That Was Different

The last several Sundays have been really different for me. I had to spend several days in the hospital and then for several weeks I could not preach. Since I started ministry in 1983 I have always been in church, in ministry, except for 5 Sundays I can remember. God has truly been good to me! I had to sit and watch, via the internet, worship services at church. They were great! One of the services was the Sanctuary Choir's Christmas Worship Service! I was also able see the Christmas Day service and hear my daughter and son-in-law sing! Brother Phil Whiteaker preached an excellent message. I sat on my sofa and watched but it was NOT the same as being there. I am a dogmatic supporter of the local church. When I was in the hospital none of my favorite radio or podcast ministers came to see me. None of them sent be a card or made a phone call to ask how I was doing. I did not have any of them deliver a meal to by home. But I did have a church family who prayed, visited, and supported me through it all! All of us will face difficult and trying times in our life! God, through His Son Jesus Christ, ordained the local church to help us through this life! If you are not a part of a caring, thriving local church-Find one! Come to ours! The local church is just another way God has provided for His children. THANKS to First Free Will Baptist Church of North Little Rock!

Traveling

I enjoy traveling most of the time. I do not care if it is my car, bus, plane, boat or even running. Most of the time things go smoothly if you plan well. If I was driving my Dad always taught me to have the oil changed, tires rotated, replace old belts and hoses, and clean the car before I left on a trip. When I fly I have learn to carry on as much as you can and go through security screening with as little on as modesty will allow. (that sounds scary). Debbie and I have been on several trips out of the country and one thing we have learned is you MUST have your passport. The reason being it is easy for you to get out of the country (especially into Mexico) but the problem is getting back in the USA if you do not have your passport. If you have traveled out of the country you know that one of the best feeling you have is when you arrive back in the US the customs agents says, "Welcome Home". Can you imagine what it will be like that day when Christ welcomes His children home? I hope you are looking forward to that day! As with most vacations, they are too short. Our time on earth is short compared to eternity with Christ. Do what you have to do to make it HOME! Have your passport (Christ) with you, He is the only way to get HOME!

Left Field

Have you every heard the old saying "That came from left field!"? It means that you were not expecting whatever just happened. There are times in life that you can see something coming and other times you get blindsided. The times you don't see something coming are usually the hardest to deal with. I believe that is when we see the depth of our faith and commitment come into action. This may be a little hard to understand but in sports, baseball especially, you practice constantly to teach "muscle memory." You teach a player how to swing or throw so that in crucial situations in a game he/she does not think about what to do, it becomes a natural reaction. Nerves or doubt in their abilities never come into play, they just do what they have been taught.

Applying this to the Christian life is simple. I learn to trust Christ everyday, even with the simple things, so that when I am "blindsided" my "faith muscle memory" takes over and I still trust Christ. His Word and promises are still true no manner the circumstances. The only problem is we never "practice" our faith enough to gain the memory that it needs and when the difficult times come it our life we either begin to doubt or place our trust in something else besides Christ.

So my advice today is to get out and practice your faith! Trust Christ with everyday-especially the good ones- so that when the tough ones come along you are prepared to trust Him as well.

Seeing the Beginning from the End

Have you ever jumped to the end of a book to find out how it ends? You are about half way through the book and you cannot stand not knowing how it ends so you turn and read the last chapter. Have you ever wondered how your life will end? Will Christ return before you die? Will you die from natural causes or because of an accident? Have you ever made a decision and wished you knew the outcome before you made the decision? If I ask her to marry me, how will our life together turn out? If I change jobs or move my family can we make the adjustments needed? We have been studying the omniscience of God (He is all-knowing). It is amazing that God sees all of time simultaneously. He is never "surprised" by anything. He is sees my life not just from the beginning to the end but from the end to the beginning! He knows what I need, when I need it, and how much I need. He sees my enemies and their attempts to separate me from Him. God's omniscience gives great comfort and peace if I trust Him. Remember God is too loving to be unkind, to wise to make mistakes, and too powerful to have His cause defeated. God wants the best for my life! He will provide what is best based on His omniscience. It is easy for us to trust God with the "whats" of our life but will we trust Him with the "whys"? He knows all! He knows what I need and why I need it. Will you trust Him with the "whys"?

Getting Old

I guess that I am getting old and grumpy or maybe it is just the cold weather but I more than a little aggravated. Let me first of all say that I love sports! I grew up playing anything that had a ball involved with it and played some things that didn't. I also love watching sports on TV-especially baseball. I also want to make it clear that our church is focused on outreach to our community and around the world. But I refuse to cancel or alter a regularly scheduled worship service so that people can watch the Super Bowl. I do not mind having a fellowship time after the service if the game is still on but I believe that is as far as the church should go! What kind of statement are we making to the world? What kind of statement are we making about God? I have heard the arguments for ......most are empty. If you can clear my thinking on this please let me know. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God....." Isn't the Christian life about priorities?

Relationships

This month is our Morning worship services we have been focusing on connecting. Connecting with God, with the body of believers, with unbelievers, and with ourselves. The first connection, with God, is the key to all of the other connections. I am constantly amazed at what God does and I am overwhelmed when I think what God could do when we as Christians truly "connect" with Him. We connect with God through His Word, prayer, and worship. I am reminded that if the only day that I worship God, meditate on His Word, and bow before Him in prayer is on Sunday-we are in trouble! Our corporate worship should be a culmination of what has happened all week long in our personal worship. Have you ever been to church and felt like you just did not "connect" with God? Maybe it was not the music, preaching, or fellowship. Maybe it was because there was no "personal worship" during the week! Are you connecting with God? Get into His Word! Pray! Worship! Get connected!

Christmas Sacrifice

The madness has begun! I watched on TV this morning as thousands of people stood in line to get in a store to buy a gift for someone that they loved. It is amazing the sacrifices that people will make to see the smile on some one's face that they love on Christmas morning. That thought took me in two directions. (1) The sacrifice Christ made to bring glory to His Father and (2) why aren't we willing to make those kind of sacrifices when it comes to our relationship with the Lord? It is amazing people will sacrifice sleep, money, and time to get that special gift but will not do that to draw closer to the Lord. The Lord sacrificed His life to bring us into a right relationship with the Father yet we complain when we are asked to sacrifice anything for Him. What would you do to bring a smile to the Father's face? Would you stand in line to give your tithe at church Sunday? Would you "camp-out" to be the first one in church on Sunday? God gave the greatest gift to you, what have you given to Him?