Roseville Church of the Nazarene

  Greetings in Christ,

  Have you ever had an ah hah moment when you finally figured something out?  You have been working on something and it does not make any sense.  You struggle to figure out just what it is you need to know, and it becomes frustrating to the point it does not make any sense.  You feel like you are running around in circles finding yourself starting in the same place you began.  No one likes to be frustrated and not figure something out.

  Many of you know I work in building maintenance as well as a pastor.  With the maintenance job I am given many things to repair especially when they break.  It is after something is broken, I go in and fix it, but when something is broken it is not always easy to figure out how it worked.  I had such a challenge given to me by another co-worker.

  I was handed a timer for a board game the co-worker took apart thinking they needed to change the batteries.  This timer did not have batteries, but rather ran by winding a spring inside by turning the handle.  When this person took apart the timer it let the tension on the spring launch the parts from inside of the timer all over this person’s desk leaving them speechless.  They tried to repair it, but with no success to fix it.  I happened to be working in the area when this person approached me asking if I could fix the timer. 

  Part of me was laughing, but the other part of me wanted to fix this timer, but with it in pieces I knew I had no idea just how it worked.  My learning curve began.  Holding several pieces of the timer with spring and gears looking at them trying to figure out just how it was designed to work I began to assemble it the way I thought it would work.  I did not get it.  I was looking trying to answer the riddle only to put it together the wrong way several times, but then the ah hah moment hit.  I figured out how it worked, and I did a happy dance.  I was proud as a peacock as I delivered a working timer to my co-worker.  I had finally gotten just how the engineer/designer had wanted the timer to work.

  The Bible is full of those ah hah moments for a lot of people.  Genesis gives us a look at Joseph as he saw his brothers when they journeyed to Egypt to buy grain.  Joseph’s brothers had no clue they were standing before their brother, for in their minds they felt their brother died a long time ago.  They never in their wildest dreams felt they would be kneeling before their long-lost brother.  They became so wrapped in their physical world of living they could not believe God would have stepped in to save Joseph from their evil intentions.  The brothers had lived with the idea their brother was dead to the point they had even told their father Joseph had died in the desert, and they did not let another possibility enter their minds. 

  As they stood before Joseph, they thought they had been set up to die, but they did not know their brother was only testing them to see if they would recognize him on their own.  Joseph later revealed himself to his brothers by telling them it was God’s plan for them to sell him in the desert and for God to place him in Egypt to preserve them a remnant of the earth and to keep them alive by a great deliverance.  Joseph didn’t want them to fear what had happened, but rather embrace it as God’s design for the way they acted.  It was their ah hah moment to realize God had thought through their actions and He had planned for things to work the way they did.

  There are times in our live when it seems like things are falling apart especially when we try to fix them on our own.  We open those areas of our lives looking for the answers to the riddle wandering just how things are working and how we can repair them, but we cannot place all the pieces back into place.  We try to place them in the order we think they should go, but we do not have any success.  We forget or do not go to the Father and ask for His help.  We often think this could not be the way He designed our lives to work, but we cannot see all the things He has in place for us leaving out His greater design for all the pieces of our lives to fall into place so it works well for all concerned.

  It is not until we can step back and look at the results, we can see just how our lives work for the greater good.  It is when we have that ah hah moment, we can see how all the pieces should work thus seeing just how good God’s design was for our lives.  It becomes our ah hah moment when we see the design unfold before our eyes and God does His happy dance rejoicing seeing His creation understands His greater plan.

  When it seems as if our lives are falling apart, we need to go to the designer/creator and let Him fix it for us.  We are far better off letting Him open up those areas of our lives doing the repairs so all the pieces will fall into place, and when the ah hah moment happens for us, we can do our happy dance rejoicing in His plan for our lives. 

