and possibly even death. It needs more than a Band-Aid!
When the woman who had been caught by her friends in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus He declared that He did not condemn her, but then He said, “Go, and sin no more.”
So we need to ask for more than just covering, we need the splinter removed. That which causes infection and pain. The forgiveness from the Lord comes quickly, immediately. He covers the sin and Jeremiah says He “will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
So the covering that really makes a difference begins with exposing, rooting out, uncovering.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want more than a Band-Aid. I want to expose the sin, the failure to You so it can be removed. Then the Band-Aid can do more than just temporarily cover the sin until it becomes inflamed requiring more attention. It can promote real healing and recovery from the effects of sin.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Monday, July 23, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The Past, A Rudder or an Anchor
Some people are not able to enjoy the present or prepare for tomorrow because they are still living in the past. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe has put it like this: "Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?' You do not move ahead by constantly looking in a rear view mirror. The past is a rudder to guide you, not an anchor to drag you down. We must learn from the past but not live in the past." Or as Thomas Holdcroft once put it, "The past is a guide post, not a hitching post."
Why do we find it so easy to live in the past? The past is an easy place to live because there are no surprises there. It takes no faith to live in the past. The Hebrew writer reminds us that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6)
When does a moment, a space in time become “the past?” One second is present and in the same second one second has become a part of our past forever, set in stone never to be changed. It is what it is and will never be anything different. Some of those seconds represent successes and some represent failures. Whatever they were they will always be. We can do nothing to change them, but we do control what we do with them. They can be a dark room where we live in pain, wallow in pity, retreat to the room of regret, or they can be launching pads for the future. We choose whether our pain will paralyze us or propel us. We choose whether our successes will become secrets to future victories or the ropes that tie us to ground like a helium balloon straining against it ropes to soar to places unknown.
One of the most often quoted passages of Scripture in these daily devotional thoughts is Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV). “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. 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Paul is simply saying, “Yesterday I did not reach all my goals, perfect my life, or obtain everything I hoped for, but I won’t let that hold me back. I have to shake all that off and move ahead.” (Lewis paraphrase) I enjoy the game of golf. I think I like it because it is so much like life. It is 90% mental and 10% physical. The percentages are just random numbers I chose. There is nothing scientific about their selection, but what I do know is that a major factor in the success of any golfer is their mental state, their mindset. Physical conditioning can help and improve your game, but you can be in the best shape physically and in a bad mental state. The physical cannot overcome the power of the mental attitude. But the mental attitude can overcome physical limitations or lack of conditioning. When you make a bad shot, miss the fairway, miss the green, miss an easy putt you have to shake it off and move on to the next hole. If you let the mistake, the wrong choice of club, the wrong read of the putt get into your head you are defeated. You often see a professional golfer after hitting a bad shot stop immediately and swing at the air. He is at that moment putting the bad swing behind him and swinging the club in the way he should have fixing that image in his mind instead of the bad swing that resulted in a wayward shot missing the target.
There are many wonderful things in our pasts as well. It is okay, even advisable to go there and experience the gratitude the memories bring to our hearts. or to fix the image of “that swing” in our minds to use it on the next shot. Just remember that the past is a rudder to guide us not an anchor to hold us back.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for memory. If You wanted me to ignore my past completely You would not have given me the gift of memory. Help me to use the gift of memory to guide me to accomplish great things for You today not to stop me from taking the steps of faith I need to take. Help me to bless someone else today. In the name of Jesus. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Why do we find it so easy to live in the past? The past is an easy place to live because there are no surprises there. It takes no faith to live in the past. The Hebrew writer reminds us that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6)
When does a moment, a space in time become “the past?” One second is present and in the same second one second has become a part of our past forever, set in stone never to be changed. It is what it is and will never be anything different. Some of those seconds represent successes and some represent failures. Whatever they were they will always be. We can do nothing to change them, but we do control what we do with them. They can be a dark room where we live in pain, wallow in pity, retreat to the room of regret, or they can be launching pads for the future. We choose whether our pain will paralyze us or propel us. We choose whether our successes will become secrets to future victories or the ropes that tie us to ground like a helium balloon straining against it ropes to soar to places unknown.
