S.B.: Psalm 23: 1 – 6
Are you carrying a burden? Does it seem like you are going absolutely nowhere… fast? Don’t despair, there is good news for you.
We lead very hectic lives, and we have very little time scheduled (if any) for the purpose of being restored. The necessity of restoration and renewal is something that God has planned for us, and is an integral part of our walk with HIM. We have a source of regeneration directly from God’s word… HE LEADS ME BESIDE QUIET WATERS… HE RESTORES MY SOUL!
A month ago, I had the privilege of going away on a retreat for Pastors. This retreat was not to be like any other that I have ever been on, because I had quite an eye-opener on what restoration and renewal really means.
Verses 2 and 3 from the 23rd Psalm came alive for me in a new and unexpected manner… “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters… He restores my soul.” Did you see the word “He” in these two verses? HE has to make me take some time to rest… My life is a beehive of activity and HE has to lead me to a place where I can have solace. He restores my soul.
Restoration comes from many sources… a balanced, healthy diet… spending time with family and friends… even recreation is a contributing factor to the restorative process, and God encourages us to partake freely of this gift.
The first part of this retreat was dedicated to rediscovering a personal Sabbath time. (a time dedicated solely to rest and restoration.) After we were welcomed to the retreat center, and the theme for the retreat was announced, we were told that from 4 to 6 o’clock was to be a Sabbath Time… meaning no “Pastoral Work” During the next two hours I prayed, I painted, I went out for coffee with another pastor, but found it difficult not to make a call, or check email, or write a sermon. It was difficult just to rest… I don’t mean sleeping… I mean resting my mind, and my soul. The words “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters…” took on a new meaning for me. God’s word does tell us “It’s okay… you’ve done enough… it’s time to take a rest.”
After dinner that evening, we went on an adventure in restoration and renewal. We were invited to a nearby church, and were brought into a large, state-of-the-art Game room.
What happened next was an interesting study into the need for restoration. Several of the men seemed to have no problem and started using the equipment and games available. The rest of us, however, stood around awkwardly for a few minutes until we gathered up the courage to give ourselves permission to have some fun! It was quite a learning experience that evening… and a very humbling experience, in that it took me a while to warm up to the idea that it was okay to have fun.
I share this experience with you today so that we can all know, myself included, that when God says in Psalm 23 that He restores my soul, those words are for today… right now… they are not just for funerals as we tend to apply this psalm.
God doesn’t want his children to be uptight and deadly serious all the time. God’s word to us is for us to cast our cares on HIM for HE cares for us! One of my favorite pictures, and maybe some of you have seen it as well at the Lighthouse Christian Bookstore, is of Jesus kicking a soccer ball with a bunch of kids.
Now, the question is “What is so significant about that experience?” The answer is that restoration is a two-step process. The Psalmist’s words “He restores my soul” carry the implication that I have to allow HIM to restore my soul. I have to yield myself to his will and his direction. Often He gives us things He wants us to do for the Kingdom… but he also gives us time to “relax, unwind, and have some fun.”
My prayer for all of us today is that we will take time to practice a Sabbath time during our week, remembering the words from our scripture passage today… He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. Allow God to give you the rest that you need.
I Bid You Peace...
Pastor Ken+
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Love Never Fails
S.B. I Corinthians 13: 1 – 13
Last Sunday’s sermon was on attitude. This morning’s sermon is about our attitude of love, and the blessings we receive from it… and give with it.
One of my favorite memories of growing up in a Christian household centers around this morning’s text. Every time I would face a challenge… or every time I would get into trouble… my mom and my dad would always say the same thing… “Before anything else, let’s get back to square one… No matter what the situation… no matter what you’ve done… I Love You, Son.”
In our text this morning, we see God telling us the very same thing… One verse from our passage this morning leaps off the page. It contains the three most powerful words in the whole New Testament… “Love… Never… Fails…” We are not necessarily talking about the love that we have for one another, although that love is very important… after all, someone once said that love makes the world go ‘round… I would like to focus on the most uplifting and inspiring love of all… the Love that God has for his children… the Love that HE shared with us when HE sent HIS son to pay for our sins on the cross… HIS Love… and HIS LOVE ONLY… never fails. He is perfect, and HIS love is unconditional.
