Good Temptations.

Has life ever seemed like a race? If you said "NO", your next move needs to be hitting your knees in confession because life can seem like a race and is even referenced as a race in scripture. Life is a race to be completed strong. We may not win the race in the first place position, but we should all strive to finish strong knowing that we did all that we could to finish at the top. In Hebrews we are encouraged to look around us and see that there is a great crowd of witnesses here to support us and be an encouragement to us (Heb 11). The fellowship of the church is also here for support (Heb 10.25). If this is true, why is it that we may find ourselves feeling alone?

A race is made of many people and "contestant" that are all wanting one thing; finish, if not win. In a good race the other racers will be the support of each other, but what if there is no one around us? If you have ever watched a race that is more that a sprint you see that even though the racers start at the same time they will soon be spread out. Sure, there may be clusters of people here and there but soon even they will be split apart because no one runs at the same speed. There are some times in a marathon that a runner can see no on in front of or behind them even though there are hundreds of other runners, and there is no one standing along the sidelines. Runners testify these are the legs of the race that giving up is the easiest. Without the support of runners or witnesses what is left to help the runner press on?

This same thing happens to us spiritually when we hit times in life that everyone has either passed us, or we have passed everyone; we end up finding ourselves all alone; we forget the great distances we have covered and begin to get tired. We are tempted to just give up.

I Corinthians 10.13 says, "There is no temptation give to you that is not common to man; God is faithful and will not tempt you more that you are able but will with the temptation provide a way of escape so that you will be able to bear it."

Did you ever stop to think about this? We are not facing something alone even if we may be running by ourselves for the moment because people who may be out of sight from us right now are going through the same thing; people who have run this race before you went through the same thing; people who run this race after you will go through the same thing. Every time you see someone take first place in a race they were proving that this leg of the race can be conquered. But how could they ever make it through without the support of the fans and the runners?

"God is faithful". The difficulties are overcome because they stop thinking of the race, which lasts only for a short while, and remembered what is eternal. When marathon runner finishes the race and is interviewed they commonly share what "got them through" the race and it is something that had nothing to do with the race; family, charity, prize money, etc... Something other than the race, the fans, or even the other runners support; it was a bigger something that would be waiting for them after the finish line. For the Christian our race of life is doable because of the fact that God is faithful and will keep his promise that "I go to prepare a place for you..." (John 14.1).

The verse does not stop though with God being faithful, if also gives a promise that "God won't bring you to it unless he is willing to get you through it." There is even a cooler part than that; God will end up using the temptation to quit itself to get you past the temptation! This is a part of the verse that seems puzzling to some. What is that supposed to mean? How could a temptation ever help get you out of itself? The way this is possible is if we look to God and allow his the make us stronger through this experience. No, this does not mean we walk into temptation or invite it into our lives so that we can become strong; temptation will find you easily enough without you having to find it.

Think of the alcoholic who ruins his family. When the alcoholic comes to Christ and repents of alcohol, the visions of his past life's effect on his family will keep him from going back, and he will be an effective witness to other alcoholics because he can relate to them. Thinking again of the race scenario, since you are running at different speeds you will eventually come along side of someone else again, and since your temptation is common, they too have likely had a hard time dealing with it; when you are now come together you can be a great support and encouragement on to another.

There is no race that is completed without running it, but running it can become a great experience, even the lonely/temptation times if we remember that we are not facing it alone, God is faithful.

The Power of Willing Heart.

Having grown up in a strong Christian family which showed up to church whenever someone was there I have been in thousands of services and been a part of just as many events, banquets, fellowships, and celebrations. Through all of those meetings I have heard a common saying over and over; "God will us anyone with a willing heart to serve Him." What is that supposed to mean? As a child there was no choice in Christian service. Either you would left home all alone or you were going to be a part of the church; and the choice was easy for me because my parents made it for me... I was going to be a part of the church.

Now, as an adult I have seen something. I have seen that God is willing to use anyone who is willing to serve Him. (If that sounds familiar to you it is because it is the same quote used earlier.) In recent studies I have done, this theme has been bouncing off the page at me. Over and over again we see that God will use anyone regardless their strengths, weaknesses, background, or social status. Here are a few of the people in scripture that have stood out to me lately as proving this statement true.

