Fruit

Jesus made a very familiar statement in John 15:5 "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit."

I got to thinking about fruit today. When we think of fruit what comes to mind? I think about activity. If we are a busy person then we are bearing much fruit. I think about success. If a lot of people know all the things we are doing then we are fruitful. I think about prestige. If people respect us for all the activity then we are bearing fruit.

Then I got to thinking about what Jesus actually said and two things come to mind.

The first is that he is pretty definite that if we have his life then we WILL bear fruit. That's a promise. It's cause and effect. It is a foregone conclusion. So what fruit should we look for?

It's found in verse 12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends." He also told us to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us.

I'm beginning to think that fruit isn't what we do as much as who we are. Paul the Apostle said that fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control (Galatians 5:22).

If we abide in him as the vine then his life force is flowing through us, changing us into his image. As you look for fruit in your life, don't look for activity and accomplishment, but look for love - love for those you normally would not, should not, love. Look for character, not activity.

Pastor Tom

Snakehandling

That title got your attention, didn't it? Our men's Bible discussion group talked about something today that I think is worthy of repeating here in this space. We were going through Acts 28 where Paul the Apostle is on the island of Malta. As he is throwing wood on the fire a snake comes out and bites him. The islanders think that Justice (with a capital "J") has not let Paul get away with murder so sent a snake to bite him. When nothing happens they suddenly change their minds and think he is a god instead. How fickle the human heart.

But what we talked about was how this verse dovetails with Mark 16:18 "They will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them..."

I know that verse doesn't appear in the earliest manuscripts, and I'm not here to debate whether it should or shouldn't be in the Bible. But some people believe it should be there and, in fact, use that verse along with Acts 28 to justify the practice of picking up deadly snakes to "prove" this verse accurate.

Some of you may have seen a news show segment some years ago that showed a snake handlers meeting where a guy picks up a snake, it bites him, then we watch as the guy swells up and dies. It's an image that still haunts me.

It is troubling to watch someone die and for such a useless cause. It also seems to give Christianity a bad name as well. So the guys were talking about it and one guy mentioned that it is a matter of the heart.

Basically, Paul was going about doing God's business for God's glory. It wasn't time for him to go home (tradition says he was beheaded later on) so until then God protected him from the snake and everything else (though he sure got beat up a lot. Hmmm). When someone purposefully picks up something like a snake, or puts themselves into a situation where bad will happen without divine intervention who is the focus? Isn't it on the person, not on God? And if nothing happens who gets the glory? The person, not the Lord.

Now in Paul's case they tried to make him out to be a god. Paul just ignored that and went about letting the Lord show his power by healing the islanders. The word to us is not to test God (like Lucifer tried to get Jesus to do by throwing himself off the pinnacle of the Temple) but to trust that God will take us where we need to be and protect us until it is time for us to go home.

Watch out for testing God's goodness or protection. Just know that it is there when you need it as long as you are focusing the glory on Him and doing what he tells you to do.

Pastor Tom

The Choice To Serve

The more money we have, and the more power we have, the more we can afford to have other people do things for us. It's just a fact of life. If you make enough you can have servants do the cleaning and cooking and ordering and arranging - all those pesky little details that keep us from doing things we really want to do.

Now, I'm not dissing having a butler or a maid. But I think that to a certain extent, that mindset follows with us when it comes to life in our real family - the family of God. We come to faith in Jesus Christ and most of us join a church where we are fed, encouraged, prayed for, challenged, and worship (if you won't belong to a church, why not? - And don't tell me its because Christians are hypocrites. There are no perfect churches. Just pick the one that offends you the least and join it!).

What happens though is that the more power we get, the more prestige, the more people look up to us, the more we start wanting others to do work for us. You know, those pesky little details like cleaning and cooking and ordering and arranging and all that.

I just want to challenge you today to think about the words of Jesus - the most important person in the universe.

Luke 22:25 "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves."

Choosing the role of servant can be very humbling, and perhaps that's the point. The God we serve is very humble and shows us that the way to his character is to serve, not be served. So don't be afraid to dive in there and do the menial tasks around your church. And that includes coming alongside and supporting those that you might not normally associate with. Find out there needs, help them practically and spiritually.

Pastor Tom

Use or Be Used

Luke 12:15 "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions."

Notice that Jesus did not say "be on your guard against all possessions." It's not wrong to own things, it is wrong when things own you. It's not wrong to have possessions but it is wrong when those possessions possess you.

Think about it this way. If you lost everything in a flood or fire would you be lost? Where do you get your satisfaction? Where does your real source come from? Where is your heart?

Things are tools. Use tools to accomplish God's will instead of getting God to give you things to accomplish yours! It's not things that is the problem but greed. Greed says "I've gotta have this to be happy." The heart walking with the Spirit says "I've gotta have God to be happy."

Jesus gives us the key later in the same chapter: "29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you."

Pastor Tom

Moving Mountains Out of Love

There's a story in Luke 7 that hit me afresh today. In it, Jesus is walking along and sees a funeral procession. The people are carrying the coffin of a man who was the only son of a woman who was now a widow.

13 "And he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."

Then he proceeded to stop the procession, lay his hands on the coffin and resuscitate the young man.

I notice two things about this. The first is the power of Jesus. He decided to do something and he just said some words and it happened. I recently lost a loved one and have been hit full in the face of the power of death to take someone. Yet death is nothing to Jesus. What power this guy had - and has over anything, everything you face.

The second thing I notice is that the guy had nothing to do with this. Jesus felt compassion for this woman who was left alone with no companionship and no support. His heart reached out to her and so he raised her son from the dead. Jesus might not raise your loved one from the dead and he may not solve your problem in a second, but realize that he has compassion on you. He knows where you hurt and wants to reach out with his power to touch that hurting part of you with his love. Isn't that cool?

Pastor Tom

Revealer of Thoughts

I was reading through the first five chapters of Luke's gospel and the story of Simeon really leaped out at me. Simeon is almost a footnote in the account of Christ's life. He appears on the scene and disappears when Jesus is but 8 days old. His parents have come to have him dedicated at the Temple.

Simeon is described as "righteous and devout" and was promised by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah before he died.

Now right in his very arms is this little baby that will be the savior, not only of Israel, but of the whole world. His words are strange, though, and not what I would have expected for such a momentous occasion.

In part he said: "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed ... so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." (Luke 2:34-35)

What had to fall was a corrupt and no longer valid religious system of Judaism and what had to rise was the one Person that all it was supposed to point to anyway - Jesus Himself. He was certainly opposed by the leaders of the Jews, and murdered in the end.

But what I find most interesting is this idea that "thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." You know if you think about Jesus very much, if you read his words, if you consider his actions while on earth, its hard for something to not strike a nerve. Hating is the same as murder, you must believe in Me or be eternally separated from God, I came that they might have life, and that more abundantly.

What do your thoughts do when you hear his words? Do they soar or do they plummet? Do you get angry or do you become joyful? Do you want to hear more or do you want to turn away?

Sometimes Jesus reveals our thoughts not to condemn us but to challenge us to look deeper, see what He is really all about for each of us. You might think that you are one of the ones to "fall" but if you seek him with your heart you may find you are "rising" after all - rising to meet him and give your life to him to he will give his abundant life to you!

Pastor Tom

It's Really Pretty Simple

People love to get into philosophical and theological and religious discussions about things. What I love about Jesus is that he can boil things down to the really important stuff very easily.