  “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.   The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.  The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.   He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken.  Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.  The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”  Psalm 34-15-22

  Lord when those times of trials appear may we turn to You for our help so Your plan for our lives will remain intact and be for the greater good for all concerned.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  Have you ever watched people as they approach a body of water?  It could be a pool, pond, or lake as the body of water people enter.  There are some who go and dip toes into the water and stay close to the sides or wade along the edge, but there are those who will not even go into the water.  Then there are those who dive in with no reservation at all; they simply just get completely immersed into the water. 

  There are many excuses given as to why those who choose to stay along the edge remain unwilling to go into the water.  Some may not know how to swim, or they choose not to get their hair wet.  Some have a fear of the water or some reason which keeps them from getting totally wet and enjoying the full benefits of the water. 

  There is something wonderful about being totally immersed in the water which those who do not choose to go completely in the water cannot experience.  There is a sense of weightlessness which allows a person to float in the water.  The weight of their body is light and buoyant which gives a sense of freedom a person cannot enjoy out of the water.  The person who is totally immersed in the water can do things which they cannot do out of the water.

  Christianity is like a body of water.  People want to be totally immersed into it, while there are others who want to remain on the edges.  Those who become totally immersed in Christianity find freedom they cannot find outside of it, and they enjoy the full benefits of being a Christian.  Those who remain on the edges find things hard to endure not knowing the full benefit of being a Christian.  Those who are totally immersed into Christianity find they can do things they could not do on their own.   

  Paul gives this image as he writes to the Romans as they were baptized in Jesus, and they went through the same transformation as Jesus experienced.  Jesus died with all the sins of the world, but then He was raised back to life by His Father to live a new life free from sin He died with.  Paul is trying to tell the people once they are totally immersed in Jesus they die to their sins and enjoy the benefits of new life in Christ.  They are free from their past life of sin to enjoy the freedom of Christianity.  Once they are totally immersed in Jesus the weight of their sin is lifted off them giving them the freedom to enjoy Jesus’ presence in their life.

  Those who choose to remain of the edge do not have that sense of freedom and feel bound to their past with the weight of their sin bearing down on them.  They cannot overcome their past because they are trying to do things in their own strength.  They are missing out on the benefits of living a Christian life, and they do not enjoy the freedom which comes from being totally immersed in Jesus.  

  John records Jesus telling the people He could do nothing outside of the Father.  Jesus knew He could do nothing unless He was totally immersed in the Father.  He could only do what He saw the Father do because He had the freedom to be just like the Father.  Jesus was totally immersed in His faith knowing His Father would work through Him. 

  Sometimes we look at our Christian life and say we are all in, but we are still staying on the edge.  We like it close to the edge because it is where we feel more comfortable, but the battle to maintain the weight of the world becomes more than we can handle.  It is only when we get totally immersed into living a Christian life, we feel the weight of the world lifted off of us, and we begin to feel freedom of having Jesus carry the weight for us.

  Are you totally immersed in Jesus?  What is keeping you from jumping in?     

  Lord may we be totally immersed in You, and may we enjoy the freedom it brings.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  Have you ever met a person you felt was true and genuine down to the core of their very being?  I am sure we all have met someone like that on many occasions, but why did this one person really stand out amongst all the people you met?  The characteristics this person possessed went beyond anything you have met before.  When this person spoke, they were genuine in the speech.  The person’s actions were also genuine lacking nothing in the movement towards you.  There was just something which drew you towards this person and wondered how he/she could be so genuine.  This person just oozed out love for other people.

In the book of Daniel, Daniel is a man who showed what it was like to be a person who was genuine.  He was recognized as a wise man, who if you met him would probably be very humble in his acknowledgement of his wisdom.  He would approach situations with care and humility.  He is described as a man who prayed three times a day no matter what, but also felt a deep compassion for the Israelite exiles while in they were in Babylon.

  Daniel cried out to God asking God to find favor for the Israelites and to forgive them of their sins.  Daniel was acting on behalf of the Israelites knowing God could be merciful in His approach in dealing with the sins of the Israelites.  If you could be a part of those prayers, you would hear Daniel pleading with God to forgive the past sins and to be merciful to the people of Israel.  Daniel was trying to be the servant for the people acting out of compassion for them.  Daniel was oozing out love for the people.

