Be Strategic!

Hebrews 1: 1 - 2

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,

² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

One of my favorite silly sports movies of all time, was… “Angels in the Outfield”.

The kid in the movie asks his dad… “When are we going to be a family?”

And the dad’s response is… “When the angels win the pennant…”

The angels in this movie, actually do help the California Angels win the pennant.

But something funny strikes me about that concept.

Why would any angel, want to give up his Heavenly home, for a baseball team?

But honestly, don’t we do that all the time?

Adam & Eve had the perfect set up with God, but they were willing to give it all up, on the chance that serpent might be telling them the truth.

Judas had the perfect gig too, but he gave it all up for 30 pieces of silver.

What have you given Jesus up for lately, that ended up being counterfeit?

Common sense would tell us not to give up the best, for something that in the end, wouldn’t measure up.

So why do we allow those things to come in, that never come close to measuring up to Jesus?

Be strategic in your walk with Christ today.

Nothing you will ever meet or see, will ever be able to measure up to the still small voice, of the Son.

For one day very soon, some of us are going to be just one big happy family…and I for one, can hardly wait…

It's not about you!

Numbers 14: 3 - 4

³ Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey.

Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” ⁴ And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

 

People leaving churches is nothing new anymore.

What would be a switch, is if Shepherds left churches they were in, because the people didn’t do or respond like they should have.

 

That would be a change in action, but then that might explain why 1,500 Pastors leave their churches each month in the U.S.

So when we dump and run, what are we telling the people without any hope at all?

 

Have we lost the flavor of commitment?

Have we made this whole thing about us, and not about God?

 

Do we hit the trail hot foot, just because something doesn’t go our own way?

Unfortunately, that’s the game that some play.

 

There are those though, that will press on when trouble comes to the church.

There are those who will press on, no matter what. Which one are you?

 

I think those who press the Pastor for perfection, should actually look in the mirror.

Maybe if we’re going to fight the good fight of the faith, we should actually stay in the fight.

 

Actually, I’d rather fight, than switch!!

Strike!

Numbers 14: 11 - 12

¹¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?

¹² I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them…

God had given Moses a charge to lead His people out of bondage.

It wasn’t far into the journey though, that the Hebrew people started to rebel against God’s man.

That’s a dangerous place to be, and yet that’s where the modern church often times finds itself.

People begin to question God, and His appointed lead person, and the people are inclined to rebel.

God shows Himself clearly in the church, and He does signs and wonders among the congregation.

Then the interest wanes, and we begin listen to people who aren’t in places of leadership positions.

Those people then sway a group, and before long, their headed out for parts unknown.

This places rebellious people, within striking distance of God.

Either they don’t know better, or they’re too prideful to consider their waywardness.

We might think we know better than all the rest, but maybe not so fast.

When people can’t submit to the appointed authority, it puts them in harm’s way.

Maybe the ones who think they know it all, spiritually, don’t really know what their getting themselves into… 

National Day of Prayer!

1 Peter 4: 7

⁷ The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

Today is the National Day of Prayer

How will you pray today for our country? Will you pray today for our country?

Someone a long time ago, showed me the ACTS way to petition our Heavenly Father.

Adoration…Confession…Thanksgiving…Supplication

It’s amazing to consider, how many people don’t pray.

What’s also amazing is the men who don’t lead their wives and children in prayer.

Maybe that’s the reason that things seem so out of control in our country.

I’ll bet we could change that, if we made prayer more of a priority than it currently is.

Someone once told me, that if I ever decided to write a daily devotional, that it should be less than 100 words.

I think that should show us, that maybe we’re not as sober minded as we should be.

Would you join me in praying this prayer today? And yes, it’s probably more than 100 words…

Heavenly Father, We come to You in the Name that is above every name—Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Our hearts cry out to You.

Knowing that You are a prayer-answering, faithful God—the One we trust in times like these—we ask that You renew our spirits, revive our churches, and heal our land.

We repent of our sins and ask for Your grace and power to save us. Hear our cry, oh God, and pour out Your Spirit upon us that we may walk in obedience to Your Word.

We are desperate for Your tender mercies. We are broken and humbled before You. Forgive us, and in the power of Your great love, lift us up to live in Your righteousness.

We pray for our beloved nation. May we repent and return to You and be a light to the nations. And we pray for our leaders and ask that You give them wisdom and faith to follow You.

Preserve and protect us, for You are our refuge and only hope. Deliver us from all fears except to fear You, and may we courageously stand in the Truth that sets us free.

We pray with expectant faith and grateful hearts. In Jesus’ name, our Savior. Amen.

100 % Pure Fruit!

Galatians 5: 22 - 23

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control…

I wonder how many follower of Jesus, forget to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit?

When I look at the list above, I see a challenging, yet glorious way to walk with Jesus.

These fruits are exhibited when we walk consistently in the Spirit.

These fruits are natural for the person that flows in the power of the Holy Ghost.

Now let’s consider the person who exhibits yet another Spiritual skill set.

These are also found in Galatians 5: 19 - 20…

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity,

strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies…

Now most people would probably be disqualified for drunkenness and orgies, but what about envy?

Fits of anger, perhaps? Do I hear dissensions or divisions?

There are counterfeit fruits, and they are also counterproductive as well.

So how can you tell if you’re producing counterfeit fruit?

Maybe we should trust forever in the righteousness of Christ?

Maybe it might be a good idea, to inspect the true kind of fruit we’re producing…

One Body

Romans 12: 4 - 5

⁴ For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function,

⁵ so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

As senseless as the shooting was in Menasha on Sunday night, something good did come of it.

People gathered at a local church at 1pm yesterday to come and pray.

Not just people from Calvary Bible Church came and prayed, but even people from WCF came to pray, and other churches too.

That’s what the Body of Christ does, when another body hurts.

One can’t argue that some churches have differences within.

Some churches are almost competitive with other churches, but that doesn’t seem right.

I met other church Pastors and leaders from other churches, and something beautiful was happening.

Although we all don’t have the same function, we are one body, and the body gathered for prayer, and for counsel offered to those who were hurting.

Maybe it’s times like these, that get us focused on the one true church again, and not individualism.

One day when we all get to glory, I think when we realize what we disagreed on in principal on earth, won’t make a whole lot of difference, in a place of perfection.

Could it be possible, that God can work something good, out of something so tragic?

That sure seems to have been the case in Neenah, with a church that’s really hurting.

What area of your life needs to get refocused on the body of Christ, since we’re all members of one another anyway?

Lay down and die!

1 John 3: 16

¹⁶ By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

This verse is the standard for all followers of Christ.

We should be willing to lay it all on the line for our brothers & sisters in the faith.

Marriage is like that too.

Someone shared something with me recently, that said… “Marriage is one wedding, and two funerals.”

Paul instructs men, that if we really love our wives, we should be willing to lay our lives down for them. (Ephesians 5: 25)

The whole scope of our relationship with Jesus, is a death experience.

That’s the whole premise of our relationship within the body of Christ.

We shouldn’t wish death upon those in our intimate church family, we should be willing to die for them.

Is that how you see your relationship in the church?

As you willing to die for the person you worship with?

Maybe that should be the picture of the church.

One marriage, and two funerals.

That seems to be one of the best definitions of love, that I’ve ever heard…