Blessings Continued

In one of the halls at the Hardin Center of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is a statue which I have admired for many years.  While it is not a large statue or overly impressive in nature, its simplistic art work and yet depth in meaning captivates me.  The statue is a visual image of Abraham making the trek to the land of Moriah for the purpose of offering a sacrifice.  The stature beautifully portrays Abraham with his son Isaac, the donkey, and all of the necessary supplies for the sacrifice.  As many will remember the sacrifice Abraham is to make is his only son by Sarah, Isaac. 

Over the years many people have raised questions regarding this story.  Many have wondered why God would have asked Abraham to sacrifice his son.  Others have wondered why Abraham would have been willing to do such a horrific task.  Still, others have asked would Abraham have followed through with this deed had God’s angel not stopped him.  While these highly debatable thoughts are great to ponder, there is a fact we can rely on, God is sovereign and only asks us to do that which would bring honor to His name and draw us closer to Him. 

Just as God blessed Abraham with this gift of a son in the form of Isaac, He often blesses us with people and things which He desires us to have for various reasons.  However, the primary reasons are to glorify God and draw us closer to Him.  I wonder if God were testing Abraham in this time to see if he truly trusted God in ALL things.  I wonder if God wanted to see if Abraham desired the blessing more than the One offering the blessing. 

Too often we are prone to act as little children and desire something from God only to have selfish motives mixed with our desires.  Then just as a child who receives his request, we forget to be thankful and forget the source of our gift, God.  In the scriptural account of the sacrifice God wanted to remind Abraham that all blessings are a gift from God and to be used for His glory.  In addition, we should never put more value and love in the gifts than we do into God.  God has commanded us to have no other gods before Him.  When we take a blessing from God and put more devotion into it than we do into the Giver then we have misplaced devotion and priorities.  We must be careful that we do not put our blessings before our God. 

This week take time for be thankful for the Giver of all blessings for He is God!        

Whatever it takes,

Pastor Ric

What is It? Part Two

Taylor Fields tells the story of a homeless man in New York City’s Lower East Side by the name of George.  This man had been living on the streets since he was 13 years old when he ran away from home.  Although he was a man of the street he also had a passion for people.  Fields relates that George had ordered an ordination certificate from the back of a magazine, though he never received it.  However, this didn’t stop George from attempting to carry out ministerial duties.  In fact, Fields would often find George counseling individuals and discovered that George wanted more than anything to have a place of his own in order to help those less fortunate than he.  He wanted an apartment with running hot and cold water, a heater for the winter months, a shower, and a stove for him to cook on.  George wanted out of the street life in order to serve the street life. 

The day came for George when he received word from the Housing Department that he had been approved for housing assistance.  George moved into that dream apartment of his.  When he received the blessing of his own place he did not forget what his dream had been.  He made his place available to friends in need.  The irony of the situation is George called his apartment the Sanctuary of Hope.  In fact, George had business cards printed bearing his name, address, and The Sanctuary of Hope offering the cards to his friends old and new as a way of introducing them to a place of hope.  George recognized his blessing and offered that same blessing to minister to those in need.

Last week I shared a thought on the blessing of Israel when they received the manna from heaven.  Their question was “What is it?”   I asked how many times we receive a blessing from God only to ask the same question as the Israelites.  In the same line of thinking I wonder how many times we receive a blessing from God only to forget the reason God blessed us.  His blessings are for a purpose.  However, we often forget that the purpose is to bring glory to God rather than to prompt us with comfort and pleasure.  Those are a by-product of God’s blessings.  When God blesses us materially we should use it for God’s glory.  When He blesses us emotionally or spiritually we should in turn use that blessing for God’s glory and to give praise to him.  There is a song often sung in churches titled Blessed Be the Name of the Lord which part of it says, “Every blessing You pour out, I'll turn back to praise.”  This is the intent of our Lord Jesus Christ when He offers blessings unto us; we must turn them back to Him in praise.

As I think about the blessings God has offered unto this great church and unto each of us individually I wonder how we are doing in the praise department.  Have we given back to God an offering of praise?  Have we offered up a Sacrifice of Praise unto our great and giving God?  Today why not stop where you are and take an evaluation of the ways in which God has offered blessings unto you.  When you have your inventory list ask two questions.  First, have I offered these blessings back to God in praise?  Secondly, how have I used the blessings which God has given unto me?

Whatever it takes,

Pastor Ric

What is It?

