Problem or Provision?

What is the most disappointing broken promise you have ever experienced? In asking that question, I am thankful to say that I am having a hard time thinking of one that stands out above the rest. Sure, I have been disappointed by a lack of loyalty and faithfulness, but by the grace of God, I have a great family, great friends, and a great church family.

Admittedly, I take for granted that I have not experienced some of the most devastating broken promises imaginable – the infidelity of a spouse, the abuse and neglect of bad parents, the backstabbing betrayal of a close friend, etc.

The reality, though, is that everyone experiences broken promises and betrayal, as we live in a broken world full of sinful people, including you and me. Some might have an overwhelming sense of gratitude for most of the people in their lives, as I do, whereas some might struggle and wonder, “Can I rely on anyone!?”

Really, we can boil relationships down to one of two categories – problem or provision. Do they cause problems, or do they provide what you need? Yes, we all cause problems at times, but generally speaking, do you fall into the problem or the provision category?

Are you a problem because of unreliability, or do you provide assurance through your reliability? Are you a problem because you run your mouth, or do you provide security by honoring confidentiality? Are you a problem because of dishonesty, or do you provide sincerity through honesty? Are you a problem because of laziness, or do you provide dependability by your hard work?

The questions could continue over a variety of other issues, but while we all have our strengths and weaknesses, we are all prone to weakness apart from the grace of God. He alone is perfect in His provision and never the problem. Yet, are we looking to and trusting in Him first for the provision we all need?

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching through Isaiah 11:1-9 on “The Promise of Provision.” God’s provision is perfect in and through the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us trust Him! Let us find our satisfaction and fulfillment in Him!

Regardless of how many broken promises you have experienced and/or broken yourself, it is not too late for you to trust and depend on God’s provision above all else. He never breaks His promises, and He never fails.

As we trust and rely on the Lord, only then can we really be the faithful providers we need to be for one another – at home, in the church, at work, for the team, etc.

God declared about the promised Messiah who was yet to come (and who took on flesh and was born of a virgin, as promised), “Righteousness will be a belt around His loins; faithfulness will be a belt around His waist” (Isaiah 11:5). Yes, it was true. Yes, it is true. Yes, it will always be true. He is righteous and faithful!

Our perfect Provider came as promised, and He will come again as promised. Are you ready for Him? Are you trusting in Him? Are you following Him?

To make sure you are truly ready for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ our Lord, check out The Story and follow Jesus now.

The Best Peace

If someone asks me, when is it too early to put up Christmas decorations, I would reply “Before the Fourth of July.” Seriously, I wish our Christmas decorations could be up at least six months/year. Marsha is probably a little more reasonable, but she is good about putting up the tree and decorations before Thanksgiving, and not taking them down until well-after the New Year.

One of the many reasons I love Christmas lights and decorations is the peaceful feeling of sitting in our living room when the sky is dark but our living room is bright with Christmas cheer. While I do not fear the dark (anymore), I do prefer the light. When I get up early in the morning (well before the sunrise this time of year), I love walking into our living room lit up with Christmas lights. Thank you, smart plugs!

Perhaps this is due to the nostalgia of the season, the contrast of the warmth inside to the cold outside, or my love for traditional Christmas hymns of worship, but Christmas lights and decorations give me an even greater sense of home sweet home than any other set-up or decor. And, with that sense of home comes a sense of peace.

Who does not love the reality of peace? When we feel peace, we feel good. When we lack peace, we feel miserable.

Of course, all of this makes me think of the best peace. So many things in this life point to our love for and need for peace, and that is because God created us in His image. As His image bearers, we were made to long for peace, and there is no greater peace than being in a right relationship with Him, flowing into right relationships with others. None of that is possible, though, without His goodness and provision.

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching through Isaiah 9:1-7 on “The Promise of Peace.” Sadly, we so often look for peace in all the wrong places, and the result is a fleeting peace and assurance that will only disappoint us.

I love sitting in our home when decorated for Christmas more than any time of year, but just like I am disappointed when we take down the decorations (the worst day of the year, in my opinion), so will we all be disappointed (and devastatingly so) if we seek to find peace, assurance, and fulfillment in anything or anyone besides the Prince of Peace. He – Jesus Christ – alone is the One who can give us a peace that will never disappoint.