Take the little encounter he has with one of the scribes in Mark 12. The scribe had heard Jesus answer well in an argument that the religious leaders of Israel had with Jesus so he asks him "which commandment is the most important of all?" (Mark 12:28).

I love Jesus' answer: "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' (29-31)

Boiled down to its essence, Jesus is saying:

Recognize God for who He is, love him, and let his love flow through you to others.

It couldn't be more simple. It's too bad we humans muck it up so much. I guess that's why we need the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives to do what we are incapable of.

Pastor Tom

Pulling Jesus Aside

I love Peter. He just was so open and honest, no matter what dumb thing came out of his mouth! In Mark's gospel Jesus has just made one of the most remarkable declarations in Scripture - that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.

But just as Jesus is telling his guys what it really means to be Messiah - that he will be murdered but rise from the dead - Peter pulls him aside to correct him a little.

Mark 8:32 "And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

Now while I don't think that Jesus was calling Peter Satan I think that Satan's way would have been to short circuit the real work of the Messiah in order to keep men like Peter from being regenerated.

My point today though is to ask ourselves: do you ever get the urge when God speaks something into your life through his word or that still small voice to correct the Lord a little? "God you can't really mean to give sacrificially to your work" or "Lord you don't want me to humble myself before this low life person and ask for their forgiveness, do you?"

God will never ask us to do anything that goes against his character or his word but he will ask us to do things that make us uncomfortable and will push us well beyond our limits. When you get the urge to pull God aside and tell him to mellow out, just think of Peter and make sure you have in mind God's plan, not yours!

Pastor Tom

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Did you know that there is only one sin that cannot be forgiven? Jesus made that statement in Mark.

Mark 3:28 "Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."

Now that's a verse with a wallop! What did Jesus mean? Did he mean that if you say bad things about the Holy Spirit then you won't be forgiven? Lots of people believe that. I don't think that follows in line with God's plan of salvation.

We get a clue from reading the next statement: "for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

In short, I believe that blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is saying that the person and work of God's Holy Spirit in saving the world through Jesus Christ is either worthless or worse yet a ploy of Satan.

You see, in the end it all comes down to whether you are related to Jesus or not. You can only become related to him if you put your trust and confidence in Him as your Lord and Savior.

In Matthew 7:23 Jesus makes it pretty clear to those who claimed to do mighty things in God's name: "And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

To reject Jesus is to reject the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the only thing that will get you sent away from the presence of God and from all that is good, forever. Hey, its not worth it.

Pastor Tom

Broken or Crushed?

Not a very good choice, is it? We'd like the choices to be "better" or "best", or at least "adequate" and "comfortable." Unfortunately when it comes to real life there really are only two choices: "crushed" or "broken." Now, aren't you glad you read the blog today? ;-)

This idea comes from Matthew 21:44 "And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."

It's actually good news kind of veiled. If you "fall" on Jesus, the "stone that the builders rejected" (42) you will be broken to pieces - that is, your pride, your self reliance, your sin - will all be broken as you repent about those things and decide you want God's life. It can be a painful process but it is absolutely necessary.

But if you refuse that breaking process, the alternate is far worse. Jesus says that you will be "crushed." That is to say that judgment, which already rests on all humanity, will weigh you down with its full weight - something you simply cannot bear.

So why not let yourself fall on Jesus, on his mercy and grace, on his love and hope, on his life and joy. Yes, you will be broken in the process but Jesus will then build you back up as a new person - a much better person.

Pastor Tom

Should We Pay Taxes?

In Matthew 17 Jesus makes a pretty bold statement. Some IRS agents (okay, not really, but they were tax collectors) came up to Peter and wanted to know if Jesus intended to file his 1040. Peter immediately says "yes" - which is typical of Peter - speak first and find out the answer later.

Later he finds Jesus and he makes this pretty bold statement:

"What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the dearth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others? And when he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free."

The implication is clearer to us than it was to Peter. Since we are sons of the King of Kings we are exempt from the petty taxes collected by kings from their subjects. Right?

Read on:

"However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself."

My simple point for today is that for Jesus it was more important to follow the law than make their freedom so much of a point that those tax collectors might actually miss the really important point, and that is that everyone has the opportunity to become free from sin by becoming a son in God's family.

We should never use our freedoms in Christ in a way that might cause someone else not to follow Christ. Do a search, the letters from the Apostles are full of examples where we are encouraged to follow even stupid laws and be law abiding citizens and tax paying citizens so as to be good examples and possibly lead people to faith in Christ.

Pastor Tom

Living With Evil

A question I hear fairly often is why God allows evil to exist. Either he isn't powerful enough to get rid of it or he isn't interested. Either way people struggle with the idea that a powerful and just God could let evil people get away with doing evil things.

While I won't solve the entire puzzle for you I want to offer one little insight that Jesus Christ, God's Son, brought to us while He was on the earth.

In one of Jesus' parables he describes a man who planted good seed in the ground. Some bad people came along at night and planted weeds and both came up in the field.

Matthew 11:28 "So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.'"

Jesus later explained that the seeds represent people and that at the end of the age the angels will gather everyone and separate the good from the evil.

He doesn't explain why they left the wheat and weeds together so I go with what the field owner said in the parable-that by rooting up the weeds prematurely you would also disturb the wheat. My point is that for God to go after evil in the way that is really just would be so disruptive to life on earth that it would be difficult to live and difficult to go about sharing the good news that God has made a way to get rid of evil in the human soul.

If you want to read about when God does begin that process of weeding out evil, read the book of the Revelation beginning in chapter 16. Life during that time will be very difficult to everyone.

God is patient and wants all to come to the knowledge of his Son Jesus. But God is just and when the time comes, evil will get exactly what it deserves.

Pastor Tom

Starting Over

It's great to start a new year. My 2007 was pretty eventful and pretty difficult. My family and I have been through so much that one person suggested that I should just burn 2007.

Well, I don't want to do that. God did some pretty amazing things and brought me through some pretty incredible trials. I'm stronger in him though weaker in myself and that's okay.

It reminded me, though, of a little verse at the end of the Old Testament that you may have never read:

Zechariah 10:6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them..." ESV

Wouldn't it be great if you could turn back time and undo all the stupid stuff you did in the past? I've said and done things that I really regret but like a wise person once said "you can't unring a bell." But with God, it seems, you can.

"they shall be as if I had not rejected them."

With the payment that Jesus Christ made by becoming human and voluntarily laying down his life for us we can be with God as if we had never been apart from him. "His mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

In Jesus it is as if you had never sinned--as if Adam had never sinned. All your mistakes and weaknesses are wiped away. You can come before God in purity and holiness.

Try thinking about that as you start your 2008.

Pastor Tom

God Rejoices Over You

Zephaniah 3:15-17
The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more. 16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. 17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." NKJV

I just love those words. Yes, they are spoken to Israel and picture a redeemed and restored people of God. But Romans tells us that as Christians you have been grafted into Israel and so the same wonderful promise is yours as well.

Jesus took away our judgments by dieing on the cross for us. He cast out our enemies: sin, death, and the devil. Jesus has made his permanent dwelling in your heart. And so we are not weak, we do not need to fear anything!

And then look how this section ends. Did you know that God actually sings over you with gladness? That is such an awesome picture that I had to share it. If you are feeling particularly weak or troubled today, read over these verses and let the love of God quiet your soul. Can you hear the singing?

Pastor Tom

A Call for Peace

It's been well over a month since my last posting on this blog. For those of you who thought I dropped off the face of the earth I apologize. Life has a way of taking us on unknown paths. Lately mine has been on such an untrodden trail. I'd appreciate prayers for myself and my family as we deal with serious health issues of a loved one.