One of the most often quoted passages of Scripture in these daily devotional thoughts is Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV). “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. 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Paul is simply saying, “Yesterday I did not reach all my goals, perfect my life, or obtain everything I hoped for, but I won’t let that hold me back. I have to shake all that off and move ahead.” (Lewis paraphrase) I enjoy the game of golf. I think I like it because it is so much like life. It is 90% mental and 10% physical. The percentages are just random numbers I chose. There is nothing scientific about their selection, but what I do know is that a major factor in the success of any golfer is their mental state, their mindset. Physical conditioning can help and improve your game, but you can be in the best shape physically and in a bad mental state. The physical cannot overcome the power of the mental attitude. But the mental attitude can overcome physical limitations or lack of conditioning. When you make a bad shot, miss the fairway, miss the green, miss an easy putt you have to shake it off and move on to the next hole. If you let the mistake, the wrong choice of club, the wrong read of the putt get into your head you are defeated. You often see a professional golfer after hitting a bad shot stop immediately and swing at the air. He is at that moment putting the bad swing behind him and swinging the club in the way he should have fixing that image in his mind instead of the bad swing that resulted in a wayward shot missing the target.
There are many wonderful things in our pasts as well. It is okay, even advisable to go there and experience the gratitude the memories bring to our hearts. or to fix the image of “that swing” in our minds to use it on the next shot. Just remember that the past is a rudder to guide us not an anchor to hold us back.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for memory. If You wanted me to ignore my past completely You would not have given me the gift of memory. Help me to use the gift of memory to guide me to accomplish great things for You today not to stop me from taking the steps of faith I need to take. Help me to bless someone else today. In the name of Jesus. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Monday, June 25, 2007
Lead By Washing Feet
Hans Finzel wrote a book called “The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make.” The number one mistake, according to Finzel, is what he calls “The Top-down Attitude.” He says this is “the military model of barking orders to weak underlings.” He calls it the “leadership sin of top-down autocratic arrogance.”
The best example of servant leadership is Jesus Christ. “It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1 (NIV) He then proceeded to wash their feet. The first key to effective leadership that John gives us is to love those we serve. It almost seems that we are taught in the world to do the opposite. How can you “order” people around that you love? That’s the way too many view leadership... “ordering people around” or “overpowering people” to get them to do what you want.
Jesus led by serving. Now, some have tried to make a doctrine out of washing feet. This is the only time the Bible tells us about Jesus washing the disciples feet. It is okay if we want to wash each others feet to symbolize our love for those we serve with, but it is not necessary. The principle Jesus was teaching was “servant leadership.” We lead with the influence of love not strength and power.
Power in fact can be dangerous. It can even be the end of those who don’t understand the difference in power and authority. My friend, Dr. Richard Exley, wrote in one of his earliest works, “Perils of Power,” speaking of several great ministers who had fallen into sinful ways, “Are these evil men, charlatans? Hardly. They are good men, godly men, who suddenly found themselves the stewards of tremendous power.” The Biblical example Exley gives is King Saul, Israel’s first king. Remember how when he was first anointed that they had to find him as he hid “among the stuff?” (1 Samuel 10:22) He was the epitomy of humility. But from that, after being presented with the power of leadership, he became a paranoid and jealous man who tried to kill anyone who seemed to be in line to replace him.
What is the difference in power and authority? James Hunter writes in his book “The Servant,” “Leadership is ultimately rooted in our will. Not forcing our will on others, but demonstrating our will to serve.”
There is a big difference in leading through power and leading through authority. We all have those whether employees, those who work under us as managers, our children, etc. that we can force to do what we want them to do just because we have the power to make them. There are very few people who like to be forced to do anything. Eventually this kind of “power driven leadership” destroys relationships.