There is nothing that we can do to earn his love, but he gives it freely and deeply. HIS Love never fails. He does tell us in this passage this morning that while we may possess riches and knowledge and power and wisdom, that without love all these things are meaningless.
We know that God loves unconditionally, yet in this scripture he does not ask us to love as he loves. Rather, in this scripture he is giving us a lesson in what love really is, and what love really looks like.
Every time I read this passage, I have to ask myself how I personally measure up to this list. There are some tough questions that this list asks of us, but one answer keeps coming up. None of what we have means anything unless we have love in our hearts. In other passages in the Bible God tells us to love one another as He has loved us… here he is giving us more of a detailed list of some of the characteristics of that love.
In verses 4 through 6, Paul tells us that Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He tells us what love is… and what it is not.
I feel as if I can safely suggest that most of us here today have experienced this kind of love… be it from a friends, parents, spouse or family or your church family… where we’ve been loved, and have loved the way Paul talks about in verses 4 thru 6, and how blessed we are by such love. The true blessing comes when we reciprocate, or even better, initiate such Christian love. When we go to church every Sunday, one of the things that I’ve noticed that we do, is we greet each other… whether it is with a handshake, or a hug, or a smile… and the thought occurs to me that for some, that handshake or hug or smile may be the only human contact that some people have in their week. That is called fellowship. This is a part of God’s design for his children, and he tells us to bless each other with that fellowship. “This is my commandment, that you love one another THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL.”
We sing a hymn every so often that says “Blessed be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love… the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.”
Here’s a challenge for you today. This morning, earlier in the service, we had an opportunity to go and greet people… perhaps even people we have not met before. Take the time, perhaps even after the service today, to connect with someone whom you may not know very well… yet. Perhaps go to lunch or coffee today. Or perhaps connect with someone from our congregation during this week, reach out to that person… share God’s love with that person… And watch what happens.
The Body of Christ is a congregation filled with love for each other. This week, as we go about our lives, take the time to give someone a handshake or a hug or a smile. The blessings that you bestow will be great… the blessings that you receive will be immeasurable.
I Bid You Peace...
Pastor Ken+
Last Sunday’s sermon was on attitude. This morning’s sermon is about our attitude of love, and the blessings we receive from it… and give with it.
One of my favorite memories of growing up in a Christian household centers around this morning’s text. Every time I would face a challenge… or every time I would get into trouble… my mom and my dad would always say the same thing… “Before anything else, let’s get back to square one… No matter what the situation… no matter what you’ve done… I Love You, Son.”
In our text this morning, we see God telling us the very same thing… One verse from our passage this morning leaps off the page. It contains the three most powerful words in the whole New Testament… “Love… Never… Fails…” We are not necessarily talking about the love that we have for one another, although that love is very important… after all, someone once said that love makes the world go ‘round… I would like to focus on the most uplifting and inspiring love of all… the Love that God has for his children… the Love that HE shared with us when HE sent HIS son to pay for our sins on the cross… HIS Love… and HIS LOVE ONLY… never fails. He is perfect, and HIS love is unconditional.
There is nothing that we can do to earn his love, but he gives it freely and deeply. HIS Love never fails. He does tell us in this passage this morning that while we may possess riches and knowledge and power and wisdom, that without love all these things are meaningless.
We know that God loves unconditionally, yet in this scripture he does not ask us to love as he loves. Rather, in this scripture he is giving us a lesson in what love really is, and what love really looks like.
Every time I read this passage, I have to ask myself how I personally measure up to this list. There are some tough questions that this list asks of us, but one answer keeps coming up. None of what we have means anything unless we have love in our hearts. In other passages in the Bible God tells us to love one another as He has loved us… here he is giving us more of a detailed list of some of the characteristics of that love.
In verses 4 through 6, Paul tells us that Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He tells us what love is… and what it is not.
I feel as if I can safely suggest that most of us here today have experienced this kind of love… be it from a friends, parents, spouse or family or your church family… where we’ve been loved, and have loved the way Paul talks about in verses 4 thru 6, and how blessed we are by such love. The true blessing comes when we reciprocate, or even better, initiate such Christian love. When we go to church every Sunday, one of the things that I’ve noticed that we do, is we greet each other… whether it is with a handshake, or a hug, or a smile… and the thought occurs to me that for some, that handshake or hug or smile may be the only human contact that some people have in their week. That is called fellowship. This is a part of God’s design for his children, and he tells us to bless each other with that fellowship. “This is my commandment, that you love one another THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL.”
