7/31/13:

TFTD: “And for fear of him (the angel) the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay…”” Matthew 28:4-6

When was the last time that you were afraid, or perhaps the most afraid you have ever been? Now put yourself in the shoes of these guards. It’s just a typical day at work, standing guard at the tomb of someone important so that no one would come and steal the body. And then the ground starts to shake, harder and harder, and finally you duck and cover because the giant stone that was in front of this tomb of Jesus is moving. Now this brightly dressed guy is sitting atop the stone. I don’t know about you but I sure would act dead because I was so afraid. This guy’s clothes are blinding and the tombstone, which took more than just a couple of guys to put into place, has been moved with no one’s help. Yikes!!

            Now think of the last time you were so excited you couldn't contain your joy. Did you get so excited that people couldn't understand you or didn't believe you? Because I think that’s where these women’s emotions would have been. Running back to the disciples to tell them Jesus is alive and risen just as He said. Their sentence might have looked something like this: “JesusisalivewesawhimandhetoldustocomeandtellyoutogotoGalileebecauseheisgoingtomeetyouthere. *breath* gogogogogogogogo!!!!”. If you need that broken down it said this: Jesus is alive, we saw Him, and he told us to come and tell you to go to Galilee because He is going to meet you there. Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go!! Isn't that how excited we should be about the resurrection? Not, just on Easter, or Good Friday, but every day. We have this overflowing joy that comes from knowing Jesus. His defeat of death, and ascension into heaven gives us hope and a reminder that we will live forever with Him in Paradise. That is a joy worth getting excited about!

“The entire plan for the future has its key in the resurrection”- Billy Graham  

7/30/13:

TFTD: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

Hearing is a complicated process, first the noise has to be made and then it goes in your ear. From there it does a whole lot of stuff that you would have to have someone explain to me because I don’t really get it. One thing I do get though is how important it is. Without being able to hear you miss out on a lot of really cool things. Birds chirping, water flowing, babies laughing, and music. You miss out on all of these things because the process is broken. Something, somewhere in your ear isn’t working correctly and you aren’t able to process the noises so it all comes across as jibber jabber. A lot of times the world just makes noise. So much so that it all comes across as this undecipherable blob of noise telling us to dress, act, and live in ways that we don’t really understand.

            And somewhere amidst it all is God’s word. That word that is the most important thing for us to hear and understand and we miss it because the noise of the world is too loud, or we aren’t actually listening for it. But that word of God is important. It may even be the most important thing you ever hear because it can save your life. It can give you direction and a clarity that you have never known before. It has instructions for life, how to dress, how we should act, and so much more. All we have to do is hear it. That is hard, don’t get me wrong. It gets lost when the noise of the world seems overpowering, but it’s there. It won’t leave. No matter how loud the noise gets. So take some time today, get into the word of God and hear what God has to say to you. It might change your life.

“If there is hope in the future, then there is power in the present.” – John Maxwell

7/29/13:

TFTD: “He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us in God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Back in the olden days a seal was a big deal. No not the animal. A seal on a letter or an official document that said this is official because I have marked it with this noticeable mark. Now fast forward about a thousand years and think of what kind of seals or marks are around and how important they are. There are tattoos that tell us we are a part of a group. There are homes and cars that show that we are in the financially wealthy group. There are music genres that put us into groups like hipster or folk. But do any of these groups or seals have any real meaning? Do they actually label us as something important? It may appear that way but there is one category that we get lumped into as humans here on this earth regardless of wealth, health, tattoos, music, or whatever you get labeled as. That is sinful. We have this label of sinful that penetrates our entire lives because it started from the beginning. We were born sinful, live sinful, and die sinful. Here’s the kicker. Paul lays it on us and tells us that we have this Spirit in our hearts. We have been sealed and marked with the mark of eternity. Christ’s mark of redemption and grace. A mark that lets us  live forgiven, and die forgiven. It reminds us that we are a chosen priesthood and a nation belonging to God. This mark is a noticeable one. It can be seen by all including the devil. It is the seal of unmistakable, undeniable, remarkable love and sacrifice that has been placed on all of us. It’s the seal of Life.