  The author of Hebrews describes Jesus as one who came down from heaven to take on the shape of man to lead them to His Father in heaven.  Jesus was trying to be part of mankind who took on all the physical aspects and endured all the physical hardships which mankind had to endure.  Jesus was willing to walk among those whom He had been part of creating just to get to know them better and to show them they can endure life here on earth without losing their souls.  Jesus came to earth oozing out love for mankind.

  John describes Jesus as one who came to earth to lead rather than to judge.  Jesus’ desire was to be the example of someone who knew what it meant to have a relationship with the Father and to encourage others to believe He knew what it took to attain it.  Jesus did not come to earth to condemn anyone in their sins but to deliver them from them.  Jesus came oozing out love for those willing to be saved.

  There is something desirable about a person who is genuine.  It is something other people notice and want to seek out for their lives.  To be a person with no hidden agenda when they meet or talk to another person, and they do not have any selfish motives as they relate to anyone.  They possess true genuineness which only can be derived from the desire to be a servant of Jesus.  They want to be a servant of Jesus oozing out love for others. 

  It is hard enough to find one person in life who can be your best friend, but to be a best friend to someone who represents Jesus in all they do is priceless.  Can we be those friends to others in this life?  Can we ooze out love to others?  Being a true servant of Jesus means we naturally ooze out love for others.

  “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.  Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You.  So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.  My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.  When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.  My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.”  Psalm 63:1-8

  Lord may we ooze out love for others as we serve You.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  Have you ever wondered about the miracle of planting a seed?  We plant seeds all the time.  We plant a flower/vegetable garden almost every year, but do we stop and consider how that seed transforms into being so small to a large plant? 

We take that seed with its hard exterior and we plant it in the ground.  We water the seed, and we wait for it to germinate and begin break the surface of the dirt.  The magic then begins to happen.  As the water and dirt combination has its effect on the hard exterior of the seed it begins to soften, and the inside of the seed starts to swell.  As the water begins to swell the inside of the seed it starts to form the plant it was designed to be.  It forms its shoot as it pops out of the ground, and the main root begins to shoot straight into the ground.  It is not long until the seed which was planted has formed the plant we desired to see grow.  We step back and enjoy the benefits of the seed we have planted.

  A seed will remain a seed for a long time.  People freeze them to keep them for extended periods of time for safe keeping.  The hard exterior helps to preserve the seed until it has the right combination which breaks or softens the exterior shell.  The thing about a seed it will never transform beyond it being a seed until it is buried in the ground.

  As miraculous as a seed emerging from the ground happens, it is also miraculous as a person gives up their life for Christ.  It is not often thought of comparing a person to a seed, but it has its similarities.  If we compare a person before they become a Christian, it is generally thought a person has a hard heart.  This hard heart denotes living for themselves and wanting worldly desires, but when they decide to live for Jesus, they must bury themselves in Him.  It is in the denial of their self and desire to be immersed in Jesus, and the right combination breaks or softens the hard exterior and life emerges out of the person-a new life.  The harden person is transformed into something they were created to be.

  Luke records Jesus as He was talking to the disciples.  Jesus told them if anyone wishes to follow Me let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  Jesus spoke in the terms they knew and understood.  It was known at that time when a person was condemned, they had to pick up their cross and carry it to the outside of town where they hung the guilty.  Once that person picked up that cross there was no looking back.  The only thing left for that person was to move forward in giving up their life on the cross.  The key here is moving forward.  When Jesus spoke those words, He knew what was in front of Him on His journey.  He knew He had to keep moving forward.

  Jesus was preparing the disciples for a life which would not be easy.  It meant they had to look forward and not want to fall back into their previous life.  In picking up their cross, the decision was made to not look back, but rather to keep moving forward totally immersing themselves in Jesus.  They had to bury themselves in Jesus so He could break or soften their hard hearts.  It was their decision to give up their desires to let Jesus have control of their lives, and by doing so they could be transformed having new life which they were created to live.  The transformation process was a daily occurrence for the benefits of their new life to be enjoyed.