We sing a hymn every so often that says “Blessed be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love… the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.”
Here’s a challenge for you today. This morning, earlier in the service, we had an opportunity to go and greet people… perhaps even people we have not met before. Take the time, perhaps even after the service today, to connect with someone whom you may not know very well… yet. Perhaps go to lunch or coffee today. Or perhaps connect with someone from our congregation during this week, reach out to that person… share God’s love with that person… And watch what happens.
The Body of Christ is a congregation filled with love for each other. This week, as we go about our lives, take the time to give someone a handshake or a hug or a smile. The blessings that you bestow will be great… the blessings that you receive will be immeasurable.
I Bid You Peace...
Pastor Ken+
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Contagious Christianity
John 15: 5 – 17
In this passage, Jesus is re-establishing his relationship with his disciples… and with us as well…
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
The promise that Jesus is telling us in the word “abide”…is to remain… to have Jesus and his word so deeply engrained into the very fiber of your being that you cannot help but live for Jesus.
He tells his disciples, and he tells us as well, that the key to our walk with him is to stay connected to him. I say that he tells us as well because the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and that heaven and earth will pass away, but his never-ending word remains the same in an ever-changing world.
Being a Contagious Christian means more than just sharing your faith in Christ Jesus with the next person. It means being the branches, reaching out to those around you, and stretching beyond your comfort zone. It means that if someone grabs on to the branch that you’ve extended, they should feel God’s presence – remember that HE is the vine…He is the root… and he will help you and guide you to extend his love through you.
Remember verse 17 says “This is my command… love each other.”
Jesus goes on to say “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” How awesome it is of God that HE wants HIS joy to be in us… and that He gives us the steps we need to make our joy complete. We don’t even have to wonder or question what we have to do… he tells us, and shows us what to do… now the question is… will we do it… and do we always do it?
His command to us in verse 12 is “love one another as I have loved you…” This is one of those scriptures in the Bible where reading and understanding its meaning is sometimes easier than putting it into practice. Jesus, we know, loves unconditionally, and he is asking us to do the same, as he says “Love one another AS I HAVE LOVED YOU…”
But his promise is very clear… do this so that my joy may be in you… and that your joy may be complete.
He goes on to say in verse 16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” Remember one thing… God does not make mistakes. When HE chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, he expects that you will do it… he expects that you will be a contagious Christian by your actions, your words, and your faith.
“Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” Then in verse 17 he states again… “This is my command: Love each other.”
These words from scripture that I have shared today are to help remind each and every one of us of just one of God’s many promises.
We have many opportunities daily, weekly to put into practice God’s words from today. While God provides these opportunities, it is up to us to answer them, and apply them to our lives. Remember that He chose you… and appointed you… to go and bear fruit.
Paul’s attitude was that he wanted to know nothing except Christ and him Crucified. That showed through in everything he did, and as a result of that attitude, his ministry was felt through the known world of his day, and he wrote more books in the Bible than any other author. Paul was a Contagious Christian…
Someone recently shared with me this quote… which I will leave you with today…
“Attitude is truly contagious… So ask yourself one question… is yours worth catching?”
I Bid You Peace...
Pastor Ken+
In this passage, Jesus is re-establishing his relationship with his disciples… and with us as well…
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
The promise that Jesus is telling us in the word “abide”…is to remain… to have Jesus and his word so deeply engrained into the very fiber of your being that you cannot help but live for Jesus.
He tells his disciples, and he tells us as well, that the key to our walk with him is to stay connected to him. I say that he tells us as well because the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and that heaven and earth will pass away, but his never-ending word remains the same in an ever-changing world.
Being a Contagious Christian means more than just sharing your faith in Christ Jesus with the next person. It means being the branches, reaching out to those around you, and stretching beyond your comfort zone. It means that if someone grabs on to the branch that you’ve extended, they should feel God’s presence – remember that HE is the vine…He is the root… and he will help you and guide you to extend his love through you.
Remember verse 17 says “This is my command… love each other.”
Jesus goes on to say “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” How awesome it is of God that HE wants HIS joy to be in us… and that He gives us the steps we need to make our joy complete. We don’t even have to wonder or question what we have to do… he tells us, and shows us what to do… now the question is… will we do it… and do we always do it?
