Good Friends or Bad Advice

Have you ever had a time in your life when you faced a Monday everyday of the week?  Maybe there were problems at home with plumbing or electrical.  Maybe you just couldn’t seem to get rid of a nagging cold.  Maybe you were working as hard as you could at your job but kept seeming to fall farther behind.  That seems to be the case with a man in the scripture named Job.  He has been having a Monday every day of the week.  Everything starts out exceptional but then within a matter of days he loses he business, his possessions, his family (save his wife), and eventually his own health.  This is has been the focus of our reading plan the last several days.  If you have been reading the Bible through chronologically with me this year you probably have been experiencing some tough reading as we have gone through the book of Job.  Often we are content to read the beginning and the end but are a bit leery of the center section due to the poetic renderings of Job and his four friends.  However, when we take time to explore this book and seek to understand the meaning of what God intends for us to glean from such a deep passage we can learn lessons valuable for all believers. 

What lessons are there in these pages for us to learn in order to live more godly and God-honoring lives?  Warren Wiersbe says, “The main lesson in Job is this: God is completely sovereign in His dealings with His people and will never permit anything to come to the life of an obedient Christian that is not for his good and God's glory.”  Too often we look at Job’s theme as “Why do bad things happen to good people” when in reality the great theme according to some theologians should be how should godly people respond in the midst of trials and tragedies. 

At the beginning of the book we are introduced to three of his Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu.  Each of these men was there to bring words of instruction to Job for his calamities.  While they each had a different approach to their rebukes of Job, they all felt as though their friend was a fraud or hypocrite with some secret sin causing God to bring judgment upon him.  Their theology was simple, God brings wrath on the sinful and blessings on the righteous.  In the face of his friends all out assault on his integrity and righteousness Job maintained his innocence and finds justification in the end. 

There are several great lessons to draw from this great manuscript of the Bible.  First, Andy Andrews said it best in The Travelers Gift “public opinion may sway back and forth but right and wrong never do.”  Job’s friends had faulty theology; therefore, giving ungodly counsel.  Make sure your advice lines up with scripture.  Secondly, Andrews also stated in The Travelers Gift “unjust criticism has no impact whatsoever on the truth.”  These men were quick to point out the “presumed” faults of Job when the truth was nowhere near their accusations.  Stand firm on the truth; for as Jesus said in John 8:32 “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (HCSB)  Walk so intimately with the Truth (Jesus Christ) that the accusations of pseudo-friends will not deter your intimacy with God.  Then finally, wait patiently for the Lord to deliver you in His time and bring glory to His name.  King David penned it so eloquently in Ps 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” (HCSB)  Wait on the Lord to renew your standing and strength. 

Blessed Beyond Measure,

 
Pastor Ric

Do You Choose Happy?

While I must confess I am not an avid reader as many others might be, I discipline myself to read for knowledge, inspiration, and encouragement.  A book which a good friend gave me for Christmas is The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews.  Without getting bogged down in the minutia of the book, each chapter details the story of a stop this man makes in his dreamlike travels.  The purpose of each stop is to learn valuable lessons in personal success.  One chapter which I read recently intrigued me particularly for more than the nugget of wisdom which it unfolded.  My interest was aroused by the character which this particular chapter portrayed as the traveler’s teacher.  The teacher was none other than a young girl of about thirteen years of age by the name of Anne Frank. 

Anne as you probably recall was a German Jew which moved with her family at the beginning of World War II from Germany to Holland to escape the persecution of the Jews by the Nazi regime.  After the Nazis occupied Holland she, lead by her father, went into hiding with seven others.  Their place of refuge was a small area hidden by façade walls behind her father’s business.  The place was dark and dirty as well as small and cramped for the eight who hid from persecution and possible death. 

 

This story so intrigued me because as I was traveling to Nigeria on a mission trip in January of 1984 the mission team I accompanied had the privilege of touring “The Hiding Place” while on a layover in Amsterdam.  While I must admit that the memory has faded a bit, the realization of the life this young teen with her family and friends encountered became fresh as I read this chapter in The Traveler’s Gift.  As I read each page my imagination of this young girl’s life ran wild.  I tried, without much success, to empathize with her in the fact of living in seclusion and constant fear.  I was mesmerized by the reality that at any moment this band of hermits could be discovered only to meet with their tragic end. 

