Sunday morning retuning: So we have been charged anew to be “Loving Jesus”. What that looks like on Sunday morning, got it. What that looks like the rest of the week, still working on that. How about you?
Dear Worshipers,
This is easy to say, and not so east to do. Especially when we realize that loving Jesus requires that we love others. Others who are often, rather never as easy to love as Jesus is. But this is no excuse.
Remember the passage about the sheep and the goats. [Matthew 25:31-46] Jesus was teaching about when He would come in all His glory. All the nations will be divided into two groups as a shepherd separates sheep and goats. To the sheep God will say “Come” and to the goats “Depart”.
The goats immediately object and Jesus describes all the times when the sheep showed love and the goats failed to do so. A key line in this quotes the King as saying “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” Oh, boy. That is convicting.
So how do I get from where I am, not loving as I should, to where I want to be, loving as I should? I follow Jesus. I determine to let Him guide me in every circumstance, every situation. I decide on the front side how I will choose to respond when things happen. Routinely offering myself to the Lord for the purpose of loving Him and loving others is a great place to start.
An Everyday Creed
Worship is my response to who I value most.
Who I value most is the Lord Jesus Christ.
I was made by Him and for Him.
He is awesome beyond
my mind’s ability to comprehend.
I exist for the purpose of reflecting back to the Lord His matchless glory.
I will exalt Him with my mouth
and with my life for He is my hope,
my joy, my strength, and my salvation.
This day will be used to know Him
and love Him more!
Determine today to know and love Jesus more, everyday.
Jesus, help me to know You and love You more everyday. Help me love the people around me more. Fill me with Your love and help me to be spontaneous in my expressing it. I want to love You more.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
First Love
Sunday morning retuning: One thing Pastor Paul is not short of – PASSION! And what a blessing that is to us. You heard it load and clear “Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” As certainly as that image of him holding Levi is etched in your minds, allow these truths to be etched unmistakably into your lives.
Dear Worshipers,
The President of the C&MA, Gary Benedict included in a communication to official workers last week a wonderful personal story that helps us consider our love for God from a different perspective. I share it with you here:
I found that very encouraging and challenging. I hope you will as well.
Jesus, speak to me about my love for You. My life and ministry must flow from there so I must be healthy. Help me Lord to see it clearly.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy
Dear Worshipers,
The President of the C&MA, Gary Benedict included in a communication to official workers last week a wonderful personal story that helps us consider our love for God from a different perspective. I share it with you here:
I’d like to share an experience with you from my local church ministry days. If you don’t identify with this story, please pass it along to someone you know who could use some encouragement.
In Revelation 2, John received a message from Jesus to deliver to the church at Ephesus. The message contained the results of their examination. On part one, the grade was an “A.” “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary” (Revelation 2:2-3).
But part two didn’t go as well. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (4-5). Part one of the exam looked pretty good on the outside. But part two went deeper and looked at the heart.
As a young pastor I experienced a similar assessment from our Lord. On the outside everything looked good. People were getting saved, our church was growing, and we were pushing back the darkness in our community. We sponsored evangelistic banquets and other large group events. One encouraged city leader stated after one of the banquets, “More was accomplished for God in the city tonight than has been accomplished in years.”
Hard work and perseverance were achieving fantastic results! By percentage of growth, we were the fastest growing church in The Alliance at that time. But then came part two: While pressing toward the goal, my heart had drifted from a passion fueled by unreserved love for Jesus. While achieving great results on the outside, I was growing empty and tired inside.
The Master had the same three words for me that He spoke to the Ephesians: Remember, repent, return.
• He graciously challenged me to remember the days when infatuation with Him motivated my achievements. When I was seeking Him, the results followed.
• He exhorted me to repent—to turn from any lesser motive and live for Him. I had Kingdom priorities but not “first love” motives. Obedience, duty, and obligation had obscured my vision, and I wasn’t captivated by Jesus.
• He invited me to return to the place of refreshing and true energy for service—to an unencumbered love for my Savior. It is at that place, filled with His Spirit and occupied with His presence, that I found true rest for my soul.