His command to us in verse 12 is “love one another as I have loved you…” This is one of those scriptures in the Bible where reading and understanding its meaning is sometimes easier than putting it into practice. Jesus, we know, loves unconditionally, and he is asking us to do the same, as he says “Love one another AS I HAVE LOVED YOU…”
But his promise is very clear… do this so that my joy may be in you… and that your joy may be complete.
He goes on to say in verse 16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” Remember one thing… God does not make mistakes. When HE chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, he expects that you will do it… he expects that you will be a contagious Christian by your actions, your words, and your faith.
“Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” Then in verse 17 he states again… “This is my command: Love each other.”
These words from scripture that I have shared today are to help remind each and every one of us of just one of God’s many promises.
We have many opportunities daily, weekly to put into practice God’s words from today. While God provides these opportunities, it is up to us to answer them, and apply them to our lives. Remember that He chose you… and appointed you… to go and bear fruit.
Paul’s attitude was that he wanted to know nothing except Christ and him Crucified. That showed through in everything he did, and as a result of that attitude, his ministry was felt through the known world of his day, and he wrote more books in the Bible than any other author. Paul was a Contagious Christian…
Someone recently shared with me this quote… which I will leave you with today…
“Attitude is truly contagious… So ask yourself one question… is yours worth catching?”
I Bid You Peace...
Pastor Ken+
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
What we don't always share about ministry...
Dear Readers...
Today I thought I would share with you some insight into what it's like to be in Pastoral Ministry. Rather than sharing anecdotes and stories with you, I would share some facts and figures based on several different surveys.
I Bid You Peace...
Pastor Ken+
1991 Survey of Pastors (Fuller Institute of Church Growth)
90% work more than 46 hours a week80% believed pastoral ministry affected their families negatively33% believed ministry was a hazard to their family75% reported a significant stress related crisis at least once in their ministry50% felt themselves unable to meet the needs of the job90% felt inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands70% say they have a lower self esteem now compared to when they started in ministry40% reported serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month70% do not have someone they consider a close friend
Malony & Hunt, The Psychology of Clergy
William Moore in a study of 341 clergy from 36 denominations and 43 states showed that unrealistic expectations are a major factor in pastor burnout60% of clergy wives hold full time jobs or are involved in careersSome studies suggest 70% of clergy report experiencing major distress33% have considered leaving the ministry
.
Current Thoughts & Trends, December 1992
28% of pastors said ministry was a hazard to family life16% said it didn't affect family either way57% thought it was beneficial94% felt under pressure to have the "ideal" familyEstimated 20% of 300,000 clergy suffer from long term stressOne year the Southern Baptist Convention paid out $64 million in stress related claims, second in dollar amounts only to maternity benefits.
Leadership Magazine, Fall 1992
70% indicated their compensation contributed to marriage conflicts22% feel forced to supplement their church income
Current Thoughts & Trends, May 1992
Last 3 years, typical pastor's salary increased less than 1/2 the inflation rateAverage increase for 1988-1991 was 7.4%Over 40% of single staff pastors felt they were underpaid.33% of senior pastors felt they were underpaid.
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Survey, 1997
Pastors:
· 1,500 pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout or contention in their churches.
· 80% of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.
· 50% of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
· 85% of pastors said their greatest problem is they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people, such as disgruntled elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors. 90% said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people.
Pastors' Wives:
· 80% of pastors' spouses feel their spouse is overworked.
· 80% of pastor' wives feel left out and unappreciated by the church members.
· 80% of pastors' spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.
· 80% of pastors' wives feel pressured to do things and be something in the church that they are really not.
Pastors' Relationship With the Lord:
· 70% of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor.
· 95 % of pastors do not regularly pray with their spouses.
· 80% of pastors surveyed spend less than fifteen minutes a day in prayer.
· 70% said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.
What are current clergy care needs?
- A place to get away, quiet time, place of silence, alone time
- A place to voice our concerns as leaders
- Counseling, spiritual direction, spiritual challenges
- Trust and private arena for discussion
- Peer support, time with others, fellowship and fun, sense of connectedness with other clergy & diocese
- Time for renewal & refreshment
- To be ministered to and not to minister
- We need to get over our schizophrenia over “Poor dear works too hard and WHAT, you’re taking a day off?”
- Clearer definition of the “role”, support, empower, matching clergy with appropriate parish
- Where are we going? Direction clearly defined?
