Author: Scott

“I don’t deserve to be forgiven.” “How can God love me when I’ve done what I have done?” “I don’t even go to church, or pray like I should.” “Heaven is for religious people. I’m not religious.” Have you ever heard these? Have you ever said these? I’m sure that several of you have. I know that I have both heard and said these things. 

There was a time that I struggled with my salvation. There was a time that I struggled with believing that Jesus could love me. My father figure used to always say, “There are two teams. God‘s and Satan‘s.” I know that to be right because I have played on both of them. I have been on both sides. And there’s no way that I deserve to be loved by Jesus. Actually, none of us do. But that’s what is amazing about God. His love and grace surpasses anything that we can ever dream or imagine. We can’t earn it. We can’t pay for it. We can’t pretend we have it. 

How do we get it then? I think the answer is pretty simple. We have to believe. We have to believe that Jesus is the key to salvation. He is the way. No way around it. He made the sacrifice for us. He paved the way. Jesus did that. Plain and simple. He came to earth to show us how to serve. And he died for our sins. I remember my son saying something sometime that resonated with me. I probably won’t get it Word for Word. But this is the gist of it: “God loves you. God loves us all. And he’s waiting for you to love him. He’s there. If you’re hearing anything different, you are listening to the wrong people.” Wow! He is spot on. If people are telling you different, they are the wrong people. And if you believe anything different, you are wrong. Just as I was. God does love you. He loves me. He loves everyone. And he’s waiting. He always has been. He always will.

One thing that I have been blessed with, is being surrounded by people who are like-minded. People who are believers. People who hold me accountable through love. People on the same mission to show God‘s grace to those that don’t know him. To be a light for those that don’t see him.

In the book of Hebrews, we are warned about not getting together with other believers. That it’s a good habit to have regular contact with other believers. It’s a bad habit to not do so. Going to church is a great opportunity for us to be with other believers. Church can look different for different people. Sometimes it’s in a church building. Sometimes it’s in a deer blind. Sometimes it’s on the side of a pond bank. Other times it can be in the front seat of a car on a trip. Whenever we have fellowship in God’s name, we are having church.

So today, let’s try to find places to be with other believers to help build our faith. And build theirs. To strengthen our testimonies. Let’s find a community that’s trying to serve God. Let’s make this a habit. Let’s break away from the bad habits. Isolating ourselves. Not seeking help when we are struggling. Not helping our fellow believers in their struggles. Let’s make it a good habit to find those that we can trust to help us get through a hard times. Let’s turn to God in times of need. Let’s also turn to him when we celebrate. Surround yourself with people who love you and hold you accountable through love. God created us to be people who need fellowship. Because he knows fellowship can help get us through.

This past Saturday, we were able to go watch our grandson play his first basketball games. It’s fun watching the little guys try to shoot the ball. On the way back, we saw some bald eagles in the area. Amazing. This is the month for the bald eagle watching in Stella, Missouri. I don’t know about you, but I love watching those birds. Especially in flight. They seem to be just soaring above us. Almost as if they’re enjoying it. They probably are. Just floating in the wind. Hundreds, if not thousands of feet above the ground. It’s kind of cool how my emotions get excited when I get to see them.

Something else I enjoy is being in the deer blind as the world wakes up. I also enjoy being out there in the evening as well. Watching the world go to sleep. It’s hard to beat being in the creation. Taking it all in. When that first bird chirps in the morning, it seems like the rest of the wild life begin to arise. Almost like clockwork. God did an amazing job creating these animals for us to enjoy. And it’s true, the creation is for us to enjoy. And I believe that we must respect it as well. But it’s there for us to enjoy. And the Bible tells us that God loves us more than he does the wildlife. So we know he’ll provide. 

