What a Deal!?

1 Cor 6:20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

I was shopping with a young man that I mentor. He needed new clothes. It was a good afternoon finding deals in the brand of clothes he liked. But I'm the one who ended up getting even more than I bargained for. As we left the store I looked at the receipt. Something didn't seem right. Wouldn't you know it? Now if they had shortchanged me you know for sure I would have went back. But they had forgotten to ring up one of the shirts. Just my luck, with a young man looking at me and seeing if my walk would match the things I have been trying to teach. What to do, what to do.... What would you do?

Ever been in one of these situations? And what if this young man had not been with me? Would it not be so important then? I read once that character is something you are when no one is watching.

I find myself almost everyday looking in the mirror and asking who am I? Life experiences have taught me to answer that question in a positive way most days- I am a forgiven child of the King through the blood Jesus poured out from the cross. (Now that's a bargain!) In my work I see alot of "kids" who do not know who they are and what price has been paid for them to be free young people!

I love these 20 somethings! I want to help them. I want to help them find their way in life. They have so much to live for! They are the ones who will be the ones guiding young people when I might not be around someday. They will be the ones watched instead of watching.

You were bought with a price! You have value! Its the real deal you have been looking for!

In Christ,
Pastor John

Be What?

In Matt 5:48 we are told to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. Really?

Do you struggle with this passage? Recently I learned the value of wrestling with the Word of God. I think in our world today we don't like to wrestle. We want everything to come easy and in our timing and not God's timing. The culture around us today tells us to be.... happy, be yourself, be whatever you want to be...to do whatever is good for you! And along comes Jesus and tells us to be perfect like the Father!

I asked some youth recently what came to mind when they heard this verse. Here is what they said:

• you cant
• already failed
• not possible
• hopeless
• I'm not worthy since I've already failed
• how?
• what does this mean?

When we wrestle with passages I learned that we always come out better than when we started. We might not have reached a clear cut version of the passage but we've taken time to be in the Word and wrestle with what God has told us. This produces character in us and God uses it to grow us. Don't be afraid to wrestle with God. A man in the Old Testament once did, physically and when this man (God) asked Jacob to let him go Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." And God changed his name to  "one who wrestles with God" the name- Israel! And what a blessed nation he had become!

In conclusion-what does this passage mean? Does God intend to leave you hopeless? Never! In the perfect life of His Son Jesus (God in the flesh) God sees you! Through faith in Jesus God sees Jesus living in us! When Jesus' blood was shed on the cross it covered our sin and God sees perfection now. Its a beautiful mystery and a wonderful gift.

We are perfect when we claim Christ as our Savior. The wrestling now is in the day to day living and the struggle with sin. The remedy? The cross and the empty grave which brings peace and life!

Live in that life and be what God wants you to be. And if you struggle with that congratulations for you too are one who wrestles with God!

In Christ,
Pastor John

Testing

This is a test

As a Man Thinks-Proverbs 23:7

I may have blogged before on this passage but I'm continuing to gain new insights on these awesome words. In fact, this Sunday I am preaching on them as I fill in for a local Pastor at his church. Everyday I see people who don't know how to properly think of themselves. They think they are losers, or addicts, or good-for-nothing people. One young man I am mentoring told me one day- I want to be a good man- to which I responded, "you are a good man"

You got to see yourself as God sees you! We look at our performance and conclude we are failures. Its like we have a report card on our self. If we get straight A's God will love us. If we get D's look out for His wrath.

As a man thinks so he is! Who are you? What do you think of yourself? How do you imagine yourself to be? What would you like to be? Lots of questions that I often get frustrated with. So I turn to the Answer! His name is Jesus! He loves me just the way I am and He loves me enough not to leave me where He found me. He loves me enough to tell me I am a sinner but that I am still someone that He loves and died for. He then journeys with me on a new path.

When you see yourself in Christ you can say, "yes, I am a sinner but through Him and by His grace I am a forgiven and dearly loved child" Everyday is a new beginning to live as His child. Every day is a new year, a chance to start over in our walk with Him.

You don't have to let others define who you are. What you wear, what you drive, where you live, none of this defines you either. Your past cant define you nor harm you and the future doesn't have to scare you or define you either. You are God's child if you want to be!

As a man thinks- God thinks you are pretty cool......do you?

In Christ,
Pastor John