- Skill gap closure- time management, help in knowing how to deal with difficult behaviour
- Ongoing supervisor holding clergy accountable, ongoing analysis & performance evaluation
- Growth personally & vocationally
- What does it mean to be a clergy in our day & age?
- Well balance lifestyle
o Affirming relationships, study time, play time, prayer time
- Alleviate financial pressure & burden of parish financial problems.
Today I thought I would share with you some insight into what it's like to be in Pastoral Ministry. Rather than sharing anecdotes and stories with you, I would share some facts and figures based on several different surveys.
I Bid You Peace...
Pastor Ken+
1991 Survey of Pastors (Fuller Institute of Church Growth)
90% work more than 46 hours a week80% believed pastoral ministry affected their families negatively33% believed ministry was a hazard to their family75% reported a significant stress related crisis at least once in their ministry50% felt themselves unable to meet the needs of the job90% felt inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands70% say they have a lower self esteem now compared to when they started in ministry40% reported serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month70% do not have someone they consider a close friend
Malony & Hunt, The Psychology of Clergy
William Moore in a study of 341 clergy from 36 denominations and 43 states showed that unrealistic expectations are a major factor in pastor burnout60% of clergy wives hold full time jobs or are involved in careersSome studies suggest 70% of clergy report experiencing major distress33% have considered leaving the ministry
.
Current Thoughts & Trends, December 1992
28% of pastors said ministry was a hazard to family life16% said it didn't affect family either way57% thought it was beneficial94% felt under pressure to have the "ideal" familyEstimated 20% of 300,000 clergy suffer from long term stressOne year the Southern Baptist Convention paid out $64 million in stress related claims, second in dollar amounts only to maternity benefits.
Leadership Magazine, Fall 1992
70% indicated their compensation contributed to marriage conflicts22% feel forced to supplement their church income
Current Thoughts & Trends, May 1992
Last 3 years, typical pastor's salary increased less than 1/2 the inflation rateAverage increase for 1988-1991 was 7.4%Over 40% of single staff pastors felt they were underpaid.33% of senior pastors felt they were underpaid.
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Survey, 1997
Pastors:
· 1,500 pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout or contention in their churches.
· 80% of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.
· 50% of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
· 85% of pastors said their greatest problem is they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people, such as disgruntled elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors. 90% said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people.
Pastors' Wives:
· 80% of pastors' spouses feel their spouse is overworked.
· 80% of pastor' wives feel left out and unappreciated by the church members.
· 80% of pastors' spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.
· 80% of pastors' wives feel pressured to do things and be something in the church that they are really not.
Pastors' Relationship With the Lord:
· 70% of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor.
· 95 % of pastors do not regularly pray with their spouses.
· 80% of pastors surveyed spend less than fifteen minutes a day in prayer.
· 70% said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.
What are current clergy care needs?
- A place to get away, quiet time, place of silence, alone time
- A place to voice our concerns as leaders
- Counseling, spiritual direction, spiritual challenges
- Trust and private arena for discussion
- Peer support, time with others, fellowship and fun, sense of connectedness with other clergy & diocese
- Time for renewal & refreshment
- To be ministered to and not to minister
- We need to get over our schizophrenia over “Poor dear works too hard and WHAT, you’re taking a day off?”
- Clearer definition of the “role”, support, empower, matching clergy with appropriate parish
- Where are we going? Direction clearly defined?
- Skill gap closure- time management, help in knowing how to deal with difficult behaviour
- Ongoing supervisor holding clergy accountable, ongoing analysis & performance evaluation
- Growth personally & vocationally
- What does it mean to be a clergy in our day & age?
- Well balance lifestyle
o Affirming relationships, study time, play time, prayer time
- Alleviate financial pressure & burden of parish financial problems.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Pray... Seek... Turn...
II Chronicles 7: 13 – 16
God’s word for the church today is very simple and very straightforward…
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land…”
The story behind the story is that the Kingdom of Israel had undergone a period of complacency in their history, and as a result of that complacency things started to happen.
Suddenly, things weren’t the same… The way things are is not the way things used to be… suddenly the attitude of the people was one of rebellion as the economy and the moral climate of the day and age began to slowly creep into the church.
