Soul Joy

        “What can I try next?”  This might sound like an innocent question to direct our actions but for many in 21st century America it reveals a lot more.  For many it is the cry of those who are trying to find “Soul Joy.”  How much more money can I get, and how long will that thrill last?  Who can I conquer, and how long will that joy last?  What new toy can I get, and how long will that joy last?

        By the use of the phrase soul joy I am referring to the deep satisfaction that only comes when we mentally grasp that God can be totally trusted, and we then experience the exhilaration of that trust being proven true in one’s life.  Have you ever experienced this deep joy?  This is a freeing experience that is the total opposite of anxiety or worry.  It is the total opposite of having to produce joy in one’s life.  Instead, trust in an abiding God and His Word frees us to experience joy.

This is the freedom Jesus referred to when He taught that we are to trust God’s commitment to us and His care for us.  We can finally stop trying to find our joy in something or someone to just find it totally in God.

        Do you have the spirit of this age?  Or, are you experiencing your soul’s joy?  Take your greatest concern to Him and confidently take Him at His word.

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “” I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,’’ so that we confidently say, “” THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?’’  Hebrews 13:5—6

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!  “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’  “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  Matthew 6:30—37

Jesus Called Us To Be “Fishers Of Men.”

Do you know that many religious groups and some Christians don’t invite others to be a part of their religion?  They say that if you choose to be part of our religion that is up to you.  That is pretty appealing isn’t it?  Why risk your reputation, relationships, etc. by inviting others to seriously examine the claims of Jesus? 

        These thoughts can be pretty appealing if it were not for one major point—Jesus called us to be “fishers of men.”  Now I am not a person who knows a lot about fishing, but there is one thing that I do know—Fish have to be sought.  Fish don’t wait off shore for a good living person, or a nice acting person to come along to throw themselves at.  So, our living a good life (“letting my little light shine”) is a good thing, but there must be more.  We have to invite the fish out of the water.  In other words, we have to give them the good news that what Jesus did in our lives He will also love to do in their lives.  Each of us must be ready to communicate what Jesus has done in our lives, and we should also take advantage of every opportunity we get to learn how to communicate the gospel to another person.

  Take a moment and personalize these three important aspects of a clear testimony:

1. What I was like before I became a Jesus follower (Try to truthfully recognize with the person. Be honest and open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. You never know, an event may have happened for this very moment).

2. How I became a follower of Jesus (Give the gospel that we are all sinners, cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we tried, and Jesus came to take our place to allow us to have a relationship with God so you must surrender).

3. How my life changed since I became a follower of Jesus (Honestly share how you are different now. Remember that this does not mean that you are now perfect for every Christian is in process).

And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matthew 4:19

Knowing Your Life Purpose

A very important aspect of the local church is its role of developing believers to be an important part of God’s working in this world.  The Lord knew that we would each need to understand our role in the overall working of His will so He did something very special—He gave us a Purpose. 

        As Rick Warren said, “Before architects design any new building they first ask, ‘What will be its purpose? How will it be used?….Before God created you, he decided what role he wanted you to play on earth. He planned exactly how he wanted you to serve him, and then he shaped you for those tasks.  You are the way you are because you were made for a specific ministry.”

        Are you actively, intently, passionately, and prayerfully seeking your place in God’s grand design? I can tell you that if you are not serving anywhere in God’s grand church you will have a very difficult time finding His grand design.  Here are 2 simple steps that will help you find that place:

• Select & commit to a place of service that is your passion, and one area of need.
• Take one training course in next 6 months.

      Having taken these steps, serve with excellence and feel the thrill of realizing your purpose.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Eph 4:11—13

Lord Teach Us How To Pray

Like Jesus’ disciples many of us continue to ask “Lord teach us how to pray.” This is a lesson that is learned through a lifetime undertaking for as one person has said of prayer “who can ever master something in which the main object is to be mastered?” So give up on the excuse “I’m really not that good at praying” as a reason for not participating in prayer, none of us will ever be “good enough.” Rather, we pray in order to have God do a great work in us and through us.

“Please remember, we are dealing with the crucifixion of the will, not the obliteration of the will. Crucifixion always has resurrection tied to it. God is not destroying the will but transforming it so that over a process of time and experience we can freely will what God wills. In the crucifixion of the will we are enabled to let go of our tightfisted hold on life and follow our best prayers.”

  So, get praying! God has much to teach you about prayer and Himself.

Basking in His grace,
Pastor Norm

    Quotes are taken from Richard Foster’s Prayer: Finding The Heart’s True Home.

