Ever thought about water?

Really… It is just two elements, hydrogen and oxygen.  But combined, under pressure, they form the absolute most important substance on the planet! This combination is an example of a chemical reaction – 2 elements coming together with the help of a particular environment, or catalyst.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Now that is a chemical reaction!!!  Your old, tired, complaining, miserable self combined with CHRIST!!!!

What does that produce?  A new person!  And what environment, or catalyst, caused that?….. THE CROSS!!!

When Jesus died on the cross, He made that reaction available for us all.  A complete chemical change.  The substance of who we are completely changes.  All of the junk, all of the pain, all of the depression, all of the lack is exchanged for newness, peace, joy, love!!!  All of the benefits of the “new life”…

Close examination of this scripture reveals something even more exciting.  The verbs, or the actions, tell us that this is constantly happening!  As believers, we have a choice to be in a constant state of renewal… A constant state of change!!!!  We actually can become new EVERYDAY!

The key here is CHOICE….  With the free will that God placed in us, we must choose everyday to be renewed. (Romans 12:2)  We have to choose to be in Christ.  If we do that, He will give us a tremendous desire to change… to move!  We actually can be active in this whole thing!!!!

Philippians 3:13-14

“Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Physics…. Energy, motion, and force!

Paul wanted to move….  Not just for the sake of moving.  He used words like straining for and press on.  Moving forward may be uncomfortable… even downright difficult!   Why do you think so many of us resist it?

Newton’s First Law of Motion:

An object at rest tends to stay at rest, unless an external force is applied.  An object in motion tends to stay in motion, unless an external force is applied.

Where are we?

At rest?….  the same place, doing the same things, getting the same results, making the same complaints, blaming the same people, sitting in the bleachers, instead of being in the game????

In motion?…. Moving forward in God, constantly being renewed, being made new by the Word, growing in knowledge, loving unconditionally????

Why is it so important to know who we are Christ (our chemistry) and to get going (our physics)….

1.  A living organism that does not change, dies!!!

Our physical body changes constantly!!!  We certainly know that….  It was divinely designed to change, make adjustments, and renew itself in order to maintain proper health.  Without that process, our bodies will not survive…

Constant renewal and change is just as vital to our spiritual health!  Staying in the same stagnant pool of filth, disease, complacency, unforgiveness… will eventually kill our spirit.

2.  Move away from the past

We all can point directly to the things in our past that held us down.  Bad habits, bad choices, bad friends…  The further away we get from things, the harder they are to see!

3.  Others need us to!

The Great Commission starts with physics…. GO!!!!!!  The world is waiting for us…. As individuals and as a church.  We have what they need.  But most will never walk through the doors of a church.  Why do you think Jesus said GO?  Because he knew the biggest obstacle would be the 4 walls!

“sit and stay, remain comfortable and cozy, for they will surely come…”  Hmmmmmm….

Throughout this month, we as a church are focusing on Going Forward.  If you weren’t able to be at church for Pastor Wells’ first message in this series you NEED to watch/listen to it as soon as possible!  It was a powerful and direction-setting message for 2012.

As Pastor was speaking, he listed things that happen to us when we fail to go forward in our walk with God.  The first thing he mentioned was “When we fail to go forward we walk in fear instead of faith”.  As I thought about this statement several things came to mind.  It turned into a discussion last week in the student ministry and I’d like to share them with you and hopefully encourage you to push past your fear and into God’s plan for you in 2012.

There are a few types of fear that we encounter as we live our lives – each with different origins, symptoms and results. As a precursor, let me just say that I don’t believe all fear is bad. For example, a fear of playing in traffic will save you money in medical bills.  Likewise, a fear of walking down a dark alley in a shady part of town will greatly reduce your chances of getting mugged.  Although these seem like drastic examples, I think you can see that healthy fear, or respect, leads to wisdom and ultimately good decision making (Proverbs 9:10).  There is, however, fear that hinders, cripples, and paralyzes us in our walk with God. Here are some examples.

1.) The Fear of Failure.  We’ve all been there right? Wanting, wishing, hoping to do something for ourselves, our family, or our church.  Having a desire to really try something, start something, or maybe stop something.  How often do we fail to follow through because we are afraid we might not succeed?  If we are honest, it’s more times than we care to admit.  The truth is, we will all fail.  But, if we never try we’ve failed before we ever begin.  Michael Jordan (you may have heard of him) said it this way, “I can accept failure.  Everybody fails at something.  I cannot accept not trying”.  Sometimes our greatest successes come on the heels of our greatest failures.