Noah. Genesis 6.8 says that "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Why? Was he some super business man that was well equipped to fund the larger missions project in his time of history? Did he have a church with an amazing worship band, world class pastor, and have everyone tithing? No. He wasn't even in ministry as we think of it today. What made Noah so great is in Genesis 6.9, "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." That is it. He is great because he was will to do what was right and continually walk with God. He simply had a willing heart to do whatever God wanted him to.

Abraham. The father of all the nation of Israel, and even that of Palestine. Abraham is noted as being the faithful of the faithful but why? He was born into an ungodly family. (Actually, they were very "godly"... they had one for everything.) He worked in his dad's idol shop. He travelled in his family as they sought their own desires. He lived secular life. How did he become so great in the eyes of God? God saw much deeper than what was on the surface; God saw the heart. God was the potential of Abraham, the faithfulness within him, and the obedience he would have. The first time we see Abraham see God (the one true God) is in Genesis 12.1 when he gives him a simply but difficult order to leave his family and his homeland. God's judgement of choosing a father for his future chosen people proves itself from the beginning as Abraham obeys. Again, a simple person with a willing heart to serve God.

Jacob. Jacob may be the grandson of Abraham, but a lot had changed by then. Jacob was a greedy little fella who was out to get everything. So, how could God change him into a patriarch of the faith? This one is a little more like most of the people I know; we are greedy, we want what we see, and we would rather give our energy to fight God than serve him. Jacob goes through the first part of his life living it all about him. He is following the philosophy that he has one life to live so he will get as much as he can during it. All goes well in his eyes until God calls him out of his comfort zone in Genesis 32 to face those who he had trampled down in the past. God sees him through and sets him up for a hard-learned-lesson. Verses 24-30 Jacob wrestles with a mystery man (Most believe this, being the Angel of the Lord, is a Christophany; an appearing of Christ before being physically born of Mary) who doesn't give up fighting him until dawn. At the end of the fight Jacob has his leg thrown out of joint and set straight as far as who is in control here... God is. Through the fight we can see something very important about Jacob; he fought all night. He was willing to stand up for what he believed it. He was strong and courageous even in the face of God. Do see what I see? Jacob had the strength and courage to do great things, he was just channelling it the wrong direction. It is very easy to take the talent God has given to us and use it to our own advantage instead of God's. Jacob found out that his strengths were intended for God and he begins to follow after God's plan from there.

God is willing to us anyone with a willing heart to serve Him. The saying is true, but is it true in your life? The people who we think of as being great are nothing more than ordinary people who are willing to serve and extraordinary God.

Life is Good; Eternal Life is Better

Standing in the line at the Secretary of State is never on the top of someones "Best time of my life list" as the lines are often long and the wait is painfully boring. Yesterday I was, however, one of the many who were there; along with my 4 year old son, and 2 year old daughter. Amid the drone of the crowd and the counter clerks helping others, there was another more familiar sound of music. Nothing too pronounced but still very noticeable. I soon discovered it was coming from beneath me. It was my son singing his favorite song: "Life is good; eternal life is better. Life is good; eternal life is better..." and so on. The song is catchy and has a fun rhythm and he sings is often, including... the Secretary of State office of all places.

I couldn't help but smile. It occurred to me then that while I had been dreading the trip to the overcrowded and intensely boring line, there was still a song to be song and a message to be told. As Jesus told his disciples to "suffer the little children to come unto me" this may be some of what he had in mind; 2,000 years later the fruit of a child coming to Jesus would begin a ministry to people in a place notorious for causing anxiety and discourse.

I did not shush my son nor did I tell him to sing louder. I simply told him, "That's right. Eternal life is better and people need to know about it." He continued singing most of our stay; repeating the opening line over and over. When we had received our number and took a seat in the waiting area we sat next to a man who works at the gas station we frequent. With the song still on repeat we got into conversation and discovered that he too is a Christian. His number was soon called. No one came to sit next to us for the rest of our time, but all heard that their life may be good, but eternal life was better.

What Makes One Great?

I can read, but I am not a scholar.

I can strum guitar, but am no master.

I can turn a wrench, but I am not a mechanic.

I can talk to people, but not always relate to them.

I can type, but have many typos.

I can tell of Jesus, but still get nervous.

I can sing a song, but it comes out flat.

I can stand boldly, yet fall spiritually.

What makes someone great? We all have things that we may be good at but we still have failures. We say things to ourselves like, "If only I could...", or "If I had the talent that 'so and so' has, then I could...". Life can become a big period of procrastination because we repeatedly tell ourselves what we can't do instead of doing what we can.

