November 4, 2014

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people." Proverbs 14:34

This verse is one of the many that guide my decision-making in how I vote and which candidates I support.

But it raises several questions:

1) What is righteousness?

2) Who determines what is right?

3) How much does it really matter?

Righteousness is the standard for determining what is right, and therefore, what is wrong.

Since God is the Holy Almighty Creator and Judge of all men, I would say He is best qualified to decide what is right and what is wrong. I'm going with His opinion!

It matters very much to Him, therefore it should matter very much to you!

And, righteousness also mattered very much to the Founding Fathers!

Following are several quotes from John Adams:

"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God."

"Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company: I mean hell."

"The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity."

Virginian, Patrick Henry declared:

"The Bible… is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed."

"Righteousness alone can exalt [America] as a nation...Whoever thou art, remember this; and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself, and encourage it in others."

"The great pillars of all government and of social life [are] virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone, that renders us invincible."

"This is all the inheritance I can give to my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed."

So, as I was holding baby Wendy Beasley this morning, I am marveling over such a miraculous result of God's handiwork and thinking, "I could never support or vote for a candidate who believed it is right to murder precious innocents in the womb."

Later, as I was thinking how much Barbara means to me and how much our marriage has blessed my life, "I could never support or vote for a candidate who isn't willing to define marriage exclusively as a union between one man and one woman. That just wouldn't be right."

The Bible declares it, the Founders affirmed it and I believe it - righteousness matters and I will live righteously and vote for a candidate who at least gets those two issues right!

Do the right thing today! Vote!

November 3, 2014

“Moreover  able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” Exodus 18:21 

Wouldn't it be great to have men possessing those qualities to choose from when we go to the polls to vote on Tuesday?

Imagine having several guys like this on the ballot to choose from - able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness. How amazing would that be?!

Actually, I would settle for one of those virtues or any combination thereof. That would make casting a ballot much easier!

Barring some radical spiritual transformations over the next twenty-four hours, we may not have such virtuous men from which to choose. The world will not turn perfect between now and Tuesday morning.

So, we will be required to sort out the best people to vote for because not voting isn't an option for the people of God. Notice, you shall select from all the people......

Making such important decisions about which candidates to vote for requires careful research and prayerful soul-searching. Hopefully you have been doing so. If not, you have twenty-four hours to cram.

You are probably familiar with the Edmund Burke quote, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."  While it would be wonderful to have really good people to vote for it is far more important to have really good people voting. The more, the better!

Vote tomorrow!

November 2, 2014

"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6

The words hunger and thirst in Matthew 5:6 suggest a deep, profound, even painful desire that increases with desperation until it is fed.

That's how the kingdom citizen pursues righteousness should be both recurring and ongoing. When you eat a sandwich at lunch, it may hold you for a while, but it doesn't satisfy your hunger for the rest of our lives, Your appetite for righteousness should keep growing. When you lose your appetite for the Lord and His kingdom, when you're just as content with the world's junk food as you are with the Word of God, something is wrong.

Kingdom hunger is:

• an unquenchable desire to know Him;
•  a desire to be free from sin because sin separates us from God;
• a desire to be free from the power of sin and controlled by God's Spirit;
• a desire to be free from the desire for sin and eager to please the Father;
• a desire to be like Jesus.

How do you seek righteousness? We let God show you who you really are. You do away with the pretense. As long as you think you're better than most, you are not hungry for righteousness. Spiritual fulfillment begins with an awareness of your spiritual bankruptcy. You must remove anything that dulls our spiritual appetite, whether it's overtly sinful or not. It might be NFL football, or boating, or a harmless hobby, but if it gets in the way of your pursuit of righteousness, it needs to go. Kingdom hunger demands it.

This requires real sacrifice, but it results in real satisfaction because those who orient their "hunger and thirst" in the direction of righteousness are guaranteed to find themselves "filled". When was the last time any sin left you feeling that way?

Are good things in your life keeping you away from the best God Has to offer? 

Seek His righteousness.

November 1, 2014

"And  if  anyone  gives  even  a  cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward." Matthew 10:42

This morning in an African village, a teen-aged young lady awakens with a sense of relief knowing she won't have to carry clay jars through the bush and make her way to the river in order to get water for her family. Instead, she can go to school on time and focus on her learning!

This morning in an African village, a mother looks forward to cooking breakfast for her family excited in the knowledge she only has to walk a few hundred feet to the village well for the water she will need for cooking! Once her family has finished their breakfast she will have the same short walk to collect more water for doing her dishes!

This morning in an African village, parents arise knowing their children will be much safer since they won't have to risk a trip through the bush getting to the river to bathe. And they take comfort knowing that their children will be able to drink water that is pure and uncontaminated! No longer do they need to fear contracting cholera from unsafe drinking water!

This morning in an African village, an entire tribe of people welcome the arrival of a new day with a carefree joy they never knew before the well was drilled in their village. It is a dream come true!

Life in an African village has significantly improved because a few people in a tiny church in small town Virginia made a few small financial sacrifices. 

