By now you know my love for cartoons. Some people understand my humor and some don’t. But these two cartoons I couldn’t resist posting.
This first one I read after preaching the last chapter of Colossians Wednesday night. We went through the list of names Paul recognized for their ministry.
Any cartoon with Charlie Brown is a favorite of mine. Charlie Brown is my hero. I identify with him. Snoopy’s book title reminds me of the church world today. We all think we are the only one’s right
The only way that your children will grow beyond their dependency into self-sufficient adults is for you to essentially abandon your own independence for twenty years or so…You can make the sacrifice, or they’re going to make the sacrifice. It’s them or you. Either you suffer temporarily and in a redemptive way, or they’re going to suffer tragically, in a wasteful and destructive way. -Tim Keller, King’s Cross
HT: Buzzard Blog
I have been reading a biography of Smith Wigglesworth, the healing evangelist of the early 20th century. It is a fascinating look at a man who walked with God and saw tremendous miracles in his lifetime.
History reveals that Wigglesworth saw the multitudes healed as well as many who were raised from the dead. In the book Secret of His Power, the author recalls one of the secrets of Wigglesworth’s power, a love for the Word of God.
Read closely what the author writes about Smith Wigglesworth:
“Two things dominated Wigglesworth’s life and ministry. Firstly, he had a consuming love for the Word of God. Secondly, he had an overwhelming confidence in the God of the Word. What the Word of God said on a subject settled the matter as far as Wigglesworth was concerned. He proved that he was willing to stake His life on what the Bible said…Wigglesworth never went more that fifteen minutes without reading the Word of God, regardless of where he was or in whose company he found himself.” [Smith Wigglesworth: Secret of His Power by Albert Hibbert on the NOOK]
I am challenged to deepen my hunger for the Word of God. I am stirred to spend more time memorizing and studying God’s Holy Book. Furthermore, I am convicted and awakened to believe the GOD OF THE WORD!
Since we turned the calendar to 2011, I have sensed the Lord leading me to preach about our spiritual growth and how we can live a mature Christian life. We concluded a 5 part series on growth a few weeks ago and I moved to the next “logical” series on discovering our gifts.
I was pumped going into the series but when I began to study it, well, it felt like a grind. Like I was going against the grain. I pressed through the first week and started the series even though I didn’t completely “feel” it. When the second sermon for the series came, I studied it and the same thing again. Going against the grain.
On the Sunday I was to preach that message the Lord redirected me for that Sunday morning. While on vacation I took time to pray and meditate on what I would do with the GIFTS series. For several weeks, I have had a message series that has been on my mind. One that is intense and, I believe, for where we are right now. Long story short, we will begin this new series on Sunday.
THE END series will be an in-depth look at the last days. We will follow that series with a another series that will help us look at how to live in the last days.
Perhaps we will pick up our GIFTS series later this year, but I believe it is critical to follow my heart here. The temptation that I face often is to preach a series that I believe would be a good follow-up to the last series. I like to plan out where I am leading the church, but sometimes God intervenes. The thing I am learning is to be dependent upon the Holy Spirit for what He would have me to preach.
Needless to say, I am excited to begin this new series Sunday. It would be a perfect opportunity to invite someone lost to these services. People are looking for answers right now. Use this as a tool to compel them to come in.
Do you have blind faith with one eye open?
Blind faith with one eye open? What does that mean? Somewhere in our Christian walk we have tried to have faith but only found ourselves not wholly trusting God for the answers. Blind faith to me is trusting God with our lives and not trying to figure out plan B if God does not come through.
In our day of modern resources we do not need to have faith like we used to. At one point, people had to trust God for healing because there wasn’t cold medicines and remedies, for every condition known to man, available over the counter. Insurance was not as available as it is today. We have blind faith with one eye open!
We know God can heal but feel better if at least we try to do it ourselves by getting the cold medicine. (I am preaching to myself today). Several years ago, I had the pleasure of experiencing an abscessed tooth. Never have I known pain as I did then. I was popping Advil every 2 to 3 hours and as I was lying in bed waiting for the Vicodin to kick in, I would pray, “Lord please take away the pain.” I always have a knack for praying as a last resort.
