080113 - What are you looking at???

Please begin with prayer for an open heart, before you read the passage below. Matthew 14:22-36 –  ²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. ²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”²⁹ “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”³⁴ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him ³⁶ and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

The assigned reading was v.25-31, but I think the remaining verses within this section add tremendous context and also application to our ‘mustard seed faith’ conversation from Sunday.

Immediately preceding this encounter, Jesus fed 5,000 men (plus women & chillins).  After the meal, Jesus needs some time in prayer with the Father and sends His boys across the lake ahead of Him.  The disciples begin rowing and then Jesus walks out towards them.  Now, they probably began their journey at least 6-8 hours ahead of Jesus, so either they are slow rowers, waves were tremendous, or Jesus is a world class speed walker!  There were superstitions of water spirits that would come out at night, so those ‘ghost stories’ combined with the fact that a dude was walking on water, freaked the disciples out.

Peter, who lacks a speed bump between his brain and his mouth, pops off with, ‘Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.’  Peter has frequent, impulsive moments, but if we look at the Rabbinical culture of the 1^st century, this move makes more sense.  There would be a number of rabbi’s in the area and each would have a different interpretation of the Scriptures and Jewish custom.  Young men would study throughout their upbringing and if they excelled, they would approach a rabbi, whose teachings they respected, to be his disciple.  The rabbi would then drill them on every detail of the Law, Prophets, culture, oral tradition, etc. and if the rabbi felt that the potential disciple could be like him, then he would ask the young man to ‘follow me’.

Jesus had a slightly different approach and as far as we know, didn’t administer any religious SAT exams on the disciples.  He did call them to ‘follow Me’, because He believed they could be like Him and do what He did!  Back to the disciple with the foot-shaped mouth (Peter)---Peter was chosen as a disciple and knew that Jesus believed He could do what He did.  Naturally, when Jesus walked on water, Peter believed he could walk on water as one of His disciples.  The crazy thing was that Peter actually did!!

The story obviously didn’t end there---notice that Peter’s eyes shifted away from His Lord when he saw the wind and was consumed with fear.  He starts to sink---Jesus saves him---Jesus rebukes him and says, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt??’

In applying the little faith/mustard seed faith, I struggled a little with a clear cut distinction.  I think we are still human and we will have fear, doubts, anxiety, and trials---in processing little faith & mustard seed faith, I think one of the differences is what you are focusing on in the midst of fear, doubts, anxiety, and trials.  Mustard seed faith rises up when in the middle of these circumstances and we look to Jesus and continue to trust in Him!  Little faith is still saving faith, but we become paralyzed by our surroundings---we are paralyzed because we are only looking at our self and our capacity to handle the challenges.  Mustard seed faith has exponential growth possibilities, because it is not limited to us and looks upward.  We may not be healed, we may not get the new job, we may not receive whatever we are stepping out in prayer for, but true mustard seed faith is displayed in those moments and allows the Spirit of God to grow us, shape us, and change us as His followers!  Mustard seed faith trusts in the middle of the wind & waves and trusts even when we don’t receive what we ask for.

Final thought---V.33 is the crux of this passage to me.  We all too often insert ourselves into the story and think it’s about us.  There is obviously application to our lives, but the primary application is not how we handle the ‘wind and waves of life’.  The point is who Jesus is!  The disciples respond in worship and say, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’  We fix our eyes on Him who walks on water, forgives sins, and conquers death!  When our eyes are positioned on us and our circumstances, there is little faith, and growth potential is minimal.  When our eyes are fixed on Jesus, there is mustard seed faith, and the potential for growth is endless!

Do you recognize Jesus’ deity & power amidst the trials of life?  How would you know?  What would it look like to step out in mustard seed faith when confronted with fear, doubt, and anxiety?   I would love to hear your journey and how this passage impacted you.

mike

7.31.13 "Why FEAR?"

Hello!  It’s good to be with you! Let’s look at today’s scripture reading!

Matthew 8 ²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

So Jesus was caught sleeping on the job – at least from the disciples’ perspective.  We can all probably share the feeling to some extent.  Those times can be tough on faith – when our world seems to be coming apart at the seams and God seems, well, asleep – inattentive – distant – unconcerned.

This is one of the four times in the gospel of Matthew that Jesus refers to His disciples having “little faith”.  Here Jesus identifies fear as the  “faith shrinker”! Fear is consuming them for apparently justifiable reasons, a life threatening storm, but Jesus asks “Why?”

He has a way of challenging our “assumptions”, our “givens” about life!  We all would agree that the disciples had a “right” to be afraid.  Jesus disagrees!  He says there is another option.  Fear may be natural, normal, the given, but according to Jesus not the only option with Him in the picture.  Jesus, just because He is Who He is brings a new way for our hearts to live life – a life of faith with less fear, much less!  He goes on to show the disciples that His Presence changes everything by calming the storm.

I think that Jesus is really challenging my assumption (I’m probably not the only one-it’s a human thing!) that fear is a given in this life.  Jesus is challenging me to believe that His Presence in my life and world, although not in my control, brings great security and deals a death knell to debilitating fear!  I believe this “life of real faith” is how He is training His disciples to live- how He is training me to live!

Fear is not the “given” – even when the storm is raging and God is sleeping!  His Presence changes everything!