It is hard to comprehend how much life has changed for an entire village because a few Wesleyans in Fredericksburg, VA decided they could do with a little less in order to give a little more! 

Tomorrow, these Wesleyans at FredWes will get to discover the name and location of this village where the well they sponsored was drilled! AND, they will also have the opportunity to make commitments to raise funds for another well in another remote African village to improve the quality of life for more families!

FredWes family, allow me to remind you that a cup of cold water provided for them pleases the heart of God!

FredWes family, let's keep living with a little less so we can keep giving a little more!

FredWes family, let's keep "loving people to LIFE!"

October 31, 2014

"For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.  And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.” II Corinthians 8:3-5                                

The American church of today is not great at giving. This isn’t exactly news. But it is a statistical fact: 

·    Tithers make up only 10-25 percent of a normal congregation. 

·   Only 5 percent of the U.S. tithes, with 80 percent of Americans only giving 2 percent of their income. 

·   Christians are only giving at 2.5 percent per capita, while during the Great Depression they gave at a 3.3 percent rate. 

The truth is: Giving is a heart issue, not a money issue. 

Numbers like that can invoke a lot of guilt, which isn’t really the point. The larger point is what would happen if believers were to increase their giving to a minimum of, let's say, 10 percent. There would be an additional $165 billion for churches to use and distribute. The global impact would be phenomenal.

Here's just a few things the Church could do with that kind of money: 

·    $25 billion could relieve global hunger, starvation and deaths from preventable diseases in five years.

·     $12 billion could eliminate illiteracy in five years. 

·    $15 billion could solve the world’s water and sanitation issues, specifically at places in the world where 1 billion people live on less than $1 per day. 

·     $1 billion could fully fund all overseas mission work.

·     $100 – $110 billion would still be left over for additional ministry expansion. 

Those are some amazing numbers.

Those are some world-changing possibilities.

Our "Flow H2O" project that produced $8,500+ to drill a permanent fresh water well in a remote African village is an example of what can happen when a relatively small group of people commit to giving a little extra beyond their tithes!

That village will never be the same and most of us will never miss the money we gave! Giving that didn't hurt us much helped them a lot!

Loving one village to LIFE is a start!

But here's the bottom line - loving is expressed in giving. The more you love the more you will give. If you say you love but do not give the sincerity of your love must be questioned.

You can complain about corrupt and greedy politicians all you want. And you can point to them as problem with our nation, but is their greed the real problem?

Imagine what an extra $165 Billion could do for relieve suffering world-wide, and educating children to elevate living standards around the world in the name of Jesus! Imagine the health care that could be provided to extend the life expectancy of underprivileged children world-wide.

So much could be done if Christians would simply love God enough to obey Him in tithing. How much more could be done if Christians were will to do with less in order to give more! What a shame!

FredWes gives at a higher per capita level  than the average church. That is important for a church that is committed to "loving people to LIFE".

This Sunday we have another opportunity to check how much we love by writing a check to "Flow H2O" as we launch our next well project.

We can do our part to change our world one village at a time!

October 30, 2014

“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish."  John 6:9-11

Somewhere in an African village, teen-age girls get to go to school in the morning rather than having to make a trip to the nearest stream to carry water. In that village, the children and aged will be spared from cholera and other water-borne bacterial maladies because they will have clean water flowing from a newly drilled well in the center of their village!

The women of that village will no longer need to risk the dangers and the difficulties of carrying their laundry to the river and back.

Everyone in that village will stay healthier because they will have clean safe water to use for cleaning their homes and dishes.

The quality of daily life in that village has been significantly upgraded for generations because a modern, deep, sanitary well has been drilled in their village!

Much like the little boy who offered his simple lunch to Jesus Who used it to feed thousands of hungry people, some FredWes people gave what they could afford to give to God through World Hope International toward the goal of drilling a fresh water well. Because generous people worked together and trusted God, the FredWes family raised the $8,500 needed for a well PLUS several thousand toward the NEXT well!

This coming Sunday we will receive the exciting news from Scott Drury about where our well was drilled! When you leave church Sunday you will know the name of the village and the name of the state and nation where the village is located!

Won't that be exciting!

You won't want to miss that announcement!

Also, on Sunday we will be receiving pledges to launch the fund-raising for next year's "Flow H2O" Well Project. Once those promises are fulfilled at the end of April 2015, we will send in the money to bless another African village!

Many can be blessed and much can be done when a few faithful followers give what they can to meet a need!

Have you been praying about your commitment to "Flow H2O?"

FredWes is "Loving people to LIFE" all around the world!

October 29, 2014

“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 10:33-35

At FredWes we believe in the power of love!

We believe in God’s love manifest through us by virtue of our attitudes and our actions.

When Jesus was seeking to illustrate the Great Commandment, He told a story about a Good Samaritan who literally loved a badly beaten Jew to life!

Let me give you a very touching contemporary illustration of the life-giving power of life. Copy and paste this link into your browser:

http://youtu.be/kldBXAB2Kws

If a bat can be loved to life by a caring stranger, think of the impact a church like FredWes can have if we commit to loving God passionately, each other unconditionally and our community generously!