The children of Israel had recently left Egypt and the bondage which they had faced for an extensive period of time.  At God’s gracious hand they had successfully crossed the Red Sea leaving a trail of dead Egyptian soldiers in the vast expanse of water.  Going farther into the wilderness they complained that they had no water to drink when the Lord led them to Marah.  However, now they complained that the water was bitter so God instructed Moses to have trees thrown into the water making it drinkable.  Now they had moved from Marah and Elim (an Oasis) to a point of complaining that they had no food to eat.  God instructs Moses to tell the people of the offering of food at night via quail and in the morning via manna.  When they saw the manna in the morning they looked at one another and asked one question, “What is it?”  (Ex. 16:15)

Here the children of Israel are blessed by God with not one offering of food for their hunger but two.  However, the scripture does not say they worshipped God, is does not say that they thanked God, or even offered a sacrifice to God for this blessing.  Instead the scripture simply says they asked what is it.  How could the children of Israel, God’s anointed group of people miss recognizing God’s blessing?  How could they miss the opportunity to thank God for this bountiful blessing?  Could they have already become accustomed to God giving to them in their time of need and have become complacent?  Did they miss the blessing of God by overlooking and being calloused to what God had to offer unto them?

“Andrew Carnegie, the multimillionaire, left $1 million for one of his relatives, who in return cursed Carnegie thoroughly because he had left $365 million to public charities and had cut him off with just one measly million.” (Homemade, Dec. 1984)  How often do we complain to God because we compare what He has done for others with what He has done for us?  How often to do think God has forgotten us because we tend to overlook the bountiful blessings of each day?  As a devotional I read recently stated,        

Ingratitude denotes spiritual immaturity. Infants do not always appreciate what parents do for them. They have short memories. Their concern is not what you did for me yesterday, but what are you doing for me today. The past is meaningless and so is the future. They live for the present. Those who are mature are deeply appreciative of those who labored in the past. They recognize those who labor during the present and provide for those who will be laboring in the future. Homemade December 1984

What constitutes a blessing?  One dictionary stated that a blessing is help which one believes has come from God.  A blessing is anything which God offers unto us in a form which He sees best fitted for us!  How often have we received a blessing from God and yet we failed to offer up thanks for that which God has given unto us?  How often have we failed to even recognize what God has done for us as a blessing from above?  James stated that “every good and perfect gift comes from above.”  (James 1:17)  Why not stop today and ponder the blessings which God has given unto you, blessings you might have overlooked but God has given on a continual basis?  Why not stop and offer thanks unto God for every good and perfect gift He has poured out on you! I challenge you to try this approach and see what God does when His children come to Him with a grateful heart.

Pastor Ric

Giving to Get or Getting to Give

Recently I was watching an old episode of Everybody Loves Raymond.  In this particular one Raymond and Robert are plotting for an opportunity to go away for a weekend of golf.  However, Ray does not feel as though he can just ask Deborah to let him go so he begins to plot a scheme to butter up Deborah.  Since it is Christmas time Ray decides to use his gift to Deborah as a perfect opportunity to guilt her into letting him go play golf.  His plan is to give Deborah a gift so nice that she will feel obligated to let Ray go on the outing.  As the time approaches to exchange gifts, Ray has discovered, with the help of Robert that Deborah is “supposed” to be giving him a tie.  Therefore, Ray plans to give Deborah the Crockpot she wants but also add in a side gift of nice cookware.   When the exchange of gifts takes place Deborah is ecstatic over her gifts but Ray has a surprise waiting for him.  When Deborah hands him his gift it was not the perceived tie but rather an expensive DVD player and movies.  (The tie was actually for Robert.)  Needless to say much turmoil and chaos erupted when the truth was revealed on the presents and the purpose behind them.

This sitcom episode makes me ask the question, “Why do we give gifts to one another?”  Do we give out of obligation or do we give out of love?  By obligation I am referring to the thought of they gave me a gift last year or I have a feeling they plan to give me a gift this year.  The word obligation does not lend itself to the feeling of generosity.  Instead, it gives a sense of necessity or requirement, neither of which conveys the feeling of love and generosity.  Obligation is defined as something that must be done because of a legal or moral duty.  This should have no part in gift giving.  We must be compelled to give out of love not an obligation.  When I give gifts to my family I do not think in terms of “having to give.”  Instead I look at the opportunity to give in order to express my love to those I cherish.

In the same sense when Jesus came to earth in the form of a baby, God’s gift to each of us was not obligatory but instead it was compelled by His great love for each of us.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His Son…”  God has set the great example of giving.  Just as Jesus is recorded as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” we too should follow this example.  (Acts 20:35)

This Christmas as you make out your Christmas list examine your heart and ask, “Am I giving out of obligation or love?”  You will find your joy is enhanced when you learn to give out of love more than obligation.

May God bless you this Christmas in ways you never expected!