But on to today's posting. It comes from the end of the Old Testament, as my journey through the Bible comes to a close for 2007.

I noticed today a passage that is familiar to many who do not call themselves Christian.

Micah 4:3 "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."

A lot of people and organizations have used this verse to call for peace and for a cessation of war. That is all well and good but I think it is instructive for us to look at why this will happen according to Micah's prophecy.

4:2 "...come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths."

What are the ways of God? Jesus told us in John 6 that to work the works of God you must believe in he whom he sent.

My simple point is this: the way to peace is not to end hostilities between peoples. The way to peace is to end hostilities between us and God - hostilities caused by our own sin. Once we believe in Jesus then God takes away our sin and the barrier which separated us from him. He then comes into us and makes his "abode" in us.

In the process he begins to transform us into his image. It is then that we go from a people prone to violence and lust to a people who desire peace. Micah's prophecy won't come about until Jesus returns to the earth to establish his kingdom out in the open here.

Pray that before then you will find peace with God yourself!

Pastor Tom

New Every Morning

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? I'm sure family and friends come to mind; health, peace, and security too. This year I want to thank the Lord for mornings.

I ran across this verse in Lamentations - not known for joyful and happy phrases. It was so beautiful, though, that it stuck out like a daisy growing on a dirty sidewalk.

Jeremiah 3:22 "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Isn't that great? How many times do our heads hit the pillow full of regrets from things said in anger, or things not said when we should have - or regrets of things we've done that we know don't glorify God.

Isn't it cool that with each new day, so too are the mercies of God new? How can that be? Does he have near term memory loss? No. His mercies are new each day because our sins are washed away in God's Son Jesus Christ.

So tomorrow morning when you wake up, thank God that no matter how you failed yesterday, today is a new day in God's mercy to be transformed into his image!

Pastor Tom

When Things Go Bad - Abandon God

Some people make an error when they think about God - that he is some kind of genie that will give you everything you want. As a matter of fact, many times the opposite happens. We discover that the real source of what we thought we wanted was not from God at all.

This happened to Israel in the days of Jeremiah. God had told his people to cooperate with the discipline he was bringing to the nation and go to Babylon. The people accused Jeremiah of lying and when he told them to put away their idols they said this:

Jeremiah 44:17-19 "For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18 But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine." ESV

They would rather abandon a relationship with the God of the universe in order to get good stuff here from gods that at best have no power at all and at worst are inspired by demons who want to enslave, not assist the people.

Don't make the same mistake. Ask God for what you need. Jesus promised that God would listen to those who belong to Him and give abundantly:

Matthew 7:11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! ESV

But the important thing is that everything that comes from God, whether its bounty or famine, easy times or hard - is good for us and what we need. Don't judge what you need based on your own estimation.

Pastor Tom

Hope After Trial

I know many of you probably know this verse by heart from Jeremiah 29:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

But did you realize in what context these words were written? In verse 10 of that chapter Jeremiah says "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place."

The future and hope came after Babylon. We love verse 11 by itself. We want a future and a hope; we want God's plans for us to come about. But what if that meant going to your own Babylon for seventy years? What if that meant you had to go through a time of great difficulty first? What if God's plans actually included the trials and difficulties to purge us of evil, to teach us His character, to reach those that need Him?

Let's not fret about our Babylons for the Lord knows where we are and that he will bring us back to a place of hope and a future in His hands.

Pastor Tom

Are Your Ears Circumcised?

Okay - so I'm not asking you to take out a knife and cut your ears. But when it comes to listening to God's Word, our minds can be open or closed. A closed mind is like having ears that are uncircumcised. See what Jeremiah says:

Jeremiah 6:10 "Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it."

How do you react to the Bible? When you read or hear a passage that is difficult to understand or runs contrary to your own feelings do you feel like just dismissing the verse? I think the idea of being circumcised in ear is to put yourself in a place of identification with the Lord, rather than your own feelings first. Physical circumcision meant setting yourself apart as an Israelite. Being uncircumcised of heart means you are hardened to the truth of the gospel.

So too our mind can be hardened by claims of some scientists or by the opinions of others or by our own lack of understanding. We think the Bible can't be true first, instead of letting God speak to our hearts through His word and ask for understanding.

Take pleasure in God's Word. It is his love letter to us. Yes, there are some things in it that are hard to understand and comprehend, but the more you take it in through open ears, the more God can work His Word into your life and you will understand.

Pastor Tom

Who Are You Going to Trust?

There are a plethora of voices out there claiming to speak God's truth. They sound good. They look good. They have huge congregations so they must be speaking the what's right, right?

Not necessarily. Speaking for God should not be a light thing. The Bible tells us that in the end times people will gather around themselves teachers that will tell them things they like to hear. People don't want to be held accountable for things done outside of the character of God (sin). People want to indulge those things that make them feel good in the moment, and if someone says that God says it's okay then even better.

Be careful. Listen to this little verse from Jeremiah the prophet:

Jeremiah 5:30 "An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so..."

I could make up all kinds of "truths" and claim that they came from God. I might even be able to twist some Bible verses around to make it seem like God agrees with me. That won't make it so.

When Jesus came to earth (a real historical person, by the way) he spoke by observation, not theory, about God. He spoke the truth. Read his words in John's gospel. Read all that he said and what his servants said about him in the letters later on. Don't let someone move you away from Jesus' good news just because it sounds so good.

Why? Read the end of Jeremiah 5:31 "...but what will you do when the end comes?"

Jesus is coming back and he will hold us all accountable for the truth - his truth. Will you be ready?

Pastor Tom

Where Does God Dwell?

If I asked you the question: "where does God live?" you would probably answer "in heaven, silly!" and you'd be right. But I want to point out something you may not have realized from Isaiah:

Isaiah 57:15 "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."

Now isn't that cool? Yes, God does live in heaven, a dimension we cannot exist in unless we are like God: holy and pure. But how do we get that way? How are we prepared to enter the dimension of heaven? We get it by being lowly and contrite - repentant for our failures in other words.

You see, our flesh, our human nature, has fooled us into thinking that acting in certain ways is beneficial to us. In reality, anything that is outside of the character of God is evil and destructive. Ever told a lie, even one? If so you have done something evil. We are, in fact, evil by nature.

But as God has revealed Himself to humanity through His Word, the Bible, we begin to realize how far from God's perfect character we are. It is then that our hearts become lowly and contrite, and it is then that God dwells near us, speaking, whispering, urging us to accept His free gift of a way back to God - through the sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus.

Why does God dwell with the lowly? To revive. It suggests bringing back to life. God brings life to us who realize how far away from Him we really are. He brings us back to life and we find that He is closer than we could ever have imagined.

Pastor Tom

Was Jesus Cool?

Isaiah 53:2 He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. ESV

This chapter of Isaiah talks about the Messiah. I would encourage you to read the whole thing and then tell me who you think the Messiah is. There is no mistaking the life and death of Jesus Christ in this chapter - no mistaking it at all.

But I want to just focus on this one verse. Contrary to movies and paintings, Jesus was just a garden variety Jewish man of the 1st century. He did not float above the ground (except when he walked on water), he did not glow in the dark (except on the Mount of Transfiguration) and he was just not that impressive.

Jesus isn't impressive, he is right. You should believe in him because of what he said and did, not because he is a charismatic leader.

Pastor Tom

You Don't Have to be Good

Alot of people think that God wants us to be good, to do better. If we do that then He'll be happy and will let us into heaven. The Golden Rule, the Sermon on the Mount, the Ten Commandments - all that stuff is a guidebook for us to follow.

