The other day I had the opportunity to tackle a home project that I had long been putting off. I had some extra time and decided that it was time to clean out the garage. I knew it would be a long project but felt that it was definitely time that it got done. The driving force behind this decision what the awareness of something that flat out stunk!! I was actually scared to find out what the root of the smell was but none the less, I ventured in focused on my task. Sometimes in our lives, there are hidden things that are flat out stinking up our building as well!! We have two choices.
1.) We can either try to ignore it and hope it goes away.
2.) Or we can tackle the task and eliminate the source of the problem.
“Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer…” Matthew 21:12-13
As I went about cleaning out my garage, I was surprised to see just how much junk I had accumulated. I found myself asking, “Now just what was I holding onto this for?” The problem with holding on to all that “junk” was that by making room for it, I was losing room to store those things that really are of value to me and my family. The only way I was going to have room for the stuff of value was to rid myself and my garage of the things that were taking up useless space and inevitably “stinking”.
Often times in our lives, we too are losing valuable space because we’re holding on to things that not only hold no real value but hinder us from claiming and storing up the true treasures that God wants us to hold onto. In Matthew 21:12-13, Jesus recognized that there were things in the temple that didn’t belong there. The temple was housing attitudes, mis-placed thinking and ultimately sin that didn’t have a place there. Jesus in a rage started to “Clean House” and there’s a lesson for us to learn here.
The Bible says that our bodies have become living temples (1 Cor. 3:16) and the truth is that we allow much to be housed in them that crowds out God and His purposes for us. Think about it. What is being stored in your houses and what is being left out.
1. Are our Saturday evening activities draining us to the point of finding ourselves too tired to attend church on Sunday?
2. Are our favorite T.V. shows more important than our weekly study and prayer time?
3. Is our quest for material things crowding out our responsibility to support the church and God’s Kingdom?
You see when we don’t make time to clean our insides; it will begin show on our outsides and inevitably start to stink. It is so important that our priorities in life always find God at the top of them. Right priorities begin with God, grow out of a consistent dependence on God and flourish as a result of our obedience to God. When we give God the right place in our lives, our lives will show it.
Take some time to take on the project of “Cleaning House” in your life. Ask God to bring to the forefront the useless things that are crowding out the things of God that He wants you to enjoy. After all it’s been said that “Cleanliness is the next closest thing to Godliness!”
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit with me.” Psalm 51:10
Pastor Seth <><
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
A Look In The Mirror
I notice as I get older, things start to change. Hair that was once always brown now is speckled with tinges of gray. A face that once was gleaming with youth now is creased with the wrinkles of time. I remember the slender more athletic me of my high school days but now standing in front of the mirror a rounder me stares back! I really don’t like that guy! That’s the thing about mirrors. They will project just what’s in front of them. We may imagine something else but the truth is staring us right in the face. Sometimes it takes standing in front of the mirror and examining ourselves to move us to make a change of some sort in our lives. It may be a haircut or color. It may be purchasing some of that anti-aging cream (which doesn’t work!). Examining ourselves may mean starting an exercise routine to get ourselves back into shape.
When it comes to our spiritual body, we too must take time to examine ourselves to see if we’re maintaining the likeness of Jesus Christ.
“Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.” Psalm 26:2-3
King David in the 26th Psalm recognized some things that were out of sorts in his life. He pleads for God to “test me” and “examine my heart and mind” so that he could be rid of anything that was hindering his life. David placed himself in front of the mirror and saw what he didn’t want to see, a life that needed forgiven, redeemed and restored.
When we stand in front of God, we are told that His love is always before us, shaping into the likeness of His beloved son Jesus Christ. We can choose to see what we want to see but we’re only fooling ourselves. We trick ourselves into believing that “we’re ok” and “at least I’m not as bad as….”. We don’t like what we see or what we’ve become and we choose to deny our problem. The real problem, change doesn’t happen until we initiate it.
As uncomfortable as it is, we must all step up to the mirror and take a look. We may not like the person staring back at us but God says “I can change you!” God is the ultimate “makeover specialist”. Today is the day of your makeover!