Grace Quotes

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person—Colossians 4:6

  As we approach Sunday and the few hours we have set aside as a church to seek God’s face, will, and power in our lives and the lives of others, take a few moments to consider these quotes.

  “Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint on his knees”  - Author Unknown

  “Intercession [praying for others] is love on its knees” - Dick Eastman, No Easy Road

  “Prayer is the language of dependence”  - Pastor Norm

  “Count those at the annual church picnic, then count those at the annual day of prayer”  - Dick Eastman, No Easy Road

  “If we cannot prevail with men for God, we will, at least, endeavor to prevail with God for men”  - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

  “Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still”  - E.M. Bounds

  “Whenever God determines to do a great work, He first sets His people to pray”  - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

  “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not” -Jeremiah 33:3

 

Basking in His grace,
Pastor Norm

Remembering the Dead

When we lose a dear friend, someone we have loved deeply, we are left with a grief that can paralyse us emotionally for a long time. People we love become part of us. Our thinking, feeling and acting are codetermined by them: Our fathers, our mothers, our husbands, our wives, our lovers, our children, our friends ... they are all living in our hearts. When they die a part of us has to die too. That is what grief is about: It is that slow and painful departure of someone who has become an intimate part of us. When Christmas, the new year, a birthday or anniversary comes, we feel deeply the absence of our beloved companion. We sometimes have to live at least a whole year before our hearts have fully said good-bye and the pain of our grief recedes. But as we let go of them they become part of our “members” and as we “re-member” them, they become our guides on our spiritual journey.  (From Henri J.M. Nouwen’s Bread For The Journey )

Being Ready to Die

Death often happens suddenly. A car accident, a plane crash, a fatal fight, a war, a flood, and so on. When we feel healthy and full of energy, we do not think much about our deaths. Still, death might come very unexpectedly.

How can we be prepared to die? By not having any unfinished relational business. The question is: Have I forgiven those who have hurt me and asked forgiveness from those I have hurt? When I feel at peace with all the people I live with, my death might cause great grief, but it will not cause guilt or anger.

When we are ready to die at any moment, we also are ready to live at any moment.  (From Henri J.M. Nouwen’s Bread For The Journey )

The Quality Of Life

In light of the events of last week I wanted to share with you this devotional a member shared with me that she felt beautifully went in line with our sermon from Sunday.

It is very hard to accept an early death. When friends die who are seventy, eighty, or ninety years old, we may be in deep grief and miss them very much, but we are grateful that they had long lives. But when a teenager, a young adult, or a person at the height of his or her career dies, we feel a protest rising from our hearts: “Why? Why so soon? Why so young? It is unfair.”

But far more important than our quantity of years is the quality of our lives. Jesus died young. St. Francis died young. St. Thérèse of Lisieux died young, Martin Luther King, Jr., died young. We do not know how long we will live, but this not knowing calls us to live every day, every week, every year of our lives to its fullest potential (The Henri Nouwen Society’s ‘Daily Meditation’).

The Purpose Of Our Existence

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person—Colossians 4:6

  One of the greatest weapons Satan uses against the people of God is to have them lose sight of the purpose to which God has called them to accomplish. As we gear up for what will be an exciting Fall where we’ll see the Lord work in our body, I believe that this is an important time for us to refocus on the purpose of our existence as a church. Our vision is that we will be a Church Family where the Triangle will see, hear, & touch the diversity of God’s grace. An important aspect of accomplishing that goal is our being a Church Family committed to glorifying God through Worship.

“If you do not know the presence of God in your office, your factory, your home, then God is not in the church when you attend. I have come to believe that when we are worshipping-if the love of God is in us and the Spirit of God is breathing praise within us, all the musical instruments in heaven are suddenly playing in full support. . . . It is my experience that our total lives, our entire attitude as persons, must be toward the worship of God.”  - A. W. Tozer (1879-1963)

  So, how’s your worship going today? Remember, Sunday is only the culmination, the end result, of a week spent worshipping God in everything we do. See you at the big worship finale on Sunday.

Father, deepen our hunger for you so that we will always seek to worship you in our daily lives and with our daily language. Take joy in our worship.

Walking With God

It has been said that most accidents happen when people become comfortable with a powerful item they are working with and lower their guards. Familiarity breeds contempt, or at least underestimation.

Do you know that we do the same thing with God? We do this every time we approach the God of the universe, who reigns in majesty and fail to give Him priority in our lives. To remind you of the awesome connection we have with this great God take a moment and dwell on His resume as it is presented by Isaiah:

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
    The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
    Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
    And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
    And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the LORD
    Will gain new strength;
    They will mount up with wings like eagles,
    They will run and not get tired,
    They will walk and not become weary.  (Isaiah 40:28—31)

Father, shake us awake to the realization of the great God we walk with and to the incredible privilege we now have as children of the true & living King. 