So is Jesus saying to me that because He “is” – because He simply “is” I get to live a much less fear-full life?  Perhaps a fear-less life?

Awesome!

delton

Please share your thoughts – would love to hear!

07.30.2013 "I have a FATHER in Heaven who loves ME very much!"

Matthew 6:28-34 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Can I tell you how hard this text is hitting me right now? Can I get really real with y’all?

For the past couple of months I have been worried, fretting about my financial situation. You see, I’m a shopaholic. I absolutely love browsing the shelves and racks for new clothes, new foods, new shoes, new furniture. The shopping doesn’t even have to be for me! I love buying people presents, little or big things I see to show my affection for them. In fact, I love shopping so much that my profession is shopping!

Shopping is just my favorite hobby – but it’s one that has gotten me into a lot of trouble financially. And what does that bring? Worry, fear, doubt and maybe some “little faith”.

When I saw this text though, in the midst of my own personal issues, it really has new light to me. You know how you can read and re-read and re-read a passage and the depth of it doesn’t hit you until you experience something that makes you see the words in a new way? That’s this text for me. God is really opening up my eyes to His desires for me and my life and not my desires for new/bigger/better things (all in my opinion!). He desires a grander life for me, a better well-being for me than I could ever imagine. And that is worth more to me than all the latest and greatest trends this world has to offer.

One of the things that Pastor mentioned on Sunday was a line he and a young man prayed “I have a Father in Heaven who loves me very much”! I have found myself using that line as my tool when I’ve had a desire to go spend frivolously. I don’t need all these things when I realize I have a love that is the most precious thing in the world, which was bought with the most precious blood. Money can never buy that, but God already did. It’s the One thing that I want, the One thing that I need in my life and it is a GIFT.

I encourage you to try saying that line over and over when you have a temptation rise up. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath and say out loud “I have a Father in Heaven who loves me very much, I have a Father in Heaven who loves me very much, I have a Father in Heaven who loves me very much”.

Let me know if that helps you the way it’s helped me!

Father, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for all of the gifts you give your children, especially the greatest gift of all, Your Son, Jesus. Thank you for loving me when I find it hard to, when I’ve disappointed myself so much that I cannot fathom how You can love me through it, and yet You do. I love you, Father. Amen.

Toni

I wanted to also include the Message version of this text. The words may impact you a little more clearly as they did for me:

27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

07.28.13 Faith Potential

Matthew 17:14-19 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”  Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

I noticed today's reading was listed as just the above verses, but I also saw we don't take a look at verse 20 at any point this week. If you don't mind, I would like to add Jesus' answer to today's blog - it was so exciting for me to hear Delton explain the difference between a 'little faith' and a 'mustard seed faith'!

Verse 20:

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

There seems to be so much potential contained within a mustard seed. We are told earlier in Matthew that this 'smallest of all seeds' grows into the 'largest of all garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds perch in its branches.' So much potential for growth and impact in a little package!

During Sunday's message, Delton explained that a 'mustard seed faith' is not equivalent to a 'little faith'. Rather, a mustard seed faith's huge potential lies in a deep reliance on Jesus' promises. This faith the size of a mustard seed is actually quite big - the potential to go from 'small' to 'big' stems from what God can do through our simple, small actions that branch out of our faith. Our actions may be small, but God uses these simple actions to create amazing results.

In contrast, a 'little faith' relies on worry, fear, doubt, and is limited to our human range of thinking. Little faith is static and can lose focus away from its Source. The worries of this world, the daily challenges we face, the way others think, and even a lack of confidence can keep a little faith...little.

What is exciting to me is that Jesus isn't talking about either of these types of faiths in terms of young faith or new faith - the "size" or length of time isn't the point. The point is that one's faith is capable of being used by God for something bigger because it is a faith that relies on Jesus and has the confidence that He has already equipped for anything to which He calls us. Brand new faith is perfectly capable of having the potential contained within a 'mustard seed faith'. In fact, some long-time, mature believers (some would consider these people individuals of 'big faith') neglect to ever fully trust that they have all they need to hear Jesus' calling and act upon it - to have the potential found in the 'faith of a mustard seed.'

Pray with me today that we have our ears and hearts open and are willing to step out and act however and wherever Jesus is calling us to act. That we can can rely on Him to lead us, and that He knows we are learning to act out of the potential of a mustard-seed faith - we do believe He has equipped us for the work He calls us to do. Pray that we can tell the difference between a calling and indigestion....and that if we act and our actions are steps that would be good and pleasing to Him, not harmful to others, and reflect the teachings of Christ, that we can be confident He will use our actions to His glory....even if they stemmed from indigestion. He is a big God and He knows we are learning how to listen. He is gracious and He will help us learn. We are all equipped as mustard seeds. Amen.

Lisa

7.27.13 “Saturday’s Blog”

WELCOME TO THE POG BLOG! INSTEAD OF A STAFF PERSON OR LAY LEADER BEGINNING THE DISCUSSION, WE ARE ASKING THAT YOU BEGIN THE DISCUSSION ON WHAT TODAY’S SCRIPTURE IS SAYING TO YOU AND HOW IT RELATES TO SUNDAY’S MESSAGE. ENJOY PRAYING, DIGGING IN, SHARING THOUGHTS AND RESPONDING! HAVE A GREAT SATURDAY! DENISE

Today’s Scripture reading is Psalm 34: 1-10

¹ I will extol the Lord at all times;     his praise will always be on my lips. ² I will glory in the Lord;     let the afflicted hear and rejoice. ³ Glorify the Lord with me;     let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me;     he delivered me from all my fears. ⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;     their faces are never covered with shame. ⁶ This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;     he saved him out of all his troubles. ⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,     and he delivers them.

⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good;     blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. ⁹ Fear the Lord, you his holy people,     for those who fear him lack nothing. ¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,     but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

7.26.13 "God with Skin On!"

Sit back and enjoy this awesome scripture!

Colossians 1:15-20 ¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

This text is a real celebration of Jesus as truly “God in the flesh”!  The statement “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him” powerfully directs our attention to Jesus when seeking answers about God and how He works.

God can be confusing!  God’s word and all the stories recorded there can be overwhelming.  The good news is that God has not left us on our own in trying to understand Him and how He works.  He has come to us in Jesus.  Jesus is God – with skin on.  Jesus is our starting point when getting a grip on the things of God.  He is fully God revealed to all of us in a walking, talking, sleeping, working, laughing, loving human being.  When I see Jesus leading His disciples to greater understanding of who God is and how He works, sometimes gently sometimes sternly, I sense He is leading me to that same divine understanding.

What difference does this make?

Quickly let me tell you one way this reality makes a difference for me.  Jesus has revealed to me that God is really a very accessible, very available, very wise, very resourceful and very GOOD Father in Heaven.  Jesus teaches me to approach God that way, pray that way, live that way.  This is very practical and it is more than good advice from a wise man.  It is truth from God himself.  This reality refreshingly alters the way I live today – more peace, more hope, less anxiety, less fear.

That is just one way the reality that Jesus is God with skin on changes my life.

Thanks for listening.  What about you?  How does this reality affect your life?

delton

7.25.13 “Trust”

Today’s Reading is 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

I hear Paul saying we don’t need to be practiced or perfect before we’re willing to proclaim the Word to people.  We just have to come “real” to people we meet and witness to them sharing our story.  When we try to be perfect before being available for God to use us we rob others from the opportunity to hear His word.  We just need to proclaim the love of God demonstrated by sending Christ to die for our sins so that we may have everlasting life.  We don’t have to read a bunch of books or take lots of college courses to be prepared.  The only preparation we need is having faith that God put us in the situation to share our story and that the Holy Spirit will guide our words and actions as we share our testimony.  This faith also allows us to open ourselves to tell things that we may have never told anyone.

We also rob ourselves of the opportunity to let the Holy Spirit work through us and witness what God can do when we give him the reins of our life.  When we see the Spirit work in our lives it helps to strengthen our faith in the Lord.  I believe this is why you hear people say that it was more powerful for them to witness to someone than for the person receiving.  Unfortunately, as humans we like to be reassured that God really does exist.  We know he does, we believe he does, but it’s always nice when you actually “see” it happen.  It doesn’t mean we’re any less faithful, even Thomas wanted to see the wounds of Christ before he believed that Christ actually returned.

So the next time you’re in the position to share the Lord with someone, remember, you’re not alone.  Say a small prayer, be humble and jump off that cliff knowing that God will be there through it all guiding and directing you.

dave

Not just another Moses or Elijah

Jesus the ONE! Hebrews 1:1-3 (NASB) God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways in these last days has spoken to us in His Son Whom He appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the world and He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…

(The Message) Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently, He spoke to us directly through His Son. By His Son God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what He says – powerful words! After He finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took His honored place high in the heavens right alongside God, far higher than any angel in rank and rule.

A Quote from Eugene Petersen, (author of The Message) - “The word in verse 3 that I want to focus on is “stamped” which was something used for making impressions.  In New Testament times, this word often referred to the impression on an official seal.  Caesar, for example, put his name and image on a limestone seal, which was imprinted on official documents, and this represented the authority of the government."

“The use of this word in Hebrews is THE ONLY INSTANCE OF ITS OCCURRENCE IN the New Testament.  But we know that it was a very common word, and the practice behind it was everyday and unexceptional.  Here a person’s authority and personality were represented in an image.  And that’s what Jesus did in relation to God.  He bore the very stamp of God’s nature.  And He did it accurately and authoritatively.”

This was interesting to me – the Message version uses “stamped” and the NASB uses “exact representation” (as is the NIV).  And it is the only time it is used in the New Testament!?    I would think it must be a very unique word – if it only occurs once!

So, I looked it up in a Greek Study Bible and it said “khar-ak-tar” - “from the same as a Graver; engraving, “character”;  the figure stamped, i.e. an exact copy or representation; an express image; from charasso – to carve; an engraving tool.  It also said that it is only used in Hebrews 1:3 where Jesus is described as the character or express image of God’s nature.

Then, it defined “nature” as “hupostasis” – that which is set under or stands under; the foundation; origin; beginning. Substance, what really exists under any appearance, reality, essential nature.  Spoken of God’s essence in nature.

“So, God, what are You trying to say to me this day?  What am I supposed to “hear” from You, July 24, 2013?  What does all of this, and the blog, and Sunday’s Message about the Transfiguration have to do with me, today?”  That’s what I am asking myself.