Father God, Forgive me if I’ve become anything but the child You’ve always wanted me to be. I pray today that You examine my mind, heart and soul and shape me into the perfect expression of Your Son, Jesus! In Christ’s name I pray. Amen
Be Blessed,
Pastor Seth <><
When it comes to our spiritual body, we too must take time to examine ourselves to see if we’re maintaining the likeness of Jesus Christ.
“Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.” Psalm 26:2-3
King David in the 26th Psalm recognized some things that were out of sorts in his life. He pleads for God to “test me” and “examine my heart and mind” so that he could be rid of anything that was hindering his life. David placed himself in front of the mirror and saw what he didn’t want to see, a life that needed forgiven, redeemed and restored.
When we stand in front of God, we are told that His love is always before us, shaping into the likeness of His beloved son Jesus Christ. We can choose to see what we want to see but we’re only fooling ourselves. We trick ourselves into believing that “we’re ok” and “at least I’m not as bad as….”. We don’t like what we see or what we’ve become and we choose to deny our problem. The real problem, change doesn’t happen until we initiate it.
As uncomfortable as it is, we must all step up to the mirror and take a look. We may not like the person staring back at us but God says “I can change you!” God is the ultimate “makeover specialist”. Today is the day of your makeover!
Father God, Forgive me if I’ve become anything but the child You’ve always wanted me to be. I pray today that You examine my mind, heart and soul and shape me into the perfect expression of Your Son, Jesus! In Christ’s name I pray. Amen
Be Blessed,
Pastor Seth <><
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
IN THE DARK
Before I found Jesus, I can remember years ago a dream I used to have repeatedly. I would find myself in the middle of a crossroads and the only light present came from a street light that shined dimly above. As I looked down each street I could only see a few yards, but past that nothing but darkness. There was total silence there except the low hum of the streetlight overhead. I would start to run one way, only to come out from the other and find myself in the same spot. I felt like I was looking down on myself watching myself constantly choosing the same path, getting no where, trapped in the same darkness, in the same quiet. I wanted to yell out "Try the other way!" Eventually I got so tired and felt so hopeless that I finally quit trying and then I'd sit down until I woke up. There was only enough light in my life to see where I was. I needed something brighter if I was ever to see where I needed and wanted to go.
People who find themselves at the same crossroads have three choices: 1) They can go the way they've always gone. 2) They can just stay where they're at. 3) Go a new way. There are men, women, teenagers and children all over the world who find themselves living this dream everyday of their lives. No matter how hard or how far they run they never escape that darkness. They constantly find themselves in the silence of their captivity and bondage. They need to know that to get out of the dark, they have to come into the light.
"I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight." Isaiah 42:16
There are many reasons why so many find themselves trapped at this same spot but all share the same reason why they just can't find their way out. There isn't enough "Light" to see the "Way" out. Jesus came not only to show us the way out but to proclaim that He was the Way (John 14:6). Hopelessness, Fear, Discouragement, Depression all work together to try and extinguish the light but God never intended His people to live in the shadow of these things. Jesus taught His followers and He teaches us as well that true life comes through Him and Him alone. He is the LIGHT that never fades, the LIGHT that darkness cannot hide. The Word of God proclaims:
"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" 1 John 1:5
Jesus is calling out, searching the darkness, looking for the lost who can't seem to find their way out. What is it that has you trapped? Jesus wants to shine on you and through you! There is no darkness that He cannot overcome! There are no chains that He cannot break! There is no tear that He cannot take away. There is no sin that His blood cannot cover. Jesus is calling...calling you out of the darkness (Eph. 5:8) so that you can shine your light in someone else's.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven" Matthew 5:16
People who find themselves at the same crossroads have three choices: 1) They can go the way they've always gone. 2) They can just stay where they're at. 3) Go a new way. There are men, women, teenagers and children all over the world who find themselves living this dream everyday of their lives. No matter how hard or how far they run they never escape that darkness. They constantly find themselves in the silence of their captivity and bondage. They need to know that to get out of the dark, they have to come into the light.
