As a Child
It’s a psalm kind of day.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
….let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
….that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
For you bless the godly, O Lord;
….you surround them with your shield of love. Psalm 5:11-12 (NLT)
Luke 10:21-24 (<<click to read the passage)
Twenty-five years ago, I was hired to fill the newly created position of Pastor to Families with Children in the church we had been attending for the previous five years. After several years in Christian retail, I was working in a warehouse as a forklift operator and Karen, after teaching music in a Columbus-based Christian elementary school, was now a stay-at-home mom caring for our 3-year-old son.
I had spent 3 years in full-time ministry before my stint in Christian retail and we were active in areas of ministry in that in-between time in a local church in Columbus and then the church in Mt. Vernon after we relocated to the home in which we now live.
Karen and I had been leading Children’s Church in a volunteer capacity but when the opportunity to come on staff full-time was extended to me, I jumped at the opportunity. The Lord’s hand was in it all and I must tell you that I fondly look back on that time as one of the best times in my life! I loved the kids. I loved ministering to them. We did some wonderfully impacting things in my time there. It was a privilege to serve with such great servant leaders, including a senior pastor who loved and lead by great, God-filled example.
It was a wonderful transition in my life, but more transition was ahead of me.
At the time, I was encouraged to pursue ordination as a minister in the Church of the Nazarene – the church in which I was raised and also the church I had faithfully served for many years. The Church of the Nazarene has tracks of study for ordination. If you felt the Lord was leading you to lead a church as a preaching pastor, that is the chief shepherd of the flock, you would pursue ordination as an elder. If you felt the Lord was leading you to work in other areas of ministry – say in the areas of music, youth, or children – you pursued ordination as a deacon.
The problem was technically I should have followed the deacon track but as I pursued my course of study, it became clear that God had other plans. I felt called to preach, my congregation was just shorter and younger than those with whom most preachers worked!
I still truly believe that ministering to children is foundational. And even though my transition from children to adults was a bit rocky, God knew what He was doing. My senior pastor was faithful to God’s leading and though it threw my life into a bit of a tailspin, his admonitions and even his pushing me out of the nest, as it were, all resulted in God’s will being done.
I have been the preaching pastor – and the only pastor – at the churches I serve for 18 years now. The height and age of my congregations have changed but one thing that has not changed? We all need to understand God’s will for our lives. We need to understand God’s word and we need to know how to live it out. We are all God’s children and unless we come to Him in childlike faith, progress in that relationship will be difficult at best.
Lord Jesus, may I continue to learn from You. Continue to inspire me to bring the lofty ideas of Your kingdom down to earth, that Your children may hear and be challenged to grow in You and to be inspired by You, as well, in their daily walk. For that is truly what You did while living amongst us. Amen.
May 25th, 2020, Mon, 8:40 pm
Jesus’ Joy
What a full weekend it has been, Father. And as always You have been in the middle of it all. Thank You for blessings of home and worship. Thank You for Your blessing of love, both Yours and the one You have given me to share my life. Continue to watch over us. May we be the children we need to be in all of our endeavors. Amen.
Luke 10:21-24 (<<click to read the passage)
When you picture Jesus in your mind, what do you see? Is He somber? Sad? Stern? Serious? Does He have a furrowed brow? Does He have a displeased countenance?
Yes, those may apply but please do not let your mind get stuck in that rut of thought! Please know that we all reflect God in our reactions to others and life itself – for we are all created in His image. Yes, we can be somber and sad, we can be stern and serious We can have furrowed brows and be displeased with people and things around us. But we also smile and laugh! We rejoice! We are filled with pride (in the good kind of way) at our accomplishments and the accomplishments of others near and dear to our hearts, as well.
In the first phrase of this verse it is said of Jesus that He was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
What would it have been like to see Jesus smile – especially if He was smiling at you? A loving, accepting, knowing smile. A smile replete with joy and pride, knowing that at that moment there was no place He would rather be than with you.