“What today, Papa?”  “What is all this ‘stuff’ about exact representation, and stamps, and express image of God?” "And why is it only used once in the New Testament?  It must be important enough – with all the gazillion words used – if it’s only used once – for me to sit here and ponder and chew on and wait on You to speak to me – a single “fleck” of a person – what does it mean for me?"

So, I wait, and I keep remembering  a part of the message on Sunday that has been rolling around in my head – that on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured before the disciple’s eyes –  when they saw Moses and Elijah –  that “Jesus wasn’t just another Moses or another Elijah” – He was JESUS - Jesus the ONLY – “this is MY Son, Whom I love – with Him I am well pleased – listen to HIM!”    He isn’t equal or similar to them at all – He is far above – in fact – He is God!

Sometimes I think I forget that Jesus is God – that He was there in the beginning – with the Father and the Spirit at the creation of the universe.  I sometimes separate Him too much, and think of Him as “just” a Baby in a manger – Who grew up and died on the cross and rose again.  Magnificent – yes!  But I cannot forget that He is still God!   Mind boggling!

This gives me great comfort and assurance on July 24, 2013.  The Jesus I love and believe in and put all of my faith in – is not just another Moses or Elijah.  "He is the exact representation of God –  He is the heir of all things - and upholds all things by the word of His power.  After He finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took His honored place high in the heavens right alongside God."

This Jesus, Who led the disciples up on the mountain - thousands of years ago - This Jesus, Who was transfigured before their very eyes - thousands of years ago - This Jesus, Whom God said was His Son, Whom He loved, with Whom He was very pleased  - thousands of years ago – is the very Jesus Who died for me, and rose for me, and paid the price for me.  He’s not another Moses.  He’s not another Elijah.  He is God!  He is my Savior, Redeemer, and Friend.  And He still speaks to me, July 24, 2013.  He is the Real Deal!  That is blessed assurance!

I am curious --- what in the world did this section of Hebrews say to you, July 24, 2013?

-dawn

Are you forgetting something???

Please begin with prayer for an open heart, before you read the passage below. 2 Peter 1:12-18 –  ¹²So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. ¹³ I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, ¹⁴ because I know that I will soon put it aside,as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. ¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

One of my favorite hymns/worship songs is Come Thou Fount.  There is a line in one of the verses that says, ‘Here I raise my Ebenezer…’  For years I sung this line without having any clue what it meant (maybe you are guilty of that too??).  One day the guilt got to me so I started researching.  I found that this refers to an account in 1 Samuel 7, where the Israelites are continually fighting against the Philistines---some successfully and others unsuccessfully.  Samuel, the prophet, assembles the troops for battle and they seek God through confession, prayer, and fasting before battle.  The Philistines assemble for battle and v.10 says ‘that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.’

Immediately after the battle, Samuel raises a stone and names it Ebenezer.  Ebenezer refers to a city, but the word actually meant ‘stone of help.’  Samuel literally placed a stone of help in the field and says, ‘Thus far has the LORD helped us.’  Samuel essentially wanted to commemorate the battle and how God led them to victory that day.  For Israel, this was a monument that served as a reminder of how God had been faithful.  He wanted to make sure Israel could always look back and not forget the way God showed Himself strong that day.  Imagine a son walking through the field with his father, seeing the stone, and inquiring why the stone was set upright.  The father would recount how the Father provided for them in battle that day.  This story telling would continue from generation to generation!

Today, we take pictures, buy souvenirs, and journal to remember a trip or vacation.  When we look at these things, it immediately triggers memories of what happened.  Do we do this with our faith?  Are there things in my life and yours that we can point back to and remember how God was faithful? 

Unfortunately, I think we make God start at square one every day or we face a crisis and begin with doubt, not faith, because we are forgetful!  Our faith is meant to build upon itself and we are called to remember what God has done in our life and apply this to future challenges/crises/doubts/trials/etc.  We become anxious about the future, because we fail to look towards the past!

Peter desired for the early Christ followers that he was addressing to look in the past.  He went to the facts about Jesus, the eyewitness accounts, the testimonies!  Church, this is our call today as well.  We begin with Scripture and see the faithfulness of God.  We continue with our faith journey and experience with God.  We move onto God’s provision in our lives.  Then, we face whatever journey lies ahead.  God has proven Himself trustworthy and we are called to step by faith, through the past, into the future!

When you look at your life & faith journey, what are key points that you can see God’s faithfulness?  Do you remember these or jump right into anxiety when crises occur?  How can you step into the future by remembering the past? I would love to hear your journey and how this passage impacted you.

mike

7/22/13 Recognition!

Good Monday morning! May our time together and with God be a blessing to us all. Let’s get started… Matthew 17: 1-8 (NIV) 17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

During this morning’s sermon, for some reason…some questions popped up about Peter: Why did Matthew include Peter’s words of verses 4 & 5? They seem sorta out of place….What was he saying and why? And why was Peter the only one of the disciples to speak up?

First of all, Pastor’s leading us through Matthew’s account of Jesus Transfiguration was fantastic…and yes… He is the ONE! Listen to Him.

