February 9, 2016

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.” Joshua 1:6

Remember when you were a kid and you were afraid in the dark or the monsters under your bed? You would cry out for your parents and your mom came in to comfort you. She would turn the lights on and look under your bed to show you there was nothing to fear. Her parting words as she tucked you back in and shut the lights off were, “Be brave, there is nothing to fear.”

How did that work out?

One of the hardest things to do is to not be afraid when you are fearful.

So, how does that happen? Ah……they never told you that did they?

As I read the first verses of Joshua 1 my mind went back to those childhood moments of trying to overcome my fears. God sounded a lot like your parents or mine when they told us to get a handle on our fears except for the fact that he got over his fears while we struggled with ours.

We know the rest of the story therefore we know Joshua DID find courage to lead God’s people to victory after victory as they conquered Canaan. What can we learn from how he overcame his fear?

Joshua remembered what God had done for His people in the past. He was aware that they best predictor of what someone may do in the future is what that someone did in the past.

Joshua saw the miracles God did when He led them out of Egypt. And he remembered how God had delivered

From the mighty Egyptian army by closing the Sea back on them after He had opened it for them. God led them with a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night, gave them manna every morning and water in a desert land.

As He remembered the mighty acts of God and as he reasoned that God is the same yesterday, today and forever he concluded that what He had done before He could (AND WOULD) do it again!

But not only did Joshua remember but he also received what God had for him – faith, hope, courage, wisdom, blessing and vision. Don’t think Joshua never experience fear. He was dedicated but he wasn’t dead! Rather than allow fear to rise in his heart he chose to receive faith from God.

Fear is a choice. So is faith. Whichever you receive will shape your reality. Like Moses before him Joshua received faith and rejected fear!

Are you struggling with fear right now?

It may not be monsters under your bed or a dark room, but fear is real and it will lead you to a dark place where you don’t want to be.

Don’t make the mistake of believing Joshua never struggled with fear. Fear was real in his world, too, but when it tried to arise in him he rejected it. Instead, he chose to remember the God He served and received faith to overcome his fear.

What worked for Joshua will work for you! When fear threatens you, remember the God you serve and receive His presence, peace and power!

February 8, 2016

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8

It is easy to say, "I love you." But how can you be sure if someone really does love you?

Let's learn from the original Lover, the best Lover, the source of all love - God.

God teaches us that love must be proved by a sacrificial demonstration of true commitment. And if love is anything, it is a commitment! One indication of commitment is cost. What are you willing to pay to prove your love? How did God demonstrate His?

First, through creation!

Can you view a stunning sunset and not see divine love?

Can you look at a Spring landscape and miss the message?

Can you hold a newborn and not appreciate what inspired such a miracle?

Can you stargaze into a moonlit sky and not recognize the love behind it?

Creation surely demonstrates a supernatural love. But while it is proof of His creativity it didn't cost Him anything.

Then, through Christ!

If you ever had a long-distance relationship you know it is hard to love that way. Love is better when it is up close and personal.

Through the creation of man, God demonstrated that He desired a personal relationship with him. And before that love was rejected by disobedience, Adam walked and talked with God and experienced the love of God up close and personal. But sin resulted in a long-distance relationship.

So, once again, God demonstrated His desire for a personal relationship by coming in person. Jesus, God's Son, the Word of God, put on flesh and came to dwell among us! He was "Emmanuel" - "God with us"!

Love was demonstrated by a precious gift. Jesus left the splender and security of Heaven and slipped into flesh and blood so He could get personally involved with loving us. During His brief visit to earth He demonstrated daily what the love of God looks like.

Then, Through the Cross!

The ultimate and undeniable proof of God's love was death on the cross. What higher commitment could you demonstrate than dying for one you love? What greater cost can you pay than substituting your life for the one you love?

And that is what Christ's death was! It was a substitutionary death for you! You were sentenced to die in the sin that separated you from a Holy God. But Jesus suffered death for you! Though He was innocent He assumed your guilt. He bore the guilt and the penalty for your sins. He took rejection so you could be accepted into a personal relationship with God!

There can be no doubt that God loves you! And, He loved you first! And He loved you when you were lost and unloveable!

God can do no more than He has done to demonstrate how much He loves you!

So, how can you demonstrate your love for Him?

Receive that love by faith! It is a gift purchased for you and offered to you. Jesus is God's valentine to you, how can you refuse it?