Can you even begin to imagine what it must have been like to hear Jesus laugh? At least for me that takes a little more thought and concentration. I would think His laugh would have been full and rich and He would not have just laughed with His mouth. I feel that His joy would have radiated through His eyes as well. His joy for life. His love for those near and dear to His heart would have just poured forth!
Do you think that Jesus may have laughed when He said these words?
“I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things [relating to salvation] from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants [the childlike and untaught]. Yes, Father, for this way was [Your gracious will and choice, and was] well-pleasing in Your sight. v21 (AMP)
His disciples had returned and were so excited to share with Him all they had accomplished! Their joy overflowed and he, in turn, rejoiced with them.
Please understand that when it comes to us and Jesus, that, as some have said, we are all on even ground at the foot of the cross. My Life Application Study Bible puts it so well.
Many of life’s rewards seem to go to the intelligent, the rich, the good looking, or the powerful, but the Kingdom of God is equally available to all regardless of position of abilities. We come to Jesus, not through strength or brains, but through childlike trust. Jesus is not opposed to engaging in scholarly pursuits: he is opposed to spiritual pride (being wise in one’s own eyes.) Join Jesus in thanking God that we all have equal access to him.
Lord Jesus, thank You for your love. Thank you for accepting me right where I am. And Jesus thank You, too, for loving me enough to not leave me there but with Your joy and encouragement we can become what You know we can be! Amen.
May 24th, 2020, Sun, 10:18 pm
A Hot Dog of Another Sort
I must give you praise today, Father, for Your sheltering arms and Your prevenient grace! You set things in motion so that we would be protected in our own home last night. A carbon monoxide detector woke us so that we were able to get out of the house with only headaches and a bit of nausea. Death could have prevailed…but not under Your watchful eye!
Luke 10:17-20 (<<click to read the passage)
My mom strives to be conscientious with regard to her health. For the most part, she works very hard at being as active as she can be with her physical limitations and choosing healthy alternatives whenever possible when she eats (much to Dad’s chagrin!) But…one of her favorite things to eat would not be considered healthy by most. She loves hotdogs! She doesn’t consume them regularly but enjoys them on occasion.
I like hotdogs, too, but another kind of hot dog can be very obnoxious!
Have you ever witnessed a “hot dog” on a sports team? Merriam-Webster defines a hot dog as someone who performs in a conspicuous or often ostentatious manner. Ostentatious? Now that is a fun word! It’s basically someone who is good at what they do but knows they are good and are not afraid to show off their talents, not necessarily for the good of their teams but to stoke their own egos! They are showoffs who are out to impress others and attract attention for themselves.
Hot dogs are not just limited to sports. Even in the Body of Christ, we have to be on our guard to not get so wrapped up in what we do that we forget what He has done for us. We have been given authority and power to accomplish much in God’s kingdom but Jesus makes it very clear that we aren’t to “rejoice” at what we can accomplish in His service, but we are to “rejoice that [our] names are recorded in heaven.”
There is no room for a hot dog in the Body of Christ. Humility is the goal for us all.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 (NLT)
Every day we must endeavor to accomplish God’s will in the world around us. We are His ambassadors. We are His representatives. We are His hands and feet in a world that so desperately needs to see Him do what only He can do. But we must never forget that we are who we are because He is who He is. Amen.
May 21st, 2020, Thurs, 8:06 pm
The Choice Is Ours
Father, thank You for directing my thoughts and actions in and out of preparations for Sunday’s sermon, planning ahead for worship, and trying to get in a little exercise, as well. You are the guiding force in all I do! And I could not be in better hands!
Luke 10:8-16 (<<click to read the passage)
Several years ago, I worked in a Christian bookstore. One of the “perks”, for me at least, was that we were encouraged to read whatever we wanted – with the understanding that we take great care of the books we read. This would make us more valuable to our customers, in that we would be able to make good suggestions in their areas of interest.
I was a voracious reader and read like crazy! I really enjoyed Christian fiction, so I went through several of those. I regret not keeping track of what I read because from time to time I think of something regarding one of those books and for the life of me, I cannot remember titles or authors.