Last Sunday everyone of our services had something to do with Abraham. The more studying that went into one service, the more material came out of it until there was an entire days worth of 'good stuff' to share from this guy. In the midst of studying I found myself saying, "If I could only have had this kind of faith then maybe God could use me like he did Abraham." For just a moment I imagined what it would be like to be one of God's most used people and what it would take for God to chose to use someone that greatly. Then something hit me; I am better equipped than Abraham! YOU are better equipped than Abraham!

Abraham did not have a copy of scripture. Abraham did not have a local church to attend that gave him a weekly recharge and instilled hope. Abraham did not have a computer with an entire internet to let him explore the goodness of God through Biblically based evangelistic websites. Abraham did not have a radio that produced praise music, or Christian programming for him to listen to. There is only one thing that Abraham had that made him great... FAITH! If you have that, then you are just as equipped as Abraham was. Romans 4.20-21 says, "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”

Abraham did not have an evangelistic ministry, a radio show, or a website, but he changed to world with faith. "By grace you are saved through FAITH..." (Ephesians 2.8). Take your faith, and use the resources God has blessed you with and change your world for Christ.

What You Are Worth.

"Hey Pastor, do you think I can come early to church tonight and talk to you about something?" was the phone call I received recently from a new Christian. "Of course" I replies wondering what it was that they needed to talk about. (Pastor immediately have the question go through their head, "Oh great, now what did I do or say to make someone mad.")

Sure enough we met and had a great chat, but the issue at hand was one that is becoming more and more common. People are wondering, "How could someone love me, like me, or give their life for me?" We have become a society that doesn't see ourselves as worth anything. Why? Here is my top 5 list of why people are having self worth issues.

1. Satan cannot steal the soul of a believer, but he will reek havoc on the mind and body in attempt to distract us from seeing God more clearly.

2. We think more of what we think we are worth, or what others think we are worth, than what God has demonstrated we are worth...His life.

3. Society has convinced us that if we don't look or act a certain way we are nothing. Unfortunately, the "acceptable" way is not achievable by the average person thus leaving them to feel inadequate.

4. Money has become our security. Since our economy is bad our security is gone.

5. Psalm 14.1 "A fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'." When we remove God we become the fool. Foolish actions and thinking do not lead to personal value or a personal Savior.

So, what advice do I give to the person who is struggling with self worth? Since this person was a believe I focused on the most likely cause of the issue (no.1 above). The last thing Satan wants the believe to do is to live like one, think like one, or speak like one; so he will silence them at all costs. Satan is trying to distract the believer by feeding them lies; sometimes the lie is about self worth, but it is not limited to this; doubt, fear, depression, worry, physical ailments, and many more things can all be the distracting forces of Satan.

If you are dealing with the issues of self worth, here is some help:

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ~ Matthew 10.30 God doesn’t just care for you or about you, He cares so much that He even knows how many hairs are on your head.

Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee…~ Psalm 55.22 You were never intended to carry the hard times of life; you were intended to turn them over to God and He will carry both you and the burden.

Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you. ~ I Peter 5.7 You aren’t a waste of time to God. Just like we only tell our closest friends that we are there for them and tell them to call when there is a problem; God does that to us. Why? Because he cares and considers us as close friends.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. ~ John 15.13-14 Jesus did lay down his life for you as a demonstration of His love to you. You were worth it to Him.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die. But God demonstrates his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ~Romans 5.7-8 People don’t give their lives for no reason. You were important enough because God saw you as you can be with faith in Him.

…Sparrows…not one is forgotten by God…you have more value than many sparrows. Luke 12.6-7 God has his eye on every one of his creation, even the smallest of birds. If he cares enough to go bird watching, he certainly is caring for his crowning creation: You.

Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… Genesis 1.26 You were created to in the image of God. If you deny your goodness and worth you are denying the goodness of God. God made you something special in resemblance of him.

You were not bought with corruptible things like silver or gold… but with the precious blood of Christ… I Peter 1.18-19 Silver and Gold have some value and can buy some nice things, but you were worth more than money to God, you were worth Jesus.

You are so valuable to God that he paid the highest price just to have you; Don't let Satan convince you of anything else.

You Decide Who Goes to Heaven.