 

Yet, there was something about this young girl which captivated me as Andrews portrayed her.  What was that captivation?  She did not complain!  In the midst of turmoil, potential tragedy, constant fear, and mere existence in less than ideal circumstances she did not complain.  The traveler discovered this when he asked her, “What do you complain about?” after learning of one of the hidings tenets constant complaining.  She responded so incredibly for a young girl.  She said, “I don’t complain. Papa says complaining is an activity just as jumping rope or listening to the radio is an activity.  One may choose to turn on the radio, and one may choose not to turn on the radio.  One may choose to complain, and one may choose not to complain.  I choose not to complain.”  (p.101)

 

This response startled the traveler for he looked at the conditions in which Anne found herself.  He looked at the hazards, the hardships, and the horrors of the girl’s life but she looked at the blessings compared to those much less fortunate.  She saw this as a choice to be bitter and discouraged or an opportunity to choose to not be dismayed by her circumstances.  Later in the chapter Anne tells the traveler, “Life is a privilege, but to live life to its fullest---well, that is a choice.” (p. 107)

How do you see your life?  How do you see your circumstances?  How do you see your future?  The reality is that from where you have come, where you are, and where you are going is all dependent upon your choices!  How will you choose to live this day?  How will you choose to chart your future?  As a child many of us learned an old song titled, This is the Day.  In this old song we quote a passage of scripture from Psalm 118:24 which says, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  How will you face this day?  Will you charge forward with gladness or despair?  Will you choose to be content in the Lord? Will you choose to be happy regardless of what the circumstances around you might dictate?  Today, let us choose to be happy in the Lord.

 

In the words of Phil from Duck Dynasty, Happy, Happy, Happy!

 

Pastor Ric

Joshua 24:15

 

 

 

 

Scared to Death Needlessly

While there are many who would debate the merits of social media, i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc…, much of its worth or lack thereof can be based upon the individual using such program.  While I must confess I have never tried Instagram or Snapchat I am quite fond of Twitter and Facebook with the former being more enjoyable than the latter.  Regardless of which you choose, if any, they can be quite helpful in dispersing information to your followers or friends.  In fact, this afternoon I saw a friend had posted that their church office would be closing early due to the inclement weather in the area.  In addition to keep up to date on last minute happenings with friends, family, and organizations I enjoy following various pastors, theologians, writers, and such of the Christian community.  By doing so I am able to receive spiritual insights and thought provoking ideas from these men. 

One of those I follow on Twitter is Christian author and speaker named Richard Blackaby.  Earlier today I read a tweet (a message of Twitter) which he retweeted from his sons, Michael and Daniel.  The tweet not only grabbed my attention but also made me start thinking heavily regarding its deep truths.  The young men stated, “God never takes us around our fears; He takes us through them.”  (For those in the world of twitter and hashtag they closed their message with #WhenWorldsCollide.)  As I read this I was reminded of times when I have asked others what their greatest fear might be and other people have asked me the same question. 

When I think on this topic of fear I can even recall seeing people literally paralyzed due to their fear.  Years ago while on a leadership retreat with a group of young leaders from the church I was serving at the time I watched as a young lady stood on a six-foot tall platform trembling and frozen in her tracks for over one-hour before she would fall backwards into the waiting arms of her fellow leaders.  On another occasion I watched as former star football player dangled from a rope on the side of a mountain refusing to go any farther down repelling because he had such a phobia of heights.  Lest you think I am sitting here being judgmental of other people and their fears, I too have found myself frozen and suspended in time due to a fear, the fear of failure. 