“It’s not what you know; it’s what you use that makes a difference.”- Zig Ziglar

7/26/13:

TFTD: “But I call God to witness against me-it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.” 2 Corinthians 1:23-34

As I sit in my office today doing my prep work, and getting the little things done for the week, I realize that I am alone. I look out in the hall way and all the office doors are closed, the lights are off, and I’m all by myself. I think of the song by Bette Midler that says “And I am all alone there is no one here beside me, and my problems have all gone, there is no one to deride me.” It’s kind of nice being alone while doing your work, you can concentrate and get things done more efficiently… sometimes. Other times you have no motivation to do your work because no one else is there doing theirs. Sometimes it seems that ministry is about your prep work for Sunday School, your devotion giving, and your leadership. It can seem very lonely because you are the only one putting anything together, but Paul has a different idea of ministry. He puts right in the letter to Corinth when he says “…we work with you for your joy…”. Paul’s idea isn’t that we are to work alone, although some are called to be sole pastors or educators, but to work as a team keeping all accountable for their faith and for their actions. Encouraging one another to do the hard things, and to keep being inventive in how you share and live the message of Christ.

            Now I am not the best encourager, and some can attest to that, but I know One who is. He is going to encourage you to stay involved in His life and plan for you. He is willing to give you some guidance when you need it, and be silent when He knows it’s good for you. Christ is always willing to be in relationship and team ministry with you when you feel alone. He’s got the words for you to say so you don’t have to worry about it. I would like to leave you with this video of someone else encouraging you. Giving you the motivation to keep going and being awesome because awesome is all we can be when working with Christ on the greatest team of all.

“You don’t have to worry about tomorrow because God is already there.” –Zig Ziglar

7/25/13:

TFTD: “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” Luke 7:39

For a little context, this passage comes to us in the middle of the story in Luke 7 where Jesus is invited over for a meal with a Pharisee named Simon. A woman, who “is a sinner” comes in and goes to Jesus, starts crying on His feet, wipes the tears off with her hair and then anoints His feet with perfume. This is where our passage comes in. Simon the Pharisee is talking to himself and is judging this woman for all of the things she has done. He is judging Jesus because He isn’t doing anything about it. I find myself enthralled in this story. First of all because of the historical context that is being displayed here in the attitude of the Pharisee, but also because I see myself in both the Pharisee’s and woman’s place.

            Too often we are like the Pharisee. Looking at others and thinking about what they have done or who they are hanging out with and judging them for it. Putting ourselves on a pedestal above them because we are a Christian or because we are a better person then they are. But aren’t we that woman. Aren’t we the ones who are broken and sinful? This woman who came in probably wasn’t the cleanest. It’s very likely that she is a prostitute, and who knows what other kinds of sins she had, but Jesus didn’t kick His feet around and tell her to stop crying and leave. He saw this as a teaching moment. He looks over to Simon and asks him a question. Who is going to be more appreciative of a debt that is wiped away, someone who owes a lot or a little? And being the smart guy Simon is he of course answers “a lot”. Then He (Jesus) looks to the woman and says “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Wham!! A slap in the face to Simon. Jesus just made it clear that this woman is going to appreciate her forgiveness and salvation way more because Simon was too uppity to think he was anywhere near that sinful. Too often we need that slap in the face. We get stuck in this Pharicycle. Yes I made that word up but hear me out. We get stuck in the idea of being so much better than others that we forget that we are no better than that woman and take our forgiveness for granted. Then we come across someone who is much worse off than us, realize they are forgiven and get a giant slap in the face. Jesus came for everyone. Not just to forgive the little, but to forgive the unforgivable. To be friends with sinners. To be friends with you and me. Jesus is a friend of mine!

“While dining with sinners, Jesus was dreaming  of their becoming saints.” – Ike Reighard

7/23/13:

TFTD: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10

Have you seen those people who walk around with their pants below their butts? Man they have some swag. I wish I could walk around and be confident enough to dress that way. Okay so I don’t really, but it is interesting right? A lot of the people who dress that way or walk with a little hitch in their step have this confidence about them. They have this attitude of “I am who I am because I have made this brand or style of me. It is what I want others to see me as and it’s new, I am perfecting it every day”. Talk about confidence right? Well maybe not. I am not just talking about the saggy pants people but everyone who puts on the face. You know the face. It’s the face of I am okay as long as you don’t ask me how I am really doing. I am okay if you look at the superficial. I am okay and am used to not being okay. It’s who I am. That face is broken. It’s beat up and overworked because society has this idea that we have to be okay all the time. It is the face of a beat up sinner who is left to fend for themselves because their sin is the only thing that they can see.

            Would you believe me if I said I am part of a group that walked around with a swag? A confidence that others can see in me and a hitch in my step? You can have this swag to. It is for everyone to have and it comes with healing. A swag that comes with healing? What are you talking about? I am talking about the swag of forgiveness and grace. Its swag only God can give. A full fledged confidence that we are Saved With Amazing Grace. Knowledge that all our sins have been paid for by the cross of Christ and that we get to put on the face of forgiven and loved. The face of, I am okay because I know I AM. I am okay with being not perfect. I am okay being real with people because that is how I am called to live. It’s a face of a patched up imperfect person who confuses society with their idea of okay because God has a different meaning. It’s the S.W.A.G. face. So get your swag on!