Wrong!

God doesn't want us to do better because He knows we can't do better. The most incredible sacrifice ever given by man, the most wonderful act, the highest thought, the most beautiful creation - all are infinitely below the most common thought that God has ever had.

Sorry for the bad news - but it's actually good news. Read Isaiah 46:12

"Listen to me, you stubborn or heart, you who are far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness, it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay."

If we'd just let go of the silly notion that man is basically good and admit that when left along we sink further and further into evil then we'd see that real goodness (righteousness) comes from God's character, not ours. The good news is that he offers that goodness to us in the form of salvation that he himself brings. And yes, that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ.

But let's just give up trying to be good and instead let God be good through us by his presence in our lives. Ask him to come live in you. Ask him to make you good. Guess what? He will.

Pastor Tom

Seek God in Vain?

"I asked God to help me and I got nothing!"

Perhaps that a statement you could make. Maybe things have gone really badly of late and you are frankly mad at God. Maybe you've been crying out to God but haven't heard an answer and are wondering if He is really there at all.

Isaiah made a statement that I'd like you to consider:

45:19 "I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain.' I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right."

In fact, the problem may not be with God at all, but with us. First, God says he did not speak in secret. So where did God speak? In the Bible. You may not like what the Bible has to say but if you want to hear God speak then that is the place to hear Him.

Secondly, you may have sought your own version of God and not gotten anywhere. I can make up all kinds of things about God (and many have) but that doesn't make it the truth. Again I come back to the Bible. Check it out, dig around, study - you will find it is the most accurate of all books and truly speaks with God's voice.

Jeremiah said "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (29:13). Maybe the problem is that you are not ready to yield your will to the Lord, your life to God. Maybe God is speaking, we just aren't listening.

Pastor Tom

What Happens When Jesus Comes?

No, I'm not talking about the end times here. But to listen to many people today, this is what happens when Jesus Christ is mentioned:

Exclusion, hate, discrimination, narrow-minded thinking, dissension, arguing, and party-pooping.

People react to verses like this one from Isaiah 11:

4 "and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked."

I'd like to simply offer some context. If you read around that verse in Isaiah you get a better idea of what Jesus does when He comes into a life:

"3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;"

And look at the effect on others around Him:

"6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

This doesn't sound at all like the person people make Jesus out to be. The problem is evil. We as humans don't want to admit that there is such a thing and that it infects the human soul. Evil was not originally part of our nature and God, through Jesus, will purge it. He knows the difference between good and evil and knows that we will love the good if we can only be freed from evil.

Why not trust that when Jesus comes into your life that he brings peace and love. Give Him a chance!

Pastor Tom

Ruling over a Heap of Ruins

John Milton said it this way: "Better to reign in hell than serve in heav'n."

I ran into an interesting verse in Isaiah that reminded me of that quote from Paradise Lost.

Isaiah 3:6 "You have a cloak; you shall be our leader, and this heap of ruins shall be under your rule"

I won't go into the situation that surrounds this prophecy, except to say that Israel has disobeyed God, walked away from Him, and is suffering the consequences.

My point is that sometimes we want to be in control so badly that even ruling over a heap of ruins is superior to falling on our faces in repentance for our sins. Medical research has shown that our brains have a built in self-defending mechanism. That's why people like Hitler could justify genocide.

We don't like admitting we're wrong and we don't like admitting we need anyone or anything else. In the natural human nature we like to be king - of something - even if it's a pile of garbage.

Think about that a little. How important is control and power in your life? What are you willing to give up if asked? I'm not saying that God would ask you to sell everything, give to the poor and go to Africa - but what if He did?

Don't rule over a pile of ruins when you can serve in a house full of love and forgiveness, where God is King!

Pastor Tom

How Do We Know?

Science, for the most part, declares that there is no God and that all we know we know from observation, theory and experimentation. While I have a high degree of respect for science, there are limits that many scientists are unaware of.

Without going into a huge dissertation on the subject, I just want to introduce a verse that illustrates the point:

Ecclesiastes 11:5 "As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything."

We humans living on earth are like swimmers in a pool. From underwater you can look up at the sky and make certain conclusions, but due to the way light is refracted and reflected your perceptions may be distorted. We can observe certain things and make conclusions about them, such as the fact that gravity exists and its effects. But just as science does not really know what gravity is, so too we cannot make blanket conclusions that there is no God behind it all.

We simply don't have enough information or the ability to collect enough information to prove He does not exist.

So let's give Him the benefit of the doubt and believe that what He said is true. God and science can co-exist, as long as science knows its limitations.

Pastor Tom

The House of Mourning

Here's a somewhat strange verse:

Ecclesiastes 7:2 "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting."

On its surface you would think "a place of feasting would be a place of joy and happiness while a place of mourning would be full of sadness and grief - why on earth would I go there?"

I had an unusual experience that sheds some light on this. Recently I found out that a colleague had contracted brain cancer. The man was an intellectual and far from God and far from even being open to hearing about sin and salvation through Jesus Christ.

I told the man's boss that he might become more open as his day of death approached. Sure enough, as the days on this earth grew short, the man suddenly not only became open but he received Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior.

Now imagine that place where he will soon die. It will be a house of mourning, but in that mourning will be great joy because now instead of an uncertain future this man's family will know where he is going - to heaven.

Sometimes the house of feasting attempts to hide an inner need. Better to be in a place where there is honest appraisal of reality rather than a cover up.

Pastor Tom

You Can Take it With You

How many times have we heard that saying? Did you ever wonder where it came from?

It actually comes from the book of Ecclesiastes.

5:15 As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.

The world sometimes fools us into thinking that the toys we collect the money we sock away and the possessions that possess us will set us up for eternity. The ancient Egyptians believed this so much that the tombs of the Pharaohs are replete with supplies to help on the journey to the after life.

It's not true, of course. When we die we leave everything behind. Or do we? I would submit that the one thing we take with us is our relationships. God becomes the bridge to take us from this life into a place where we can enjoy not only our relationship with Him but with all those who love Him too.

It's just a small thought, but how much emphasis do we put on things that we will leave behind compared to time and energy on relationships that can last forever?

Pastor Tom

Attacking Sparrows

I used to work in a building where you walked up some steps to the front door. Each spring when you attempted to go in you would suddenly notice a flash of black go passed you, nearly knocking you off of your feet. For a while I ducked and ran, not knowing what in the world was attacking me.

My office happened to have a window that looked out over those front steps. One day I noticed other people doing the silly dance that I had done - trying to avoid the inevitable attack as they approached the front steps.

That's when I noticed the black flash going into a little hole in the side of the building. It was a sparrow. The bird was protecting its young from attack. We really weren't in any danger, but the speed of the bird's flight created a natural "fight or flight" response in us.

Verbal attacks are like that too. We're just going along and "bam!" - out of the blue someone says something meant to harm us, to weaken us, or to put us off. Like the sparrow attack, we respond with either fight or flight. We either push back with both barrels or we run away and cry. I'd like to propose another option:

Proverbs 26:2 "Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight."

After a while of ducking and running from those sparrows (yes, I did consider employing a baseball bat, but thought better of it), I just ended up ignoring them. I knew from experience and from watching that I was never in any real danger. They weren't going to actually run into me, so I just let them fly around me and I walked in at peace.

We can do the same with insults (or "curses" as the Proverb says). When someone hurls something at you like a fast moving sparrow - don't duck and run or swing back, just ignore them and go on your merry way.

