Got Faith?

Hebrews 11: 6 (NIV) And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

One thing that keeps many people from coming to Christ, or growing in him, is that they're “too nice.” They live moral lives. They give to charity. They treat others well. They may even go to church and read the Bible on occasion. They assume that God must be pleased with them because they're good people.
Yet they lack the one thing they need to please God—faith. 

The Bible says you can live the cleanest life possible, you can do all sorts of good deeds, you can even memorize the Bible from cover to cover... but without faith you will not please God.
What does it mean to have faith? According to the last part of this verse, faith means not only believing that God exists but also seeking after him earnestly. It's not enough to be a good person or even to acknowledge that God is there. The Pharisees in Jesus' day did all of these things, yet Jesus was anything but pleased with them! Even the demons in hell believe God exists! (James 2:19).

The good news is this: God promises to reward those who earnestly seek him. If you trust God, he'll provide for your needs. If you seek his plan for you, he'll guide you into his perfect will. He'll pour out love on you unlike anything you've ever experienced.

You hold the key that unlocks everything God has for you. That key is your faith that God will do everything the Bible says He will.

(Some of the above thoughts were taken from a LifeWay devotional.)

Exercising faith with you, 

Marvin

Learning to Hear God

The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, "Samuel, Samuel!"  Samuel responded, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."  1 Samuel 3:10 (HCSB)

Some people say that husbands are famous for seeming to pay attention as their wives speak but, in reality, don't comprehend what is being communicated.  In order to really listen husbands, or anyone else, must focus attention on what is being said.  Sometimes, this simple act requires professional help to accomplish.

The teenager Samuel could not remotely imagine that one night God was calling him.  Samuel thought is was Eli the priest who called his name since the voice was so personal.  Eli helped young Samuel understand God was speaking.

Samuel took Eli's advice and promptly answered God correctly.

Not many people have heard the audible voice of God in such a personal way.  Even though we may never hear the audible voice of God, it is important to develop an attitude of careful listening if we are to hear him speaking to us.  That involves learning to focus all of our attention on God.  Then, in the stillness of our souls, we will recognize His voice.  To obey what we hear is a key component to growing in our faith and being more effective in ministry.

(Adapted form a devotion from "Open Windows.")

Learning to hear with you,
Pastor Marvin

We Need to Tell God

"In everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God." - Philippians 4:6, HCSB

One of the reasons Jesus taught us to pray "Give us today our daily bread" was because He wanted to build in us a barrier against ingratitude.

How often do you pray for your physical/daily needs?  Do you ask God daily for things like food, shelter, and the other physical necessities of life?  I confess that my answer is "No, not everyday."  However, I see the need to do so, not to please God but for my own benefit.

Of course some people argue that because Jesus said: "Your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him" (Mt 6:8), then it is pointless to inform God of our physical needs because He knows them already.  But the central value of prayer is that prayer is not something by which we inform God of our needs and thus influence Him to give things to us.

Prayer is designed to influence us; it is we who are in need of this kind of prayer, not God.  Of course God knows what we are in need of, but He also knows that unless we come face to face daily with the fact that we are creatures of need, then we can soon develop a spirit of independence and withdraw ourselves from close contact with Him.

Prayer, then, is something we need.  God may not need to be told, but we need to tell Him.  That's the point.  And unless we grasp it, we can miss one of the primary purposes of prayer.

Lord, thank You for showing me that prayer is not begging for blessings.  It is becoming a blessing- to myself and to others.  I pray, not to change Your attitude towards me, but to change my attitude towards You.  Thank You.  Amen.

Some thoughts in the above devotional are courtesy of Every Day with Jesus.


Learning to pray more effectively with you,
Pastor Marvin

I read last week that Eastman Kodak Co, a 132-year-old trailblazer, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The article mentioned that everyone feels saddened by the demise of Kodak "because it was the company we entrusted our most treasured possession to--our memories."  This was sad news!  On his blog post James Emery White notes that Kodak developed digital photography but in the end they "didn't know what business they were in."  White recalls the words of business guru Tom Peters who wrote in The Search for Excellence that the railroad barons encountered a similar end:  "they thought they were in the train business.  But they were actually in the transportation business."  White contends that churches need to ask the same question:  What business are we really in?


I was reminded of Jesus last words to us as found in Matthew 28:19-20--"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."


This may be something we need to prayerfully consider--what business are we really in?


Blessings,
Carolyn

Ultimate Security

Isaiah 52:12; “You shall not go out with haste,…for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

Security from Yesterday.  “…God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15).  At the end of the year we may look forward with more eagerness than we look at some of our yesterdays.  Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders.  Because God is the God of the past, if we give the sins and blunders of the past to him, he will use them to bring spiritual growth.

Security for Tomorrow.   The above verse says, “…the Lord will go before you…”  The Lord will send his forces out where we have failed to do so.  He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures of the past.  He is our “rear guard.”  If we allow him to do so, God will reach back into our past and settle all the claims against our conscience.

Security for Today.  The verse above says, “You shall not go out with haste…”  As we begin a new year, make sure it is not in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness.  Let’s move ahead with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us.  There are the lost opportunities of the past but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future.  Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in his hands, and step out into the invincible future with him. 

May you have a blessed and meaningful 2012!

(The above thoughts come from “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers, devotions for December 31, 2011.)      

   Blessings,

   Pastor Marvin

What's Your Response?

The arrival of Jesus changed the life of everyone who had contact with him or knew of him.  Because he was and is God, his power and influence demands a response unlike any other person who ever lived.  He said things like, “I am the way the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6)  Jesus has some kind of influence on each of us who know anything about him. 

Jesus is the great polarizer.  It’s as if all people were iron filings laid out on a sheet of paper, and Jesus is the magnet held under the paper.  Every single filing lines up either with the north or south poles of the magnet.  Every person is either attracted to or repelled by the person of Jesus Christ, because he’s like a magnet.  The power and influence of his very being cannot be ignored.

There is a great divide that goes through all people and all places and all time, and the issue or question is, “Who is Jesus to you?”  Are you one who ignores, rebels or tries to minimize his status?  There were enemies of Jesus when he was here on earth in the flesh and there will continue to be enemies of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  On the other hand there are those who respond in worship and adoration.  They will enjoy the presence of God for all eternity.

But, the real issue is: “What about you; what about me?”  Is Jesus the most important thing or person in our lives?  Do we try to live as his followers and at the same time try to embrace the mindset of the world?  Or, do we give him the place of highest authority in our lives?  As we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth, there is nothing more important we can do than to evaluate our lives and say to Jesus, “No matter where I am in my experience of you, I want to move ahead.  I want to live in a deeper relationship with you.  I am determined to surrender more of my will to your eternal will.

May were continue to grow in our knowledge of, and relationship with, Jesus.

Blessings,

Pastor Marvin  

Some thoughts on Thanksgiving

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings, thank You, Lord, that I can hear.  There are many who are deaf.
Even though I may huddle in my bed and put off rising, thank You, Lord, that I have the strength to rise.  There are many who are bedridden.
Even though the first hours of the day may be hectic, thank You, Lord, for my family.  There are many who are lonely.
Even though our table never looks like the pictures in magazines, thank You, Lord, for the food we have.  There are many who are hungry.
Even though my job may have some things to be desired, thank You, Lord, for the opportunity to work.  There are so many unemployed and needing a job.
Even though I may wish my circumstances were a bit different, thank You, Lord, for life.

May we give thanks in all things!