RESET!!!!!

Yesterday, as I sat down to study, I got my Bible, a pencil, and opened up one of my favorite computer programs to aid my study;  only to have a message flash across my screen "Your Computer will automatically restart in 38 seconds.  Please save any unsaved data."  As irritating as this was, I was thankful for the reset.  My computer, which had been running very sluggish lately, was in desperate need of some updates.  Today, at work, a coworker was having trouble with their department's iPhone.  I took one look at it and said "it needs to be reset."  Again, same thing, the reset was completely necessary as the iPhone could not continue to operate on old data, it needed to be refreshed.  How much like this is our Christian life?  I am reminded of Joshua and the Battles of Jericho and Ai.  Joshua sought the LORD for wisdom and direction before the battle of Jericho and was met by the Captain of the LORD's Host. Of course, you know the story, "Joshua fit the battle of Jericho and the walls came a-tumblin' down."  Next, the Children of Israel were faced with another battle; the battle of Ai.  This time the outcome was very different, they lost.  Had Joshua sought the LORD he would have been aware of the sin in the camp and maybe the outcome would have been much brighter.  Joshua failed to reset.

To often we live on past victories, past spiritual triumphs, past encounters with God and His Word.  This is like living on yesterday's food, maybe last week's, month's, or dare I say it... last year's.  David, a man after God's own heart, said in Psalm 63  "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;"  and again "Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will live up my hands in thy name."  and also " When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches."  Can we say with David, "My flesh longeth for thee?"  I give an illustration quite often about mowing the lawn in the middle of August.  It's dry out side the temperatures are high, and so is the amount of dust in the air.  Your mouth is parched and your lips are cracking due to the sun's vehement rays.  When you swallow it seems as if your throat sticks together.  All you want is a nice cold glass of ice-water.  Imagine wanting that water so bad that all you can think of is taking hold of that cold glass, feeling the water drip down your face as you pour the contents into your aching mouth.  Do you long for the LORD's company like that?  Or do you try to operate with old data.

Maybe its not old victories that cause you to need the reset, maybe it is current failure.  When I was in second grade, I remember needing to cut a circle out of a piece of construction paper to make the face of a lion.  We were to use the corners as ears.  Needless to say there was one kid in the class who just couldn't get it right.  It didn't matter how hard he tried he couldn't get it.  So in defeat, I started to cry.  (yes it was me)  I remember one of my classmates telling the teacher "Robbie (that's what they called me before I grew up in the fourth grade and was called Robert)  is crying."  My teacher said not to worry about it and gave me a new piece of paper.  That seemed to erase the failure and provided a new, fresh start at the art project.  David, again as an example, was caught in a pit of failure.  He did not go to war with his army, he gazed on a woman, he lusted after her, he committed adultery, he tried to cover it up, he made someone drunk, and he murdered a man.  Upon being confronted with this debauchery, he had nowhere to hide.  He then penned Psalm 51 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly  from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  For I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me.  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.  Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.  Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.  O Lord, open thou my lips: and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.  For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: an broken and contrite heart O God, thou wilt not despise.  Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.  Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness with burn offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar."  God promises that if we confess our sin to Him, He will forgive us.  His mercies are new every morning.

Weather you are living off of old data, or in need of a fresh start, God is right where you left Him.  He does not change, nor does he sleep.  Run to Him and He promises that he will be there to help you.

welcome back

I know it has been a little while since the last post and so I welcomed myself back.  I don't have a ton of time but thought I would share a quick thought.

Ever said to someone "I am praying for you?" Do you follow through? How about someone saying that to you? Do you hope they follow through? Those words are said casually in cards, on notes, on social media, as well as in conversation. Sometimes I think that the Holy Spirit puts people on your mind because they are in need of special prayer.  At times the person in need knows that they are in need and other times prayer can be the source of protection.  I believe that sensitivity to such leadings can make a real difference.  So next time you think about someone, pray for them, it might make a world of difference in that person's life.

I haven't got time for that.

Have you ever found yourself saying "I haven't got time for that"?  Sure, we all have.  Have you ever said that about church?  It has been my observation that a lot of churches are not having Sunday evening services anymore for whatever reason.  This got me thinking about how we as Christians should view church.  When we look at Scripture, The Bible says little about going to church and even less about when to go.  Yet the pictures and examples show that Christians seemed to always be in Church.  (Acts 2:41-47)  Notice the words in the passage I noted.  Verse 42 "and they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, fellowship, and in breaking bread, and in prayers." and again in verse 46 "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house..."  The church was continuing daily WITH one another in fellowship and in the apostles DOCTRINE. In other words they were at church everyday.  Now obviously the people worked in various vocations so how can this be?  Here it is.  They WERE the church. They WERE Christians.  Church wasn't something that they did a few times a week, it was who they were.  I think we have a tendency to look at things a little backward.  We GET saved, we DO Christian things, we GO to church.  The Bible says "if any man be in Christ he IS a new creature."  We BECOME saved, we ARE Christians, we ARE the church.  The Christian life isn't something we choose to live, it is something that we are when God saves us.  Church isn't something you do it is who you are.

