Enjoying His Creation

For some reason I love the summertime.  Not the heat, but everything else.  It amazes me that God created the seasons as He did.  It’s a reminder of His faithfulness.  Cold in the winter, hot in the summer, mild in between.  In spite of some people’s assertion that we humans are disrupting this process (as if we could do that), every year is the same.  God shows Himself to be faithful each year.

For the past three summers we have had a garden.  It works almost like clockwork.  By Mother’s Day the roses are in, by  June 15th we have squash and beans, and by July 4th the Tomatoes are in.  God is just as faithful in our lives.  We don’t always see it.  We don’t always acknowledge it.  But He is.

As the summer rolls on, think about the autumn coming.  God will be faithful as He always is!

Are You a Practical Atheist?

I am preaching this week from Matthew 6:25-34.  Jesus gives us 8 reasons we should not worry.  In studying, I ran across a great quote from Robert Mounce.  Mounce says when we worry we are being, “practical atheists.”  What a humbling thought.  I’ve been awake for about 4 hours this morning and I have already worried at least a few dozen times about one thing or another.

Among the 8 reasons Jesus gives for not worrying (I won’t preach my whole sermon here) is in verse 32.  He says the idolaters seek after things, but our Father knows we need them.  His point is that when worry about things, or give our full effort to attaining things, we act like an unbeliever.  They have no Heavenly Father who knows their needs.  We do!  When we worry about stuff, we forget that He cannot provide.  Maybe we act like He doesn’t know?  doesn’t care?…either way we live as if He does not exist.  Thus we become practical atheists.

Surely we’d never say with words that He doesn’t exist.  Our actions may say it for us.  I’ve often said that people know would know exactly what you believe if they merely observed your actions for about a week.

Don’t be an atheist.  He exists.  He can meet our needs.  He will meet our needs.

He’ll do it again

Psalm 61 is the cry of a man seeking to be closer to the Lord.  We see David’s earnest expectation that God will hear him because He has done so in the past.  David knows that God does not change.  He cries out in verse 1 for God to hear his cry and pay attention to his prayer.  Have you ever started a prayer that way?  I know I have.  We find ourselves at times wondering if He’s still there, if He still listens.  David continues, “I call to you from the ends of the earth…” David is seeking God.  David has lived enough to know that God is all he needs.  God is the only One who is always the right answer!

David’s faith in this desperation finds it’s source in God’s past actions.  Verse 3, “You have been a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy”  David knows God will answer because God has already shown  His faithfulness.  What a great promise from God’s Word.  God has been faithful to His people in the past and will continue to be faithful to them.  David cries a shout of victory in verse 4, “I will live in your tent forever and take refuge under the shelter of Your wings.”   Do you see the change of attitude that happens in 4 verses?  David goes from crying to God and asking if He’ll pay attention – to proclaiming that He will have his refuge in God’s tent.

What is the key to this transformed attitude?  Remembering that He has done this before!  David knows God will be His refuge because God has shown that He will provide it for him.  It’s one thing to pray something that we know we don’t need and not be surprised when we don’t get it.  It’s entirely different to pray something in desperation that we have prayed before and He has already answered.

Wherever you are, crying out to God to listen and pay attention, reflect on what He has already done.  Look to answers in the past as a faith builder for answers tomorrow!  Our faith weakens as our memories of His work grow dim.  Watch Him work today…build your faith…He’ll do it again.

All We Need

The first song we sang Saturday night sums up a lot.  All We Need by Charlie Hall.  What an amazing thing stated in this short song.  We can have so much in life, but ALL we need is Jesus.  I post the lyrics here for you to enjoy and ponder…

We have all we need in You
And all we need is You
All we need is You

Verse.1
Rich or poor God I want You more
Than anything that glitters in this world
Be my all, all consuming fire

Verse.2
You can have all my hands can hold
My heart, mind, strength and soul
Be my all, all consuming fire

All we need, all we need, all we need is You
All we need, all we need, all we need is You

God in a box

In John 7, the Pharisees were upset with Jesus’ teaching. These guys were the religious leaders and biblical experts of their day. Jesus showed up and told all the people that if they believe in Him they would have streams of living water flow within them. You can imagine the Pharisees’ objection to hearing this. They sent the police to arrest Jesus. The police came back and did not have Jesus in custody. They told the Pharisees, “no one has ever spoken like this.” The Pharisees responded by saying, “Are you fooled too? Have any of the rulers believed in him? Or any of the Pharisees? But this crowd, which doesn’t know the law, is accursed!”

The Pharisees had put God in a box They had their trust in what they had seen God do before. They also had their trust in what they understood He would do based on the Old Testament. Based on these two things, they would not believe that 1) a prophet would come from Galilee; 2) God would come to earth as a man; 3) The Messiah would be a humble servant. The leaders “knew” how God would work. Because of this, they missed out. We see the difference in the police. These guys saw the power and authority of Jesus when He spoke. They were so moved by it they didn’t even arrest Him. I wonder if these were the same police who bowed down before Jesus when they arrested Him in John 18?

You and I must be careful. We have had experiences with the Lord, we have read His Word, we have seen Him work. The danger is that we expect Him to act in some type of formula. It is a dangerous place to come to. The Pharisees put God in a box and said He could not do what He was actually doing. They missed it!

I wonder how many times we miss what God is doing because it doesn’t fit our formula for how He is supposed to work in our lives and in the lives of others. What is it in your life that you think He cannot do? What is it in your life that you think He won’t do? Have you come to that decision because God is in your box you have created? Maybe He wants to work beyond what can think or imagine? Trust God for the hard things. Don’t put Him in a box.

connection

We had our first meeting tonight. It was a great time of worship. Those who were there met with the Lord! What an amazing thought, God has reconciled us to Himself! Through our faith in what He suffered we have eternal life. I love the verse in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Eternal life is not about Heaven. Don’t get me wrong, Heaven will be unbelievable, but the idea of knowing Jesus is great. Actually knowing the Creator of the Universe. That’s much better than some, “meet your hero” deal. God has taken the first step to allow us to meet Him. He did it by reconciling us to Himself through His Son Jesus. Amazing isn’t it? That God would take the first step to allow sinful people like us to come into His presence.

Grow in knowing Jesus…grow in your eternal life.