“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”- Helen Keller

7/18/13:

TFTD: “Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.”- Luke 22:56-60

Peter, Peter, Peter… how could you deny God after telling Him that you will never turn away from Him? Can you imagine what it would have been like to be in that time period? Just take a minute and put yourself in Peter’s shoes. Your first experience with Jesus is Him telling you to go back out and keep fishing. You are a fisherman by trade and have been out all night, what does this guy think he knows that you don’t? So you go back out to the lake, probably to prove this guy wrong, and wham! Nets so full that they are breaking. Later you see Jesus raise people from the dead, heal cripples who have never been able to walk in their lives, cast out demons, feed five thousand people, and get to listen to Him teach the word of God like nobody else. You spend three years of your life following Jesus seeing all of these miracles, and then one of your friends comes and betrays Jesus giving Him over to the Romans. You get so mad that you take out your sword and send a warning shot out by slicing a soldier’s ear off. Jesus turns to you and tells you to calm down and puts the guy’s ear back on. Now Jesus is taken in for questioning and you deny ever even knowing Him not once, or twice, but three times.

            Is this not the story of our lives? When we first meet Jesus we are amazed by all He has done and not really sure if it’s true. Then we dig in and see that Jesus is really this amazing healer and teacher who can do wonderful things in our lives. We follow Him by going to church and maybe even bible study or Sunday school, and then someone comes and points out a detail or something you haven’t thought of before, so you get mad. Then they keep poking and prodding, and life gets hard or scary and pretty soon you say “I don’t know that guy” or “I’m not even sure any of this story is true” or maybe even “it’s all a fake”. Seems a lot like Peter’s story doesn’t it. It’s a good thing that Jesus doesn’t disown us for our behavior. He doesn’t reject us when we treat Him like the all powerful iGod app that can be turned on and off. He welcomes us back time and time again from our stupidity and denial. No matter what we have done, or how many times we have denied Him. He runs to us even when we are far off like the father in the prodigal son story and will throw us a huge feast and party when we come home to be with Him forever! Our God is awesome!

“Although I was theologically certain, I was an obedience coward- no better than Peter. I could almost hear the cock crowing- this time for me!”- Clare De Graaf

7/17/13:

TFTD: “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessing.” 1 Corinthians 9:22-23

When was the last time that you ran a race or competed for a prize? What was the outcome? In chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians Paul is talking to the people of Corinth about a race where “all the runners run, but only one receives the prize” (v. 24). It seems as though the world trains its team of runners to only ever focus on that one prize. That prize of self service, and making your way to the top by your own doing. But we run a different kind of race. It’s a race against time. It’s a race to take the message of the gospel to all the ends of the world so that all can hear it and be saved. Paul even gives us the reminder that we run for an imperishable prize and we all get to win. He also tells us how he is running the race which is an awesome but very difficult way to run. “I have become all things to all people…” (v. 22). In simple terms, we are to meet people where they are at to reach them in the best possible way. That’s pretty easy right? Not! It is hard to go to people who are different than we are and tell them about Jesus because it is too comfortable to run our own race. We get stuck in this pattern of I. I am doing the best that I can. I am running so well. I am pulling away. I am going to win. When really we are called to a life of we. Let me help you so that we can finish the race. We are running so well. We are pulling away, let’s go back and get others. We are going to win. What a statement that is. We are going to win! We could even alter that a little and say WE ARE WINNING! We are winning because our God is amazing and has shed His life for us so that we can not only finish the race laid out for us but win the race and receive the everlasting prize of eternal life with Him. So I challenge you today to look for those around you who need a leg up in the race. Go meet them where they are and walk with them for a while. Maybe then you can jog with them, and maybe even run with them. How cool would that be?