I don’t know why, but when Peter is in the story, it resonates with me…touches me…I think that when Peter is talking to Jesus in vs 4, he’s just flat out full of joy and amazement to be in the presence of the Glory of the Lord. Here he is…one of three..of the twelve…chosen by Jesus to experience what is now unfolding. And why build tents or tabernacles? Maybe to honor the moment….maybe not wanting the moment to end or maybe it was a new tent of meeting…who knows for sure, but one thing is for sure…he spoke up, he took a chance to engage..live in moment walking with Jesus! How I yearn for that kind of courage.

And then another thought crossed my mind….How did he recognize Moses and Elijah? Moses, who died before the Lord, whose grave God alone knew….and Elijah, whom God took up to heaven in a fiery chariot. Then it struck me…the conversation that Jesus had with the disciples 6 days ago: Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. (Matt 16: 15-17) Recognition of who Jesus is must come from God!

Peter saw it all…not because of anything he had done, but by the Father! Peter was on a journey…a journey with Jesus that had been marked out by God the Father…a journey that included walking on water and then being rebuked for his smallness of faith, but yet the hand of his Messiah lifted him up….a journey that included denying knowing Christ and then, Peter suffering the agony of his betrayal, and yet, when Christ is risen, the word is sent to the disciples..and Peter..to meet him in Galilee….Jesus reaching out to him, once again.

And then these final verses came to life…6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

“Jesus ever kind, gentle and sympathetic, stepped forward. In His touch was a world of understanding and cheering assurance. He urged them to arise and cast aside their fears. Thus strengthened, they took courage to lift up their eyes and saw no one but only Jesus.” (The Popular Commentary of the Bible by Paul E. Kretzmann)

Yes, Jesus is the ONE….may all our eyes be so lifted!

Blessings to you and yours! jim

7.20.13 "Saturday's Blog"

WELCOME TO THE POG BLOG!INSTEAD OF A STAFF PERSON OR LAY LEADER BEGINNING THE DISCUSSION, WE ARE ASKING THAT YOU BEGIN THE DISCUSSION ON WHAT TODAY’S SCRIPTURE IS SAYING TO YOU AND HOW IT RELATES TO SUNDAY’S MESSAGE. ENJOY PRAYING, DIGGING IN, SHARING THOUGHTS AND RESPONDING! HAVE A GREAT SATURDAY! DENISE

Today’s Scripture reading: 1 John 4: 7-21

We Love Because God Loved Us

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born again because of what God has done. That person knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 How did God show his love for us? He sent his one and only Son into the world. He sent him so we could receive life through him. 10 What is love? It is not that we loved God. It is that he loved us and sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we should also love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us. His love is made complete in us. 13 We know that we belong to him and he belongs to us. He has given us his Holy Spirit. 14 The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. We have seen it. We give witness to it. 15 God lives in anyone who agrees that Jesus is the Son of God. That kind of person remains joined to God. 16 So we know that God loves us. We depend on it. God is love. Anyone who leads a life of love shows that he is joined to God. And God is joined to him. 17 So love is made complete among us. We will be bold on the day God judges us. That’s because in this world we love as Jesus did. 18 There is no fear in love. Instead, perfect love drives fear away. Fear has to do with being punished. The one who fears does not have perfect love. 19 We love because he loved us first. 20 Anyone who says he loves God but in fact hates his brother or sister is a liar. He doesn’t love his brother or sister, whom he has seen. So he can’t love God, whom he has not seen. 21 Here is the command God has given us. Anyone who loves God must also love his brothers and sisters.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS SCRIPTURE! WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO YOU TODAY?

7.19.13 "We Are At War"

Our FATHER in Heaven; Thank you for the opportunity to live another day. Open our hearts and minds during this time of reflection and grant us clarity and understanding. Give us the wisdom to know your will and the courage and confidence to live according to it. Amen. 1 John 3:11-20 11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,[a] if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

The cracks formed early and severely. From the serpent’s lying words to Cain’s bloody hands these events are separated only by a single chapter in Genesis. This world is broken, fractured by sin. Even though John says we should not be I am amazed by how broken the world is. In 2011, seventy-nine percent of all reported murders in the U.S. were committed by friends, loved ones, or acquaintances. Murdered by the very people of whom they were the closest.

This passage reminds me of one of Pastor’s reoccurring themes. We are at war. It is a second by second struggle that save for one thing would be impossible to win. In the first sentence of the passage John dresses us for battle and arms us with the message of unconditional love. CHRIST has given us the example to follow not just because he laid down his life, but more importantly why he did it. His demonstration of love is a very tough act to follow. How can we love the one that kidnapped, raped, and held three little girls for more than a decade? How can we love the one that coldly walked into a Connecticut pre-school and murdered dozens of children? How oh LORD, do we love those that spate on you and nailed spikes into your flesh and cheered as you bled out from the cross. How do we love a lying child, a cheating spouse, a drunken abusive parent?

The answer is we simply cannot truly love anyone if we are living according to the ways of that serpent. The world is his broken mess. But the power to live a life of love in this broken world has been provided to us by our LORD JESUS CHRIST. We love because he first loved us. John is pushing us to move beyond our comfort zone into our new identity, the one that equips us to live in this world as it prepares us for the next. In this passage John reminds us that we know the truth and we cannot ignore it.

It is not easy, but it is sooo worth it. As the songwriter says, “…and they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.” How about you? What does this broken world know you by?