If you look at things this way, then we realize that God will give us all that we need. He will provide for us. What he provides may not come the way you want it to. Or the way you hope. It might come a little pieces. Or maybe all at once. It may be obvious. Or it might take some thinking on your part. And it may not come when you want it to. Or when you wish it would. But his timing is perfect. Remember he knows your desires and your needs. He knows what you long for and what you require. Keep him in your heart. Keep him as your focus. And he will give you everything he has for you. Because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

Here is something that I recently read: “We often spend hours each day on our computers or cell phones. We encourage each other via Facebook and Instagram; send hearts and hugs; etc. But what we may not realize is that this isn’t necessarily the way Jesus has shown His love!” This is interesting to me. There’s nothing wrong with communication this way. I often do so. But we should work to make sure that we are not only serving others through typing or texting. Let me try to explain. 

This reminds me of the saying, “Actions speak louder than words.“ The Bible tells us, to not just love with words or speech. But with actions and with truth. Jesus is the ultimate example of this. Leaving his throne to join us on earth. And then to suffer a tremendously painful death. Teaching us how to love with action. I’m not saying we have to die for others to show love. But we can do different tasks for them that show it. Buying groceries. Mowing the grass. Visiting in hospitals. I’m sure you can find other ways. Especially since our words can be confused. Sometimes people don’t understand exactly what we’re trying to say. Sometimes we’re not being very clear. I had that happen this week.

So today let’s show our love through deeds. Not just typing. Not simply by liking somebody’s post. Let’s turn our words in actions. Let’s make sure our actions show true love. Instead of typing a reply, maybe let’s go see the people that we are commenting on their posts. Even if simply to just say hello. Let’s help someone else who is in need. Maybe buy somebody lunch. Bring the trashcan back up to the house. Shoveling sidewalks. Etc. I think you get the point I’m trying to make here. Let’s be the light that others can’t seem to find. Let’s be the encouragement someone needs to see or hear. Let’s remember that sacrifice made for us some 2000 years ago. And let’s let that motivate us. Because we already know-Actions speak louder than words.

Have you ever had somebody or something come into your life that made you question, “Why?” Have you ever had an experience that made you question, ”Why?” Questioning, “Why am I going through this? What is the reason why this is happening?” Of course you have. If you’re being honest with yourself, I’m sure you would agree that you have had these questions run through your mind. I know I have. Several times. Been through things that really made me question what was going on. Especially, during these recent years when Barbara and I lost four very important men in our lives.

Just when you think you have it all figured out, there will be moments when you simply don’t understand what is going on. Moments when life will not seem good. Actually, life will seem like it’s bad. Very, very bad. But we have a loving God, therefore we want to know why. We want to know why we’re going through something like this, especially if it’s bad. These moments could even have us questioning our faith. Even weakening our faith. Causing anxiety. 

I don’t have all the answers. But I know this. The Bible tells you that real peace is found in resting in the wisdom of God. He has the answers in His loving hands. We don’t get peace by understanding everything. We don’t get peace by knowing why things happen. Not true peace anyway. True peace will come when we trust God knowing that he is in control of all things. Even if they rob us of our peace. I know that this is complicated to understand. And I know this as well…As much as we don’t understand something, God understands everything even more. He is in control. He is never confused. He doesn’t worry. So today let’s remember that trusting in God through all things will give us a peace. Even in the moments and times that are bad. Even when life doesn’t make sense. He has us, and he has it, in his hands!

Here’s something for us to think about and ponder today. What are you faithful to? Your spouse? Your kids? Your job? Your country? What about your favorite sports team? And what are you not faithful to? Your health? Your finances? Other things? As you think about these questions, you might realize what exactly you are prioritizing in your life. 

Something else to think about is this, no matter how faithful or not you are, God is always faithful. He will remain faithful. No question. We can’t debate it. Because there is no debate. God will remain faithful because his faithfulness comes from who he is. It has nothing to do with who we are or what we do. His faithfulness is never in question. 

When you take God into your heart, when you begin to trust him and let him guide you, everything changes. Your life changes. Your eternity changes. These things change because of his faithfulness. His love, grace, wisdom, and hope will remain faithful. You can count on these. You can rely on these. You can rest assured that he has his arms of faithful love around you. You can rest assured knowing that he will not let you go. You can rest assured knowing that he can be trusted even when you are not. And you can rest assured that he will be faithful even when you are not. Because he loves us. He always has. He always will.