It's the reaction the enemy is trying to get. So just don't give it to him. If Jesus has cleansed you then insults are no problem. Satan will accuse you, it doesn't mean you have to answer the charge.

Pastor Tom

What Makes You Happy?

"Whatever makes you happy." Have you ever heard that said to you before? It seems that we are a society obsessed with doing that which brings us pleasure. "If it feels good, do it!" is another mantra of today. The only problem is that reward of pleasure is often just an empty feeling until we fill ourselves again!

Take a look at this proverb:

Proverbs 21:17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

So how do you square this verse with the Psalms:

Psalms 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Are they two kinds of pleasure? Yes, I think so. In fact, the Hebrew words are very different. In Proverbs the word means "glee" from a root "to brighten up." Whereas in Psalms 16 "pleasure" means "to be agreeable."

See the difference? If we seek pleasure as a way to make us happy happy happy we will be empty empty empty. But if we seek the Lord and His presence, He will bring us the pleasure of His company and a fullness that cannot be measured.

Does this mean we should never be happy? No. My encouragement for us is to seek God first and count on His very agreeable pleasure, and let the happiness of this life be the transient thing it is.

Pastor Tom

Are You Correctable?

Proverbs 17:10 "A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool."

In my last post I talked about how the human nature is self protecting naturally. We justify our own ways and when questioned we become instantly defensive.

What would it be like if we carefully considered the constructive things other people give to us? When you listen to a Bible study, do you allow the Scriptures to speak rebuke to you? When a loving family member has a correction for you, what is your response? How about at work - do the changes your boss wants to make to your work hurt you?

Now I'm not saying that anything anyone says to you should be taken deep into your heart and acted on. But I think it is wise to allow the Lord to speak to your heart through others - ask Him how this word or this situation can make you more like him.

Pastor Tom

Words Words Words

Many times the last thing we pay attention to are the words that come out of our mouth. As human beings we are are reactionary almost by nature. If someone says something that hurts us or injures our pride we attack back using our mouths as sharp swords of destruction.

When it comes to the other side - getting what we want - we put ourselves in the best possible light, no matter what the truth is. In fact, recent scientific studies show that the human brain will self deceive in order to justify its actions. That's how we can have people like Adolf Hitler or Osama bin Laden who think their atrocities are actually a good thing.

I want us to consider some wisdom from the Proverbs:

Proverbs 12:16-20
The vexation of a fool is known at once,
but the prudent ignores an insult.
17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
but a false witness utters deceit.
18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
but those who plan peace have joy. ESV

Notice the contrasts here: ignore an insult rather than instantly fight back with "vexation"; speak the truth and expect to hear the truth; use your words to bring healing rather than injury; you don't ever have to go back on the truth, but lies have no foundation in which to endure.

Finally, I love the end of verse 20. Let's plan peace with our neighbors, our friends, our family, our co-workers, and our enemies! Pray instead of parry!

Pastor Tom

'Fes Up!

Admit it now - sometime, somewhere you have done something stupid. Maybe you made a rash promise or done something dumb to someone else's stuff? I know I have. So what is your first reaction: damage control!

We don't like looking stupid, we don't like admitting mistakes, and we certainly don't like eating crow in front of other people. So instead we cover it up, we make excuses or we just bear up under the consequences. There is a better way.

Proverbs 6:1-3 "My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, 2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, 3 then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor."

In essence what this Proverb teaches us is to take responsibility for the dumb things we do and actually go and talk with the people we hurt. You might look dumb but I tell you, your honesty will speak a lot louder for the Lord than your pride.

Pastor Tom

Before Sinning - Hesitate

Have you ever noticed that when temptation comes it demands to be acted on quickly? I know sometimes the temptation grows slowly over time, especially when you start to give ear to it, but often temptation wants us to jump on an opportunity - essentially to act before we can think.

There is an interesting saying in Proverbs 1:15-16 "My son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood."

We have a policy in our house never to agree to send money to someone calling over the phone. No matter how wonderful the opportunity or cause, we ask them to send something to us in the mail or by email. Why is that? Because in the moment it is often hard to make a reasoned decision. We want time to pray, and time to consider how are action will affect our budget.

That's good advice when it comes to temptation. Make a pact with yourself that when temptation calls for you to run, you'll walk, and think, and pray first. What might seem good in the emotion of the moment can have long term negative consequences.

Pastor Tom

Want to Feel Good?

I'm not suggesting running for ten miles, having a second (or third) latte, renting a comedy, or something like that. I have another suggestion as a "feel good" formula: praise.

Psalms 147:1 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. ESV

I love the three words used to describe the act of singing to the Lord: good, pleasant, and fitting.

It's good - it focuses us on the Lord, not our problems, and since God is good and has His good focused on us, it is also our good. It is pleasant. This is the Hebrew word for "delightful" or "sweet." It makes me think of sitting on a shaded porch with an ice cold glass of lemonade on a summer day with a good friend. Thirdly it is "fitting." The root word means "to be at home." When we are praising God we are at home, in the place that feels right; fits right.

So for today's feel good tip: lift up a song of praise to the Lord!

Pastor Tom

The Door of My Lips

Psalms 141:3 "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!"

What a great prayer. How many times have we said something hurtful only to almost reach out with our tongue to grab the words on their way through our teeth so as to pull them back?

How many relationships have we harmed or destroyed because there is no guard over our mouth?

Later, Paul the Apostle will say "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs. (Ephesians 4:29)

Notice Paul says "according to their needs," not what we think their needs are. Sometimes we think someone needs a good talking to, but in reality it is coming from our own hurt, not for their benefit at all.

So, let's all pray that prayer of David and may God make that guard armed!

Pastor Tom

How Important is God's Word?

Sometimes I think we sort of downgrade the Bible. Maybe its because we don't understand it, or that parts of it seem out of date or downright harsh.

What we need to understand is that the Bible is God's way of communicating to us His character and our character and His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. It was written by the Holy Spirit through men and women who lived in cultures and epochs very different from our own.

I won't get into a lesson on systematic theology here but the basic truths behind the Bible are applicable no matter who you are or where you live, though sometimes you have to do a little cultural translation for those truths to come out clearly.

My point for today is that God Himself puts a great deal of emphasis on His Word.

Psalms 138:2 "...for you have exalted your word above your name."

Pretty strong words. Until we stand before the Father face to face and can hear Him speak audibly to us we need to trust that everything we need to know is in His Word.

Pastor Tom

Sow in Tears, Reap with Joy

Psalms 126:5-6 "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him."

Do you ever feel like what you do for the Lord is wasted? Do you pray, seeking the Lord for answers, do you study his Word and share the good things God has shown you? Do you seek His Spirit to fill your life and guide you in your every step? Then does it seem at times like all that effort, all that prayer, all that dedication and obedience is just wasted because you don't see any fruit?

Take heart. Sow away. Though you may not see it today, or even in your lifetime, the promise of God is that those things done for His glory will bear fruit and one day, either here or in heaven, you will rejoice with shouts of joy for the wonderful harvest God brings in for what you have sown.

Pastor Tom

Giving Back To God

Do you ever wonder what you can give back to God for all He has done for you?

Here is a simple suggestion from Psalm 116:

"What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord ... I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord."

Simply put, our gift to God for what He has done is taking a hold of his free gift, lifting it up for all the world to see what he has done in us, then lifting up thanksgiving in the form of worship to him.

God doesn't want or need anything from you. You cannot repay him, but you can glorify and praise him. If you haven't given your life to him, then do it now by taking the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, then worship and thank Him for it!