February 7, 2016

"You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind; and you are to love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27

Super Bowl 50 will be played tonight in the San Francisco Bay Area. You know you are old when they hang half a hundred on the Super Bowl designation and you remember a time when there was no Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl has endured over 50 NFL seasons because it show cases greatness and people admire greatness. This evening the two greatest teams for this season in their respective conferences will go head-to-head with a world-wide audience looking on.

What the NFL fears the most is a "so what" Super Bowl, one where millions of fans turn off their TV's in the third quarter saying, "So what? I have better things to do."

When football is played at the highest level on the largest stage, good won't be good enough! I expect the greatest effort possible from the greatest players on the greatest teams to create a great game.

Once the whistle blows tonight and the ball is kicked off to the receiving team, the NFL, the team owners, the TV network, the game sponsors, the coaches and millions of fan will expect an "all in" effort from every player. The only way to greatness is to play with their heart, their soul, their strength and their mind fully committed to every snap of the ball. Good enough isn't good enough for the Super Bowl!

In the Great Commandment quoted about, God is laying out the same expectations for those who make the claim of loving Him. He has called His people, THE CHURCH, who gather in local churches to love Him and serve Him with an "all in" effort. God calls His people to have their heart, their soul, their strength and their mind fully committed to Him every day, every way for every "play".

The worst thing that can happen for God's Church is for people to look at a church or look at the Faith and say "So What?" That's exactly what happens when Christians and churches are willing to justify themselves and say, "We're good enough."

At FredWes we want to love people to life. That demands that each of us be "all in" with ALL or heart and ALL our soul and ALL our strength and ALL our mind. We want to make those who look at the church and say "So what?" to be able to look at your life and at my life and at FredWes and SEE WHAT!

That's our "Super Goal" on Super Bowl Sunday and beyond!

February 6, 2016

“But he wanted to justify himself…….” Luke 10:27

I was an average basketball player but I wanted to be good.

I was a good baseball player but I wanted to be great.

I won the Senior Club Championship and was named Golfer of the Year at Pendleton Golf Club this year, so I must be pretty good. I think I could be very good if I had the time to practice and play more often but I will never be great.

If someone would have offered me the chance to be great in any of these sports I would accepted that offer in a heartbeat.

But the lawyer in this story illustrates that perhaps the greatest enemy to being great is being good.

Jesus was offering this man a chance at greatest but he just wanted to justify himself. In other words, he just wanted to feel good about himself and look good in the eyes of others. So he missed out on his offer of greatness.

Goodness can be comfortable but greatness requires you to stretch beyond your comfort zone. To be great you must be all in, as in “love God with ALL your heart, and ALL your soul, and ALL your strength and ALL your mind.”

You can’t be great if you try to justify half-heartedness.

You can’t be great if you try to justify offering some of your soul.

You can’t be great if you try to justify investing most of your strength.

You can’t be great if you try to justify having a preoccupied mind.

You must be willing to be all in if you want God to bring out His greatness in you!

And to make sure you recognize it here’s what greatness looks like:

“In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ Luke 10:30-35

If you want to be great, He’s good for it!

February 5, 2016

“He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live. ”But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.   So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’  “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”  Luke 10:27-37

Everyone loves a good story and no one told stories better than Jesus. They have come to be called parables because they illustrate spiritual truth but they are engaging stories that have stood the test of 20 centuries.

One of the favorite and best known “Jesus story” is the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It is very challenging but very hopeful at the same time. In this story Jesus sets a nearly impossible standard for loving, illustrates what it looks like and details how it is possible.

Having said all that there is one more thing that needs to be said, this is a story and it never actually happened. But Jesus made it clear that it should happen. Twice he told the law expert who was listening to the story, “Do this!”

                                                                                           

Similarly, you cannot read this story of hear this story without hearing the voice of Jesus say, “Do this!”

“Do this and you will live,” Jesus says!

“Go and do likewise (love others)“ Jesus says!

So the purpose of this classic story is not to be entertained by it but to engage in it. You are to write yourself into the story. You are to see neighbors in need and be moved with compassion. You are to serve your neighbors in need by sacrificing to meet their need and then stay involved.

Do this and you will live. Do this and others will live! Do this and you will love people to life.

SO WHAT?

So, write yourself into the story!

Cast yourself in the starring role!

Throw yourself entirely into the script.

Surrender your heart completely to God and let Him control your affections.

Consecrate your soul entirely to God and let Him occupy the core of your life.