Jim

7/18/13 Relying on the Love God Has for Us

Lord, thank you for once again having the opportunity to read and reflect on Your word. AMEN 1 John 4:16-19 (NIV)

16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.

I have to admit that there are times in my life when I fail to recall or rely on the love God has for me. The indication of that failure for me is a spirit of fear. Oddly enough, my fear usually has more to do with the fear of people and circumstances than fear of God. That’s scary because God has substantially more power and reason to instill fear than people or circumstances.

However, I have come to see this spirit of fear as a friend, because it always drives me to the foot of the cross where once again the love of God is made real to me. Then, as the passage says, “perfect love drives out fear.” Because He loved me first and loved me completely I am able to demonstrate His love to others. I find this is possible only because His love. which is a completely free and unearned gift, invades my frail and undeserving mind and body.

Thanks Mike, for the helpful reminder last Sunday.

Lord, thank you for showing me your love. Help me to live a life free from the fear that daily surrounds me and gets in the way of doing the work you have for me to do. Make your love for me so real that that I am compelled to share it with everyone I encounter. Help me, by your Spirit, to rely on your love. AMEN

John

7.17.13 "The race is challenging"

Today’s Scripture is: 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 (The Message) 24-25 You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. 26-27 I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

I had a conversation with a friend just this morning about how hard, how exhausting, and how frustrating being in a mentoring relationship with someone in need and far from God can be. Her and I both have been called into ministry with some people that have never really known the love of Jesus until now… and who have never even received life skills because of their tough upbringing. This friend and I are both on a journey with these people that have taken us out of our comfort zones and put us in positions of money, space, and time sacrifice. Neither of us would trade what we’ve had the opportunity to be a part of or would trade what we’ve seen God do in the midst of these situations, but it doesn’t change how challenging it is!

This scripture encourages me in our journey. It would be easy to say, “I’m not responsible for these people”, or “I don’t have the money to help”, or “I have so many other things to do I couldn’t possibly fit one more thing into my schedule”. But that’s not really running the race is it? Avoiding a call or opportunity that God places in my life because of other things going on may be what God would consider sloppy living… and I don’t want to live sloppily for God!

Being involved in people’s lives – especially those that are hard to love, require extra grace, require a lot of my time, or are in need financially (when I have little to give in that area) – keeps me fit and in the race. Otherwise I get lazy and apathetic and will think someone else will always take care of the hard cases or tough issues. Training hard and staying in top condition hurts. It’s uncomfortable, it makes you feel beat up, it challenges you in every way….and the devil can use that to keep us (me) from engaging because he knows the impact for the kingdom can be so great! It’s hard, but like the above scripture says… I don’t want to get caught napping. I want to be running the race – and it’s not for what’s perceived as valuable here on earth, it’s about the eternal difference.

On Sunday, Mike talked about living love and living love(d). He said if we know our identity in Christ and how much He loves us, then we can respond to God’s love and are capable of loving others freely, without fear or guilt or performance. When we are called into the race, I believe God will equip us to freely love others in a way that’s not of ourselves. He’ll give us the perseverance, the creativity, the patience, the stamina, the time, and even the money to help others.

Running the race, running to win, being alert, and not living sloppily may look different to you than what I’ve shared here today, but it applied well in what I’m experiencing in my life right now. Are you in a situation where this scripture really hits home for you? If so, share it! I’d love to hear how God has spoken to you today.

Denise

07.15.13 God Is Love

Please find a quiet place to focus on these scriptures for a few minutes, asking His Spirit to speak to your heart, and in Jesus’ name, ridding your heart and mind of distractions, burdens, guilt, worry, etc. 1 John 4:7-16 The Message (MSG)

God Is Love 7-10 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. 11-12 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! 13 This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. As I listened to God’s message sent through Mike this morning, I was happily prepared to hear all about love. I consider myself a very loving person, but I left worship feeling very convicted. Mike (very lovingly ) pointed out that loving like Jesus is very different than the “love” that we hear about in current society. This “true” love begins with our identity in Christ, not the good feelings we get from the people around us, the things around us, whether we are happy in our jobs, or whether we are happy in our families. I grew up in a very clearly defined faith-based family, with clear rules about what Christian people do, and how they act. As an adult, I fell into the trap of (like Pastor John said last week) faith zombie-ism, making my way through life ticking off the to-do items on my list to be a good Jesus follower. The Spirit began working in me when I recognized that I wouldn’t feel comfortable inviting anyone to the church I attended. I worried that the people wouldn’t feel welcomed. God answered that unspoken prayer by leading our family to Point of Grace. But I have, oh, so much more “love-learning” to do! God-willing, I will slowly break the attitude of “doing”, and changing to “being” in relationship with a heavenly Father at the center of my life.

Father God, please send your Spirit to do away with the things in my life that aren’t true to your will for my life. Generate within me an attitude of openness, and readiness to hear Your guiding and prompting, and to show everyone around me Your true love, as a gift, not a duty. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

kristi

7.13.13 "Saturday's Blog"

Welcome to the POG Blog!

Instead of a staff person or lay leader beginning the discussion, we are asking that YOU begin the discussion on what today’s Scripture is saying to you and how it relates to Sunday’s message.  Enjoy praying, digging in, sharing thoughts and responding!

