Who are you serving?

The Apostle Paul’s response to the Risen Jesus recorded in Philippians 3:10-11, He says;  “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Paul’s response to the resurrection of Jesus is a road map to our own resurrection. The map is to embrace the sufferings which comes through sacrificial love. Easter is a journey of hope and eternal blessing, the question for our journey is are we following the map? Are you fighting it or are you embracing the sacrificial love it takes to serve, bless, and give to others? Join me in offering sacrificial love… then, we will know Christ and the power of his resurrection.

So, who are you serving? You know I love ya, Don

Steps to avoiding temptation : Renewal and Rest

The Sabbath Renewal is both a commandment and a gift. It is a day of freedom and release from labor. It is described by Jews as a visiting queen to be greeted with festivity and on going Shabbat, “joy of Sabbath.” At the arrival of the Sabbath, the home is transformed into sacred space, and the meal becomes “a glimpse of human life as it should be, in the design of God” (Harvey Cox).

Rabbi Abraham Heschel describes the Sabbath observance as a cathedral, constructed not of brick and mortar, but of time. The Sabbath helps us escape the tyranny of time. Heschel says that “Judaism tries to foster the vision of life as a pilgrimage to the seventh day; the longing for the renewal all the days of the week,” and a taste of the world to come… “Six days we wrestle with the world; on the Lord’s Day we care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul.”

A believer and follower of Jesus defy disobedience by observing a day of renewal.

St. Augustine stated; “Our hearts are restless, until we find rest in Jesus.” The Sabbath Rest sanctifies time through rest and inaction, a “sacred stasis.” We don’t “keep” the Sabbath; the Sabbath keeps us. Work is a gift from God, but work is not our God. The Sabbath is a day to recover from the stresses of the week. However, weekend leisure without the worship of God is not the plan! We worship because we need it, God deserves it, and Scripture commands it.

By observing Sabbath, we are no longer slaves to the “tyranny of the urgent.” We set aside our anxieties and busyness, our pursuit of more, and we recognize that our refuge is God alone. We are not alone, or on our own.

There’s a danger: We can externally observe a day of rest while remaining restless. I know of people who sit in church taking notes, not on the sermon, but for tasks they need to accomplish. They’re unable to disengage from the work-week, and they’re watching the clock; they can’t wait till Monday to fret over their work. Such an inauthentic Sabbath provides no rest. All the while God says in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Even thinking about work should be avoided. We need to rest from the very thought of labor, and relax without guilt.

A believer and follower of Jesus defies disobedience by observing a day of renewal and by resting. You Know I love ya, Don

What game are you playing?

God’s spirit dwells in us so we can live righteously, as Jesus did. Romans 3:25 states, “God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice …”

Much like a baseball batter getting ready to step up to the plate…a believer is position to hit the ball because of Jesus. You don’t take the bat and ball to a basket ball game, or a soccer game or a hockey game or even a football game…although the Indianapolis Colts might have played a better game last week if they had showed up with a bat and ball … the reality is that the church has been getting into position with their own agenda and forgot we are a people of grace, a people of discipline, and a people positioned in Jesus Christ to face the world.

For God to be just, He must remain true to his own principles. His holiness dictated that “the soul who sins will die” (Ezek. 18:4). The penalty for sin – namely, death – had to be paid in a way that was acceptable to God. God explained through Moses why a blood sacrifice was required… “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” (Lev. 17:11). Science has proven this today… the blood in your body is essential in providing life to your body. A life must be given for a life to be spared.

It was this basis that God positioned himself to redeem us and in return we are positioned to live in Jesus. The Almighty God provided a perfectly sinless sacrifice for all mankind. The only way God’s justice could be satisfied and His holiness could be maintained was for Jesus Christ to take our guilt and sin upon Himself and die in our place.

So we step up to the plate for the game of life and we get ready to hit the mark, growing in faith, drawing closer to God and to each other … because Jesus has positioned us in His redemption.

Our position is to passionate follow Jesus in the power of God’s justification. What game are you playing? The game of survival or the game of proactive and intentional game of living? You know I love ya, Don

Hippies ... someone the Shepherd brought home.

Carl Ketcherside served with and was instrumental in a strict branch of the Restoration Movement. However, the Lord made a lot of changes in his life. In his later years he moved to St. Louis and ministered among the down and out. At this time, Ketcherside began to work with a group of teenagers he described as "a crew of ripped off long haired kids," with a history of drug addiction. He loved them, listened to them, and one by one baptized them into Christ.

An affluent member of the church asked, "How are you making out with the hippies--those long haired, sad looking specimens you have been meeting with?"

Carl responded, "Those are not specimens, they are children of God. You are talking about my brethren in the Lord."

Condescendingly the other man continued, "They look to me like something the cat dragged in."

And Carl replied, "They look to me like someone the shepherd brought home."

At one time in your life … you were the one that cat dragged home and Jesus stepped in and reached out to you and brought a change and a brighter future. You look someone the shepherd brought home…

Ephesians 2:10 states it this way, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The question becomes … what are you doing for God? If I were a non-believer looking at your life, would I want to know Jesus because of you? Because of how you live your life and how the hope found in Christ brings a brighter future?

God has made it very clear that He uses ordinary people on a ordinary journey to make EXTRAORDINARY changes in the world around them. You and I have a mandate, a message, a calling that is very clearly laid out and it is for every believer that truly believes. Jesus said … “Go, make disciples and preach and teach and Baptize and LIVE the truth that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Are you? Are you listening? …are you seeking? Are you doing? These things are not for a special person over there…they are for the special person living inside of you.

You know I love ya, Don