  As wonderful it is for a seed to be planted, we sometimes take it for granted.  We go outside and we move the dirt around placing the seed at its proper depth.  We water it and wait for it to emerge from the ground, but there is something great happening inside that seed.  All that seed wants to do is grow.  It has all the genetic makeup and desire to bring forth new life.  Once the dirt is covered over it and water begins to hydrate it the seed springs into action.  It wants to pop out of the ground growing towards the sunlight and send its roots deep into the firm ground.  It fights the dirt till it pops it head out and it pushes the dirt aside as it sends its tap root deep into the ground.  It wants a new life.  It wants to be transformed into something wonderful!

  To deny ourselves and pick up our cross daily means we need to be totally immersed in Jesus never looking back.  It means we must bury ourselves in Him letting Him cover us completely with His desires for us.  It is only then the miracle begins to happen.  The hard shell begins to break and soften, and the new life begins to emerge.  Our desire should be growing towards the light of Jesus as we sink our roots firmly in His truth.  Then Jesus can step back and see the benefits of the seed which has been planted.  

  “Praise the Lord!  Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty expanse.  Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness.  Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with harp and lyre.  Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.  Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals.  Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord!”  Psalm 150

  Lord may we have the desire to be totally immersed in You so You can bring forth life in us.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  One thing has always baffled me as I read the different accounts of Jesus in the scriptures.  He tells those who He had healed not to say anything to anyone.  He also has admitted to the apostles He spoke in parables so the people would not know what He was really trying to say.  Jesus goes even further to tell the disciples they are not to tell the people who He was.  He takes it step farther to command the demons not to say who He was after He has cast them out of people.  I have a hard time believing the Son of God did not want people to know who He was as He walked the earth.

  There is a certain amount of recognition Jesus wanted to keep under control.  He wanted to be able to move in the shadows to come and go as He felt He needed to move.  He chose times to be private with those who He reached out to heal, and He only disclosed the true meaning of the parables to the disciples.  He wanted to keep private in many instances to help minimize any unnecessary attention He felt would distract His ministry on earth. 

  My first thoughts.  Jesus was being humble in His approach to the people.  He did not want to be a showboat in what He could do so that it would create the wrong outcome He desired.  While this may be a good answer to how Jesus may have been handling the situation at the time, I do not think it is the whole reason for His actions.  Being humble certainly has its qualities and is necessary for Jesus to have humbleness which He demonstrated by coming to earth as a child.  Humbleness was not the real driving source behind His actions.

  The more I considered it and thought about it, it hit me.  Jesus wanted the people to seek Him out intentionally.  While His recognition was overwhelming and His desire to heal the people was present, His real desire for the people was for them to purposely seek Him.  He knew the only way people would truly appreciate Him was for them to want to know Him, and for them to know Him beyond the surface of what was going on physically.  Jesus wanted the people to seek Him with their hearts.

  Paul writes to the Galatians telling them to not forget what it looks like to be a Christian-to know Jesus.  Paul reminds them they must set aside the desires of the flesh and seek the desires of the Spirit.  He writes to them in detail what it looks like to live in the flesh, but then gives them what it looks like to live in the Spirit.  The two cannot coexist in a person’s life and they must choose which way they desire to live their lives.  They cannot go back and forth in their lifestyle.

  This is what Jesus was trying to establish with the people as He walked the earth.  Life was more than the surface of the physical realm.  While He wanted to heal the sick and tell them He was the Son of God, He knew there had to be more depth to their desire; a desire which comes from within the heart.  He wanted them to realize their actions were more than being able to walk, talk, or hear; they needed to have hearts opened to realize the truth He had to share.

  Jesus wanted them to have the desire to possess the qualities Paul shared with the Galatians.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.   Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” 

  Jesus had a method to His approach to the people, and it was truly for their purpose He did.  It was not about the physical change, but rather the spiritual change He desired for them to seek with their whole heart.