Think of it this way.  How much of your 24 hours a day is actually yours?  Right, None of it.  God has allowed us time.  He is not bound by it but has given it to us in order to use it as stewards, and faithful ones at that.  We are to do all His glory and that includes how we use the time He has entrusted us with.  Its kinda like going to work and doing your job.  You punch in and go about your day doing what your business requires you to do.  If you did your own thing, for your own pleasure, then anyone with a conscience would say that you were stealing from your employer.  In like manner, if you decided that one day Church, or really anything that God expects of you, just wouldn't fit into your schedule, or "I haven't got time for that." Then what are you doing?

"Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together..."  Maybe we should just leave it there and give you time to think about it.  Whose time is it anyway?

Truly, if we Christians would realize the wonderful gift that God has given us in one another we too, could "continue daily" and we too, could see the LORD add to His church daily such as should be saved.

Does God still use dreams to communicate?

Last night, or early this morning, I had a rather poignant dream.  I was at my parent's house and having a rough time with my youngest son, Noah.  He would not listen to me and I was getting quite upset with him; more than quite upset,  I was downright angry with him.  My dad then looked at me in a way I haven't been looked at by him in over two decades.  "What is the problem?"  He asked.  I told him that Noah just wouldn't listen.  "No, what is the REAL problem?... are you doing what the Lord called you to do or are you doing what the Lord wants you to do?"  At first I woke up quite puzzled at what my dad had asked and even now after thinking about it all day, I still wonder if there is more to it than what I think. 

See, I think there is definitely a difference between doing the ministry and DOING the ministry.  I pastor because that is what God has called me to do.  In other words, it is my life, much like your job is your life. But I also pastor because that is what God wants me to do.  His desire for me is to serve His children.  I want to serve His children.  I believe that this dream was not a rebuke but  a warning that I need to be the one listening to Him and doing, every moment, what He would have me to do.

Now instead of puzzled, I am quite thankful.  Thanks Dad. 

Something I've wanted to to do for quite some time

Having regular office hours gives me a chance now, to sit down and write out my thoughts.  I realize that some of you might be thinking "this won't take much time."  This is however, something I've wanted to do for quite some time.  I hope this blog will serve as an encouragement for you.

Sometimes God uses very little things in our lives to get us to think.  The widow's two mites, the "still-small voice," a boy's lunch, and maybe a not so familiar thing.. a palm sander.  What?  you've never heard the parable of the palm sander?  Well let me fill you in.  

A member of our church, Heritage Baptist Church in Traverse City, asked me if I owned a sander.  To which I replied, "yes, I do"  He went on to explain how he had 22 doors that he had to refinish at a business that he and his wife own.  A simple request, I know but even that little request was used to cause me to think.  The doors that he was refinishing were in fine shape, he didn't need new doors.  The cost alone of removing, destroying, and replacing all of those doors, even if he were able to get a good deal on them at $100 a door would be a rather large undertaking.  No, he didn't need new doors just to refinish the old ones.  So what tool could he use?  A sanding block? Wow! What a task!  A 15 amp Belt sander?  Can someone say overkill?  and how would he get to the detail parts on the panels?  How about a Palm sander?  Perfect!  Just the right tool for the job to be done.  You might be asking yourself, or like I do, ask the computer out loud "How would this be encouraging?"  I was getting to that.

See, we, as Christians, get to places in our lives when we need a little "refinishing."  We get into ruts, get bumped into, scar, some of the work that God does in our life loses its luster because we are in the world on a daily basis.  So God needs to do some refinishing.  One of the great things about God, is that He knows exactly what is best for us.  He uses the best tools possible for our good.  Thankfully, He does not destroy us whenever we get this way but decides to put the effort into refinishing us.  He sometimes uses circumstances that knock off rough edges, or people at the right time and place to scrape some of the marring off.  Sometimes its a message at church or a blog post.  Whatever it is, God likes to spend the energy in this refinishing process.  Though this illustration has its flaws,  one of them being that this church member will be finished with the doors in a day or two, it does serve as a reminder that God works on us to perfect us, to make us like His Son.    Consider this, what if the doors decided that sanding hurt too much, or they just didn't want to be sanded down?  Sounds silly doesn't it?  But how different is this to our own lives?  We need to yield to God's "sanding"  and allow Him to work on us.  He knows what is best and remember also that the tools He uses are also the best no matter how different you might think.