"I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight." Isaiah 42:16
There are many reasons why so many find themselves trapped at this same spot but all share the same reason why they just can't find their way out. There isn't enough "Light" to see the "Way" out. Jesus came not only to show us the way out but to proclaim that He was the Way (John 14:6). Hopelessness, Fear, Discouragement, Depression all work together to try and extinguish the light but God never intended His people to live in the shadow of these things. Jesus taught His followers and He teaches us as well that true life comes through Him and Him alone. He is the LIGHT that never fades, the LIGHT that darkness cannot hide. The Word of God proclaims:
"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" 1 John 1:5
Jesus is calling out, searching the darkness, looking for the lost who can't seem to find their way out. What is it that has you trapped? Jesus wants to shine on you and through you! There is no darkness that He cannot overcome! There are no chains that He cannot break! There is no tear that He cannot take away. There is no sin that His blood cannot cover. Jesus is calling...calling you out of the darkness (Eph. 5:8) so that you can shine your light in someone else's.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven" Matthew 5:16
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
New Shoes
I remember when I was young, the days leading up to the first day of school for the new year. Mom would take my brothers and I to town to buy new school clothes and supplies. Now new pants and shirts and all the other stuff was great but what got me excited was new tennis shoes. Brand new, sparkling white tennis shoes! I can even remember the smell of a new pair, right out of the box, unblemished by any wear and tear just waiting to be worn.
I'd take them home and store them away greatly anticipating the first day of school and putting them on. Finally the day would come and off to school I'd go with my new backpack, supplies, jeans, coat and of course my new shoes. Oh how I'd carefully avoid any newly cut grass, sidestep puddles, and jump over and around anything that would tarnish my new shoes. At the end of the day, I'd wipe them down and place them back under my bed until the next day when I'd pull them out of the box, wipe them down and start everything all over again.
Thing was this. That routine grew old and tedious very quickly. Eventually trying to keep up with scuffs, scrapes and stains became too much and the shine began to fade. The newness had worn off, the excitement had diminished and the everyday toil began to take its toll on my tennis shoes.
We go through this in our Christian walk too don't we? Some of us live our lives in Spirit filled spurts. One moment we're moving mountains and the next we feel like we're living under one. My shoes would began to get dingy, muddy, worn out and down right even stink sometimes. Then guess what? My mom would gather them up and into the washer they'd go. A few hours after soaking, washing and basking in the sun, my worn out shoes looked as good as new!
God does this for us too.
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7
We often start to lose our shine too. We pick up scuffs in our lives due to hard times, acquire scrapes from rough relationships and get stained because of sin in our lives. We start to lose sight of the "newness" that we experienced when we first met Jesus. Eventually like I did with my shoes, maintaining the shine gets to be very tiring and we often forget what "new shoes" feel like and look like. But then God gathers us up, soaks us in His Love, and washes us in the cleansing blood of Jesus and we too become new. God sets us out to bask in His Son and we are prepared for another wear.
"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4
Today do you find yourself a little worn out by the everyday toils? Do you feel like you've lost your shine? Ask God to "gather you up" and cleanse you in only the way that He can. If you find yourself living absent of the joy and excitement that you once had, ask God to "Create in me a clean heart...And renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Psalm 51:10
Maybe it's time for some new shoes?
I'd take them home and store them away greatly anticipating the first day of school and putting them on. Finally the day would come and off to school I'd go with my new backpack, supplies, jeans, coat and of course my new shoes. Oh how I'd carefully avoid any newly cut grass, sidestep puddles, and jump over and around anything that would tarnish my new shoes. At the end of the day, I'd wipe them down and place them back under my bed until the next day when I'd pull them out of the box, wipe them down and start everything all over again.
Thing was this. That routine grew old and tedious very quickly. Eventually trying to keep up with scuffs, scrapes and stains became too much and the shine began to fade. The newness had worn off, the excitement had diminished and the everyday toil began to take its toll on my tennis shoes.