Invest all your physical strength and personal assets in loving God.

Tune your mind to His voice and reject any opposing voice or contrary opinion.

Be “all in” for loving, knowing and serving God!

Let Him write a love story into your life and you will live! Others will live, too, because you will love them to life!

February 4, 2016

"He answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your souls and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27

This expert in the Law knew the right answer. He knew God's Great Commandment by heart and could quote it on cue. But he also proves just knowing what is right doesn't automatically result in doing what is right. Being made right leads to doing right.

You are eighteen inches from being made right. That is the distance from your head to your head to your heart.

What needs to happen in order to be made right?

Ask the "expert" who was eighteen inches from being right. He had head knowledge but was obviously lacking heart knowledge.

Being all right involves being all in!

I love the story about a champion pole vaulter who stood 5'10" but could clear the bar at 16'. Once, after he had made a record-setting vault he was asked what his secret was for soaring so high. His answer was inspiring! He said, "Well, I just throw my heart over the bar and my body always follows!"

He was a record-breaking pole vault champion because he had his heart into his sport! There was no eighteen inch gap in that young man's life!

You can only be successful in pole-vaulting when you are all in!

Likewise, you can only love God if you are all in - heart, soul, strength and mind because only when you are all into loving God can His love be all into you!

THAT is the difference!

You will notice the difference because you will find yourself caring about others as you previously only cared about yourself. When God's love is in you His love will flow through you toward others.

Are you all in?

Do you love God with all your heart?

Do you love God with all your soul?

Do you love God with all your strength?

Do you love God with all your mind?

February 3, 2016

"He answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luke 10:27

So, you think you love God?

Do you love Him with ALL your heart?

Until you love him with all your heart you don’t love Him in a way that will please Him OR you.

Do you love Him with ALL your soul?

Until you love Him at the core of your being you don’t love Him in a way that will satisfy Him Or you.

Do you love Him with ALL your strength?

Until you devote everything you possess toward loving Him you won’t love Him in a way that will honor Him you won’t know His love.

And, do you love Him with ALL your mind?

Pastor Greg Simas offers four unique ways to love the Lord with our minds.

“1. REASON

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:”

To reason is to think, understand and form judgments by a process of logic. I believe that part of loving God with all our mind is loving him logically. For guys like me this is a relief. I enjoy strategic thinking and order. God has given this as a gift.

I must note though, that reason should never trump revelation. The mind is the learner not the leader. The heart is the leader. Many times the heart receives from the Lord first and  the mind cannot make sense of it, at least initially.  Eventually the mind catches up with what the heart received.

When we prize reason over revelation we have a God made in our own image and likeness. Faith in many ways goes beyond reason. It looks to the impossible and trusts in the All-Knowing God.

Yet reason is powerful. We can systematically and logically look at the ways God has intersected our lives and give Him praise.

 2. KNOWLEDGE

Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”

To love God with all our mind involves taking time to fill our mind with God’s Word and to rightly agree with who He is. When we grow in truth we gain knowledge.

A. W. Tozer once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

When we come into agreement with God it awakens love in us. Love itself includes great depths of knowledge. Loving God is continually refueled when the mind encounters truth over and over.

Knowing truth and loving God are deeply connected. Jesus is the Truth. As our mind grows in the knowledge of Jesus we are liberated to love Him more.

 3. MEMORY

Isaiah 63:7 “I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us.”

The Bible is filled with commands to remember. Memories lead to gratefulness and worship. When we use our minds to remember His kindness, faithfulness, patience, peace etc. we build a foundation of faith, hope and love. We are loving God with our remembrance.

For some, we cannot forget the negative events of the past because the past has a voice. We must triumph over it with truth. Don’t allow your past to freeze you but rather lead you into the depths of God’s love. Our thinking about the past can affect us positively by remembering the truth about God’s goodness toward us in forgiving, delivering and providing for us.

 4. IMAGINATION

Psalms 8:3 “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;”

Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

God has given the mind the power to imagine. Some call it dreaming big dreams. Some say get a “picture” of your future. While others say if you can see it, you can be it. Imagination sees, creates and thinks outside the box.

In our imagination heavens thoughts can come to us and be captured. With our imagination we actually can extend our knowledge to explore the possibilities we have in God in all areas of our lives. This releases love which is anchored in faith.”

Wow! These four truths give new significance to these verses:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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 good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2

A renewed mind loves God!

Do you love God with ALL your mind or do you need to be RE-minded?