Christmas decorations are great, but they eventually come down. Money is incredibly helpful, but loving it is the root of all kinds of evil. Good health is a blessing, but it can be lost in an instant. Safety is comforting, but nothing in this life can assure it. Family is a precious gift from God, but even the best of family can (and will) let you down at times.

Nothing in this life can offer and deliver the greatest peace, except God alone. He proved this by sending His One and Only Son to make a way for us to have everlasting peace. Have you experienced His peace? Do not settle for lesser peace. Rather, delight in the Only One who has and gives the best peace.

Praise God for His promise of peace, and His faithfulness to deliver! “For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

To experience peace with God that will change you now and forever, please check out The Story and call on His name today.

Power Over Referees

Basketball season is well underway, so this is a busy time of year for our family. With three of our five kids playing basketball and six of the seven of us being big fans (Micah is still a little too young to care much), we enjoy this time of year.

During Levi’s game the other night, I snapped a quick picture during a timeout. In that picture, you can see the ref raising a finger to indicate to the coaches that the timeout is nearly done and this is their first warning to get back to the game.

Do you know what I have never seen in the hundreds of basketball games I have attended? I have never seen a coach yell back at the ref during a timeout, “Hey, I’ll wrap this up when I’m good and ready! Now, leave me alone and let me talk to my players for a few minutes!” Sure, there have probably been many times when a coach might feel like saying that (and many more times when much longer timeouts are needed), but coaches “know their place.” They know the authority the referee has. No one gets to tell the ref to do things that are contrary to the rules, and change the ref’s mind.

On the basketball court, there is really no power over the referees. Yes, referees have bosses, too, and they have associations and expectations, but on the court of play, the referees are in charge. Coaches, players, and fans may yell (and might even influence calls), but the final say as to what goes and what stands – that final say belongs to the referees.

Of course, referees are just one of many examples of authority in our world. Some positions of authority are recognized more readily, some are challenged more frequently, and some are commonly mocked and ridiculed. With all positions of authority, though, comes some degree of power. We all have authority figures over us, and this was God’s intention.

Ultimately, though, we must recognize that only One authority is perfect and eternal. Yes, we must respect people of authority, even when they seem unreasonable (see Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2), but we must also recognize the temporal nature of authority in this life. We must find our hope, joy, and peace in the power and authority of the One who is Lord of all.

On Sunday morning, I will be preaching from Isaiah 7:1-17 on “The Promise of Power.” As I begin a new Advent sermon series, I will be challenging our church to slow down and consider the promises of God. His promises are perfect, and His power is matchless. And, what is more powerful than the promise (Isaiah 7:14) and matchless fulfillment (Matthew 1:22-23) of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ?

Far more powerful than referees on a basketball court, God has eternal authority and Lordship over us all. Are you trusting in Him? Do you fear the consequences of disobeying Him? Does your life point to His matchless power? Seek, trust, and fear Him above all!

Whether you recognize Him or not, Jesus is Lord of all. The eternally important question is – do you surrender to His Lordship? If you have yet to do so, would you consider The Story and turn to Him today?

What strength and power?

Marsha and I had the privilege of coaching Zoe’s basketball team in our local YMCA’s 5th-6th grade girls’ league this fall. Last week, we lost in the championship game and thus finished in second place. Considering where the girls were at the beginning of the season (only six players and most had never played), I was pleasantly surprised that we finished with a winning record and made it to the championship, losing to a team that we actually lost to early in the season, beat late in the season, but then lost to again in the final game.

Now, why did these girls improve as the season progressed? Practice. Practicing twice each week was helpful – not nearly sufficient for where I wish they could have been, but helpful. There is a ridiculous saying that “practice makes perfect.” The reason that statement is ridiculous is twofold: 1) No one is perfect, except the Lord, who does not need practice for that very reason; 2) Practice only brings improvement if the practice is good. If you practice things the wrong way, then you only get more consistent in doing things the wrong way. Thus, really, practice makes permanent. Habits are formed and established through practice.

I wish our team could have been better, but we did not have nearly enough practices. Furthermore, the girls did not work on their basketball fundamentals much, if any, during the off-season. Thus, they entered the season with a lot of bad habits, and when those habits continued in more regular practice (for example, bad shooting form that was not corrected), then the bad habits became more cemented and established.