2.) The Fear of Success.  Although this may sound a little odd it’s more common than you might think.  Working with people, you have an opportunity to observe talented, gifted, charismatic individuals that seem to sabotage themselves like it’s going out of style.  I’m not a psychologist, but I believe that this is partly because of what they’ve seen and how they see themselves.  Think about Joshua, Caleb and the other 10 men as Moses sent them to scope out Canaan (Numbers 13).  Even after seeing how great the land was and much better it would be, the only response the 10 spies could offer was “We can’t attack them; they’re stronger than we are.  We are like grasshoppers in their sight”.  In their own hearts and minds, they could never overcome those giants – they were too small.  Are you sabotaging what God wants to do in your life because you see yourself as too small or insignificant?  Be encouraged that you serve a BIG God that has BIG plan for you!

3.) Fear of the Unknown.    We like to know, see and understand how everything is going to work out.  Information brings us security.  The thing about that is, with God, you don’t always see all the pieces to the puzzle.  Truthfully, we’ll never see the entire puzzle.  If we did, we wouldn’t need faith and we wouldn’t have to rely on God.  With uncertainty, fear is often present, but so is the opportunity to trust fully in and rely on God (Proverbs 3:5-6).  A scripture that I often rehearse to myself is Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path”.  I may not see around the corner, but I have the assurance that He will light my next step.  When I’m tempted to fear or doubt, God’s Word reminds me that as I put one foot in front of the other in pursuit of God’s plan for my life, He will show me the way.

Have you been struggling with fear? Be encouraged that God is faithful and can be trusted! His track record is stellar!

May 2012 be your best year yet!

 

“Half-Way”

There are times in all of our lives when we are tired… I’ve been there, you’ve been there, who hasn’t been there? But my question is no matter how tired or worn out you are, are you giving God a half-way effort? Inspired by a devotional, with this same thought in it, I started to give this a lot of consideration.   We are constantly trying to cut corners in life….. from the microwave to the drive-thru to our 10 second prayer before we eat, we are in a hurry and we are always looking for a way to get things done faster.  Maybe you even cut out for lunch 10 minutes early… or maybe you just didn’t give that presentation all you had… or maybe you just did enough to get by.

I think we give half-way efforts when time or money seem to get in the way… but even more so when we simply are reluctant to commit. And when half-hearted commitment is present, failure can’t be far behind.

Let me ask you to take a look at an example that Jesus Christ set himself. When God sent his son to die on the cross, Jesus knew what was asked of Him.  I can’t help but wonder where we would be if Jesus had done a half-way job.  What if he had chosen to lay down his life a different way, choosing the least painful way to go? Or what if He had chosen to call on the angels to save him from death on the cross in the end?  First of all, Christ did what was asked of Him, but on top of that He went above and beyond.

 He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes we are healed.  Isaiah 53:5

Jesus could have been selfish, he could have done what was best for him, but he didn’t. He is the embodiment of Selfless/Servant Leadership.  I have heard people say servant leadership isn’t in the bible, “that is a word the church made up”.  Well maybe it is, but it is so pertinent to the life of Christ that I can’t ignore it. If God gave his all for me, then I want to give my all for him. In every circumstance, not just when it is convenient for me.  I don’t want to give God a half-way job, even if I’m tired. If Jesus can endure the cross for me, then I can surely do my best for him.  Jesus was committed to us and seeing us reconciled to God the father… He was committed… and in case you missed it the first two times, He was committed. When you are truly committed giving your best is a privilege, not an obligation.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, Colossians 3:23

If we are to work at something with all our heart as unto the Lord, then “half-way” just can’t fit in that equation.

What Is Worship?

I know, I know. You know what worship is. You go to church every week. You only listen to christian music. You only watch christian television. You only read christian books. You only wear christian t-shirts and you only eat at Chick-fil-a. You know all the latest worship songs. All the newest trends in the christian music scene. You even know what a v-neck is. Or, you don’t know any new worship songs because you believe that the old stuff is better. Who ever said we were supposed to sing a new song anyway!? Oh, God did. No matter where you are in your christian walk, no matter what your experience with God, no matter what you were brought up in, we would all agree that worship is important. But we all approach worship differently. It’s actually a really big deal. Whole movements and denominations have been started because people approach worship differently. Churches have been built, and split, because of our different views of worship.