Authority is different than power. Power is something you have and force on people. Authority is something you gain –– it’s given to you by the people you lead. How do you get authority from those you lead? Through service and sacrifice. When people see that you have their best interests at heart, when they see you are willing to sacrifice and serve them they will be willing to follow. That’s servant leadership, that’s authority.
The most classic example of a modern servant leader was Sam Walton. He despised corporate fat cats. He could, and would, handle the cash register as well as stock the shelves in any of his Wal-Mart stores. He drove an old, rusty, dented pickup not to prove a point but because it still had plenty of good mileage left in it. He told his staff on more than one occasion that "if American management is going to say to their workers that we’’re all in this together, they’’re going to have to stop this foolishness of paying themselves $3 million and $4 million bonuses every year and riding around every where in limos and corporate jets like they’’re so much better than everybody else."
So, the greatest privilege we have in life, the most powerful thing we can do is to serve others. It’s what Jesus did and it’s what He wants from us. So... go wash some feet today! I think you know what I really mean.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us today to be like You, to love like You, to lead like You. Help us be submitted to those we serve because they love us and we love them. And bless us with people who serve us because they know by our example that we love them and it is safe for them to love us. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
The best example of servant leadership is Jesus Christ. “It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1 (NIV) He then proceeded to wash their feet. The first key to effective leadership that John gives us is to love those we serve. It almost seems that we are taught in the world to do the opposite. How can you “order” people around that you love? That’s the way too many view leadership... “ordering people around” or “overpowering people” to get them to do what you want.
Jesus led by serving. Now, some have tried to make a doctrine out of washing feet. This is the only time the Bible tells us about Jesus washing the disciples feet. It is okay if we want to wash each others feet to symbolize our love for those we serve with, but it is not necessary. The principle Jesus was teaching was “servant leadership.” We lead with the influence of love not strength and power.
Power in fact can be dangerous. It can even be the end of those who don’t understand the difference in power and authority. My friend, Dr. Richard Exley, wrote in one of his earliest works, “Perils of Power,” speaking of several great ministers who had fallen into sinful ways, “Are these evil men, charlatans? Hardly. They are good men, godly men, who suddenly found themselves the stewards of tremendous power.” The Biblical example Exley gives is King Saul, Israel’s first king. Remember how when he was first anointed that they had to find him as he hid “among the stuff?” (1 Samuel 10:22) He was the epitomy of humility. But from that, after being presented with the power of leadership, he became a paranoid and jealous man who tried to kill anyone who seemed to be in line to replace him.
What is the difference in power and authority? James Hunter writes in his book “The Servant,” “Leadership is ultimately rooted in our will. Not forcing our will on others, but demonstrating our will to serve.”
There is a big difference in leading through power and leading through authority. We all have those whether employees, those who work under us as managers, our children, etc. that we can force to do what we want them to do just because we have the power to make them. There are very few people who like to be forced to do anything. Eventually this kind of “power driven leadership” destroys relationships.
Authority is different than power. Power is something you have and force on people. Authority is something you gain –– it’s given to you by the people you lead. How do you get authority from those you lead? Through service and sacrifice. When people see that you have their best interests at heart, when they see you are willing to sacrifice and serve them they will be willing to follow. That’s servant leadership, that’s authority.
The most classic example of a modern servant leader was Sam Walton. He despised corporate fat cats. He could, and would, handle the cash register as well as stock the shelves in any of his Wal-Mart stores. He drove an old, rusty, dented pickup not to prove a point but because it still had plenty of good mileage left in it. He told his staff on more than one occasion that "if American management is going to say to their workers that we’’re all in this together, they’’re going to have to stop this foolishness of paying themselves $3 million and $4 million bonuses every year and riding around every where in limos and corporate jets like they’’re so much better than everybody else."
So, the greatest privilege we have in life, the most powerful thing we can do is to serve others. It’s what Jesus did and it’s what He wants from us. So... go wash some feet today! I think you know what I really mean.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us today to be like You, to love like You, to lead like You. Help us be submitted to those we serve because they love us and we love them. And bless us with people who serve us because they know by our example that we love them and it is safe for them to love us. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Friday, June 22, 2007
A Work in Progress
You may read this and previous devotions on my blog at come2lifechurch.blogspot.com.