Why do we allow fears to capture our thoughts and actions?  Why do we allow our phobias to manipulate our thoughts so completely that we fail to develop into the person God created us to become?  As I have shared in a message before there was a saying by Francis Chan which really made me evaluate my fear.  That statement by Chan reads, “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” 

What do you fear today?  Is it something over which you have no control?  Then why worry?  Is it something which in the light of eternity really will not matter?  Then why waste precious time and energy?  Is it something which we can submit to God in good conscience?  Wouldn’t it be wise to remember that scripture reminds of how our God cares for our needs, hurts, and desires?  Didn’t Jesus give us a comforting word when He spoke in Matthew 6:25-34 about how he cares for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field attending to their needs?  In those same verses He also reminded us of our greater value in comparison to these two creations.  Then we must not forget the words of Paul when he writes in Philippians 1:6 “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  I go back to what the Blackaby boys said, “God never takes us around our fears; He takes us through them.”  The great part is that we do not trek through these fears, storms, or difficulties alone.  For our God stated in Psalm 23: 4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; you rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Trust in our Lord Today!
 

Pastor Ric,

 

THe Church from Worst to Best

Around Christmas I either received or purchased several books which I intend to read over the next few weeks/months.  One of those is Twelve Challenges of the Church by Mark Dever, pastor of Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC.  Dever, a leading authority on church growth and health, deals with major issues which the church has faced since her inauguration.  He contends that, “These twelve challenges, if left unchecked, can cripple a church and stifle its ministry to a needy world.”  However, he firmly believes that any church which will immerse themselves in the Word of God and follow the advice laid out in the scriptures can and will overcome these tremendous obstacles becoming a mighty army commissioned by her Commander. 

One of the first and foremost challenges which Dever addresses is division in the body.  In Paul’s address to the church of Corinth (1 Corinthians) he tackles this problem head-on in the first three chapters.  Dever concurs on the importance of unity in the body by stating that, “Unity is important because its shape and center—what we are united around—show what we are about.”  However, the process of unity must not be the primary focus but the Pioneer (Jesus Christ) of unity should.  A.W. Tozer shares a great insight on this concept when he talks about the tuning of 100 pianos.  While the tuning of 100 pianos is done by utilizing the same tuning fork the sole purpose is not to for them to be in tune with one another but rather with the standard.  This technique must be the same in the church.  For a follower of Jesus Christ to be closely in tune with the Father brings that person in line with others who too are closely in tune or aligned with the Father.  This process is of greater success than for the followers to become solely aligned with one another while their eyes are not fixed on the One who is the true expression of unity.

 
In the book of 1 Corinthians Paul gives seven great reasons for the church to remain unified in heart and purpose.  Over the next several weeks we will look at these reasons individually.  The first is that when we are unified in God we display Christ!  Paul states in verse thirteen of chapter one a rhetorical question, “Is Christ divided?”  His emphasis is that if we, as Christ’s bride in being the church, are divided what message does that send about our bridegroom?  Dever points out that when the church is divided a lie is created about what Christ is like.  Christ is not divided.  However, if the church is divided, regardless of the issue, then an erroneous message about Christ is sent to the world outside the church, as well as those inside.  We must not allow tertiary issues to divide us on the matters of greater importance which are:  our alignment with Christ, the proclamation of the Gospel, and the sanctification of the saints.  We must align our hearts with Christ by ingesting His Holy Word daily, submitting our wills to His, and confessing our sins to Him.  Afterwards we must follow the leadership of His Holy Spirit in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ to make disciples as we have been commanded.  Then, we must nurture these new believers in the ways of the Messiah to mature them in faith to make more disciples.  If we have anything distracting us from this purpose then we are displaying a false image of Christ. 

 In closing remember the words Paul spoke in 1 Cor. 1:10 when he told the church of Corinth, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”  Let us maintain the faith honoring our Lord by being one in heart, one in mind, and one in purpose.

In Christ Love,

 

Pastor Ric

Silent Night

Over the past several weeks I have heard different people talk about, as well as have seen people post on their social media outlets, what their favorite aspects of Christmas might be.  People have conversed about loving to sit in front of the fireplace, snuggled up in a blanket, watching Christmas movies, and drinking hot chocolate.  Others have spoken of the joys of decorating their homes with Christmas trimmings and lights.  Several have mentioned the wonderful times they have had shopping for the perfect presents while others have loved all of the social gatherings.  Then I have heard much talk about the anticipation of spending some needed time relaxing with family during these holidays.