God is a God of healing! He is able to meet our every need, but we tend to only have extreme faith as a last resort for our problems. I have faith! I believe God can do anything. I even tell others to trust God, but I often have a plan B just in case God doesn’t come through on plan A. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with taking medication but we should truly have complete faith that God WILL come through for us.
Jesus said to the father of a demon-possessed boy, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” WOW! Jesus put it plainly. Anything can happen when we believe. That’s Simple! Easy for us to believe isn’t it? Now that is what I call blind faith. But there is only one hold back, it isn’t easy to believe sometimes.
The dad of this boy replied, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!” I feel like this story was written just for me. I believe but I still have some unbelief. I have faith but I still like to have other options just in case. Lord I believe but help my unbelief!
We need to ask God to help us in our unbelief. Most people believe God can do anything. But few can believe without a hint of unbelief. Call me doubting Thomas if you must, but I have a problem sometimes with blind faith, but I am praying to believe with no unbelief. I want the faith to move mountains. I want to see God heal and provide for those in need. “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”
I challenge you to trust God with your life. Ask Him to help you with your unbelief. Remember, all things are possible to him who believes. Jesus gives us a huge promise if we will only believe.
Do you ever like to go your own way?
I remember when I was a bi-vocational pastor, I drove 60 miles one way to work and it could become a monotonous drive. We lived in the country and there were six different ways to get to my office. So everyday I would take a different route. The shortest route was always the easiest but I often took the long way just to have some new scenery. It was the way I wanted to go, not necessarily the best way. Some of the roads I went down were old country roads that had potholes and gravel, but that was the way I wanted to go. It was not the best way.
Sometime, this is the way we follow the Lord. There is a better way to go, the Lord’s way, but we choose rather to follow our own paths. The Lord’s way is the best path but we choose the roads filled with potholes and gravel rather than the perfectly paved road the Lord has prepared for us.
Jeremiah 10:23 says, “O Lord, I know the way of may is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. O Lord, correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.”
As I read this verse I was reminded of the many times I have chosen my own path only to find myself on a dead end street. We must allow God to direct our steps. We must not lean to our own understanding but acknowledge Him in all of our ways and let Him direct our paths.
Our problem is that we have our own ideas of how God should order our steps. We have our own agendas and we try to fit God into what we want. As we live this life, we want things our way and we want them now. We want to do the things we want. We want the ministries that we desire.
In the old movie Bells of St. Mary’s, one of the nuns proclaims, “May the Lord’s will be done.” Another nun replies, “and may our will become His will.” That is often the extent of our prayers; convincing God to follow our will instead of us following His.
Our prayer ought to be as Jeremiah, “Lord correct me but with justice.” I challenge you this morning to not seek your own way but allow God to correct the way you have chosen. Follow His chosen path. Do not get ahead of Him or go down a road that you want to take. Follow Jesus on the road that leads to life and abundance. He surely has chosen the better way.
I am not talking about people but spiritual fruits. What are you displaying in your life? There are many different fruits that we as Christians should display – fruits of integrity and character, fruit of the Spirit, fruits of good works. How about your fruit? Is it good for food, or is it spoiled?
I remember a few years ago, someone gave us the most wonderful pears. He gave us a large box of them, and there was no way we could eat them all. Instead of giving them away, so someone else could enjoy them, I put them in a corner. One day, I walked into the back room of the house and noticed that they were now in the process of making fermented pear wine (if there is such a thing). They had spoiled and they were of no use to us anymore.
In our spiritual lives, it is the same way. If we shelve our fruit and become stagnant, we will spoil. Fruit is meant to be eaten, not stored.
Jesus said in Matthew 12:33, "Either make a tree good, and its fruit good; or else make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit."
A tree is known by its fruit. Do people know you by your fruits or as a fruit? People should be able to see the fruits of your spiritual life. If they cannot, you have a serious problem; your fruit is spoiled. God never intended for our fruit to go bad. He expects us to flourish.
When fruit is picked off of the tree, it begins to replenish that fruit. So it should be in our lives that when we give our fruit away, it should be good fruit and it should be replenished. I challenge you to ask yourself these questions, "Can people tell that I am a Christian? What am I doing for God? Am I bearing good spiritual fruit?" Once you have your answers, embark on a new life to live fruitful and abundant.
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