Many years ago Bill Gaither wrote a song that was popular among all, but seemed to feature children often in its presentation. It was just cute to hear children sing “He Still Workin’ on Me.” The song asked for patience while God finished His work in our lives. It was cute for kids but important for all of us to realize that no matter how long we have been, as they used to say, “in the way, He’s still working on us. I saw a bumper sticker a while back that said, “Be patient with me. God’s not finished with me yet.”
1 Corinthians 1:8 (NCV) Jesus will keep you strong until the end so that there will be no wrong in you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
Philippians 1:6 (NCV) God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
Two things jump out at me from those Scriptures. What kind of work is He doing? “A good work.” Not just any work... a good work. Paul said in Ephesians that God has prepared in advance “good works” for us to do, and He is doing a “good work” in us.
The second thing is when will it be finished? “When Christ comes again.”
I was talking with one of my board members at our meeting last night. They have just returned from a vacation trip to South Dakota. He was telling us about Mount Rushmore and how magnificent it is. Then he talked about the carving of Crazy Horse, a famous Indian. The entire Mount Rushmore carving of four presidents could fit on the face of the Crazy Horse work. It is still a work in progress. They just recently revealed the first fifty years of work and are working on the next fifty years. It has taken more than fifty years just to form the head. The family is committed to finish the work no matter how long it takes.
God is committed to finish His work in us, but don’t get discouraged if you still see flaws and unfinished parts. We live in a day of fast food, quick fixes, extreme makeovers where houses are removed and new ones erected in seven days, but this makeover of our lives takes a lifetime.
1 John 3:2 (NCV) Dear friends, now we are children of God, and we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is.
So be patient with me, and I’ll be patient with you, and we will all trust in Jesus who will make us perfect when He comes again. What a day! It will be sooner than we think. Next month ( the last four Sundays in July) I will be teaching on prophetic themes reminding us that this is the shortest life we will ever live. There is another one coming and if we die in Christ or leave in the Rapture it will be a perfect one.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your commitment to work on me and for Your patience with me in the process. I know I haven’t always been the most cooperative subject, but help me to be more submitted to Your design for my life. Make me a blessing in the process as well. I am not just a lifeless statue, but a living work. I want my living to be for You and to please You. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Many years ago Bill Gaither wrote a song that was popular among all, but seemed to feature children often in its presentation. It was just cute to hear children sing “He Still Workin’ on Me.” The song asked for patience while God finished His work in our lives. It was cute for kids but important for all of us to realize that no matter how long we have been, as they used to say, “in the way, He’s still working on us. I saw a bumper sticker a while back that said, “Be patient with me. God’s not finished with me yet.”
1 Corinthians 1:8 (NCV) Jesus will keep you strong until the end so that there will be no wrong in you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
Philippians 1:6 (NCV) God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
Two things jump out at me from those Scriptures. What kind of work is He doing? “A good work.” Not just any work... a good work. Paul said in Ephesians that God has prepared in advance “good works” for us to do, and He is doing a “good work” in us.
The second thing is when will it be finished? “When Christ comes again.”
I was talking with one of my board members at our meeting last night. They have just returned from a vacation trip to South Dakota. He was telling us about Mount Rushmore and how magnificent it is. Then he talked about the carving of Crazy Horse, a famous Indian. The entire Mount Rushmore carving of four presidents could fit on the face of the Crazy Horse work. It is still a work in progress. They just recently revealed the first fifty years of work and are working on the next fifty years. It has taken more than fifty years just to form the head. The family is committed to finish the work no matter how long it takes.
God is committed to finish His work in us, but don’t get discouraged if you still see flaws and unfinished parts. We live in a day of fast food, quick fixes, extreme makeovers where houses are removed and new ones erected in seven days, but this makeover of our lives takes a lifetime.