  “How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion!  Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings.  They go from strength to strength, every one of them appears before God in Zion.  O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah.  Behold our shield, O God, and look upon the face of Your anointed.  For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.  I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!”  Psalm 84:5-12

  Lord may we seek You with our whole heart, and may we possess the fruits of the Spirit.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  How many of you would like a car which was made up of several cars put together?  Let’s say the front engine compartment was from a Bentley, the passenger compartment was from GM, and the back trunk area was from Mercedes.  First, you would have a funny looking car not to mention the difficulty in mating all the different components from the three manufacturers.  You would also have comfort feature components which probably would not work for example: getting your electric seats to adjust correctly or even getting your trunk to open remotely, the headlights might not work like they should, nor your brake lights function correctly.

  To get these components to function, you would have to bring the different design engineers together in one place and get them to compare notes in their designs.  Their way of thinking would be different, and they would have to find some common ground on which they could start.  Then you would have to merge their ideas together so they would be compatible with each other and then design something to work so the car could function properly.  The engineers would have to agree as one for this to happen. 

  This idea is farfetched and would not happen in today’s manufacturing process.  It would be counterproductive and cost a lot of money just to undertake.  You might as well bring the design engineers together to form a company which makes those vehicles from the very first step in the car making process.  The headaches of trying to retrofit everything after the fact would be eliminated.  The manufacturing process could all be done as one creating a better car for the public, and manufacturing something people would like to buy.

  Sometimes a church can look like this example of this imaginary vehicle.  You have different design engineers trying to form individual components with completely different approaches to forming a church.  Not to say you cannot have different components to the church, but if people do not work as one, they create something which has no interest to the community in which they are trying to reach.   There must be a common thread which is woven through the whole thing.  That common thread should be acting as one body with Jesus as the design engineer.

  From the very beginning of mankind God has always wanted people to have Him as the center of their attention.  As our Creator, He left a hole inside us to look to Him for our needs and help.  When those needs are met, we give Him the praise for helping us.  We worship Him as our creator and give Him the praise for doing so.  There is nothing complicated about it, but we get our minds thinking and try to redesign something which has already proven to be a good thing.  God steps in and reminds us of our divided thinking and He brings us back to the original design.

  In Noah’s time, he was the only one to be found righteous in the known world.  God called him to build an ark so He could flood the earth.  Noah and his family were to be saved because they were chosen to continue with the process of worshipping God and to show his future descendants God was the center of his life.

  Paul writes to the Ephesians telling them they need to remember Jesus should be the center of their way of life.   He goes on to compare the human body to the church and tell then they cannot function apart from each other.  Jesus should remain the center of their thinking.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.   It is out of this unity of being one they can function even though they are different in their talents and gifts.

  Jesus is recorded in Mark as having chosen twelve men to be the beginning of His church.  Twelve men who were different in their ways of life, thinking, and personalities, but He gave them the power to preach and to cast out demons in His name as He sent them out in groups of two to the surrounding cities.  They were gathered by Jesus as He empowered them to represent Him to the world and with one mind they went preaching, healing, and teaching people about Jesus.

  We all come from different families and have different ways of thinking.  We have different personalities and talents.  We live in different houses and drive different cars, but when we gather as one to worship God, we set all of those differences aside.  It does not matter about the house, the car, the personalities, rather it should matter who we have as the center of our thinking.  It is when we let God the head engineer and designer create in us those differences and form them as one so we can function as one body; a body which has Jesus as the head of the church.

  Paul said it so well, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”  May we be one in Christ so God will get the glory!

  “Praise the Lord!  Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.  Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.  Let them praise His name with dancing; let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.  For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.”  Psalm 149:1-4

  Lord may we keep You in the center of our lives so we can be one in You.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  What does our future hold?  Many people believe in fate, karma, luck, and some believe they are predestined.  We have heard said by many people in many ways and they feel they are just part of this world with no place to go and this is their final destination.  Life beyond the earth is no more so you might as well make the best of it while you are alive, but in that mix, they do not factor in truth in their way of thinking.  If we break down some of the myths, we can get to the truth.

