Author: Scott

When we are saved in Christ, we are renewed. The old sinful person we once were has gone. It has left. But that doesn’t mean we are sin-free. It doesn’t mean we are not going to sin. Or not be tempted by sin. It means that the sacrifice on the cross has taken the burdens of our sins away from us. 

But we must be aware that this “renewed” life comes with some responsibilities. We weren’t given a free pass when we were saved. We weren’t given a “get out of jail free” card. Our salvation has given us a path to follow. And the Bible tells us that that path is narrow. And what that means is that not everyone is going to follow the path. That is so unfortunate. There are people that you know. People that I know. People all around us. People that are not going to be in heaven. Wow!

For me it was a struggle to remove the old sinful self. I had been living my own life far longer than I had been a believer of Jesus. I still face temptations. I still live in this world full of sin. We all do. But I know these truths: If I stay steadfast in my relationship with God, He will continually work in my life. He will continue to “renew” me. He will continue guiding me down the path to rid me of the stains of my sin. He we continue leading to the moment when I will see him and be in his presence for eternity. And as much as I know these truths are for me, I know that they are for you too. They are for everyone. Jesus didn’t pay the price just for me. He paid the price for all of us. The last time I checked, the word all means all. So that means everyone. And that one reason alone is enough for me to think we all should do what we can to serve him by serving others. No matter what we do. No matter where we are. No matter who we are. We should find ways to serve him by serving others. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

On our way to church yesterday morning, we reached the stoplight at the junction of Madison and 171. For those of you that live in the area, you know what that means. If traffic is heavy, you can be at that light, waiting for your turn to come for around 5 to 6 minutes. seems like an eternity. Just waiting. This life is full of times where we catch ourselves waiting. Sometimes it’s at a stoplight. Sitting there waiting for it to turn green. Seems like that takes forever. It can be frustrating. Other times, it’s waiting for something glorious. Like the birth of a grandchild. Frustration is replaced with nervous anticipation. But it can also seem like it takes forever. Either way, we find ourselves waiting at different times of our daily lives. 

When we find ourselves in moments where we are waiting, I suggest that we turn our thoughts towards God. And that means in both types of moments. Those that are frustrating. And those that are glorious. Maybe you already have. And you feel like you have been left to deal with the situation on your own. I know I have felt that before. I have been there just looking for a small sign that God is there. And it was hard to hold onto hope when I didn’t see him. Or I don’t see him now. But I know this too. When I don’t see God, is when I’m not focused on God. And that’s on me.

God is not absent unless we make him absent. God will not forget us. He is there for our frustrations. And he is there for times that are glorious. God cares so much that he wants us to turn all things over to him. That’s hard for us to do. I’m aware of that. But that’s what he wants. And that includes those times where we find ourselves waiting. Maybe even more so during those times. Because, it’s during those moments that we may have “more time” on our hands to focus on him. Finally, here is something else that I read about waiting. And it is spot on. “It is in the waiting that God will change you, but maybe not your situation immediately. In the waiting that your very heart will change from pleading to gratitude. From patience to grace. From failure to freedom.” Wow! How powerful. 

Sometimes our lives get into such a funk that it’s hard for us to believe that God is near. It’s hard for us to hear him. When that happens, maybe it’s time for us to focus on trying to hear him. Practice and work at hearing him. But be ready. Because sometimes what you’re going to hear, is not what you want to hear.

Here’s what I know. There are times that we get desperate. We want to lift our hands up. We want to surrender our hearts. We can’t go on anymore. We can’t do it the way we’ve been doing it. And we long to hear God. But we don’t. We think we cannot go on like this. There is no hope. When we find ourselves in moments like these, I want to say this: Maybe, just maybe, we don’t hear God because we are not listening like we should. Read that again.

When I was playing basketball, I would imagine situations before they happened. I would close my eyes and put myself in the situations and visualize playing through them. It would even include details down to the point that my shooting form was perfect. This was a tool that I used to help me be better prepared for what was going to come. So here is some advice. Try to spend a few moments imagining Jesus. Try to visualize him and feel his presence. Try to listen to what he’s telling you. Imagine him walking you through the hardships and obstacles that you face. Look at the picture of him in your mind and know he is always with you. No matter what it is that you’re bearing. And know this: God loves you. Always has. Always will.

What is it that you prepare for? What is it that takes your time and attention to get ready for? If you ask yourself that question, and you’re honest about it, I bet you realize that whatever you prepare for is important to you. Things that require your attention and time are important to you. God has prepared eternity for us. Let’s read that again. God has prepared eternity for us. That is awesome. But we must be aware of this other truth as well. Satan has done the same thing. Let that sink in. And if they are preparing eternity for us, then it must be important. Actually, probably better put it this way: They are at war over our eternity. Therefore, you better believe that it is important.

We are all going to die someday. That’s reality. And…reality is that we will all spend eternity somewhere. So living on this earth isn’t our forever home. As Christians, we rejoice in knowing where we are going. And how glorious that is going to be. 