1 John 3:2 (NCV) Dear friends, now we are children of God, and we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is.
So be patient with me, and I’ll be patient with you, and we will all trust in Jesus who will make us perfect when He comes again. What a day! It will be sooner than we think. Next month ( the last four Sundays in July) I will be teaching on prophetic themes reminding us that this is the shortest life we will ever live. There is another one coming and if we die in Christ or leave in the Rapture it will be a perfect one.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your commitment to work on me and for Your patience with me in the process. I know I haven’t always been the most cooperative subject, but help me to be more submitted to Your design for my life. Make me a blessing in the process as well. I am not just a lifeless statue, but a living work. I want my living to be for You and to please You. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Integrity... Is it still important?
The story of Joseph’s rise to power in Egypt is always exciting. Remember after he had survived all the challenges and sat comfortably on the throne his brothers came asking for help for they were starving in their country. They did not recognize Joseph so he decided to test them and had their money put back in their sacks without their knowledge. When they discovered the money their father told them to return it but double the amount. Genesis 43:12 (NIV) “Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.”
“Perhaps it was a mistake.” Have you ever been given too much change? If we are short changed we are quick to let it be known and expect it to be made right. But are we as quick to notify of being given too much? Is it easy to walk away and think, “Oh well, they should have been smarter or more careful. It’s the price you pay.” Several weeks ago I was ordering at a fast food establishment. I ordered a chocolate shake and was charged on my bill for a chocolate cookie. I immediately noted that to the lady waiting on me. She seemed shocked that I would say anything. Surprised at honesty?! What a shame! She gave me the shake at the price of a cookie, but it bothered me that she was surprised by honesty.
We are fast coming upon Presidential elections once again in America. They seem to come around much faster than they used to. There was a time when the central focus of political campaigns was whether or not the candidate had integrity or not. Lincoln ran on this platform in 1860 and 1864. Theodore Roosevelt did the same almost fifty years later. But now, a century since Teddy, the fact that a man or woman has shown less than sparkling character during the course of their personal lives seems to be of little importance in a more “pragmatically focused” world.
To quote a former president caught in gross immorality, “our personal lives are none of the nation’s business.” (Bill Clinton, 1998.) I would vehemently disagree! Issues like whether or not you have cheated on your spouse or faithfully served your country in the military or, for that matter, believe in God, have been relegated to the scrap heap and called time-worn and irrelevant ideas that are no longer applicable to our times. By the way, if you ever have wondered what common thread tied Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt in such a way as to be the faces depicted on Mt. Rushmore, you need look no farther than this: each man led a life of integrity.)
Honesty and integrity should be something we can expect in a presidential candidate and everyone else as well. Ted Engstrom gives the following definition of integrity, “Simply put, Integrity is doing what you said you would do.”
Integrity means you keep your promises. When you promised to be faithful to your mate, integrity says you’ll stay with that person no matter what -- for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. If you promised the Lord that you would give Him the glory, integrity means you keep on doing that whether you’re reduced to nothing or exalted to the highest pinnacle on earth. If you promised a friend that you would return a call, integrity means you return it. If you promised your child that you would spend Saturday together, integrity means you keep that appointment. A promise is a holy thing, whether made to a chairman of the board -- or to a child.
In a world that seems to have given up on values that made us what we are let us be counter culture, go against the grain, live with integrity in all our lives. Don’t even think gray. It’s black and white, right and wrong. If there is a question then go to the side of honesty and integrity.
Prayer: Father God, You have never failed to keep a promise. Help me to live a life of integrity that brings honor to Your name. Even when at the moment it seems that integrity costs me something give me to courage to be honest in the confidence that in the end it will be greatly rewarded. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
“Perhaps it was a mistake.” Have you ever been given too much change? If we are short changed we are quick to let it be known and expect it to be made right. But are we as quick to notify of being given too much? Is it easy to walk away and think, “Oh well, they should have been smarter or more careful. It’s the price you pay.” Several weeks ago I was ordering at a fast food establishment. I ordered a chocolate shake and was charged on my bill for a chocolate cookie. I immediately noted that to the lady waiting on me. She seemed shocked that I would say anything. Surprised at honesty?! What a shame! She gave me the shake at the price of a cookie, but it bothered me that she was surprised by honesty.