  Fate.  Fate is a belief of things will happen the way they do for a reason.  There is a determining cause behind the fate which drives the outcome from the very beginning.  There is no way to avoid the outcome because is already factored into the outcome.  This is usually associated with something which happens outside of the normal activity of life.

  Karma.  What you do will affect what will happen to you.  If you are a bad person, you will have bad things happen to you.  If you are a good person you will have good things happen to you.  The Biblical equivalent is you reap what you sow.  People think they can live their lives one way here on earth (most thinking they can be good) and they will be alright in the afterlife.

  Luck.  This means you are favored.  The odds are in your corner no matter what you do.  You can fall into a pile of rubbish and still come out smelling like a rose garden.  You cannot go wrong.  Whatever decision you make it will be the best decision because you cannot lose.

  Predestined.  No matter how hard you try you will not get away from the life you have on earth.  You cannot have any determination on your outcome.  You can be the worst person on earth, but if you are predestined to go to heaven you will go to heaven.  You can live your life with no reservation and the outcome will be the same.

  All of these do have some truth to them, and they all have some value to them, they can teach us a lesson in what not to do, but they leave out the one thing—free will.

  While fate, karma, luck, and predestination play a part in our lives in one way or another they are not a determining factor to our future in this world or in the afterlife.  If I had to lean to one thing or another it would be predestination along with free will. Here is my thinking.

Paul writes to the Ephesians telling them they were predestined to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ.  If we break down the idea of being predestined, we see it has many components to it.  While some believe they can do anything in life and because they are predestined, they still make it to heaven, but we still must factor free will into the equation.  We also must enter God’s equation and intention predestination was done out of love for mankind.  If a person does not reciprocate love back to God in their life, are they really predestined?  That is where free will comes into the factor.

  If we look at what Paul was trying to say, God had predestined mankind a plan of salvation which was for them to have a relationship with Him.  God had to do it in many ways and the final approach which He knew had to take place was for Jesus to come to earth and die on the cross.  God had predetermined Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind and it was going to be through His sacrifice mankind would be adopted into His kingdom.  The free will portion comes into factor here as the acceptance of that sacrifice, and the desire to reciprocate the same love back to God as it was given to mankind.

  People may believe in fate, karma, luck, and predestination as their driving force in their lives, but their free will is a major component in their outcome in the afterlife.  Mankind has free will to live their lives as they feel they should, but if they rely on fate to give them outcome, karma by doing good things so they can receive good things, feel lucky and the odds are in their favor, or feel they are part of the selected group which cannot go wrong no matter what they do; they are missing out on something better. 

  If people really want to know what their future will hold, they need to freely choose God’s predetermined plan of salvation.  It is only one which has a guarantee backed by God’s promises of true eternal life.   

   “Praise the Lord!  For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and praise is becoming.  The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel.  He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.  He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.   Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.   The Lord supports the afflicted; He brings down the wicked to the ground.  Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises to our God on the lyre, Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.   He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens which cry.  He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.   The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness.”  Psalm 147:1-11

  Lord may we never lose sight of Your truth and hold onto Your promises.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Greetings in Christ,

  The name of Jesus has been used in many ways since He has been on earth, and His name has been referred to in many ways.  Many have not used His name in a good way referring to His name as a slang word.  This use of slang denotes the unbelief in who He was and is, and they choose to seek their own wisdom in the understanding of who Jesus was and is.  This seeking of personal wisdom leads people to a finite view of true wisdom revealing who Jesus really is, and they cannot see beyond what they can grasp and/or see.

  Jesus had such an encounter with a group of Jewish people who could not get past their own thinking.  They knew Jesus as the son of Joseph and Mary, He had brothers and sisters, and He lived among them as a child.  How can they believe Him when He calls Himself the Son of God?  They relied on their own thinking which led them to believe they knew all about Him, and they formed an opinion He was crazy and delusional.  They saw Him as an ordinary man who thought He was claiming something which He could not be.  Their lack of true wisdom and understanding led them to turn their backs on Him, and to use His name in a derogatory manner thinking His was a lunatic.