What’s your view of worship?
Soft piano or acoustic guitar accompanied by soft vocals?
Organs and hymns?
Celtic guitar and singers with accents?
Southern gospel? 
Hillsong?
Loud electric guitars and live drums?
Early 90’s christian music with electric drums?
A cappella?
Jewish flavored music because that’s what Jesus listened to?
24/7 worship?
Slow music?
Fast music?
No music?

Please forgive the sarcasm, I’m only trying to bring to light the different ways we worship. All these different approaches and styles of worship are good. Usually, we tend to gravitate towards that style that we’re most comfortable with. If you were raised with the hymns, it’s hard to break away. If your early worship experiences were southern gospel, it’s difficult to embrace a worship style like Hillsong, and vice versa. We all see worship differently, but God doesn’t….

God sees worship the same. We approach and celebrate Him differently, but the end result is the same – He is glorified. If He’s not, then it’s not worship. Simple.
Now for the point…. God is bigger than music. God is bigger than style. God is just bigger. And worship is bigger than music as well. We all say that we know this, but do we practice it? I want to challenge you today to worship. Not sing a song, but worship. You don’t even have to lift your hands all day while trying to type at work. Just worship. Let’s look at a few examples of worship.

When we forgive your neighbor who has sinned against you, that’s worship.
When we repent quickly and completely, that’s worship.
When we are genuinely thankful to God for something, that’s worship.
When we put obedience above sacrifice, that’s worship.
When we love our spouse the way God intended, that’s worship.
When we offer the Gospel to a broken world, that’s worship.
When we sing off key, but it’s from our heart, that’s worship.
When we believe God even though our world is crumbling, that’s worship.
When we speak about what God’s done in our lives, that’s worship.
When we love and build the church because that’s what Jesus is doing, that’s worship.
When we decrease so Jesus can increase in our lives, that’s worship.
When we make time for our family, that’s worship.
When we come before God honestly, with no religious pretense, that’s worship.
When we think about His word, that’s worship.
When we are saved by God’s grace, that’s worship.
When we grow in the things of God, that’s worship.
When we die with the hope of heaven in our heart, that’s worship.
When we do anything that puts God above us, it’s worship.

My challenge to you today: worship.

The last few weeks have been eye-opening for me as we have have had candid discussions and exercises in our Wednesday classes.  We’ve heard story after story of students that feel alone, out of touch, disconnected, and isolated.  Isn’t that one of the most crippling feelings? When you feel alone. When you truly believe that you are misunderstood and disconnected.  I’ve witnessed it on many occasions in action in the lives of young people.  Their general perception is that they are different, weird, alone.  That they are the only one that is struggling, or fighting, or hurt.  This is a tactic that our enemy knows all too well.  He knows that if we become isolated, we become weak – an easy target.  Why are suicide rates so high? Why are pastors leaving the ministry at an alarming rate? ISOLATION. If you don’t believe me, take a look around at our society.  Why are social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter EXPLODING?  Facebook alone has over 500 MILLION active users.  People want to connect!!  We are desperate to connect with people, to know that we aren’t alone.  The saying is true,  ”No man is an island”. We are not created to be completely independent. Check this out:

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.  Hebrews 10:24-25

See, the church is a family, not a building.  It is people that love and trust God doing life together – a community of faith!  We are to encourage and love one another.  When one hurts, we all hurt!  This is the church!!!  You are not alone in the battles you fight.  We are standing with you.  We are on your side! When we come together, we encourage, strengthen and sharpen each other.  We help bear the load of those that are weak or struggling and we celebrate the victories of those who have overcome.  We are the FAMILY of God.

I realize life can be busy, but may God give us the grace to not schedule ourselves out of community and into isolation! 

