2 Cor 3:6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
I noticed some oak trees out by my home. Dead brown leaves still cling to the branches. Its amazing to me that they have not fallen off. The wind hasn't blown them off, the frost and snow haven't either. But something amazing will be happening over the next several weeks.
New green growth will force the old leaves off. We can learn something from the oak tree.
Maybe you are fighting a bad habit now or an addiction. You get frustrated with your self because it seems the harder you try the worse the habit becomes or you think about it more. You beat yourself up and tell yourself you will try harder again tomorrow. What is happening is that you are trying to get rid of an old dead part of your life with the law. The above verse says the "letter kills" that is the law beats us and frustrates us. Its like the snow and wind trying to get those old dead leaves off the oak.
What you need in your life is the Good News that Jesus is the One who begins a good work in you and completes it! (Philippians 1:6) Its knowing His love for you (which is like the sun and the warmth and the new leaves) that helps old sinful habits die and new Godly habits form.
And when the old habit rears its ugly head again, return to the cross and see the blood flowing from the Savior that says you are forgiven and set free. His Spirit gives us life!
I look forward to watching the oak trees transform after a long winter.
In Christ,
Pastor John
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
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
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
Monday, May 14, 2012
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:
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
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?
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
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
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
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
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
He Died For Me!
When someone does something great for us we say we "will never forget this!" We are eternally grateful. I want you to think about God and the revealing of Himself through the person of Jesus. You are worth so much to Him that He went to the cross and died for you to pay for your sins so that they would not keep you out of heaven when you die. Better news than this does not exist!
This past summer in one of my dealings with someone at work this person told me to save my prayers for someone who does not need them. They told me that after this life there is nothing and that they are fine with how their life is right now and are content to live that way till they die. Sadder news than this does not exist for if nothing changes for this person they will have an eternity of regret.
If there is no such thing as an eternity of hell or heaven then mission work doesn't matter nor does telling others of Jesus. But it does matter because they do exist. And the Good News is that no one has to go to hell. Jesus truly took our place. A book that I read this summer describes His death in ways I never understood before.
Picture Jesus on the cross. He is not there by chance. He wasn't at the wrong place at the wrong time. He knew all this would happen. It was planned. Along with the physical suffering of being nailed to a cross I want you to think of all the pain in the world. I mean all the pain- all the hurts and tears and suffering from the past, the present and the future of every individual ever. Imagine if all that pain could be put into one ball that could be hung around the Savior's neck. That is what He suffered also.
And there's one more thing- now picture a whole eternity's worth of hell. (can we even do that?) That also is all tied up in one ball! That is what He suffered as well!
Do you get it? And He did it all for you! Think about this the next time you say Jesus died for me.
Greater love has no man than this- that a man lay down His life for His friends.
In Christ,
Pastor John
This past summer in one of my dealings with someone at work this person told me to save my prayers for someone who does not need them. They told me that after this life there is nothing and that they are fine with how their life is right now and are content to live that way till they die. Sadder news than this does not exist for if nothing changes for this person they will have an eternity of regret.
If there is no such thing as an eternity of hell or heaven then mission work doesn't matter nor does telling others of Jesus. But it does matter because they do exist. And the Good News is that no one has to go to hell. Jesus truly took our place. A book that I read this summer describes His death in ways I never understood before.
Picture Jesus on the cross. He is not there by chance. He wasn't at the wrong place at the wrong time. He knew all this would happen. It was planned. Along with the physical suffering of being nailed to a cross I want you to think of all the pain in the world. I mean all the pain- all the hurts and tears and suffering from the past, the present and the future of every individual ever. Imagine if all that pain could be put into one ball that could be hung around the Savior's neck. That is what He suffered also.
And there's one more thing- now picture a whole eternity's worth of hell. (can we even do that?) That also is all tied up in one ball! That is what He suffered as well!
Do you get it? And He did it all for you! Think about this the next time you say Jesus died for me.
Greater love has no man than this- that a man lay down His life for His friends.
In Christ,
Pastor John
Monday, July 11, 2011
Come and Get It!
The other day at the youth center where I work there were some black children speaking in a different language to each other. Around staff they immediately switched to English. They were excited to be going outside to play. I heard one kid say to the other as they passed me, "come get your snack pak" I thought to myself how treats and playing are all the same for kids no matter what language, tribe or nation.
There are so many places in Scripture where God says, come get your snack pak. Come to Me you who are weary and tired....Come all who are thirsty....
We are told that in heaven around the throne will be gathered many tribes and nations. The need for all mankind is the same- we are lost in our sin and that means eternal death.
The solution is the same as well for all mankind- One Savior Jesus Christ who defeated death and paid the price for our sin.
He's asked us to share that Good News with others. We sometimes make this very difficult when it just might be as simple as one kid inviting another to come and get his snack pak!
In Christ,
Pastor John
There are so many places in Scripture where God says, come get your snack pak. Come to Me you who are weary and tired....Come all who are thirsty....
We are told that in heaven around the throne will be gathered many tribes and nations. The need for all mankind is the same- we are lost in our sin and that means eternal death.
The solution is the same as well for all mankind- One Savior Jesus Christ who defeated death and paid the price for our sin.
He's asked us to share that Good News with others. We sometimes make this very difficult when it just might be as simple as one kid inviting another to come and get his snack pak!
In Christ,
Pastor John
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