  The denial of who He was and along with the forsaking of His name continues today.  We hear it spoken in ways which turn our hearts and grieve our soul.  To hear His name called out as slang, or to be used as a curse word brings tears to those who know Him personally, and if He were here today, He would say it has to be this way.  He would say people would either love Him or hate Him there is no in-between.   Can the name of Jesus be proclaimed in the right manner today and in the future?  The simple answer is yes.

  Paul writes to the Colossians asking them to not lose sight of Jesus.  Paul is reminding them they have been chosen by God, and put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other.  Now that is a tall order for the people to grasp, but Paul goes on to say just the Lord forgave you, so you should also.  Paul was referring to for them to not lose sight of Jesus, and to seek His wisdom and understanding.

  Paul wanted them to understand what he had found in Jesus.  Paul understood Jesus came to earth to impart His wisdom and understanding to the people so they could see beyond their own finite wisdom and see the heavenly kingdom which exists for all to inherit.  Paul wanted them to understand Jesus made the choice to come to earth and give His life for all to have the opportunity to receive God’s inheritance. 

  Solomon writes to his son in Proverbs asking him to seek wisdom and understanding, and in his seeking he would find God’s true wisdom, and for him to treat it like it was silver—a precious commodity.  It is in this wisdom and understanding his son would find a shield from evil and to guide his path in righteousness.  This wisdom and understanding will be discretion for him and to keep him aware of those who speak perverse things and keep him from walking in the path of evil.  God will preserve him, and this wisdom and understanding would be pleasant to his soul.

  Paul writes more to the Colossians asking the people to do everything in the name of Jesus giving praise to His name, and thanks through Him to God the Father.  Paul wanted them to know they had to seek wisdom and understanding before they could do things in the name of Jesus.  They first had to get a full picture of what Jesus was all about before they proclaimed any action in His name; otherwise, the true understanding of His name might be misunderstood.

  The name of Jesus has been proclaimed in many ways since He has been of earth.  It is a powerful name which cannot be matched by any other name.  It is a name which can lead the blind, heal the sick, and those who stumble to walk upright.  It is a name by which those who choose to believe in it can gain the true wisdom and understanding which provides a shield from evil and leads to eternal life.  It is a name worthy to be proclaimed by the upright people He leads and give Him the praise He deserves thanking God for His Son. 

  “The Lord sustains all who fall and raises u; p all who are bowed down.  The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.  You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.  The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.  The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.  He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.  The Lord keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.”  Psalm 145:14-21

  Lord may we proclaim Your name boldly and give You the praise for what You do through us.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  All the gifts have been given and received in this past Christmas season.  The newness and joy of the gifts is still there, and hopefully they have not broken and find their usefulness.  Plans for the gifts have been made and implemented as they are put into use.   They will serve their purpose for the duration of their time, at least the hopes of many who received them.  But what is next? 

  We anticipated the gifts we received and even were excited when we received them as gifts as we move forward using them for their intended purpose.  We want to use them as they were intended, but we may never utilize them to their full capabilities, however somewhere along the line the gifts will lose their appeal as we set them on a shelf, in a closet, or in storage only to be remembered in our minds.

  We as humans have the tendency to get excited about things for the moment and then the excitement seems to fade away as time moves forward.  We forget the real reason we wanted the gift in the first place.  It is easy to do, and we all do it for one reason or another.  If we want the excitement to continue, we must generate that excitement, and that sometimes is more work than we desire to muster.

  We even have the tendency to let the same practice carry over in our spiritual lives as we let the gift of Jesus lose its appeal and excitement.  We let that excitement fall away as we move forward in time with the things of life coming towards us feeling like we have the burdens of the world on our shoulders.  The burdens of life drag us away from the gift of Jesus forgetting He has been down the same path we find ourselves traveling whether be joyous or troubling.