We go through this in our Christian walk too don't we? Some of us live our lives in Spirit filled spurts. One moment we're moving mountains and the next we feel like we're living under one. My shoes would began to get dingy, muddy, worn out and down right even stink sometimes. Then guess what? My mom would gather them up and into the washer they'd go. A few hours after soaking, washing and basking in the sun, my worn out shoes looked as good as new!
God does this for us too.
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7
We often start to lose our shine too. We pick up scuffs in our lives due to hard times, acquire scrapes from rough relationships and get stained because of sin in our lives. We start to lose sight of the "newness" that we experienced when we first met Jesus. Eventually like I did with my shoes, maintaining the shine gets to be very tiring and we often forget what "new shoes" feel like and look like. But then God gathers us up, soaks us in His Love, and washes us in the cleansing blood of Jesus and we too become new. God sets us out to bask in His Son and we are prepared for another wear.
"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4
Today do you find yourself a little worn out by the everyday toils? Do you feel like you've lost your shine? Ask God to "gather you up" and cleanse you in only the way that He can. If you find yourself living absent of the joy and excitement that you once had, ask God to "Create in me a clean heart...And renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Psalm 51:10
Maybe it's time for some new shoes?
Friday, March 20, 2009
WHEN IT'S SLOW!
We are an anxious bunch of people, wouldn’t you agree? We live in a world and in a way that shouts, “We want it fast, we want it now!” We hate to wait for things. Think about it and you’ll agree…we hate to wait! We hate to wait in traffic. We hate to wait in the drive thru. We hate to wait for that “something” to arrive in the mail. We hate to wait for our paycheck. We hate waiting every week for Friday to come. We’re in a hurry and want things to happen just when we want them to. But the saying is certainly true, GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT! I would go a step further if I may?
GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD!!
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him.” Isaiah 30:18
God knows all things wouldn’t you agree? So if we agree that He knows all things then we must also agree that knowing all things also means knowing when to allow all things to pass. God is not some makeshift fortuneteller. He’s the Teller of All Things! God knows all things, sees all things and holds all things in the palms of His Mighty Hands. Now that’s being in “Good Hands”. Trusting in the Lord also means trusting Him to orchestrate all aspects of our lives.
You see we are like fine desserts. God wants to control what goes into the mix, always thinking ahead to the finished product. He knows just the right amounts of trials to allow, the correct bits of sorrow and discipline to add and is always…. always mixing in LOVE, producing a fine and beautiful dessert. Unfortunately what happens is we try and rush the procedure trying to cut corners, skimp on ingredients and half the “baking time”. The result? A disappointing lump of cake, undercooked, flat and simply unfilling!
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” Psalm 27:14
We all know how hard it is to be patient when urgency overwhelms us and the floodgates of anxiety are rushing in but know that the Lord is working up a fine and beautiful product in you. He knows just what you need, when you need it and WILL NOT FAIL YOU! So as the Psalmist says, “Take Heart!”, God’s in the kitchen and it’s looking good!!
GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD!!
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him.” Isaiah 30:18
God knows all things wouldn’t you agree? So if we agree that He knows all things then we must also agree that knowing all things also means knowing when to allow all things to pass. God is not some makeshift fortuneteller. He’s the Teller of All Things! God knows all things, sees all things and holds all things in the palms of His Mighty Hands. Now that’s being in “Good Hands”. Trusting in the Lord also means trusting Him to orchestrate all aspects of our lives.
You see we are like fine desserts. God wants to control what goes into the mix, always thinking ahead to the finished product. He knows just the right amounts of trials to allow, the correct bits of sorrow and discipline to add and is always…. always mixing in LOVE, producing a fine and beautiful dessert. Unfortunately what happens is we try and rush the procedure trying to cut corners, skimp on ingredients and half the “baking time”. The result? A disappointing lump of cake, undercooked, flat and simply unfilling!
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” Psalm 27:14
We all know how hard it is to be patient when urgency overwhelms us and the floodgates of anxiety are rushing in but know that the Lord is working up a fine and beautiful product in you. He knows just what you need, when you need it and WILL NOT FAIL YOU! So as the Psalmist says, “Take Heart!”, God’s in the kitchen and it’s looking good!!
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