We are fast coming upon Presidential elections once again in America. They seem to come around much faster than they used to. There was a time when the central focus of political campaigns was whether or not the candidate had integrity or not. Lincoln ran on this platform in 1860 and 1864. Theodore Roosevelt did the same almost fifty years later. But now, a century since Teddy, the fact that a man or woman has shown less than sparkling character during the course of their personal lives seems to be of little importance in a more “pragmatically focused” world.
To quote a former president caught in gross immorality, “our personal lives are none of the nation’s business.” (Bill Clinton, 1998.) I would vehemently disagree! Issues like whether or not you have cheated on your spouse or faithfully served your country in the military or, for that matter, believe in God, have been relegated to the scrap heap and called time-worn and irrelevant ideas that are no longer applicable to our times. By the way, if you ever have wondered what common thread tied Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt in such a way as to be the faces depicted on Mt. Rushmore, you need look no farther than this: each man led a life of integrity.)
Honesty and integrity should be something we can expect in a presidential candidate and everyone else as well. Ted Engstrom gives the following definition of integrity, “Simply put, Integrity is doing what you said you would do.”
Integrity means you keep your promises. When you promised to be faithful to your mate, integrity says you’ll stay with that person no matter what -- for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. If you promised the Lord that you would give Him the glory, integrity means you keep on doing that whether you’re reduced to nothing or exalted to the highest pinnacle on earth. If you promised a friend that you would return a call, integrity means you return it. If you promised your child that you would spend Saturday together, integrity means you keep that appointment. A promise is a holy thing, whether made to a chairman of the board -- or to a child.
In a world that seems to have given up on values that made us what we are let us be counter culture, go against the grain, live with integrity in all our lives. Don’t even think gray. It’s black and white, right and wrong. If there is a question then go to the side of honesty and integrity.
Prayer: Father God, You have never failed to keep a promise. Help me to live a life of integrity that brings honor to Your name. Even when at the moment it seems that integrity costs me something give me to courage to be honest in the confidence that in the end it will be greatly rewarded. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Are You Courageous?
Eddie Rickenbacker said, “Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are afraid.”
Too often we think courage is the absence of fear. John Wayne said it this way, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”
Theologian Karl Barth said, “Courage is fear that has said it prayers.”
In the first chapter of Joshua the young man is hearing God speak to him. He is reminded that Moses is dead and it is now his responsibility to lead this people across the Jordan River to the land promised to them. His mind had to speed back forty years when he along with 11 others had spied out the land. He wanted to go then. He was ready then. It was different then... Moses was leading. Today he is leading. It’s different when you are following and when you are leading. But good leaders are always those who have first been good followers of great leaders.
Here’s the Biblical account...
Joshua 1:2-11 Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them — to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates — all the Hittite country — to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 "Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.'" NIV
You have to face fear with courage today. You have followed fearless leaders, but today it will be your turn to lead with courage. You have been prepared for this day... you are ready. Step up, stand up, and move forward. Here’s God word to us today. “I will give you every place where you set your foot.” Some people have so little, accomplish so little in life because they are paralyzed by fear and never take a step. Take one, then two, then three. Every step increases your possession, your success. God can only give us what we in faith and courage step up for. He has great plans for us. Ephesians 2:10 (MSG) “He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, infuse me with unusual courage today. I do not ask You to remove fear but give courage to run past my fears. I ask for faith to walk, to possess what You have already ordered for my life today. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Too often we think courage is the absence of fear. John Wayne said it this way, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”
Theologian Karl Barth said, “Courage is fear that has said it prayers.”