Let’s transition that from our favorite Christmas activity to our favorite Christmas carol.  Why?   If you were to take one Christmas carol and say this embodies the totality of Christmas what would it be for you?  As I contemplate the essence of Christmas the song which I hold tenderly and which I feel communicates Christmas best would have to be “Silent Night.”  Below are the lyrics for this great and most popular Christmas carol.  Read through these lyrics and look for the Gospel message proclaimed.

Silent night, holy night! All is calm, All is bright round yon Virgin, Mother and Child
Holy Infant so Tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight! Glories stream from heaven afar;
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, Holy night! Son of God, love's pure light radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus Lord at thy birth; Jesus Lord at thy birth.

Silent night, holy night! Wondrous star, lend thy light! With the angels let us sing
Alleluia to our King! Christ the Savior is here, Jesus the Savior is here!

There are several things which leap off the page as I read these lyrics.  First, Christ is holy!  He was God’s child born through a virgin conceived by the Holy Spirit.  He is God in the flesh!  Second would be that because of the birth of the Messiah all creation proclaimed His greatness.  Their song was Christ the Savior of this world is born.  Because of His birth the darkness of this world which necessitated His coming is now being pushed back.  The love of God, the light of God pours out from His face shining forth the grace of redemption which was His sole purpose in coming to earth.  We find in 1 Timothy 1:15 that purpose which states, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…”  He has come to reconcile each of us to a love God.  Then in the closing verse we are invited to sing His praises.  We are beckoned to proclaim the great news that Jesus Christ our King is now here. 

As we draw near to Christmas day let us sing forth the praises of the King of Glory who left heaven to redeem His lost creation.  Let us sing praises to His name of His wondrous light which shines in this dark world.  Regardless of what our enemy the Prince of Darkness might bring our way we must remember the darkness cannot overpower the Light of the World. 

Merry CHRISTmas,

Pastor Ric

 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Immanuel--God With Us

Sunday evening Timmy Ray lead our sanctuary choir, musicians, narrator, and A/V staff in a masterful way which helped us worship God through the presentation of the Christmas program “How Many Kings.” The program used some great songs of the faith of days past combined with some new pieces by some of today’s leading songwriters.  As we closed out the time together I challenged us to think about the meaning of Isaiah 7:14 where the prophet gives us the words of God in saying, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  (ESV) After sharing the verse I expounded on the meaning of Immanuel which means God with us.  The principle part of that word Immanuel gives us the essence of what God wanted to do for His wayward creation.  He wanted to reconcile or restore His creation to the rightful place in creation, by His side in an intimate relationship with Him.  There were four words which I used to describe His process of reconciliation:  fellowship, feel, fight, and forgive.  I want to expound and expand on that thought for a moment.
 

God remembered His reason for the creation of mankind was in order to have fellowship.  God longed for the fellowship with His creation.  He missed that time of intimacy such as He had in the Garden of Eden.  The fellowship had been broken when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and follow the deception of God’s enemy Satan.  Therefore as God looked down on the state of man He felt for their waywardness and their sinful state.  He knew that mankind could not handle the necessary punishment for their disobedience therefore He initiated a plan to bring about the reconciliation.  That plan included the birth of His Son in human form to become their substitute for the punishment necessary.  However, because Satan recognized God was seeking to restore the severed intimacy with man he decided to mount an “all-out assault” on God’s creation.  He knew his fate was eternal punishment; therefore, he made plans to take as many of God’s chosen creation with him.  God chose to fight for each of us.  He would not let the enemy have His prized possession.  Satan’s “M.O.” is to “steal, kill, and destroy.”  God said I will fight for what is rightfully mine.  To cap off this plan God then turned to mankind offering forgiveness for their disobedience toward Him. 

 

This final step of God’s plan of “Immanuel” leaves the proverbial ball in our court.  God has initiated the step of redemption and reconciliation by offering a plan to us for fellowship again.  This Christmas we will fellowship with family and friends.  Why not fellowship with our Father?  He has provided every opportunity to for us to have that deep, intimate, and abiding fellowship rekindled.  Will you seize the golden opportunity?  Will you make this a time of “Immanuel” where God is with you in a fresh and new way?  Will you deepen the fellowship to a greater magnitude than ever before?  The God who created you and redeemed you longs for just that, a fellowship of deeper proportions than ever before.

