January 13, 2014

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day." Genesis 1:31

Mark Evans shares this powerful story:

I once had a co-worker who asked the question, "If God is really a loving God then why does He permit all this evil in the world. In response to my co-worker I said, For just a moment, pretend that you are God and in your imagination you are going to recreate a perfect world.

Keep in mind, however, that for every thing that you do there is a ramification, a certain consequence.

Now to help my friend get started I begin to assume what any person in his/her right mind would think of. I said OK let’s start by wiping out "all murder". POOF! NO More Murder! Whoops…now all the Pro-Choice people are mad at you because you forgot to exclude abortion.

Now let’s get rid of "all rape". POOF! No More Rape! 

Oh, I said, you can’t stop there, why don’t you stop all robberies. POOF! NO More Robberies!

I said, again, while your at it why don’t you eliminate World Hunger. POOF! No More Hunger! People are helping to plant crops again and are giving food in abundance! People are being fed again. Great! Fantastic! I tell my friend you continue to wipe out every known evil till you are finished.

Oh wait a minute! Something is wrong. Oh yes, very, very different. No one is following you anymore. No one believes in you anymore and no one loves you anymore. What do you mean my friend says! Why I just finished wiping out and eliminating all the evil in the world and you mean to tell me that no one loves me anymore!

Well, remember in the beginning, I said, "keep in mind" that for everything you do there are ramifications, certain consequences?

1. When you wiped out all murder, you wiped out the "choice" of certain people to "commit" murder.

2. When you rid the earth of rape, you rid the "choice" of certain people to "choose" to rape.

3. When you stopped all robberies, you stopped the "choice" of certain people to "choose" to rob.

4. When you stopped World Hunger you took away certain people’s "choice" to NOT help those in need. OR man’s choice not to work in the fields in such a way to preserve its crop.

So you see. When man’s "choice" was taken from him; Man could no longer choose to do "evil", however, he could also no longer choose to do "good".

If man cannot "choose" to hate man cannot "choose" to love either.

Thus, mankind cannot "choose" to love a "loving" God who loved them first.

But God is a loving God, isn’t He?

God "chose" to create the earth we live on. Man "chose" to create the world we live in!

The Earth is by "Design", the World is by "Choice".

January 12, 2014

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."  John 15:1-8

Don't underestimate the effectiveness of small things done consistently over time by average people. Effectiveness increases significantly when those small things are done consistently over time in the power of God! 

Consider this illustration:

In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. According to Leon Jaroff in Time, the satellite’s primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter’s magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite before it could reach its target. 

But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter’s immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system. At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun. 

And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. "Perhaps most remarkable," writes Jaroff, "those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than nine hours to reach Earth."

The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible. 

So it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work even through someone with 8-watt abilities. God cannot work, however, through someone who quits.

January 11, 2014

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  Matthew 6:19-33

The film “Schindler's List” chronicled the heroic efforts of a German industrialist named Oskar Schindler. Through his unselfish activities, over a thousand Jews on the trains to Auschwitz were saved. After Schindler found out what was happening at Auschwitz, he began a systematic effort to save as many Jews as he could. For money, he could buy Jews to work in his factory which was supposed to be a part of the military machine of Germany. On one hand he was buying as many Jews as he could, and on the other hand he was deliberately sabotaging the ammunition produced in his factory. He entered the war as a financially wealthy industrialist; by the end of the war, he was basically financially bankrupt.

When the Germans surrendered, Schindler met with his workers and declared that at midnight they were all free to go. The most emotional scene of the film was when Schindler said good-bye to the financial manager of the plant, a Jew and his good and trusted friend. As he embraced his friend, Schindler sobbed and said, "I could have done more." He looked at his automobile and asked, "Why did I save this? I could have bought 10 Jews with this." Taking another small possession he cried, "This would have saved another one. Why didn't I do more?

One day Jesus is going to split the eastern sky and come for His own. It will not matter then how much money we have in a mutual fund or how many bedrooms we have in our homes. The temporary satisfaction we have in vacations and nice cars will be gone. Only what we have done for the cause of Christ will matter. The Privilege we have only now, is to use God's resources for things that eternally matter.

God has been incredibly good to us at FredWes! 2013 was a good year! There is a strong temptation to settle in and get comfortable with the blessings. But I am asking God to give us a holy dissatisfaction that expresses itself in a desire to do more to reach lost people.

Our credo for 2014 – “As long as there is one person in Spotsy/Stafford area who doesn’t know Jesus our work is not done.”

January 10, 2014

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings,because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:1-8

A family was out vacationing at the lake one summer. Dad had been puttering out by the boat house. Two of his sons, a 12-year old and a 3-year old were down playing along the dock. The 12 year old was supposed to be watching his little brother, but he got distracted. The 3 year old, little Billy, thought that would be a good time to check out the shiny aluminum fishing boat tied up at the end of the dock. So he went to the dock and put one foot on the boat, and one foot on the dock. He lost his balance and fell into the water, which was about 5 or 6 ft deep. 