Have a great Saturday!  Denise

Psalm 91

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,     according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion     blot out my transgressions. ² Wash away all my iniquity     and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,     and my sin is always before me. ⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned     and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict     and justified when you judge. ⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,     sinful from the time my mother conceived me. ⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;     you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;     wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. ⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;     let the bones you have crushed rejoice. ⁹ Hide your face from my sins     and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,     and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence     or take your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation     and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Share your thoughts on this Scripture!  What is God saying to you today?

7.12.13 "Being Transformed...."

Today’s Scripture is Romans 12: 1-2:

 From the NIV:   Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

From The Message:  So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you:  Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.  Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God.  You’ll be changed from the inside out.  Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of maturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

 “…Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking…”  OUCH.  How often am I able to say, “No, I won’t watch that program; it doesn’t honor God” or “No, I won’t carry the latest handbag; I’ll use this money to help someone else” or even “No, I will not miss worship *again* this Sunday; it’s vital to my spirit to worship with my family of believers”?  Honestly, it is pretty dang hard for me to not want to fit in whether that’s with my family, with my friends – churched and unchurched, or the youth at PoG & in the community.  The enemy has a sneaky way of helping me believe I am supposed to fit in and compare to everyone else:  “Isn’t she pretty? I bet her life is easy!;” “That guy must have it all together, just look at how many friends he has!;” “I bet they make a ton of money; must be nice.”  Ugh.  Please forgive me, Jesus, for the arrogance and jealousy in my heart!  I am sorry for looking TO the world for acceptance and LIKE the world to gain that acceptance!

God really challenges me with “offer your bodies as living sacrifices…this is your true and proper worship.”  I WANT to get that right.  However, my fickle mind and heart will always take over, telling me that it’s ok to *fill-in-the-struggle*, God will still love me and forgive me.  Well, it’s definitely true that He WILL still love me and forgive me.  Buuut, does that give me the go-ahead to sin, sin, sin?  Of course not!  Wait, wasn’t there something earlier in the verse…oh yeah “…in view of God’s mercy”!  He’s not issuing an Executive Order then telling me to figure out how to implement the change in my life all by myself.  He’s telling me that He, by prayer and petition, will walk with me as He changes me into that worshipful living sacrifice.  Oh, hallelujah!  Thank You, Jesus!  I don’t have to figure it out on my own!  *PHEW*  Thank You, Father, for walking with us as we learn to  become living sacrifices for You!

Finally, there is one more piece of today’s Scripture that gives me so much hope, especially since I am able to look into my own history and see just how incredibly God has worked in me:  “…by the renewing of your mind.”  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  I was one fractured human being when God moved us over the Atlantic Ocean so He could place one exquisitely special lady in my way.  (Ok, yeah, technically we were there for Shawn’s work, but that was God’s way of getting me to Muriel.  I fully and completely believe that!)  She introduced me to Who Jesus really is and set my feet firmly on the path to wholeness.  Clinical depression and bi-polar II had pretty much caused me to believe I was a terrible person - hateful, ruined, unlovable.  God had - still has - His work cut out in dealing with me but He has been gracious and merciful every single step of the way.  He really has “renewed my mind” – literally!  If God hasn’t quit working in me, He definitely won’t quit on anyone.  Thank You, Lord, for never giving up on us, even when we give up on ourselves!  Please help us each to learn who we really are to You – Your much-loved children!  Amen!

Do you struggle with “looking like the world”?  Do you have a testimony of how God has redeemed you, transformed you, changed you?  Please share! 

Blessings, Jennifer

7.11.13 “Find your relationship…”

Today’s Reading is 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 18 ¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

What a great text to describe our life in relationship with Christ.  From the day that we decide to accept Christ as our savior, our worldly self begins to fade as the Spirit begins to grow.  It starts out as an exciting time, but as we grow closer and closer to God we tend to get scared because we need to give up control of our lives to him.  We are very controlling animals and love to be our own god, but life with him in the lead is such a refreshing world.  I’ve found for myself that a good way to gauge how far I’ve come is how I deal with other crazy drivers on the road.  If I looked into my rear view mirror and saw someone that was in a hurry weaving in and out of traffic and cutting off other drivers, the old self would have said some mean things and make sure that the other driver wouldn’t be able to cut me off.  As I’ve grown in Christ, I find myself praying for the person not to cause an accident that might injure them or the other drivers.  I also find myself praying for them to accept Christ and to slow down and enjoy what God has given them and also praying for whatever situation may be causing them to drive so recklessly.

We must be strong in our faith in God, because the world is a very competitive place, especially corporate America where employees are pitted against each other which goes completely against loving thy neighbor.  Is it right to do things in your job that would glorify yourself over another fellow employee?  I’ve always had a problem at review time because we’re asked to “brag” about ourselves so that we can get an extra 0.5% raise over others.  Wouldn’t it be better to ask your boss to give someone else a promotion over yourself?  That would be totally against what the world would expect.  If we have faith in God, then he’ll put us where we need to be in life.  He’ll provide the daily bread that you need, he’ll give you peace and comfort in times of strife.  He doesn’t promise that you’ll live a life of luxury, but he does promise to care for you.

Does your employer promise to give you a job forever or to give you everlasting life?  If your job promises to pay you a wage and provide some type of health care in return for you spending 40 hours at the office, how much time should you spend with the one that promises to supply your daily bread, loves you unconditionally, forgives you for sinning each and every day and finally promises for you to live forever with Him?  Is it worth going to a Friday morning men’s prayer time at 6:00am, or going to the prayer service once a month, or spending time in the word or prayer?