I learned a valuable lesson: Jesus’ words in Revelation 2 were as much for me as for the church in Ephesus. Sometimes I need to take time to revisit that special relationship I share with my Lord. I was busy with ministry and things were going well, yet I had drifted from the best place.
I found that very encouraging and challenging. I hope you will as well.
Jesus, speak to me about my love for You. My life and ministry must flow from there so I must be healthy. Help me Lord to see it clearly.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Directing the [Over]Flow
Sunday morning retuning: How’s your elbow? Your 90 degree PVC elbow that is? Are you praying about how God would want you to redirect a portion of your extra? Please do. You will be glad you did every time you hear a report from our missionaries.
Dear Worshipers,
Pastor Myron’s excellent illustration Sunday really got me thinking. There is a great system in place to pipe support to our 700+ international workers around the world. And it is easy to tap into that pipeline and thus become an integral part of what God is doing.
But we must be careful as we begin to reflect on how we can get involved or more involved, that God is the Source. He simply gives us the opportunity to direct the flow of all He floods into my life. What an incredible blessing that is. To be, as one hymn writer put it, a “channel of blessing.”
In this ministry we share, we do that same thing. God is the Source of our talent and passion and we simply get to direct that toward Him and His people. It is a sacred trust we have been given. May we always cherish it, and be quick to examine our hearts when our directing is tainted in any way.
As I reflected on this I was reminded of a thought I had years ago about this idea of being a channel. We are learning to ask God to fill us everyday with His Holy Spirit. [Eph. 5:18b] Out of the fullness of Him, we are empowered to bless others. There is a real sense in which though God does channel His blessings through us, we are really more of a reservoir than a channel.
This thought occurred to me years ago as I drove by a retaining pond. There was a pipe sticking up above the surface of the water, as well as a drain on one end. Obviously, when the pond was full, the overflow would be channeled through that pipe or drain. That is similar to what happens to us. As we are filled, God overflows and blesses others.
We must be careful to seek that fullness so that we do not serve, give, pray, etc. from another other position, ie. emptiness. Let’s be quick to guard our hearts so that our love for Christ, in all its fullness, would be the sole motivating factor for all we do. I am praying for you to that end.
Jesus, fill us so that we can be reservoirs of blessings to those around us and even to the end of the world. We want to see You at work in our lives, flowing through us. We are desperate for You to do this because we can not do it for ourselves.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy
Dear Worshipers,
Pastor Myron’s excellent illustration Sunday really got me thinking. There is a great system in place to pipe support to our 700+ international workers around the world. And it is easy to tap into that pipeline and thus become an integral part of what God is doing.
But we must be careful as we begin to reflect on how we can get involved or more involved, that God is the Source. He simply gives us the opportunity to direct the flow of all He floods into my life. What an incredible blessing that is. To be, as one hymn writer put it, a “channel of blessing.”
In this ministry we share, we do that same thing. God is the Source of our talent and passion and we simply get to direct that toward Him and His people. It is a sacred trust we have been given. May we always cherish it, and be quick to examine our hearts when our directing is tainted in any way.
As I reflected on this I was reminded of a thought I had years ago about this idea of being a channel. We are learning to ask God to fill us everyday with His Holy Spirit. [Eph. 5:18b] Out of the fullness of Him, we are empowered to bless others. There is a real sense in which though God does channel His blessings through us, we are really more of a reservoir than a channel.
This thought occurred to me years ago as I drove by a retaining pond. There was a pipe sticking up above the surface of the water, as well as a drain on one end. Obviously, when the pond was full, the overflow would be channeled through that pipe or drain. That is similar to what happens to us. As we are filled, God overflows and blesses others.
We must be careful to seek that fullness so that we do not serve, give, pray, etc. from another other position, ie. emptiness. Let’s be quick to guard our hearts so that our love for Christ, in all its fullness, would be the sole motivating factor for all we do. I am praying for you to that end.
Jesus, fill us so that we can be reservoirs of blessings to those around us and even to the end of the world. We want to see You at work in our lives, flowing through us. We are desperate for You to do this because we can not do it for ourselves.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)