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Galatians 6:2-3

About a week ago I was reading in my devotional about a “Gardeners Prayer”. Not being a gardener, I wasn’t very excited about the devotional of the day. However, I pushed on and committed myself to reading through it fully and being open to whatever God wanted to say. Little did I know He was about to say a whole lot, and most of it was going to be hard to hear. I read the following:

“O Lord, grant that in some way it may rain every day, say from about midnight until three o’clock in the morning, but you see, it must be gentle and warm so that it can soak in; grant that at the same time it would not rain on campion, alyssum, helianthemum, lavender, and the others which you know are drought-loving plants ( I will write their names on a bit of paper if you like) and grant that the sun may shine the whole day long, but not everywhere ( not for instance, on spiraea or on gentian, plantain lily and rhododendron) and not too much; that there may be plenty of dew and little wind, enough worms, no plant-lice and snails, no mildew, and that once a week thin liquid manure and guano may fall from Heaven. Amen”

How funny…. That like this gardener we try to tell God what to do. When in reality, we are speaking from our limited, finite point of view.  I had to ask myself “Who do you think you are? What right do I have to tell God what is best for me??”  We want God to answer our requests the way we want. What if God has something better for us?  We are so much better off when we simply state our requests and then trust Him to respond from His eternal storehouse with His great generosity and unquestionable wisdom. When will we as the Body of Christ be fully persuaded??? He will take better care of us than we could ourselves…  Jeremiah 10:23 says “I know Lord, that my life is not my own. I cannot plan my own course, so correct me Lord, but please be gentle.” Gods course is so much better than any plan we could make for ourselves we simply have to trust Him.

Relationships by any definition is when you commune or fellowship with another.  It doesn’t matter if it’s just going out for a cup of coffee with a friend or if it is an outing with someone you deeply care for.  We all come into contact with people everyday, at the work place, at the store, at the gym, at the movies, at a restaurant, and most importantly at home.  Life is not without interaction, everyone has to do it, you can’t get away from it. So the question left is, if I must fellowship with people what kind of people should they be?

Well, I’m sure that no one wants to be in a relationship of any kind with some one who gossips about you.  Am I right? I’m also sure that no one wants to be in a relationship with some one who makes you feel bad about yourself, or someone who is only ever thinking of themselves and not you. They take and take and take some more.  So, if no one wants to be in a relationship with people like this, then why do we all do it?

This is a test for all believers no matter how long you have been a Christian.  The Devil who is very real, would like nothing better than to use someone to cause you to fall or worse, turn away from God.  These Dysfunctional relationships are not going to help you become more like Christ.  You have probably heard the saying “You are what you eat” well, it is the same with the people you are around.  YOU ARE WHO YOU HANG OUT WITH.  When you are hanging out with people who are lost, and are behaving a certain way that is unpleasing to our Father, how can you fit in and feel a connection with them and yet still please your Father in heaven. It doesn’t work! You will at that moment, decide to either be like the people you are with by acting and doing what they do, or to be like Christ.

I’m not telling you that it is all over for you if you fall into sin but sin should not become your life style. Old friends from our past will come around, and when they do we are to love and share with them the gospel and your testimony, but we are not to make them feel comfortable by changing back to are old ways.  You are a new creature, you are not the same person that used to be friends with them, and you will not act and behave the same way you used to.

The Answer is to have a functional relationship!

What is a functional relationship?  It is a relationship in which the person or group that you fellowship with point you to God, and encourage you to become closer to Him.

The Scripture says:

“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good Character’”                                       1 Corinthians 15:33

Do you want to be like Jesus? Do you want to be a person of good moral Character? If the answer to these questions is yes then do not be misled! You need good company!  Fellowship that will help you become who God has intended for you to be!  STRONG, MATURE BELIEVERS are the ones who you should fellowship with.  They are Godly people who will pray for you and believe with you.  They are believers who will not tempt you to sin or to fall back into your old habits.  These believers should be mature Christians not a new believer. We would never allow a baby to take care of another baby. That would be like the blind leading the blind.   There must be a responsible adult to care for the child’s needs.  I would not let anyone who wasn’t  at least 14 years old watch my kids, I will want someone who can care for them and teach them good and proper things.  Why should it be any different in the kingdom of God? It shouldn’t!  If you are a new believer, you need a responsible, mature Christian to mentor you.  This person should help you and be an example of Jesus Christ.

You can recognize a mature believer by their lifestyle.  They will be Christ-like and encourage you to be like Him too.  They will also be uplifting and not some one who tries to pull you down.  They will have a good attitude because they have the mind of Christ.  It is these things that you should and need to look for in a mature Christian.  Don’t let the Devil win, by putting yourself in a situation in which you know that you will be tempted and fall.