Dave P.

07.10.13 Persevering Faith!

Mark 7: 24-30 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.  But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet.  Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth.  And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

This passage causes a series of different emotions to come over me….some conflicting to the point that it makes me angry.  I don’t like Jesus’ response.  I don’t like the fact that he calls the lady a dog and that he refuses to heal her little girl (at least initially).

I know that the Gentiles were commonly referred to as dogs and I assume that this “label” referred to her heritage….and maybe it wasn’t as condescending as it comes across to me.  On Sunday, Pastor Jon had a slightly different interpretation.  He drew attention to the fact that she wasn’t a Christ follower.  She wasn’t part of the family.  She was, in fact a child sacrificing pagan idol worshiper who offered her own daughter up to a pretend god on an alter as a sacrifice….resulting in the demon possession.  Thus, her standing was better described as “the dog” as opposed to “the children” who were part of the family.  I guess that makes me mad at “mom” too….but now I’m just sort of mad at both sides.

When I examine my own emotional response I come to the conclusion that my feelings stem almost entirely from my prideful (and inaccurate) assumption that I am entitled to Jesus’ favor and power.  When it comes to his miracles and blessings it’s “ask and you shall receive…”“First come, first served”, right?  The woman deserves it…simply because she’s here, at the front of the line, asking for it.  That’s pretty messed up and I should probably check myself a little bit.

Moving on, I see that this child sacrificing mother was able to be more mature than perhaps I would’ve been.  She was able to see a bigger picture…the correct perspective…and act accordingly.

Pastor Jon said that the woman demonstrated her faith via “humility and persistence.” Ok, that’s cool I guess…I certainly understand that we should all be humble.  But when God tells us no, aren’t we supposed to bow our head, tuck our tail between our legs and sulk away?  Reminding ourselves that we suck at life and never deserved his grace anyway?  That’s usually what I do.

Persistance.

Last week I heard an awesome talk by a guy named Micah Parker.  Perhaps the biggest takeaway I got was his interpretation of Psalm 23.  Verse 4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” Micah said that the most important word in this sentence is “through.”  We all go through valleys in life, but when we are stuck in one…we don’t grow.  We just harden up, with bitterness, resentment, anger and self pity.

This is probably brutally obvious but persisting in the face of adversity is admirable.  Struggling and trying and fighting through challenges provides God a perfect venue to pour out his blessings on us.  He promises us that we can handle anything that comes our way, but we have to persist and get through it.

So, getting back to the original passage.  It’s impressive for me to see this woman recognize her own depravity, and with no sense of entitlement continue to fight for her daughter.  And in the midst of a problem that she couldn’t fix on her own, Jesus swoops in and says, “Ok, good job…I’ll take it from here.”

Jon

07.09.13 Walking in the Newness of My Life!

Let’s pray: Lord I come to you humbled that by Your grace I may have a new life .  Please use me as your vessel to be your Disciple reaching out to all as the light on the hill.  Please clear my mind & spirit as I listen to your words so that my words & actions become a symbol to all that I come into contact with today & in the future until I sit at the right of Jesus.   Amen.

Romans 6:1-4

New International Version (NIV)

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

As I read these verses several words jumped out at me:  sin, Grace, buried with Him in baptism and walking in the newness of life.  I have sinned and (much to my chagrin) continue to sin.  I think & pray that I sin less now than I did previously.  But the fact remains I still sin, whether it be by gossiping or doing things that I know I should not be doing.  I know that Jesus died for my sins & if I confess them, my sins will be forgiven.

So does that mean I should just continue sinning & confessing & not worry about it because of God’s Grace I will be forgiven?  Paul, in verse 2 says “By no means!”  With an exclamation mark!  Obviously Paul wants me to understand that just because God’s grace abounds to provide a remedy for sin, that doesn’t give me carte blanche to continue sinning.  I should not think that the more I sin, the more grace I will receive from heaven.  God never intended that His grace would become an encouragement for me to sin.

The whole purpose of God’s grace in sending his Son to die was not to enable me to continue sinning, but to enable me to be forgiven, to get out of sin and to walk in the newness of life.  Yes, He will continue to forgive me when I screw up (which unfortunately is more often than it should be) but that doesn’t mean I should not try harder to walk in the newness of life, doing His will & preparing for His kingdom.

Instead of defending any continuance of sin, I must change!  I must try harder and continue to pray for God’s hope & grace that I become His disciple in all areas of my life.  I will pray daily for the Spirit to convict me & change me to refrain from gossiping, & committing future sins.  I have been baptized into Christ and baptized into His death.  I pray that I can exhibit this “new life” to everyone that I come in contact with.  I pray that HE will use me as His vessel.  He has given (& continues to give) me opportunities to share His kingdom with others.  He invites me to His kingdom.  Can I be a beacon of light for others to want to be a part of His kingdom?

I strive to live day by day, seeking to follow the example of Christ, doing God’s will from my heart (without thinking) and walk in the newness of life that Christ has made possible for me.

How do you feel about this newness of life that was made possible through our baptism into Christ’s death & resurrection?

With Faith & Hope,

Jerry