Pastor Tom

Be Careful Little Eyes What You See

Remember that old Sunday School song referenced in the title of this blog entry? I do. It's a cute song but has a great point that David comes back to in Psalm 101.

(2-3) "I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless."

Two great points here: often times we as Christians are careful to reflect the character of Christ in church, perhaps even at work or in the grocery line. But something happens to us when the doors close on our home and we feel like no one but our family sees us.

Sometimes we lose that drive to be like Jesus. Sometimes we let go of acting with integrity. Don't. Some of the greatest witness you have is when you are behind closed doors. I know this is a cliche but God really does watch us when no one else does. Wouldn't it feel that much better if we lived out our walk with Jesus as well inside as out?

Secondly, I really like this idea of not setting things in front of us that are "worthless." If you are watching something that is not going to help you grow in Christ, or perhaps is going to cause you to stumble, why do it?

I'm not into censorship or anything like that. I'm not saying don't watch TV or movies or go on the Internet. I'm just saying: be a little more careful. What you take in can affect you.

Pastor Tom

Escaping Real Danger

Psalm 91 is one of the most awesome Psalms in the entire book. It's also one of the most comforting for those going through hard times.

I'd strongly encourage you to just read the whole thing; its only 16 verses. But what power, what promise, what protection God promises to us.

I wanted to make an observation about it, though. Read this part:

Psalms 91:7-8
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked. ESV

Let me ask you something. Does this mean that nothing bad will ever happen to you? In verse two it says that "you shall not fear ... the pestilence that stalks in darkness." Does that mean you will never get sick? Obviously not. We do get sick, we do suffer harm, the enemy seems to get away with a lot in our lives. Does that mean these promises are meaningless or not applicable to us? No.

Look at the end, verse 16: "With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."

You see, we need to take God's view of our lives. We are protected (by angels, verse 11) and no harm can come to us outside of God's will and nothing can ultimately harm us because we are saved by God. Now that might mean being taken home before we see relief, but what is a temporary suffering compared to eternal bliss?

Paul was a really beat up Apostle. Do you think he read this Psalm and was discouraged? I don't think so. He knew God had him in His hand. He knew he would be delivered. So will you. Take heart.

Pastor Tom

Now Is The Time To Worship

How excited are you to enter into God's presence in worship? Is worship to you opening a hymnal and just reciting words? Is it something you do as an intro to the sermon on Sunday? Do you ever find yourself worshiping anywhere outside of a church?

Psalms 84:1-4
4 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! ESV

My encouragement to us all today is to think about worshiping God like taking a drink of cool water on a hot summers day. The Bible tells us that God Himself is "enthroned" on the praises of His people.

If you are down or discouraged or angry or lonely - lift up your voice to God in worship. At our church we call worship "musical prayers to God." Speak to Him, sing to Him, long for Him - use worship as a way to come into His very presence.

You will be amazed and pleased at how blessed you will be.

Pastor Tom

This Too Shall Pass

I know it may seem that I've been on a doom and gloom theme lately. Perhaps it's because of things going on in my life, but perhaps also because of things that were going on in David's life when he wrote some of the Psalms we've looked at lately.

I was struck by a couple of verses in Psalm 71:20

20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.
21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.

Notice first that it was God that made David see trouble. That might strike you as odd, but it's true. But just as God brings trouble, He saves us out of it too. It doesn't mean that God is mean and likes to see us suffer. We shouldn't put God in a box like that. In reality He is much more complicated than that.

We could end up in difficulty because of our own choices, the fallen world we live in, or attack of the enemy. That part doesn't concern me here as much as the promise that no matter what you face, and no matter whether God was allowing or even behind it happening, you will come out again if you trust in Him.

And not only that, but David says that for all the suffering He will actually increase greatness and comfort. You will end up on the other side more like Him and more in love with Him than ever before.

Look for that. Count on that. Rejoice in that.

Pastor Tom

Not Greatly Shaken

I think sometimes we think that once we belong to God in Jesus Christ we are bullet proof - that nothing bad can or should happen to us.

That wasn't the experience of the Apostles and I don't think it is ours either if we admit it. The Christian life often includes perils of some kind or another. Maybe for you it is the taunts of friends or family. Perhaps it is actual physical attack. Maybe it is tremendous trial and tribulation that simply wrack your body and mind until you can't stand it any more.

In reading Psalm 62 I noticed this little verse:

"He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken."

Notice that David doesn't say here "I will not be shaken at all." For us there will be times of turmoil and despair.

Jesus said "in the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."

Paul said: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;" (2 Cor 4:8-10)

You see, we are shaken, but not greatly. And we have the rock of the Lord Jesus to lean against, to take the blows, to provide a backstop and a fortress.

Look at verse 8: "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us."

In the end God will triumph for you (11) "Once God has spoken; twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God."

Pastor Tom

What Does God Want?

Have you ever asked that question - what does God want, anyway? Does He want me to give up stuff or do hard things to prove my love for Him? If I give enough time or money or talents will that please God?

It's a valid question. Deep down I think everyone wants to please God - by good works or by keeping away from sin. We don't know exactly how to do that so we cast about and write books and hold seminars.

I think David had the answer in Psalm 51. You ought to read the whole thing. David really nails what we are like, and how that affects our standing with God.

But he says something at the end which should set us free from the endless quest to please God.

Psalm 51:16 "For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Isn't that cool? All God really wants is for us to realize we don't and can't measure up to His glory and to admit that state to Him. Stop trying to please God and just love Him. You'll be surprised what peace comes over your heart.

Pastor Tom

Remembering to Worship

I know what it's like to face a tough situation - one where you aren't really sure it's going to work out okay in the end. But I'm greatly comforted by Psalm 42.

This one starts out in a familiar refrain - that's because it was turned into a famous worship song:

"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts or God, for the living God."

But what you notice as you read through the Psalm is that it is written out of real pain. "Why are you cast down, O my soul," "my tears have been my food day and night."

What's cool though is that as the Psalmist remembers two things he is comforted: worship and being in God's presence.

"... at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life," "When shall I come and appear before God?"

So when you going through it, I mean REALLY going through it, remember to worship and remember that coming into God's presence is as simple as drawing near to Him. Cling to the thought that not only can He be with you in the present but that soon you can be with Him physically.

"Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God."

Pastor Tom

Some Encouraging Words

I've been going through a hard time lately, and someone close to me an even more difficult time. It was the result of service to the Lord. I've known in theory that suffering for the Lord should be a good thing.

Acts 5:41 "... rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name."

It's fine in theory, but in practice it is much more difficult. At times it'd actually be preferable to die for Christ than suffer.

Thanks to the prayers of many around the world the enemy was beaten back and his attack thwarted.

I ran across these verse in the Psalms today as I continued my journey through the Scriptures.

Psalms 34:17-19 "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." ESV

I take great comfort that God is near to me when my heart is broken, and that when my spirit is crushed, and I feel like I can't even take one more breath or one more step forward that He is there to save me.

I am also greatly comforted by the fact that God recognizes that as a person made righteous in Him that I will suffer many afflictions and I look to Him to deliver me out of them all.

Pastor Tom

Experiencing God's Anger

Psalms 30:5 "For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime."

Some people picture God as eternally angry. He's so mad at sinners that he has fire in his eyes and lightning bolts coming out of his hands. He's so upset that he just can't wait to bring calamity on us and takes some sadistic pleasure in our pain.