I often say, “Give me a long enough, I can mess things up pretty good. I can get into God’s way for sure.“ What I mean by that is without God directing the way, I have definitely messed up. And I’m sure I will continue messing things up trying to do them on my own. I bet many of you have felt, or feel, the same way too.

No matter what we are facing in life, no matter what we are going through, God will see us through. But believing is the key. Believing is the magic word here. We must believe in God. We must believe he has a plan. We must believe he is in control. And we must believe that we can’t do it alone. I know it’s hard to do that. Because we live in a world where we call the shots. We pave our paths.

In the Bible, we read that God tells us to “fear not” in our daily lives. This is to give us the strength to keep going. So remember this, no matter what we have done, no matter how bad we mess it up, God is there. Even if we think we are at the end. That there’s no turning back. God is there. So keep going. Keep pushing. Fight the good fight. Keep your eyes on God and you will feel his hope. You will experience his grace. Get out of your way long enough to let him show you. He will because he loves you. He always has. He always will.

Last year many people were waking up to hear the news about what happened to Damar Hamlin in the football game the night before. Many of us watched it live. It was really difficult to watch. He went into cardiac arrest after making a seemingly routine tackle. The medical personnel performed CPR on him for several minutes and were able to get his heart beating again. I think it’s fair to say that we watched him die and then be brought back to life. The NFL made the right choice and canceled the rest of the game.

As the medical team was doing their work, a majority of all the players and coaches went to their knees to pray. They didn’t know what else to do. So they prayed. Which was the right thing to do. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer. I have been on the receiving end of the power of prayer. My family has as well. Friends that I know too. When we find ourselves facing difficult times, we should turn to prayer. Why is that? My answer is this: I know that we serve an awesome God. A loving God. A God whose plan is beyond our understanding. But it is perfect.

I would also like to suggest something. Many of you are already doing this. Many of you are not. And I know that I need to be more consistent myself. Let’s begin making prayer a priority in our lives. And I don’t mean pray just pray. I mean let’s make prayer a real priority. Let’s be diligent about it. Let’s be focused on praying when we are praying. Maybe we should all begin each day going to our knees in prayer. Just as human fathers want to hear from their children, God wants to hear from us. His children. It’s a way that we can “bless” God. Let’s not just pray when times are tough. Instead, let’s pray for his guidance. Let’s ask him to lead us so we can serve him. Let’s say prayers of thanks. Rejoicing prayers. And after we pray, let’s believe and know that he will guide us. Because he loves us. He always has. He always will. 

There was an attack in New Orleans yesterday in the early morning. Leaving 10 people dead, and many others injured. The FBI is involved. They post pound the sugar bowl until today to make sure everything is safe. But can you imagine? Celebrating one moment. Fighting for your life the next. Can you imagine the fear? You are not alone. God has you. Years ago Hezekiah had to speak these words to his people. They were getting invaded. He knew that the people were fearful. He knew where that fear came from. He knew they would forget who God is. He knew they would forget His almighty power and glory. Hezekiah knew that he couldn’t just be a good king and a skilled general. He knew he must also be a wise pastor to his people. 

As they were preparing for the Assyrians, he didn’t want the people of Judah to think that they were left alone. He wanted them to know that they had been blessed. And not forget God was with them. He told his people: “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side!”

Being fearful is a human experience. Chances are, everyone of us is going to experience it at one point or another. I know I have. Especially when the lives of my bride or my children were at risk. But I would also like to say this…even though fear is something that we’re going to face, experiencing God can get us past it. Hezekiah knew his people needed to hear that. I think we all need to hear that. I think we all need to know that God is present today. And he will be present in the future. So when you experience fear, or experience times of uncertainty, remember that God is here for you. And as the Bible tells us, “Be strong and courageous.” He will see you through. But it’s up to us to turn to him. It’s up to us to ask him. It’s up to us to let him take control.