faithful

You Snooze You Lose

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Mark 13:2
“Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

IMG_1454The stones that formed the Temple were massive. Their sheer size represented permanence. For the disciples, it would be difficult to imagine them ever being destroyed. When Jesus declared that a time was coming when the Temple would be leveled, the minds of the disciples jumped to the future. They asked;

“What will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”

Mark 13 is an abridged version of the Olivet Discourse recorded also in Matthew 24-25. The subject is the signs that point to the return of Christ. Jesus states;

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”

People are fascinated with what the Bible teaches about the future. Many Christians have become students of prophecy, many books have been written on the subject, Hollywood has produced movie after movie depicting their interpretations of eschatology. Sometimes, in the midst of all this, we can miss the repeated exhortation of Jesus.

“Take heed… Take heed, watch and pray… Watch… What I say to you I say to all: watch!”

While it is important to be aware of the events that point to the return of Christ, it is more important to be focussing on your relationship with Jesus. Are you ready? If He were to return today, what will He find you doing? Are you living your life for His glory and Kingdom? Are you watching or have you fallen asleep? When He returns, we will not be tested on our knowledge of prophecy but rewarded for our faithfulness.

Perhaps this is a good time to take inventory of your walk with the Lord. Maybe you need to do a little “house cleaning.”

Pastor Jim

 

Faithful In All Things

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Exodus 24:5
“Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord.”

IMG_1438“If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” I am quite certain most of us have heard this little slogan. The lesson in it is, there is no way to get a job done properly, unless you alone are the one to do it. I would guess each of us could supply loads of empirical data that would support such a statement. We have all given a task to another, only to find they proved less than qualified to accomplish it.

While it is necessary for a person to prove themselves faithful before they are given opportunity for ministry, it is also true, that the method of God is to expand ministry, by giving it away. Moses was not a one-man-band who did not allow others opportunity to serve. Instead, he spread ministry by putting it into the hands of others.

Although the names, physical descriptions, and occupations of these men are not disclosed, we do know, they were less than qualified for the task. The one adjective used to describe them, was that they were young. Young, in many cases, could be used synonymously with the word inexperienced. The basic idea is, Moses chose guys who might seem unqualified for the job, in order to raise up another generation given to the service of the Lord. Moses was not alone in this approach, Jesus and Paul were both known for giving ministry away.

I think there are two simple applications to draw from this text. First, we should seek to become a person that others would want to include in ministry. If we know those serving the Lord are always looking for faithful, although perhaps inexperienced people, we should seek to be faithful. Second, if we are involved in ministry, we cannot try to hold on to it. Instead of viewing it as “our ministry”, we should see it as “His ministry”, and be looking for others to team with, and ultimately, to pass things on to.

Pastor Jim

 

Agents Of Shield

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Genesis 15:1
“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’”

2015/01/img_1305.jpgAbraham had every reason to be afraid. He had just mounted a surprise attack against the forces of king Chedorlaomer and stole back all the spoils of Chedarlaomer’s victory over the king of Sodom. It seems obvious, this king would soon return with his armies and attempt to wipe out Abraham.  I love that God wastes no time in coming to Abraham with a promise to be his protection against the enemies attacks.

Abraham’s fears may have been compiled by the fact that he had just rejected all the spoils offered to him by the king of Sodom. In an act of great, perhaps even heroic, faith, Abraham resisted the temptation to take a financial gift from the king. He chose, instead, to boldly declare he would rather trust in the provision of God, than to have anyone think it was the king who  made him rich. What a blessing to hear God declare He would be Abraham’s reward.

No matter what circumstances we might be facing, we can be assured that God wants to provide protection and provision. Just as He held back the vengeful hand of Chedorlaomer, He is able to work out the troubling circumstances which seem to be drowning you. God is faithful to be our shield and our reward.

Pastor Jim

 

Smoke

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Hosea 13:3
“Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud and like the early dew that passes away, like chaff blown off from a threshing floor and like smoke from a chimney.”

When we are young everything seems to take forever, but the older we get, the more we realize how brief life really is. It seems as though I finally get used to writing the calendar year, and suddenlyit is time to change the last a digit. There is nothing we can do to change the brevity of life, but there is much we can do to ensure that our life has a lasting impact on others.

The Bible declares the life of the wicked is like smoke from a chimney that rises and is gone. The righteous, on the other hand, leave a lasting impact upon the world. We don’t have to invent the light bulb or discover a planet to leave an impact upon the world. Instead, we must leave a righteous standard for others to follow.

A praying grandma, bible reading father, or faithful mom who serves alongside her children at their local church, will have a long lasting impact upon the generations to come. I cannot tell you how often I hear someone tell me their uncle, brother, grandpa or dad was a pastor and it is usually in the context of them returning to the Lord, or desiring to serve Him more. I have a friend who spent years in the business world only to one day decide to follow in his Father’s footsteps and become a pastor. He now pastors a large church where many are being impacted for the kingdom of heaven.

Let’s live like our life matters, seeking to store up treasures in heaven and leaving a pattern for others to follow.

Pastor Jim

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