The Opportunity To Start Over Again

“Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending.”—Carl Bard

God gives every one of us an incredible gift—the opportunity to start over again. That is the very nature of grace in that we receive that which we do not deserve and the power to do better. We often limit grace to our salvation, but it is also a part of the believer’s everyday life. Grace is the ability to live life in a way that pleases God through the empowerment of His Holy Spirit. Consider some of the words that highlight this ability to make a brand-new ending daily:

“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him” (Lamentations 3:22—24).
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13—14).

Father, thank you for your second, third,… chances. Help us to realize just how great a blessing we receive daily, and then to use them to make brand-new endings to your glory.

A Day Set Aside For You

Lately there has been a lot written about the ‘tired American.’ Researchers have noted that most Americans are not getting enough sleep, have unhealthy eating patterns, carry a tremendous amount of stress, and are continuing to speed up their schedules rather than slowing down. But is this God’s intent for us?

In the beginning God established a principle that was to guide humanity that was summed up in the Hebrew word shabat (sabbath) (Exodus 20:8). The word means ‘rest.’ God modeled this for us in Genesis 2:2 where we are told that He labored for six days and then rested, ceased from the activities He was focused on during that time. The fact that God “hallows & blesses” this day communicates that He sets this day aside for a special purpose.  This day has a special sacredness & blessing for humanity. It is to be kept free from the normal labor of ‘making a living’ that characterizes the other six days. The day promotes a special relationship to God & to His Service. So, a day away from the regular patterns of life forces us to refocus on the priorities of life and encourages both our spiritual and physical health.

Father, convict us to have a day set aside for you. A day where we can slow down long enough to hear your voice and to recharge our batteries.

How Is Your Prayer Life?

Do you know that prayer is a significant measure of the strength of our faith? In Luke 18:1—8 Jesus’ closing words in this account are astounding—“When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?” This statement is given in respect to prayer’s importance in the life of His followers.

As Jesus spoke in this passage He was focusing on His followers having an ATTITUDE OF DEPENDENCE. In other words, to the extent to which we realize our total dependence on God is the extent to which we make prayer a priority. Therefore, Jesus says that a follower of His who does not pray as if his or her life depended on it is not living by faith. So, how is your prayer life? Are you running daily on prayer?

Father, forgive us for how little we depend on you. For how little we depend on prayer. Help us this day to see our need and to respond in prayer.

Father, Help Us To Be People Of Prayer

What is it that Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to do? No, it was not preaching, healing, performing miracles, evangelizing, worshipping,… The part of Jesus’ life that had the greatest impression on them to the point that they wanted to know how they could do the same was Jesus’ prayer life. In Luke 11:1 after Jesus had finished praying a disciple asked Him to teach them how to do what He had been so dependent on. Jesus then gives them a quick outline for prayer, which we also see in Matthew 6:9—13.

Here is an outline for praying this prayer that the Lord gave to me. It is summarized in the acrostic R.E.A.C.H. It has blessed me in organizing my prayers, I pray that it will do the same for you:

Recognize God. Exalt God
Encourage God’s Will. Desire His Kingdom will to rule.
Ask for needs. Requests our needs not our greed.
Confess….. Confess
Hold on to God. Ask God to deliver from temptation.

Father, help us to be people of prayer.

Dwelling Together in Unity

The greatest challenge of playing on a team is that you have to depend on others in order to win. That is why some of the most gifted and talented individuals don’t excel in such team settings as sports, the academic & business worlds, churches, and families. One of the greatest reasons for this underachievement is the tendency of individuals to fight in an attempt to change others and to get their way. Many times this occurs over matters that are not significant.

Former pastor and present leadership consultant John Maxwell gives these 5 disciplines for discerning when to fight for change and when to sacrifice oneself for the team’s success:

1. Spend time with people who are different than you. You will be less likely to judge or battle others.
2. In matters of personal preference or taste, give in. Save yourself for what really matters.
3. Don’t take things too personally. Remember, hurting people hurt people, and are easily hurt by others.
4. Practice the 101% principle. Whenever possible, find the 1% you do agree on in a difficult situation, and give it 100% of your effort.
5. Be a servant leader. “If your mindset is to serve rather than to be served, you will likely encounter less conflict.”

The Psalmist is so enamored by the importance of peace & unity that he gives one whole psalm (Psalm 133) to its praise—“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” He knew the refreshing power of its presence.

Father, bless we your people this day to be people of unity in all the gatherings and groups we find ourselves a within. May others be refreshed by our presence.