In the first chapter of Joshua the young man is hearing God speak to him. He is reminded that Moses is dead and it is now his responsibility to lead this people across the Jordan River to the land promised to them. His mind had to speed back forty years when he along with 11 others had spied out the land. He wanted to go then. He was ready then. It was different then... Moses was leading. Today he is leading. It’s different when you are following and when you are leading. But good leaders are always those who have first been good followers of great leaders.
Here’s the Biblical account...
Joshua 1:2-11 Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them — to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates — all the Hittite country — to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 "Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.'" NIV
You have to face fear with courage today. You have followed fearless leaders, but today it will be your turn to lead with courage. You have been prepared for this day... you are ready. Step up, stand up, and move forward. Here’s God word to us today. “I will give you every place where you set your foot.” Some people have so little, accomplish so little in life because they are paralyzed by fear and never take a step. Take one, then two, then three. Every step increases your possession, your success. God can only give us what we in faith and courage step up for. He has great plans for us. Ephesians 2:10 (MSG) “He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, infuse me with unusual courage today. I do not ask You to remove fear but give courage to run past my fears. I ask for faith to walk, to possess what You have already ordered for my life today. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Thursday, June 14, 2007
How are You in Adversity?
You may read this and previous devotions on my blog at come2lifechurch.blogspot.com.
"Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity." — Lou Holtz
“People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity.” — John Adams
Adversity... a word, an experience that most of us avoid as much as possible. Yet, in life all of us face adversity in varying degrees at different times. I don’t know why some have more and some have less, but it seems to me the people who are the strongest, most successful, and most influential in our world are those that have come through adversity. Few of the wealthy people, successful business people of today had their wealth or success “handed to them on a silver platter.” A great number of their stories or “rags to riches” stories. They had to come through adversity. And even if they come from wealthy families they go through their own personal adversities to get where they are.
The Children of Israel could have left Egypt and traveled straight to the Promised Land without having to cross the Jordan River. It would have been less than half the distance of the journey they took. Does God just take pleasure in watching us in our struggles? Does He gain some kind of sick satisfaction in watching our pain? No! I believe He simply understands the power of adversity to shape us into what we need to be to accomplish His dream for our lives.
C. S. Lewis describes the role of suffering in the life of the believer as “soul-making.” It is the shaping of the Christian with the hammer and chisel of adversity. Lewis also said “God whispers to us in our pleasures; speaks in our consciences; but shouts in our pains.”
Some of you are in the heat of the deepest adversity of your life right now. Don’t despair. Don’t give up or give in to the temptation to take a shortcut. Stay in the fire until you have been forged and made strong and durable.
It is in adversity that our faith, our belief system is solidified. Until your faith, your beliefs have been tested they are just ideas, words, thoughts, but after testing they are proven principles.
UCLA alumni and fans made UCLA football coach Pepper Rodgers’s life miserable during a season when his Bruins got off to a horrible start. Nobody in Southern California would hang out with him. "My dog was my only true friend," Rodgers said of that year. "I told my wife that every man needs at least two good friends. She bought me another dog."
Rodgers can be rigid in the face of adversity. When his players at UCLA were having difficulty adapting to the wishbone offense he’d installed and the school’s alumni demanded that he adopt another system, Rodgers didn’t budge. “The wishbone,” he said, "is like Christianity. If you believe in it only until something goes wrong, you didn’t believe in it in the first place."
There are some interesting facts about the sisal plant from which is made tough sisal twine. It grows in Yucatan, Mexico, in hard stony soil. Some Americans visited the area and decided that there might be good money to be made in growing it in richer soil under better conditions. So they started a sisal plantation in Florida where the plant found life no longer a struggle for survival and grew to enormous size. The business promised tremendous returns until the time came for reaping. It was then that the leaf from which fibre vital for the twine comes collapsed into a soft pulp. The tough fibre-quality was missing. They learned then that the sisal plant acquired its toughness by its battle with adverse circumstances - the wind, the heat and the barren soil. God doesn’’t take pleasure in allowing the blasts of adversity to trouble His people but in His mercy and wisdom knows just what is necessary to foster the growth of spiritual character.