You can have that today by simply stopping to offer yourself to God as He has offered forgiveness to each of us.  This Christmas give the gift that will benefit you for eternity, a gift of a renewed relationship with your Creator and Sustainer, Immanuel.  He is waiting for you today.

Merry CHRISTmas,

Pastor Ric,

 

Clothes that Should Never Fit

Over the course of the next several weeks during the CHRISTmas holidays we will find ourselves focusing on many things ranging from how many shopping days are left until CHRISTmas all the way to what are we going to eat!  We will be bombarded with circulars for sales as well as the finest of sweets and treats to eat.  I find myself struggling too often in the latter category, especially in the area of sweets.  While some of my co-workers would find that hard to believe in that I try extremely hard to avoid such weight gaining delicacies, if the truth be known they are my horrible nemesis.  This time of year is especially hard when I know I will be faced with my mother’s homemade fudge, pecan pies, and Martha Washingtons.  In addition, I will have to contend with the pecan balls, no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, and peanut butter cake which Lisa’s mother makes each year.  These temptations are all the more alluring because I know I will only see them for a brief time while at each of my family’s house.  Therefore, I began to rationalize that I will only have these seasonal treats for a short time and must indulge!  (Sounds like logical thinking!  Right?)  To make matters all the worse, these treats are often left out in the open to be easily seen and accessed during the duration of our visits.  Oh what is a weak man to do as he sees these treats and hears their beaconing call?  I mean I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by not eating them, especially since they went to all the trouble of cooking them for me!  I wonder what I would look like when the holidays come to a close if I indulged wholeheartedly into these treats and just enjoyed them immensely.  Most likely I would be as large as a whale and as unhealthy as could be.  Much to my dismay I will refrain from going overboard and attempt to continue a running schedule to ward off any additional pounds of weight which would come with the indulgences. 

In the same vein of thinking regarding what we would look like if we indulged in overeating and lack of self-discipline let me pose a few questions for us to ponder.  What would happen if we began to surround ourselves with spiritually healthy and encouraging words, activities, and endeavors?  What would happen if we began to seek to act more like Christ and less like the world?  What would happen if we began to walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh?  The Word of God tells us in Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (NASB)  Just as there are dangers in having the house full of sweets for us when we are prone to overeating (Guilty as charged am I!) to surround ourselves with the vices of this world and the negativism of immature believers as well as carnality of non-believers is eternally damaging. 

So what are we to do?  First, be sure our spiritual input is sufficient.  By that statement I mean we must do more than hear a sermon or a Sunday School lesson once a week.  We must take time to ingest the Word of God on a daily basis.  How can we overcome the draw of the world if we do not have sufficient ammunition and energy to resist her temptations?  Secondly, we must rid ourselves of anything which will continually lead us into temptation.  Just as an alcoholic must stay away from any place or person which will tempt him to partake of his vice we must rid ourselves of all things contrary to the Word of God.  Thirdly, we must surround ourselves with godly counsel.  Without the encouragement of godly men and women to spur us on to Christ-like behavior we are prone to complacency and failure.  Scripture speaks of how “iron sharpens iron.”  Surround yourself with holy iron to develop your holy character.  Finally, pray and as you do listen for God to reveal great truths and answers you need.  However, be cautious that you discern God’s voice from any voice which might seek to mislead you.  The true test to ascertain if the direction you are hearing is from God is to see how this word you received lines up with the Bible.  God will never lead us in any direction or ask us to do anything contrary to His proven and Holy Scriptures. 

In closing, just as you don’t want to put on undesired weight this holiday season make sure you don’t clothe yourself with ungodly traits or character.  As we see throughout scripture God calls us to “Be holy, for He is holy.”  Therefore clothe yourself with the character of God.

 

Merry CHRISTMAS,

Pastor Ric

1 Peter 1:16