A few days ago I had a thought. It is always nice to have a thought. Here's my newest thought: "We have 250+ children and teenagers at church. God must expect us to minister to them." Many young people today have no one who believes in them or shows interest in them. We have a wonderful opportunity to change lives for eternity.
I asked our congregation to give special attention to individual youth who attend our church. Get to know them. Find out what their interest are. Let them know that we are glad to see them and believe in them. We know kids who live with no living relative. They have been passed on to step parents, girlfriends, etc. God loves everyone. The greatest mark of a Christian is our love for people.
Luke 18:16 - 17 (NKJV) But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” We all need some children in our lives to bless. In Mark 9 Jesus gave such a brilliant object lesson. Mark 9:35 - 37 (NKJV) And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”
Look for opportunities around you to be a blessing to people. Remember that kids are people. At Cornerstone Church, we love kids.
Peace,
Stan
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Sweeter Than Honey
Given the incredible uncertainty in the world today, we look for stability and security. We don’t know the how long we will be at war in the Middle East. We don’t know if the stock market is going up or down. Will we develop alternative energy before existing sources become unaffordable? Who will be our next president? In what will we find stability?
People certainly can let us down. Our job offers little guarantee for the future. One thing we know never changes—God and His Word. Mark 13:31 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Psalms 19:7 - 10, "The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb."
God's Words revive the soul. They make wise the simple and bring joy to the heart. God's Words give insight for living and last forever. They are true. They are more desirable than gold. God's Words are sweeter than honey and have great reward. Everyone feeds his own body as well as possible, even more than necessary. God's Word is like food to our spirit. How well do we feed our spirit? How healthy is our spirit?
God's Word is sweeter than honey. In Jeremiah 15:16 we read, "Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts." God's Word will bring stability to your life. So, take a big bite out every day.
Peace,
Stan
People certainly can let us down. Our job offers little guarantee for the future. One thing we know never changes—God and His Word. Mark 13:31 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Psalms 19:7 - 10, "The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb."
God's Words revive the soul. They make wise the simple and bring joy to the heart. God's Words give insight for living and last forever. They are true. They are more desirable than gold. God's Words are sweeter than honey and have great reward. Everyone feeds his own body as well as possible, even more than necessary. God's Word is like food to our spirit. How well do we feed our spirit? How healthy is our spirit?
God's Word is sweeter than honey. In Jeremiah 15:16 we read, "Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts." God's Word will bring stability to your life. So, take a big bite out every day.
Peace,
Stan
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
Philippians 4:6 - 7 in The Message reads, "Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
Worry is destructive. The word translated anxious, worry or fret in Philippians 4:6 means to be torn apart. It is the picture of a ship being tossed in a storm. Our English word worry comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word that means: to strangle. “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow,” said Corrie Ten Boom; “it empties today of its strength.”
Worry is also deceptive. It gives us a false view of life, of self, and of God. Hugh Blair wrote, “Worry not about the possible troubles of the future; for if they come, you are but anticipating and adding to their weight; and if they do not come, your worry is useless; and in either case it is weak and in vain, and a distrust of God's providence.” The great cartoonist Charles Schultz, “Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.” Plato mused, “Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.”
Worry is de-formative. It keeps us from growing and it makes us like the unsaved in the world. In short, worry is unchristian; worry is a sin. How can we witness to a lost world and encourage them to put faith in Jesus Christ if we ourselves doubt God and worry? It is inconsistent to preach faith and not practice it? The late chaplain of the United States Senate, Peter Marshall, once prayed “that ulcers would not become the badge of our faith.”
How does worry begin? It begins with a thought or an imagination. It begins with negative feelings, all of which are contrary to God and His Word. Instead of rejoicing, praying, supplicating, and giving thanks, a person asks questions:
“Why is this happening to me?”
“What am I going to do?”
“Where is God?”
We read in Isaiah 26:3 - 4, “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”
Peace,
Stan
Worry is destructive. The word translated anxious, worry or fret in Philippians 4:6 means to be torn apart. It is the picture of a ship being tossed in a storm. Our English word worry comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word that means: to strangle. “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow,” said Corrie Ten Boom; “it empties today of its strength.”
Worry is also deceptive. It gives us a false view of life, of self, and of God. Hugh Blair wrote, “Worry not about the possible troubles of the future; for if they come, you are but anticipating and adding to their weight; and if they do not come, your worry is useless; and in either case it is weak and in vain, and a distrust of God's providence.” The great cartoonist Charles Schultz, “Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.” Plato mused, “Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.”
Worry is de-formative. It keeps us from growing and it makes us like the unsaved in the world. In short, worry is unchristian; worry is a sin. How can we witness to a lost world and encourage them to put faith in Jesus Christ if we ourselves doubt God and worry? It is inconsistent to preach faith and not practice it? The late chaplain of the United States Senate, Peter Marshall, once prayed “that ulcers would not become the badge of our faith.”