For example, a portion of one book I read dealt with two individuals – a murderer on death row and a woman who dedicated much of her time and resources to her church. They died and stood before God.
Before his execution, the murderer was visited by a minister. Through the course of their conversation, he realized the error of his ways and with true regret and sincerity of heart, he accepted Christ as his Savior. The vile man that he had been was no more. A new creation stood before his Creator and was welcomed into His loving arms…for eternity!
The woman who had so faithfully given of herself to the many needs of her church look into God’s eyes expecting the same reception. But her name did not appear in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Instead, she heard Him say,
“I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].” Matthew 7:23 (AMP)
She thought all of her actions would grant her entrance into eternal reward. But because she had never embraced a relationship with Jesus…because she had not accepted His offering of forgiveness, she was banished…for eternity…
She had had numerous opportunities to show true regret and in sincerity of heart accept Christ as her Savior but she chose to earn her own way instead.
In today’s passage, Jesus goes through a litany of cities with whom He had interacted. They all had a choice to make. They could have accepted Him but instead most rejected Him. He did not match what they thought the Messiah should be and chose instead to follow what they thought best…and their condemnation was sure.
Interestingly enough, in His litany, He held up cities of ill repute from times gone by, stating that if they had witnessed God’s hand at work amongst them “they would have repented and changed their minds long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes [to show deep regret for sin].” v13b
Despite the “enlightened” time in which we find ourselves, we – that is you and I – have the exact same choice to make as the cities in Jesus’ time…and as the woman who so dedicatedly gave what she thought would do the job.
The last statement that Jesus made to His disciples before they set out on their mission, we must take to heart, as well.
“The one who listens to you listens to Me; and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and the one who rejects Me rejects Him [My heavenly Father] who sent Me.” v16
The choice is ours.
May 20th, 2020, Wed, 8:15 pm
The Laborer Is Worthy
So many parts to this day, Father, and I am grateful that You were the glue that kept it all together.
Luke 10:7 (<<click to read the passage)
As many of you know, I am a pastor – a bi-vocational pastor – but that by no means makes me any less a pastor. In my lifetime I have served in a total of seven churches both in full- and part-time positions. I have worked in just about every area of church ministry – music, youth, children, and now I serve two congregations as the pastor. I’m not sure how else to label it, as I am the only paid ministerial staff at both.
I find great pleasure and satisfaction in serving as a bi-vocational pastor. In my very first “paid” position, I didn’t really have the title of pastor…I was in college at the time. But I was a youth leader and was blessed to serve under a wonderful, compassionate pastor. His name was Tom Lasley and he, himself, had served as a bi-vocational pastor for a good part of his life. He was an educator by trade and before retirement had served as a school superintendent – all the while pastoring in a local church. I remember him saying to me on more than one occasion that small churches deserved good pastors, too, not just the big ones. Following his example, I continue to be blessed.
I cannot tell you what my income has been at any church I have served – not even the churches I currently serve. I have been well provided for by them all. My needs have been met and I truly have wanted for nothing while under their care. I have been appreciated. I know that I have been loved. The people with whom I sojourned on this side of eternity were there for me and I have been there for them.
Oh, sure, there have been many challenges along the way, but I have no complaints. In their care to me, my churches – all seven of them – have taken excellent care of me and my family.
When Jesus sent forth his disciples, He was sending them into the unknown. They would minister in many ways and to a wide variety of people. Jesus himself encouraged them to not hesitate in accepting the hospitality of those caring for them. Yes, they had needs but those needs would be met because “the laborer is worthy of his wages.”
My congregations are not perfect…but then neither am I. We work together. We journey together, side by side. When one falls, the other extends a lifting hand. That is the Church.
Lord Jesus, help those who serve and those who serve them to both be all about serving You. Help us all to appreciate the best in each other and to readily forgive when we fail. Amen.
May 19th, 2020, Tue, 9:02 pm