God has left you in charge of who will be in heaven! That is right, you get to decide who will go to heaven and who will not. This of course is based upon the truth that only people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will be accepted into heaven (Romans 10.8-9, Ephesians 2.8-9, John 14.6). Recent studies show that 85% of the people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior first heard of Jesus' saving grace through someone personally telling them about Jesus, inviting them to church, or witnessing with some kind of evangelistic medium. In lieu of this statistic, over 8 out 10 people in heaven are there because someone personally shared Jesus with them. The people who were bold enough to share Jesus with them were able to decide who went to heaven.

I personally organize and arrange over 20 outreach activities or events each year and encourage everyone to invite their friends and family members, even their enemies to these events. What I find is that people have no problem inviting someone to Cedar Point, but when it come to telling someone about Jesus they fall short of words and keep their mouth shut. In reality, how much more important is forgiveness unto heaven than a thrill filled day of roller coasters.

Mark 16.15 instructs us to tell people about Jesus, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone. We find it easier to tell someone that it costs $50 for a trip to Cedar Point than to tell someone that the cost of eternal life is death... thankfully Jesus paid that price already for us.

Think of it this way: If I told you, I have 10 free tickets to Disney land, all expense paid including travel, lodging, and food; and you can use them whenever you would like to, you would not wait to start calling people and asking if they wanted to go even though they could be used at any time. No, you would get on the phone asap. When I tell you, I have an unlimited number of tickets to heaven, you can take anyone with you, and you will go at any moment; we then tend to become lazy and not tell anyone about it.

Face it. You decide who will accept the forgiveness of God enter into eternity in heaven; and in turn you decide who will spend eternity in hell. Start praying today that you will have the courage to tell people about the free forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

The lies we tell our kids.

Being a father is a great job that I love, but when I examine myself and compare my words with reality I find flaws. There are times when the words I tell my kids to encourage them are only full of hot-air and empty encouragements. I don't believe I am alone in this. How many times have we told ourselves or others things like, "Just do your best and that will be good enough", or "You can do anything you put your mind to". The fact is, your best is not always good enough, and you can't do everything no matter how hard you try at anything.

Please don't miss understand me, I am not saying that we should then tell our kids the opposite; "Just give it your worst and call it good" or "You may as well give up because you will never get it." No, instead be encouraging but don't forget the grace that says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Kids will rarely rise above any expectations placed upon them on their own. they need that encouragement and prodding to go the extra mile and give the extra effort. God does this same thing with us.

God actually used hyperbole's too; he spoke in exaggerations and he used them to convey his expectations of us. He, in his way, told us "You can do anything you put your mind to". I Peter 1.16 says "Be holy as I am holy." Really, can we ever achieve the holiness of God? No, but we should do it or die trying. It is because we can never achieve this holiness that God sent his son to pay the debt of our lack of holiness; but still he instructs us to be holy to the same level that he is. This is no excuse then to give up on our holiness because we can never reach that level, or because we are already holy through by the grace of God, but it is a challenge to still give it our all and not give up on what is righteous.

God has set responsibilities for the true believers and they are of high expectations. This is his way of saying, "You can do anything you put your mind to." Philippians 4.13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" as a testimony of Paul who believe that he could do anything he put his mind to by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, "You will do greater things that I have done" as an encouragement that we shouldn't give up, but rather press on. We are facing a high bar, and through Jesus Christ we have the hope that we can live up to our expectations of the Father, not unto salvation, but unto the rewards offered in the Kingdom (I Corinthians 3.10-12).

Last summer I was determined my then 3 year old son was able to ride a two wheeler with not training wheels. Yes, I said 3 years old. He is quite smart and coordinated and I was certain that he could do it. We went to the thrift store and picked up a bike his size, found his helmet and headed to the parking lot of a local school. For the next 20 minutes my patience we put to the test and my back was throbbing as I ran along beside a very nervously excited little boy. All attempts seemed to fail and I started to see the fact that he was just simply to young and was not ready to ride with no training wheels, but what did I tell him, "You can do it. You can do it." I repeated that over and over while the seeming reality was that he could not do it. I told him, "Just keep telling yourself that you can do it" and "Give it your best." At times be would become discouraged and want to give up but I would encourage him that he could do it. Finally we went home, he had not done it. All we had done was discouraged a little boy and given myself a headache and back ache. No matter how much I fed him that "he could do it" he didn't, but he did know something, that I expected him to do it, and that I would personally help him learn how to ride his bike. We repeated this routine for next 2 days and he did indeed learn to ride the bike. What seemed to be an impossibility became possible through the care and encouragement of his Father. We to are watched and encouraged by the Heavenly Father and should strive to reach the responsibilities he has set before us.