So, hang in there, hold on, hang tough, tie another knot in the rope, just don’t give up because of adversity, but rather expect adversity to be the making of a man or woman of God shaped to be great, shaped by adversity in the hands of a loving Lord. Don’t chase adversity, look for trouble, but when it comes and it is not of our own doing embrace it and get through it.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I confess that I don’t always willingly submit to Your work in my life with a gracious and grateful attitude. I complain far too much. Help me to see the incredible blessings of life, even adversity, and trust you to shape me and forge until I become what You have dreamed. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
"Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity." — Lou Holtz
“People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity.” — John Adams
Adversity... a word, an experience that most of us avoid as much as possible. Yet, in life all of us face adversity in varying degrees at different times. I don’t know why some have more and some have less, but it seems to me the people who are the strongest, most successful, and most influential in our world are those that have come through adversity. Few of the wealthy people, successful business people of today had their wealth or success “handed to them on a silver platter.” A great number of their stories or “rags to riches” stories. They had to come through adversity. And even if they come from wealthy families they go through their own personal adversities to get where they are.
The Children of Israel could have left Egypt and traveled straight to the Promised Land without having to cross the Jordan River. It would have been less than half the distance of the journey they took. Does God just take pleasure in watching us in our struggles? Does He gain some kind of sick satisfaction in watching our pain? No! I believe He simply understands the power of adversity to shape us into what we need to be to accomplish His dream for our lives.
C. S. Lewis describes the role of suffering in the life of the believer as “soul-making.” It is the shaping of the Christian with the hammer and chisel of adversity. Lewis also said “God whispers to us in our pleasures; speaks in our consciences; but shouts in our pains.”
Some of you are in the heat of the deepest adversity of your life right now. Don’t despair. Don’t give up or give in to the temptation to take a shortcut. Stay in the fire until you have been forged and made strong and durable.
It is in adversity that our faith, our belief system is solidified. Until your faith, your beliefs have been tested they are just ideas, words, thoughts, but after testing they are proven principles.
UCLA alumni and fans made UCLA football coach Pepper Rodgers’s life miserable during a season when his Bruins got off to a horrible start. Nobody in Southern California would hang out with him. "My dog was my only true friend," Rodgers said of that year. "I told my wife that every man needs at least two good friends. She bought me another dog."
Rodgers can be rigid in the face of adversity. When his players at UCLA were having difficulty adapting to the wishbone offense he’d installed and the school’s alumni demanded that he adopt another system, Rodgers didn’t budge. “The wishbone,” he said, "is like Christianity. If you believe in it only until something goes wrong, you didn’t believe in it in the first place."
There are some interesting facts about the sisal plant from which is made tough sisal twine. It grows in Yucatan, Mexico, in hard stony soil. Some Americans visited the area and decided that there might be good money to be made in growing it in richer soil under better conditions. So they started a sisal plantation in Florida where the plant found life no longer a struggle for survival and grew to enormous size. The business promised tremendous returns until the time came for reaping. It was then that the leaf from which fibre vital for the twine comes collapsed into a soft pulp. The tough fibre-quality was missing. They learned then that the sisal plant acquired its toughness by its battle with adverse circumstances - the wind, the heat and the barren soil. God doesn’’t take pleasure in allowing the blasts of adversity to trouble His people but in His mercy and wisdom knows just what is necessary to foster the growth of spiritual character.
So, hang in there, hold on, hang tough, tie another knot in the rope, just don’t give up because of adversity, but rather expect adversity to be the making of a man or woman of God shaped to be great, shaped by adversity in the hands of a loving Lord. Don’t chase adversity, look for trouble, but when it comes and it is not of our own doing embrace it and get through it.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I confess that I don’t always willingly submit to Your work in my life with a gracious and grateful attitude. I complain far too much. Help me to see the incredible blessings of life, even adversity, and trust you to shape me and forge until I become what You have dreamed. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
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