  The author of Hebrews writes these words, “Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.  For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.  Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

  It is easy to let the excitement of Jesus fall away forgetting Jesus is the one true gift.  We have a tendency as humans to want to fix our own problems and in doing so we mess things up more.  The key to keeping the excitement of Jesus in our lives is to give Him praise for what He has done for us instead of regret for what we think He has not done for us by focusing on the positive casting out the negative.  By dwelling on the positive we allow the strength of Jesus to work in our lives, and by doing so we implement His gift to its full potential in our lives.

  Let’s keep His gift appealing and exciting in our lives. 

  “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice.  O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”  Psalm 34:1-3

  “O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!  O fear the Lord, you His saints; for to those who fear Him, there is no want.”  Psalm 34:8-9

  “The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength; indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.  Thy throne is established from of old; Thou art from everlasting.”  Psalm 93:1-2

  Lord may we keep Your gift appealing and exciting to us.  May we call on Your name for our strength and give You the praise You so deserve.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  When we say someone is “full of it” what comes to mind?  It usually is something derogatory in nature, but we roll with it laughing because we think it is funny.  We associate being “full of it” with a negative connotation in that we feel a person may be onerous in nature, or they could be full of themselves.  However, when we apply the term being “full of it” we generally think the opposite of being good.

  We can apply it in another way from the spiritual sense.  Being infilled with the Holy Spirit could be “full of it.”  We have a harder time associating being “full of it” with the infilling of the Holy Spirit because it seems to be somewhat limited in people today.  Going to church still may be on the schedule, but to really get into the word and pray seems to be far off for many people.  Sunday becomes the once a week fill up which only lasts till Monday morning. 

  It has been so easy to compartmentalize our lives into segments of time throughout the week doing our duties as assigned according to our demanding schedules.  We leave out that block of time for prayer and reading the word feeling like we do not have enough time to get it done on our already crammed schedule.  By the end of the week, we feel run down and beaten by the world and its rigors it has imposed on us.  We come crawling to church to get our weekly booster only to have it last till Monday morning.  Being “full of it” literally means we are full of the world’s demands enslaved to the humdrum life which has no outlet for rest and peace.

  Paul writes to the Colossians about being full of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Paul starts out by saying he has been praying for them to take time to spend with Jesus so they could be full of His wisdom and understanding.  He writes on to say Jesus was in the beginning when everything was created, and He holds everything together.  This world was created as a kingdom for Him, and He proved He was the right King by pleasing His Father coming to earth to die on the cross.  Paul wanted them to realize they were not being full of the right things.

  It is not always easy to get up a little earlier in the morning, or to turn off the television during our favorite program, but what are we trying to be full of?  If our desire is to be full of Jesus, we will find the time to spend with Him.  Even Jesus the Son of God had to go off to be by Himself to pray.  He did not walk on this earth in His strength alone, but with the help of His Father and the Holy Spirit.

  To be full of His wisdom and understanding we must spend time with Jesus.  He is our King and Savior, and He is the only one who can give us the rest and peace we so desperately seek.  It is in the combination of the rest and peace the wisdom can be understood, and it can be applied to our lives.  It is then we can see the truth and recognize what is truly important and what is not important.  Our schedules begin to change, and we are more focused on the things to be full of which gives us true life.    If we take the time of practicing being “full of it” with Jesus as the center of our lives, perhaps being “full of it” will not have the negative connotation to it we usually associate with it.

  God’s intention was not for the world to have dominion over mankind, but rather for mankind to be in a relationship with the One who created it.  Take time to be full of Jesus, and you will find rest and peace.  Perhaps being “full of it” will become a positive thing for all of us.

  “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth my soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice.  O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.  I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.  They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed.  This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.  The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
and rescues them.   O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!  O fear the Lord, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want.   The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.  Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good?   Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”  Psalm 34:1-14

  Lord may You be the center of our lives and may we continually seek You.  Amen

  Blessings,