“Be Excellent in what is good, be innocent of evil.”                                                                           Romans 16:19

Be innocent of evil, and don’t fall into the trap of a dysfunctional relationship.  Be excellent in what is good and fellowship with mature believers.

c Joy Broussard

I was just thinking to myself today that if I could just be disciplined in exercising on a regular basis, I could lose some weight.  For a few minutes my mind focused in on that word: discipline.  I began to ponder it.  I started thinking of it’s meaning or should I say, meanings.  That’s what I sat down and dazed off about for a few moments… the word discipline can be used to say I need to be steady at something, or it can be used to describe the correction of someone (more specifically in my thoughts, my children).  As I continued to think these things through, it became clear to me the importance of that word, discipline, sharing two meanings.  The two meanings go hand in hand.  Now for me, I am applying this to my two young children because this is where my world is everyday – raising my boys.

I, as a parent trying to set my boys on the right path, need to be disciplined to discipline.  I need to “be steady” at the “correction” of my kids.  A random correction is never going to work, just like a random workout can’t shed the pounds.   I need to continually show my children right from wrong in our daily situations.  It can be in a slap on the hand, a time out in the room, or a simple conversation explaining why certain behaviors are expected, so long as I am continuous with setting the standard.  This, I know from experience, is not always an easy task.  Sometimes, after fussing for the tenth time, it’s seems easier to just let it go.  And then I am concerned for their self-esteem and am I making them feel like they don’t do anything right, etc, etc, etc.  We can trust the Holy Spirit with those things and ask Him to guide us.  We must, however, stay steady in proving what is right and acceptable and pleasing to God.  Be disciplined to discipline.

“When it rains, it pours!”  I have used this quote so many times in my life. The fact is when you’re going through something everything else in your life seems so much more magnified.  Often times it seems like everything is going wrong at the same moment and in reality it probably is, but there is one thing that helps me keep going and keeps me from freaking out, and that is God’s promise. You might ask, “What promise? There are so many”… is it, “by His stripes we are healed”, or “Joy comes in the morning”? Or what about “When you are weak I am strong”? Or how about “Believe, and you and your household will be saved”?  All of these promises are good and are encouraging, but the promise I am talking about is much simpler.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you”.

How great is that? He promises us He will never leave. So no matter how alone we feel, He is with us. He promised it to us and I know that even in my darkest hour, even when my whole world is falling apart, He is there. I can count on him, I can depend on him, and I can lean on him. He never leaves.  It is us that have to decide not to walk away from Him. Now this doesn’t mean that hard times won’t come, but it does mean that I don’t have to handle it by myself.

He also says He will never forsake you or never abandon you, which means He is sticking by your side no matter the circumstance. I also find comfort in that He won’t ignore us or forget about us. He even knows the number of hairs on my head.  The Bible tells us that he sees every sparrow that falls to the ground.  How much more does He care for us and love us. Nothing gets past him.  He knows every tire that needs to be replaced, He knows every bill that needs to be paid, He hears every bad report from the doctor, and He sees every leaky roof, every bad day, every argument, and every disappointment.  The Bible also says, “In the World you will have tribulation: But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) So just remember when it is raining or pouring in your life… God is with you, always and forever.

"Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”

Ever heard this quote and thought, “if a clock’s broken, how could it ever be right?” If you have, then you’re not alone. Many people today think that you can only learn from the so-called “experts”. Check out this passage out of Proverbs 24:

“I passed by the field of the sluggard

And by the vineyard of the man lacking sense,

And behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles;

Its surface was covered with nettles,

And its stone wall was broken down.

When I saw, I reflected upon it;

I looked, and received instruction.”

Proverbs 24:30-32 (NASB)

 

I know what you’re thinking… “What could a lazy man lacking sense who let his crops go to waste ever teach me about farming, work, or life?” And you have a valid point, my friend. Now lets see what our passer-by learned from his observation.

"A little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to rest,"

Then your poverty will come as a robber

And your want like an armed man.”

Proverbs 24:33-34 (NASB)

If you humble yourself and admit that you don’t know everything about everything, you’d be surprised by what you could learn. Open your eyes today, ask God to be your teacher, but don’t miss the object lessons all around us. God can use anyone or any situation to teach us something, no matter how broken the clock.