Nothing could be further from the truth. God hates evil, that's true. There's a good reason for that: God is good and evil is bad. And who is the best judge of what is evil, us or God? For us to judge ultimately what is good or bad is like trying to describe a football game while viewing it from the bottom of a swimming pool. Water distorts our perspective, and so does living in a world already tainted by evil. Only God, who lives outside of that sin can accurately judge good from evil.

So anyway - back to my main point. Though God is actually a loving God he really does hate evil. And when we choose to do evil we can experience God's anger. It comes in the form of discipline. We experience difficulties and think God is punishing us. Actually he is trying to burn the evil out of us.

And like a parent who disciplines his or her child, God longs for the loving embrace after the tears have subsided. His anger lasts but a moment, but thanks to His mercy and grace found in Jesus Christ, his favor lasts for a lifetime. Rejoice in that today!

Pastor Tom

The Crucifixion Psalm

Most of us have read Psalm 23: The Shepherd's Psalm... you know: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want ..."

But have you ever considered Psalm 22? It's known as the crucifixion Psalm because of how closely it describes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It's so close, in fact, that it becomes one of the proof texts for the crucifixion.

Let's just look at the phrases that closely match what happened many hundreds of years later:

(vs 1) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Jesus spoke these words on the cross)

(vs 7) All who see me mock me;they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 "He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!" (they shouted this to Jesus on the cross)

(vs 14) All my bones are out of joint (what happens to someone who is crucified)

(18) They divide my garments among them; and for my clothing they cast lots (the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus did this exact thing, casting lots for Jesus' inner garment)

It's pretty amazing, really. Read the crucifixion account then Psalm 22. More than a coincidence? You bet!

Pastor Tom

The Fullness of Joy

I love the Psalms - they are such an honest outpouring of grief, sorrow, anger, and love and worship. Psalm 16 is especially wonderful, especially because of who wrote it: David.

David was a king. He could have had anything he wanted - money, women, power - whatever he wanted. David was also a warrior. He could kill you before you knew what hit you. If there was ever anyone who could proudly say they were a self made man no one could touch - it would be David.

Yet here he is in Psalm 16 saying things like:

"...in you I take refuge."

"I have no good apart from you."

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot."

Why? Why would the most powerful man in his nation be so lowly? He knew the secret - he was really nothing and God was everything.

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Without Yahweh all the power and prestigious meant nothing. David knew that all he could amass in this life would mean nothing unless he had a relationship with his God. And he knew that real satisfaction can be found nowhere else.

Read Psalm 16 - and realize that your joy is not full unless experienced with God.

Pastor Tom

Declaring Your Independence

I would call the United States of America today a post-Christian country. Though our founding fathers had faith in God and took all of the principals used to frame our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution from the Scriptures - we have now moved passed needing God because we don't need that "crutch" anymore.

Or, as Psalm 2 puts it: "The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, 'Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.'" (vs 2-3)

Belonging to God is seen as a "cord" or a "bond." That's because God and his character seem so restrictive. In our society we want what feels good (sensuality) and what does good (practicality) FOR US.

That's all well and good if we see ourselves as first belonging to God and desiring to bring glory to Him. But when we become god ourselves we want to throw off all "restrictions". In reality we are only becoming slaves to the flesh and enemies of God.

The end for those with this opinion is pretty bleak: "You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel." (vs 9)

The flesh fools us into thinking that whatever feels good is good. We should desire God because He is the only thing that is truly good. I didn't make this stuff up. If God, who is the only One who is good, said this, I believe it:

"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." (vs 12)

Take refuge from the post-Christian world in Jesus Christ. Let His character become your character. You will find more freedom than any declaration of independence from God will ever get you.

Pastor Tom

As you read through the book of Job one of the things that really strikes out at you are the sheer number of words.

I mean really - these guys go on and on and on. Sure, the style of the writing is filled with allusions and metaphors and ideas all prettied up with word pictures, but it does seem a bit excess.

Turns out it is. If you take a look at chapter 38 - the first words spoken by the Lord in answer to all the words from Job's friends read like this:

"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" (38:2)

I love it! Its kind of like He is saying "If you don't know what you are talking about - shut up!"

It reminded me of a lot of words spoken today by people who really think they know what they are talking about. Just turn on one of the cable news networks. They have expert after expert that go on and on about this and that - and we believe them.

I've also heard religious and philosophical people go on and on about what God must be like and what life is like and the human soul and all of that.

To tell you the truth, it gets a little wearying. So then along comes God and in just a few words He cuts through all the garbage and right to the chase: man is sinful, God is holy.

The good news of course is that God is also merciful and loving and went the extra mile to buy you back, but its also a good lesson for us.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

James 1:19-20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.

Pastor Tom

Looking Bad When you Suffer

In Chapter 29, Job talks about how good he had it. He says that the young and old, powerful and weak, all respected him as he took his place of leadership in his community.

29:12 "Men listened to me and waited and kept silence for my counsel."

But by Chapter 30:10 "They abhor me; they keep aloof from me." All the respect he had was gone. All the good feelings others had towards him had vanished - all because he was suffering from the probably one of the worst trials ever to hit a man.

I'm not faulting Job here, but it made me wonder: how much of our self esteem is bound up in how other people feel about us? I admit this effects me too. If someone shows respect for me it certainly feels better than when they diss me.

But my point for today is this: when stuff goes bad and you are down and having a bad hair life and are not your best - don't worry so much about what other people think about you.

As a Christian, people are watching you. They learn from your life what Jesus is like and life in Him. But they learn best, not from when you are on top of the world but when you underneath it and its weight pushes down on you.

They learn that life is not a bed of roses but a bed of thorny blackberry bushes - and yet Jesus is there - healing, touching, forgiving, transforming the terrible into the holy.

So live life - the good and the bad. When the good comes rejoice. When the bad comes mourn, yet in it all do it in the face of God. Let people see the real you that God is working in and with. It'll draw more people to Christ than any sermon.

Pastor Tom

Trust in a Living God

One of the repeated themes in the book of Job is death. It's no wonder because so much has been taken away from Job that death seems all that is left.

We as humans have some real problems with death. We deny that it will happen, and when it does we hide it from public view and dress up the body as if it wasn't really dead. Or we see death as something on a computer game that can be reset and replayed or on a movie screen where it teaches us that death doesn't really happen in real life.

But Job has faced death. And not only did he lose those around him that were dear, he is so sick and seemingly abandoned that death seems the only thing left.

Then Job makes this startling and wonderful statement: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth." (19:25)

See, Job had a hope. It wasn't just that his god lived. His God was his Redeemer too. Sure, he didn't know about all the prophecies about the Messiah or even know who Jesus was, but he knew that despite all the death and destruction around him that God was there and God would save him.

Later he says: "in my flesh I shall see God" (26). I'm so glad for that hope. Job hinted that even our bodies will be made new - that death would not take us away from seeing our Redeemer in person.

Take hope in that today. Death is real but God, our Redeemer, is more real still.

The Escape Key

Have you ever faced a situation in your life where the only thing you can think of is escape? Perhaps the loss of a loved one or a relationship, perhaps health concerns or financial woes. Maybe it was emotional, where the blackness just envelopes you and you can't see out.

Welcome to Job's world. Job had it all - lost his kids, his livelihood, and his health. Understandably, Job's emotions were pretty raw and dark. In Job 6:8 he says: "Oh that I might have my request, and that God would fulfill my hope, that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!"

But God didn't. In fact, the torment got worse thanks to the company of Job's friends and his wife who said "curse God and die!" And that's the thing. Throughout all of what Job went through, the one thing he never lost was his relationship with God, and it was that more than anything that brought him through.