“Winners evaluate themselves in a positive manner and look for their strengths as they work to overcome weaknesses.” –Zig Ziglar

7/15/13:

TFTD: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” –Matthew 7:7-8

When you were little and you needed something, how did you get it? Did you have to fend for yourself and go get it? Did you have an older sibling go and get it for you? Or did you ask your parents if you could have or get whatever it was? I always had to go to my parents for whatever it was because I was the oldest child. Our Father in heaven wants us to do the same thing. He tells us to ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened. That seems like a lot of receiving doesn’t it. But it comes with some stipulations. We have a part to play here. We have to ask, seek, and knock. It is an urging by Christ to be in relationship with the Father, but not just any kind of relationship. An active one. He wants us to be praying and conversing with Him. It’s a prayer thing. Now that is all well and good but I have a follow up question. Did your parents always give you what you asked for? I know mine didn’t. They knew that some of the things I was asking for or seeking were not beneficial to me. God knows that some of the things that we are asking for or seeking are not going to be beneficial to us, so when we don’t get our way we need to take a minute and think. God has a bigger plan for us. He knows the things we need and is not going to hold any of those things from us. But when it comes to wants, it’s kind of up to Him. He will prosper you. He promises that. But it might not be in the ways that you want. It might be difficult, and there will be struggles, I can guarantee you that. But He is there for you. If you ask, seek, and knock on His door, He will be there for you. It’s a prayer thing.

“There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below.” –Charles Haddon Spurgeon

7/11/13:

TFTD: "Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you." -1 John 3:13

The world hates you. Let that sink in for a minute. The world hates you. Does that surprise you? Maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t, but it isn’t a pleasant idea. I don’t know about you but I don’t like the idea of being hated by the world. But think about it, haven’t Christians been hated or disliked for 2000 years or so? Even before Jesus was born king Herrod wanted to find him and destroy him because he was a new king that was coming. John the Baptist wasn’t the most well accepted guy either, and we probably wont start on how many people "liked" or disliked Paul. So we are in good company. We shouldn’t get discouraged by how much push back the world gives. It is falling to unrepentant sin and the popular majority says that’s okay. It is not imperative that we plow through the hate and push back to love on our neighbors. They need it. They need to hear the saving message of Christ. Even as Christians we need daily reminders that we are bought and paid for by the blood of Christ. We have God's saving power and grace on our side. So remember this, you are loved by the maker of all who forgives your sins regardless of how big, small, many or few. Love (God) conquers all!!

"I win not because of my own efforts or my own goodness, but rather through the grace, love, and mercy of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He died so that I might win this game of life and live with Him forever."- Zig Ziglar

7/10/13:

TFTD: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." - John 14:27

God's Peace. Sounds like the greeting that you give to others on Sunday morning during church but is that all God's peace is or is there more to it? In John 14 Jesus is promising the Holy Spirit as a helper for those who believe in Him so that they don’t have to be afraid or troubled, so they could have peace. But we are humans. Regardless of whether or not Jesus is telling us to have peace and not to be afraid our sinful self is going to continually beat us down with fear and troubles. Have you ever thought about this, maybe those troubles are from God? Maybe God is giving or letting you endure this trouble because you will have a better sense of God's peace when you come through it? In a bible study I sat in recently a pastor said this "Troubles are just God pruning believers." And I have heard that a bunch of different times but he continued on with this "Is pruning considered Law or Gospel? It is all going to depend on where you are at in your faith walk." I hadn’t heard it that way before. We are going to interpret our pruning a little differently depending on who we are. I looked into it a little bit further and came across this verse, 1 peter 1:6-7 which says "…if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith… may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Does that mean that God send/lets trials happen? You bet. Does it mean that we will be tested? You bet. But it also means that we will have peace in the end (whenever that end is) knowing that God used that trial or tribulation through you to further His kingdom. What a joy it is to be used for God's master plan, there is even a little peace knowing that God is using me, even if I don’t understand it.

"Pray for great things, expect great things, work for great things, but above all, pray"-R.A. Torrey 

7/9/13:

TFTD: "In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that  God sent his only son into the world so that we night live through him."- 1 John 4:9

What is love? There are many answers to this question. Love is romance between man and woman. It can be a love you have for your car, or pizza. But what truly is love? In 1 John it says that God is love, but He is so much more than that. God is this action that we get to share with others. This love that we get to be and show others how to be. I am reading a book called The 10 Second Rule by Clare De Graaf. His general premise is this. Be love for someone because it doesn’t take that long (10 seconds *cough cough*). What decisions can you make in the next 10 seconds that can be love to someone? Is it holding a door? Is it a smile? Is it a nice tweet or maybe a text? The world is so bogged down with this idea of love that it is misconstrued. We look past so many things that could be done so easily out of love for another, and instead we just see people for their looks or talents. That’s not the creation God has made. Pastor Billy Newl put it this way, "we just need to love on people". He just means we need to take care of the people around us because it's how we are called into relationship with others and relationship with God. So my question for you is "How can you love on others today?

The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.- G.K. Chesterton