This is truth that not only applies to sports but to life. Practice makes permanent, but only the Lord makes perfect. Sure, we can improve and get really good at things (or better at being bad), but we can never be perfect on this side of eternity. Most importantly, we cannot be morally perfect and free from sin, apart from trusting in the Only One who is. Turning to Jesus is the only way to experience perfection – the status of perfection now and the eternal reality of perfection in the future. Thanks be to God!

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be finishing my sermon series through Galatians, preaching on “The Power of Grace” (Galatians 6:11-18). In our pursuit of perfection (or, at least, greatness), we all long for strength and power. Yes, we can grow in strength and power, but that strength and power are never sufficient for what we need. We simply cannot attain a level of perfection (or even greatness) apart from God’s grace.

Again, practice makes permanent, but only the Lord makes perfect. So, in my message, I hope to communicate two necessities for experiencing God’s gracious power. What strength and power? Not ours but rather, the Lord’s. The key is not to look within ourselves but rather to look to Him. He alone is sufficient. He alone saves. He alone changes our hearts and lives. He alone empowers us. Any other supposed strength and power will fade away.

Are you looking to the Lord for your strength and power? Are you surrounding yourself with others who are prioritizing the same? Let us seek and depend on the Lord, and let us walk together in this journey. To God be the glory!

Zoe with her cousin Reese after the game

Please Judge Me

One of the most quoted (and wrongly applied) Bible verses is Jesus’ statement, “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Many people love to say things like, “Don’t judge me,” when defending themselves in confrontations.

What people often miss, though, is the context of that conversation during Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount,” a message in which He was judging all of us and also calling us to judge one another. Matthew 7:1 is a clear command to not judge others wrongly (by our own standards, rather than God’s standards).

Just verses later, though, Jesus is quoted, “Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). In other words, do not be a hypocrite and expect from others what you yourself refuse to do. Remove the sin from your life, and then you can help others remove the sin from their lives. Examine (and judge) yourself according to the standard of God’s Word, and then you can rightly judge others according to that standard.

While those in rebellion against God and His Word are quick to say, “Don’t judge me,” followers of Jesus should be quick to say, “Please judge me.” Why? Well, because we are all in need of such judgment – accountability, encouragement, and sharpening.

Please judge me. It might be the most loving thing you can do.

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching through Galatians 6:1-10 on “The Service of Grace.” How does the gospel of grace impact our relationships in the church? How are we called to serve one another?

One of the most important ways we can and should serve one another is through intentional discipleship – building one another up and opening up our spiritual lives to one another. “If someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:1-2).

Do you see the call for judgment there? Please judge me. Judgment that seeks restoration is essential to that burden carrying and thus essential for fulfilling the law of Christ – to love God and love others.

To be clear, of course, there is gentleness and love required for such judgment. We are not called to the harsh and condemnatory judgment that is anything but loving, but rather to the concerning care for others that longs for them to experience a right relationship with God and with others. That kind of judgment is restorative.

Please judge me. For the sake of my relationship with God and for the sake of my relationships with others, please judge me. When I am stuck in “any wrongdoing” (and this happens to all of us, since we are all sinners), then I need to be judged – called to repentance and action – for the sake of restoration and healing.

Do you love others enough that when you notice unrepentant sin in their lives, you seek to “restore such a person with a gentle spirit“? Also, though, are you careful to seek and trust God according to His Word, “watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted“?

Please judge me according to the standard of God’s Word, and please open your life to the judgment of others. Jesus called us to this judgment, and we all need it.

Realize, too, that we all judge people, as it is impossible not to. We make judgments all the time. The key is – what is your standard for judgment? Let us make sure the Word of God is the standard.

We must invest in one another and have the tough conversations, not allowing our judgments to unnecessarily damage relationships.

God is the eternal Judge, and He created us in His image. Naturally, we are going to judge one another when mistakes are made and sin is committed, but we must also forgive one another and love one another, even in our judgments.

Please love those closest to you by judging them for the purpose of restoration, and be sure to communicate that such judgment is a two-way street. We need such accountability to be who God created us to be and to do what God created us to do.