In fact, God had no intention of granting Job's request, not out of meanness but out of love. God allowed Job to go through pain in order to help Job know him more. God wanted to Job to see that he was really nothing compared to the Lord. Once he knew that then God could bless him even more.

As difficult as it is to hear in the midst of great difficulty, escaping is not an answer, its a Band aid. Instead of escaping, hold on to the one thing you do have - a relationship with God through His Son Jesus. God knows suffering because He suffered for you. And He wants you to know Him more. In the process you will see that feeling sorry for ourselves doesn't cut it with God. Be open and naked before him. When all else is stripped away, let Him see the real you. It may not be pretty, but that's when He can really begin to cleanse, wash, purify, and bless you.

Pastor Tom

God The Master Player

Does it ever bother you that God incites Satan to attack Job? You see it right in chapter 1. God asks Satan where he's been and then says "have you considered my servant Job?" It's almost like he wants all that bad stuff to come on Job - who is a pretty righteous guy according to the Lord.

Yep, I think that's exactly what happened. That kind of troubles me. You mean God can actually encourage something bad to happen to me? It's true. Isaiah says he creates both good and evil (read: calamity, not moral evil).

So what's going on? Well, I think God is playing Satan. I think He knows all along exactly what Satan will do, how Job will react, and how He will get good out of the situation. It doesn't make Satan any less culpable for his actions or the problems any less serious for Job, but it does make the outcome certain - and good.

If you are going through tough times remember Job - not to get depressed (I don't recommend reading Job when you are in the midst of a trial) but realize that Job was never out of God's hands. His end was better than his beginning. God really does work ALL things together for the good of those that love Him and are called according to His purpose. His purpose. God the master planner.

Pastor Tom

Esther Was No Pushover

You've probably read the story of Esther before. It's the story about a young woman from Israel, brought up by her cousin in Babylon and made queen of the country. she ended up in a place where she could influence a king and save her people from annihilation.

The story has been the subject of villain/hero morality plays by the Jewish community for generations. When Haman comes on the stage everyone boos and when Esther wins the day there is great cheering.

But I noticed when reading this story again that Esther was no cartoon cutout, no caricature, no stereotype.

She was actually a pretty astute judge of character and situation. When it came time appear before the king she took the advice of a palace official (instead of feeling confident in her own opinions in this foreign situation). She foiled a plot to kill the king despite the fact that Babylon was an enemy of Israel by sharing intelligence. Then she threw the real enemy, Haman, off guard and appealed to her husband's love for her in stopping his plot to wipe out the entire nation.

Placed in a strange situation, faced with death if she did nothing, and death if she acted, Esther used her beauty, character, intelligence, and patience to do God's work. She did it all in a foreign land with customs she was not used to and with no one to really lean on - except God.

It gives me hope that when I am placed in situations where things seem out of control, I can be calm knowing that the Lord is with me and may have me where I am, no matter how difficult, "for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14).

Pastor Tom

The Discipline Took

After Israel returned to the land, rebuilt the Temple, then rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, a great celebration broke forth. There were choirs and singing and raising of hands and walking around on top of the new wall - all seemed great.

Then in Nehemiah 13:1 "On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God."

Here was a big test. Israel had been disciplined because despite Joshua telling not to "mix" with the nations around them, the people did just that. Joshua's warnings had come true that the gods of the people became a "snare" for them and they bowed down and served them. Joshua warned that God would remove them from the land, and He did just that.

Now that they were back, what would happen? They obviously still had ties to the descendants of the people God had said not to mix with. Would they just ignore the years of discipline? No. When they heard God's Word they responded and "separated from Israel all those of foreign descent." (vs 3).

Not only that, but they removed enemy influence from their worship (throwing Tobiah out of the Temple). In addition, the people started giving to the work of God, and dedicating themselves to following God's Law by observing the Sabbath (though they needed some encouragement from Nehemiah).

This shows fruit from God's discipline. Does this happen to you? Are there times when your own disobedience has lead to an experience of discipline from God? Then when the discipline is over, isn't it nice to see the fruit? You feel free from that which bound you and you want to pick up in your service and worship to God.

It's never fun to go through discipline, but it sure is nice to see God work good things in our lives through it. So celebrate!

Pastor Tom

Distracted

Last time I talked about the dangers of taking on the task of becoming transformed into the character of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. This time we look at the enemies tactic once direct threats don't work.

In Nehemiah 6 we see two old adversaries up to their old tricks, just as our old adversary, the Devil, never gives up, only changes his tactics.

When Sanballat and Tobiah hear that Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem they first tried to get Nehemiah to engage them in conversation about it - but Nehemiah would not stop the work to talk about it. Often the enemy wants us to engage in self talk about whether we should fully commit out lives to God.

Instead, Nehemiah said "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" (6:3). Don't engage the enemy in this attempt. One, you will be in danger of talking yourself out of the task, and two, while you are reconsidering you are stopping the work.

When that didn't work these guys sent an open letter trying to say that Nehemiah had taken over as king. It impugned his motivations and questioned his goals. Becoming like our Lord is not for our glory but for his alone. People might question you, call you "goody two shoes" or make open accusations against you before others. Don't let that deter you either.

Finally Sanballat and Tobiah actually hired a false prophet to try to lure Nehemiah into stopping by suggesting there was a plot to kill him. With God's wisdom Nehemiah saw through it. The idea was to get Nehemiah to hide away for fear. The enemy taunts us with what might happen to us too: "what will people think of you if you stop doing that?" "Love your enemies? They'll wipe the floor with you!" and the like.

Let our prayer be like Nehemiah's who said: "But now, O God, strengthen my hands."

Pastor Tom

Taking On A Dangerous Assignment

After the repair of the Temple, the children of Israel began to rebuild the wall around the city of Jerusalem. I've heard many teachings equating the repair of the gates to the repair of the human soul by the power of the Holy Spirit. Today I won't address that, but the process of undertaking that repair job at all.

When the Apostle Paul talks about the process of changing a life that has been renewed through the blood of Jesus Christ he uses a word that means "renovation." It's a good word when you look at what was happening in Jerusalem. The wall had been torn down and left in rubble. It's worse than if you started with nothing on the ground. If you ever watch "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" you see them go in and literally tear a house down, leaving a huge pile of junk on the ground. Until they clear that out of the way the work cannot continue.

There are a lot of analogies to the human soul or spirit as well. We are born with a nature that is i opposition to God. This old nature is killed when we come to Christ but like a corpse on an autopsy table, doesn't just go away. In fact there is a lot of junk left over in our lives - old habits, attitudes, negative experiences, sins, consequences from actions, etc.

Picking around all that rubble in order to rebuild our lives around the strength of the Spirit can be dangerous and arduous. What I noticed today was how the enemies of Israel tried to discourage the work. They tried questioning motivations, to threatening attack - anything to keep them from going on.

For us, that old nature and the Devil will try to discourage us from continuing the work of renovation in our lives, which is generally seeking God to rebuild our character into one that reflects His character.

So what did Israel do? In Nehemiah 4:17 "Those that carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other." So they worked while ready at any moment to defend their right to work.

For us, we need to be prepared to defend our right to allow God renovate our lives. It is easy to become discouraged as we see those around us continuing in sin and enjoying it. It is easy to give up when the enemy shouts at us that we can never succeed, whispers in our ears that it would be easier to give in than to keep working, or attacks us to scare us into stopping.

My encouragement to us all is not to listen, but be ready with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, to answer back "he who has begun a good work in you will continue it."

Pastor Tom