Then God spoke to King Solomon… “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
God gives King Solomon specific instructions on how to turn things around in the Kingdom of Israel… and in the church today…
1.) “If my people who are called by my name…” God was establishing a relationship with his people… God was telling his people that theirs was a special relationship… he was calling them his children… his family… but his children had lost sight of their first love… they had lost sight of their God…
2.) “Will humble themselves and pray…” Proverbs 3: 5, 6 says “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on their own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge HIM, and he will direct your path…” God calls on us to seek his face… and turn to him… to humble ourselves and acknowledge him as sovereign in our lives, in our homes, in our families, in the church today… and in society today.
3.) “And seek my face…” In times of uncertainty seek his face for clarity and wisdom. In times of joy and celebration, like that of a new marriage, or the birth of a baby, seek his face, and know that HE is celebrating with you. He lives our feelings with us, but make no mistake, His words are very clear as are his expectations. God’s words can be sharp, like a knife. They can pierce your heart, but the difference is that a knife will hurt your heart… God’s word will heal your heart.
4.) The next phrase in this passage is difficult to wrestle with… the words “and turn from their wicked ways…” strike at our hearts. God’s message to us is not that of condemnation… God calls us from the ways of the world to an attitude of repentance and brokenness. God’s word to the church today is to seek first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness… he tells us to seek HIM first… our eyes need to be fixed on him… he calls us to it… he deserves it…he died for it… then, and only then, will everything else will be added to us.
These words that I am sharing with you this morning are from the Bible… God simply says that he will heal our land… but first he tells us that we need to do these things… humble ourselves and pray… seek HIS face… and turn from our wicked ways. In other words, his message to us is to agree with him that there is sin in our lives, and turn away from that sin (that’s repentance), and acknowledge that on our own we can do nothing (that’s brokenness…)…
His word does not say “maybe I will heal your land…” or “I might heal your land…” His word declares that if we do these things HE WILL HEAL OUR LAND! He… will heal… our land.
Bumper Sticker: “God Said It… I Believe It… That Settles It.”
God’s word for the church today is very simple and very straightforward…
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land…”
The story behind the story is that the Kingdom of Israel had undergone a period of complacency in their history, and as a result of that complacency things started to happen.
Suddenly, things weren’t the same… The way things are is not the way things used to be… suddenly the attitude of the people was one of rebellion as the economy and the moral climate of the day and age began to slowly creep into the church.
Then God spoke to King Solomon… “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
God gives King Solomon specific instructions on how to turn things around in the Kingdom of Israel… and in the church today…
1.) “If my people who are called by my name…” God was establishing a relationship with his people… God was telling his people that theirs was a special relationship… he was calling them his children… his family… but his children had lost sight of their first love… they had lost sight of their God…
2.) “Will humble themselves and pray…” Proverbs 3: 5, 6 says “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on their own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge HIM, and he will direct your path…” God calls on us to seek his face… and turn to him… to humble ourselves and acknowledge him as sovereign in our lives, in our homes, in our families, in the church today… and in society today.
3.) “And seek my face…” In times of uncertainty seek his face for clarity and wisdom. In times of joy and celebration, like that of a new marriage, or the birth of a baby, seek his face, and know that HE is celebrating with you. He lives our feelings with us, but make no mistake, His words are very clear as are his expectations. God’s words can be sharp, like a knife. They can pierce your heart, but the difference is that a knife will hurt your heart… God’s word will heal your heart.
4.) The next phrase in this passage is difficult to wrestle with… the words “and turn from their wicked ways…” strike at our hearts. God’s message to us is not that of condemnation… God calls us from the ways of the world to an attitude of repentance and brokenness. God’s word to the church today is to seek first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness… he tells us to seek HIM first… our eyes need to be fixed on him… he calls us to it… he deserves it…he died for it… then, and only then, will everything else will be added to us.
These words that I am sharing with you this morning are from the Bible… God simply says that he will heal our land… but first he tells us that we need to do these things… humble ourselves and pray… seek HIS face… and turn from our wicked ways. In other words, his message to us is to agree with him that there is sin in our lives, and turn away from that sin (that’s repentance), and acknowledge that on our own we can do nothing (that’s brokenness…)…
His word does not say “maybe I will heal your land…” or “I might heal your land…” His word declares that if we do these things HE WILL HEAL OUR LAND! He… will heal… our land.
Bumper Sticker: “God Said It… I Believe It… That Settles It.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