To know the eternal Judge of the universe and pursue a right relationship with Him, simply call upon His name – Jesus Christ our Lord – today. Check out The Story for more information.

From Death to Life 24 Years Ago Today

The two best things to ever happen to me happened when I was a student at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville – I came to know and love Jesus, and I came to know and love my wife. Needless to say, I have great memories from my time at Northwest, and I praise God for those memories!

The first of those things happened 24 years ago today, and I can still vividly remember that great day. As someone who grew up “in church,” though, why was I a 20-year-old college sophomore before sincerely repenting of my sins and placing my saving faith in Jesus Christ? The simple answer – that is when God chose to open my eyes and my heart to the truth of the gospel.

As Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). While I will not pretend to understand God’s sovereign timing, I have come to trust God’s sovereign timing. He is perfect and makes no mistakes. And, in His perfect plan and timing, He chose to send His Holy Spirit to “convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment” (check out Jesus’ words in John 16:5-15).

That conviction of the Holy Spirit, coupled with the preaching of God’s Word by my then-pastor and some other faithful Christian friends, was used of God to stir in me an overwhelming desire to surrender my life to Jesus Christ. Praise be to God!

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching through Galatians 5:16-26 on “The Spirit of Grace.” Who is the Holy Spirit, and how does He impact our lives?

While I had so much to learn on November 4, 1998 (and still have so much to learn), I realize now something that I did not understand very well then – I desperately needed (and still need) the Spirit of grace. How utterly incapable I was (and am) of understanding the gospel, let alone truly trusting the gospel on my own. Praise God for the work of His Holy Spirit!

On Sunday morning, I hope to challenge those in attendance to not only understand the Holy Spirit but also to continually trust the Holy Spirit to do the work of God in your life. You and I are not able to be who God called us to be and do what God called us to do without His Spirit’s help.

The fruit of the Spirit is the evidence that you are walking with Him. Is such evidence clear in your life? How can you trust Him more, grow closer to Him, and better help others to grow closer to Him?

To God be the glory!

To follow Jesus Christ and receive His Holy Spirit, you simply must call upon His name. Learn more by checking out The Story.

Recent Picture Highlights

Here are some family highlights from the past few months…

August

September

October

Will you finish the race?

When I was on our high school track and field team, I had a teammate who decided he wanted to run the mile in a track meet. Unfortunately for him, he was not prepared and did not know how the race should be run or what his body could handle. At the sound of the gun, he basically sprinted out to an early lead, but he did not have nearly enough stamina to keep such a pace. Instead, he was exhausted by the end of the first lap, began to get passed by several runners and then eventually all the runners, before he finally collapsed and failed to finish the race.

A lack of preparation and understanding was this boy’s undoing, and he failed as a result. I do not believe he ever attempted the mile run again.

Life is often compared to a race – and for good reason. Races, especially longer races, are hard work, and to do well, they require preparation, determination, perseverance, and effort. Unfortunately, too many people often do not finish well.

The race eventually ends for everyone, but will you finish the race. Will you cross the finish line by living the life God has called you to live and having a right relationship with Him? That finish line is the only one that truly matters, and His Word is the only book of instruction that can tell us how to get there.

May we never be like so many of the illegitimate believers who were the first readers of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. “You were running well. Who prevented you from obeying the truth?” (Galatians 5:7).

While many of the Galatians had professed to believe in Jesus Christ, they had strayed off the path and were in danger of failing to finish the race. Sin and a false gospel had caused them to look to themselves and a false religious system for a right relationship with God. Only Jesus can give us a right relationship with God, though, and trusting in anyone or anything else will only lead to enslavement to sin and the resulting eternal death.

The good news for followers of Jesus, though, is that “Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Trusting any message and religious system other than the gospel of Jesus Christ is submitting to a yoke of slavery leading to eternal damnation.

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching on “The Response to Grace” (Galatians 5:1-15). Our response to the gospel of grace must be biblically faithful (true to the Word of God). Otherwise, we will not finish the race God has created us to run. We will consider Sunday morning how to run that race – how to respond to God’s amazing grace.

Will you finish the race? Only by the grace of God and your ongoing faith in and dependence on Christ. Every other way and attempt will lead to your collapse and destruction. Let us look to the Lord and His Word for everything we need to finish the race.