Pastor Ric

Faithfully Giving Back to God for the Blessings He Gives

One of the hardest subjects for me to preach is stewardship.  This is not because I don't give of my tithes and offereings but because this is one area which people get very sensitive.  I love what a pastor friend calls this issue, "Cirrohsis of the Giver."  Whether this is original with him or not does not matter.  The weight of the issue is that we have a giving problem in the church today.  When only 3-5% of church attenders give a tithe of their income, then we have a problem.  Who is to blame for this problem?  The leadership of the church for not teaching the proper way to give?  Dave Ramsey says, "Don't tell your church to give; teach them how to give!"  Is the problem the economy?  I have a tough time believing that because we find ways to continue to eat out, go to movies, buy new things, and the list could go on and on.  I tweeted a quote which I recently read that said, "If it is important to you then you will find a way; if not you will find an excuse."  We like to make excuses for not tithing more than actually tithing.  Is it the person's fault?  Well in my house, if I don't set my alarm the night before to awaken me the next morning, I can blame my wife and kids, but the truth is I am an adult with responsibilities; therefore, I must "man-up" to my shortcomings. 

In Ps. 24:1 David writes, "The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord."  How much are we taking from God's treasury by not giving back to God of His tithe and His wealth?  Malachai tells us to "Bring the full ten percent into the storehouse...Test me in this way says the Lord of Hosts.  See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour our a blessing for you without measure."

Why not give it a shot?  God has never been unfaithful!  Give Him your tithe and see how He blesses you.

Pastor Ric

Prayer

I am wondering about Prayer and how we respond to prayer.  Would you give me your thoughts on the following questions regarding prayer? 

1. When do you pray most?  (Not just time of day but occasions)
2. What enhances your prayer time?
3. What restricts your prayer time?
4. How do you approach God when you have prayed for something but not received the answer you desired?
5. How do you feel when you have prayed but your answer was not what you desired but other people have received the answer to their prayer?

 I would love your feedback.  Have a great day and may God bless you greatly this day.

Pastor Ric

Philippians 4

Philippians 4

I love chapter four of Philippians.  I know I really stressed how great chapter 2 is, but the reality is that I just love the book of Philippians.  Paul writes with such practical advice for the church.  In chapter four alone I find six different verses which are stand out verses, meaning they really pack a punch for each of us in our Christian walk.  These verses have been quoted time and again by numerous believers from all walks of life.  Let's look at each of these with a brief explanation.

Verse 4:  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!--I once heard Dr. Mark Foley speak on this passage to which he reminded us that Paul is stating that we must rejoice not in circumstances for they will change but to rejoice in the only true constant, our Lord Jesus Christ.  By the way, Paul really wanted to stress this by repeating himself!

Verse 6:  Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known to God.  Paul continues the thought of rejoicing in spite of circumstances by saying not to worry about anything.  He tells the reader to take the burden or worry to God through prayer.  I think the major problem we see in situations where we worry is not that we don't pray, but that we pray without leaving the problem in God's hands.  We lay it at His feet but pick it up before we leave.  In addition, we also fail to trust God is listening, caring, and working the situation out to our best in the way we want.

Verse 7:  And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Here Paul is carrying out the thought of submitting our worries to God by stating that WHEN we leave our cares with God we will experience such a peace that only God can bring.  This peace will not only be indescribable but liberating from the anxieties of life on this earth. 

Verse 8:  Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.  Paul recognizes the mind is a powerful weapon for or against us depending on how it is utilized.  What we find is that Paul is stressing the importance of understanding the correlation between the things we think about compared with the way we act.  If we think on worldly things dwelling on them, then our attitude and actions will  reflect the world.  Additionally, he recognizes that if we think on God and His realm then we are more likely to take on the attitude and activities of God.  As the mind thinks, so the person shall act.  There was an old saying years ago about the dangers of drugs that went like this, "The mind is a terrible thing to waste."  I think this statement is equally true, "The mind is a terrible thing to misuse!"

Verse 13:  I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.  At Faith Academy Christian School where Raegan attended in Mobile they asked the student athletes and cheerleaders who were graduating to give their favorite Bible verse.  When they responded, the majority of the students quoted this verse.  Raegan had on her megaphone for cheerleading this verse.  I have heard many people quote and use this verse in trying times.  What makes it so powerful and widely quoted?  There seems to be a correlation between accomplishing great things in the power of God.  However, if we look at the context Paul is stating that regardless of what state of circumstances he has been in, he has found that through the power of God he could succeed.  Paul reminds us that he has plenty and he has had little to nothing, but regardless God has strengthened him to succeed in the mission to which God has called him.

Verse 19:  And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever.  Like many other verses in the Bible, this one is often misquoted.  I hear people say, and my God will supply all MY needs...when the verse really says all YOUR needs... We like to think that God is going to supply our needs, and he will but the context of the verse deals with Paul's encouragement to the Philippians for giving generously to his mission endeavors while in Thessalonica and Macedonia.  He wants them to understand that as they have sacrificially given, God will supply for the needs they encounter.  Therefore, be cautious in claiming this verse out of context.  Paul states that because of their generosity, God will supply their needs.

While I have listed several primary verses, I would love to hear your thoughts on which verse means the most to you and why.  Please post your comments here for a source of encouragement to all of us.