How does worry begin? It begins with a thought or an imagination. It begins with negative feelings, all of which are contrary to God and His Word. Instead of rejoicing, praying, supplicating, and giving thanks, a person asks questions:
“Why is this happening to me?”
“What am I going to do?”
“Where is God?”
We read in Isaiah 26:3 - 4, “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”
Peace,
Stan
Monday, May 12, 2008
Random Thoughts
Morgan, our son, graduated from high school yesterday. It was a fun day. Graduating from high school must be the most liberating experience. Most of a person's life is compulsory through high school. Upon graduation, life is now more a series of choices. A young person becomes captain of their own ship. The future is theirs to seize. Congrats to all the graduates. Carpe Diem.
Recently a cyclone has leveled much on Myanmar (Burma). Tens of thousands are dead. Hundreds of thousands are homeless and are in danger of dying from unclean water and lack of food. Our missionary friend, Todd Powers, is going into Burma to bring relief in the form of water purification systems and money to purchase food, etc. If you would like to contribute to the cause, you may contact Todd at http://powersplanet.org.
Peace,
Stan
Recently a cyclone has leveled much on Myanmar (Burma). Tens of thousands are dead. Hundreds of thousands are homeless and are in danger of dying from unclean water and lack of food. Our missionary friend, Todd Powers, is going into Burma to bring relief in the form of water purification systems and money to purchase food, etc. If you would like to contribute to the cause, you may contact Todd at http://powersplanet.org.
Peace,
Stan
Monday, May 5, 2008
Recession
Recession, gas prices, flooding, tornados, Iraq war, negative political ads. We are bombarded daily with negative news. The coffee shops and hair salons are filled with the daily gossip and an increase in "gloom and doom" talk.
Are these difficult days? Sure. $3.50 gasoline, $4 per gallon milk, etc. Is this going to improve soon? Who knows? Are we helpless in these days? NO! I believe it will take exceptional faith to live victoriously in these last days. The great news is that faith is available for every Christ follower.
Galatians 3:6 - 9 (NLT), "In the same way, 'Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.' The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, 'All nations will be blessed through you.' So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith."
Abraham believed God's word to him. As a result, he became the father of the Jewish nation. He bacame very rich and famous. All of the was the result of his faith in what God said. We have the same opportunity. Yet, not every day was stress free for Abraham. As soon as he took off on his journey of faith, it led him staight into a famine. Genesis 12:10 (NLT), "At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner."
Famine is a temporary, negative circumstance, which is subject to change. Famine is found 90 times in the Bible. Famine is something we will all face in life. Following the Word of the Lord, Abraham travels right into the middle of a famine. As you walk by faith (obedience to the Word of the Lord), you my travel right into the midst of a famine. The famine affected Abram. He had to make a temporary adjustment. Temporary adjustments do not change your ultimate outcome. Famine may require cut backs. If my family is not eating, I’ll do whatever I have to do. Unless God speaks, you must do what you know to do. If your faith does not work in a famine, you need to develop what Paul referred to as "genuine faith" in 2 Timothy 1:5.
Famine (recession) will reveal what a person trusts in. Psalms 37:18 - 19 (NLT), "Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough." We can put our trust in the economy or put our trust in the Lord.
Peace,
Stan
Are these difficult days? Sure. $3.50 gasoline, $4 per gallon milk, etc. Is this going to improve soon? Who knows? Are we helpless in these days? NO! I believe it will take exceptional faith to live victoriously in these last days. The great news is that faith is available for every Christ follower.
Galatians 3:6 - 9 (NLT), "In the same way, 'Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.' The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, 'All nations will be blessed through you.' So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith."
Abraham believed God's word to him. As a result, he became the father of the Jewish nation. He bacame very rich and famous. All of the was the result of his faith in what God said. We have the same opportunity. Yet, not every day was stress free for Abraham. As soon as he took off on his journey of faith, it led him staight into a famine. Genesis 12:10 (NLT), "At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner."
Famine is a temporary, negative circumstance, which is subject to change. Famine is found 90 times in the Bible. Famine is something we will all face in life. Following the Word of the Lord, Abraham travels right into the middle of a famine. As you walk by faith (obedience to the Word of the Lord), you my travel right into the midst of a famine. The famine affected Abram. He had to make a temporary adjustment. Temporary adjustments do not change your ultimate outcome. Famine may require cut backs. If my family is not eating, I’ll do whatever I have to do. Unless God speaks, you must do what you know to do. If your faith does not work in a famine, you need to develop what Paul referred to as "genuine faith" in 2 Timothy 1:5.
Famine (recession) will reveal what a person trusts in. Psalms 37:18 - 19 (NLT), "Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough." We can put our trust in the economy or put our trust in the Lord.
Peace,
Stan
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