If you are not certain you will finish the race and cross the finish line into eternal life, please check out The Story and put your faith in Jesus today.

Why No Checklist with God?

If you, like me, are blessed and thankful to be married, why do you do the things you do for your spouse? I happen to be married to the woman of my dreams, and while I am far from adequate in showing her how grateful I am for her, the reason I do the things I do for my wife is because I love her. Also, I am confident in and grateful for the love she has for me.

Thus, when I give my wife a gift, perform an act of service for her, tell her how much I love her, or give her a kiss goodbye, I never do those things to earn her love. I do those things because I have her love and because I love her. There is no checklist I must complete in order to become my wife’s husband. I already am her husband, and so the things that I might put on such a checklist are things I desire to do. Unfortunately, I wish I did a better job, but the truth and reality remain the same, regardless of my failures.

Did you know there is no checklist with God, either? Well, at least not one we are able to complete. Before I truly understood the gospel and placed my faith in Jesus Christ, I thought such a checklist was exactly what I did have to complete in order to earn God’s favor and have eternal life. I was wrong. The Law of God recorded in the Word of God is such a checklist, but none of us is able to complete it. None of us is good enough to obey it. None of us is sufficient to fulfill it. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for Jesus to come, die on the cross in our place for our sins, and rise again to win the victory over sin and death for all who call upon His name.

Because God is perfect and holy, we are required to be perfect and holy to enter His presence and have a relationship with Him. None of us is perfect and holy, though. Yet, He loves us so much that He sent His perfect and holy Son to “complete the checklist” for us. Jesus alone obeyed the Law of God perfectly before becoming the sacrifice (in our place) that God’s perfect justice demanded. Now, if we simply place our faith and trust in Jesus to forgive us of our sins and take over our lives, it is as if we “completed that checklist.”

Praise God that there is no checklist we must fulfill to know and follow Him! His Son did that for us.

Now, His followers do not seek to serve and honor Him to earn His favor and become His children. Rather, we seek to serve and honor Him because we have received His favor and been declared His children through Jesus Christ our Lord.

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I am going to preach through Galatians 4:8-31 on “The Identity of Grace.” When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, He gives us a new identity. This identity of grace declares us to be children of God, as if we fulfilled His perfect checklist. Why? Because in and through Christ, we “know God, or rather have become known by God” (Galatians 4:9).

Just as Paul pleaded with the Galatians, I plead with you – do not try to fulfill some sort of religious checklist to make yourself right with God. Put your faith in the only One who can make you right, and trust in and follow Him every single day. To God be the glory!

Have you struggled to trust in Jesus, rather than in your religious works, to make you right with God? Would you check out The Story and turn to Him today?

The Greatest of Blessings

I have long-made the argument that if our most important relationships are healthy, we can endure just about anything. On the flip side, even if we are successful in our careers, healthy, wealthy, and wise, we will be miserable without healthy relationships. Relationships matter.

Perhaps the greatest curse of sin that we all deal with in this life is broken relationships. Certainly, the greatest curse of sin eternally is broken relationships – most importantly, with God, but secondarily, with everyone else. Eternal death includes the death of all good relationships, namely any chance at a right relationship with God.

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching through Galatians 3:26 – 4:7 on “The Promise of Grace.” Without giving too much away before Sunday, I will be discussing the greatest blessings of the gospel of grace. God’s grace is promised and fulfilled in Christ. How? That is what we will consider from this amazing passage of Scripture.

How are your relationships? How is your most important relationship – your relationship with God? While our sin prevents us from perfect relationships (for now), we should certainly pursue and can experience healthy, growing relationships. That is God’s desire for us, but such relationships are only possible (in any lasting way) if and when you turn to the Lord Jesus for help. Jesus alone brings about reconciliation in our most important relationship and establishes for us the second best relationships.

For those who are part of our church family (or who live near us and do not yet have a church family), I pray you will join us Sunday to learn more about the greatest blessings of the Christian life. If not, the message should be available online Sunday evening.

“When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

Praise be to God!

To experience the greatest of blessings, surrender your heart and your life to Jesus Christ. You can learn more by checking out The Story.