The splash alerted the 12-yr old who let out a piercing scream. Dad came running from the boat house, jumped into the water, swam down, but unable to see anything, came up for air. Sick with panic, he went right back down into this murky water, and began to feel everywhere around the bottom. He couldn’t feel anything. Finally, on his way up, he felt little Billy's arms locked in a death grip on one of the posts of the dock, about 4 ft under water. Prying the boy's fingers loose, they burst up together through the surface to fill their lungs with life giving air. 

Finally when the adrenaline had stopped surging, and nerves had calmed down a little bit, the Father asked his son, “What on earth were you doing down there hanging onto the post so far under the water? And little Billy’s answer was a classic, laced with the wisdom only a toddler could give. He said, "I was just waiting for you dad. Just waiting for you." 

Praise God that He sent Jesus to rescue you and me!

When He found me I realized He was the One I had been waiting for!

But it also raises the thought in my mind, who may be waiting for me to share Jesus with them?

January 9, 2014

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:13-15

Pastor and author, Max Lucado shared this story in one of his recent books

“I have everything I need for joy!” Robert Reed said.

His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He can’t bathe himself. He can’t feed himself. He can’t brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear. Strips of Velcro hold his shirts together. His speech drags like a worn out audiocassette. 

Robert has cerebral palsy.

The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike, and going for a walk. But it didn’t keep him from graduating from high school or attending Abilene Christian University, from which he graduate with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn’t keep him from teaching at St. Louis Junior College or from venturing overseas on five mission trips. 

And Robert’s disease didn’t prevent him from becoming a missionary in Portugal.

He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a hotel room and began studying Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a tutor who would instruct him in the language. 

Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he distributed brochures about Christ. Within six years he led seventy people to the Lord, one of whom became his wife, Rosa. 

I heard Robert speak recently. I watched other men carry him in his wheelchair onto the platform. I watched them lay a Bible in his lap. I watched his stiff fingers force open the pages. And I watched people in the audience wipe away tears of admiration from their faces. Robert could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the opposite. He held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, “I have everything I need for joy.”

Robert can’t walk and he struggles to talk but he is on a mission to share Christ the best he can.

His shirts are held together by Velcro, but his life is held together by joy. 

What holds your life together?

What holds you back from sharing your faith?

January 8, 2014

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

I will never forget when I was just starting out at my first church and the Lord had convicted me to begin challenging my people to embrace a vision for world missions. After I had preached my heart out with a passionate about our need to have a burden for the world, and older gentleman challenged me, “Show me where it talks about missions in the Bible!”

I thought he was kidding me so I started to chuckle but then I realized he was serious so I responded, “Well, Charles, I thought I just did that! Weren’t you listening?”

Had I not be caught off guard with that question I should have asked him, “Show me where the Bible doesn't talk about missions.”

From the time God promised to crush the serpent following Adam’s fall, He has been on a mission to redeem the fallen race of man.

The first foreign missionary came from Heaven as a baby a manger. During His mission on earth He called others into the mission. Upon completing His mission He commissioned His Church to engage in the mission until He returns. Then He sent His Holy Spirit to empower them for the mission.

If you are a Christian you are on a mission to spread the Good News of salvation to the world. Apparently there is something missing in the mission because according to the website www.joshuaproject.net there are 16, 825 known people groups on earth and 7,287 of those people groups have not been reached with the gospel. Another way to state that stat is 43.3% of the world is still unreached. Something is missing in the mission.

There are 7.13 billion people on our planet and 2.91billion of those people have not had a missionary to tell them about the love of God. Something is missing in the mission.

What is missing in the mission?

Is it your prayers that are missing from the mission?

Is it your faith-promise offerings that are missing from the mission?

Is it you that is missing from the mission?

January 7, 2014

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his , pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2

It is one thing to find God's purpose and another thing to fit into it. How does that happen?

Paul addresses that question in these two verses.

The first thing to do is consecrate your ego.

What does it mean to consecrate?

"Consecrate" means to "set apart" unto God. Only God can make it sacred but only you can set it aside for Him to do so.

In this sense we are referring to ego as your sense of self-awareness, self-identity, self-worth that allows you to distinguish yourself as separate individual. In short, you could say your ego arises from an understanding of who you are. It is the essential you.

Your ego is largely formed by what the significant people in your life say about you. Since those people have either a positive or a negative bias, and since your ego is part of your fallen nature, it is not a reliable source for identifying the realities in you and around you. If you are guided by your ego you will be guided by an unrealistic view of yourself, your world, and God.

That is why Paul, the writer of Romans, strongly urges you to "set apart" your ego to God, Who is His ultimate wisdom, absolute knowledge, and unconditional love is fully aware of who you are and completely willing to accept you. In the context of His unconditional love through His Holy Spirit and through His Word, He will reveal to you who you are as He gently shapes your ego into His image.

If you want to discover your purpose you must first understand who you are as a person. You will not fully appreciate how much God will change you unless your first understand where you were when He started!

Consecrate your ego to God today. Trust it to the Truly Significant Person in your life!