But, we don’t have a free ticket to heaven. To get there requires action on our part. And here are probably the two best pieces of advice I can give you. I may be off a little bit, but this is what I believe. I believe that we must repent and ask for forgiveness. I believe those are the two foundations to live as believers. Second, the Bible tells us that the way to heaven is through Jesus. Believing in him as our Lord and Savior is the key. No way around that. And with that reward awaiting us, we should live our lives serving others trying to show them the glory that is awaiting them as well. Eternity with Jesus! Wow! We can’t even begin to imagine what that’s going to look like. Now go and love God. Love others. Serve the world.

We all have heard the saying, “Money makes the world go ‘Round.” And there is definitely a lot of truth to that. So much so, we all have most likely worried about our finances at some point in our lives. Being good stewards of our money is biblical. And we should strive to be in control of our money. And not let money control us. But we are human. We make mistakes. Sometimes those are financial. Many of us do not make mistakes. Yet, we still find ourselves in financial situations that are overwhelming. So it’s easy to be worried about the bills and other things we need to pay for.

I think it would be great to get to a place where we truly trust God to be our provider. To not worry about money. The Bible tells us God provides for birds and flowers. It tells us he values us far more. And we know he sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. So meeting our needs must be part of his plans. I’m fully aware that difficult times come and worrying is a human response. But, let’s try to remember through what the Bible teaches us. God is our Provider!

Now…I bet you are wondering where am I going with this. Please stay with me as I stumble through this. When we seek God first, he frees us from the worries and pressures of earth because our eyes are fixed on Him instead of the temporary things that weigh us down. And that includes financial concerns. Always remember that God can meet all of our needs. Now, this is not a free pass to do nothing and expect God to take care of us. I’m not saying that at all. Actually, probably just the opposite. We are still called to do our parts. And that’s where being good stewards comes in. Let’s just be aware that we need to put him first. He will then show us the way. He will provide. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

As we go about our day-to-day routines, it’s easy to forget just how near God is to us. But, it is also an easy reminder for us to remember that God‘s presence is all around us. That is because no matter where we go, he’s already been there. God has already been there. He has. No question. He is still there. And he will be there after we’re gone.

Now…I think it’s important for us to realize that this includes the good and the bad times. He rejoices with us when we celebrate our successes. Just as it is good for our hearts, it’s good for God. He loves us and he loves those moments for us. And just as he celebrates with us, he will see us through the tragedies, hardships, and any adversities that we face. And that is awesome.

So when the times come that you feel lonely, and you begin wondering, remember that God is everywhere. All the time! And that includes both around you and inside you. He is your hope and your love. Although he may not take away the pain and the suffering, he will provide you the path through those. He may not take away the tragedies and adversities, but he will provide you with the strength you need. And even greater than feeling his presence here on earth, just imagine what we feel his presence in heaven for eternity. Incredible! He will always be there, because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

If you are like me, you are ready for next week to be over. Next Wednesday cannot get here fast enough. Every four years we go through this cycle. The Presidential election. And it seems like for the last couple decades, maybe longer, everywhere we turn hate is spewed. And I don’t mean that it’s just between the candidates. Facebook and other social media platforms turn into battlefields. People can hide behind the screens on their phones or computers and attack one another. Friends. Family. Coworkers. Acquaintances. Etc. Nobody seems to be immune from it. Disagreeing is no longer allowed. And for many people, this causes anxiety. Frustration. Anger. And more.

Something that I find particularly interesting about this whole thing…I don’t think many people, if any, actually change their minds about who they’re going to vote for because of what others post or comment on. I don’t even think the debates that are on TV change peoples minds. But for whatever reason, we allow the opinions of others dictate our emotions. I have been guilty of that. We actually allow our thoughts to be changed. Our feelings. It might be temporary. But we allow it to happen. Isn’t that crazy.

In this life, we’re going to find that there are many things over which we have no choice. There are many things that are out of our control. We cannot dictate the results. But I believe with all of my heart, there is at least one thing that we can choose. And that one thing is this: What we think about! We can control our thoughts. That is important, because what we think has consequences. And if we can steer our thoughts onto Christ, we can help ourselves avoid anxiety. Anger. And all the other emotions that I mentioned earlier. I am fully aware that this is easier said than done. I get it. That is part of being human. We have emotions. But I also fully believe that we can help ourselves avoid those negative emotions by trying to control what we think. I really do. Do you want to be happy today? Tomorrow? Next week? Whenever? Then work on your thoughts. Find the blessings. Encourage others. Read the Bible. Sing songs of praise. And here’s a big one. Pray! Pray for happiness. So today, steer your thoughts on Jesus. If you find yourself drifting the wrong direction, change your course back towards him. Right the ship! And I promise you, if you do this, Jesus will help you control what you are feeling. He really will. He will do this because he loves you. He always has. He always will.

This morning, I have something for us all to ask ourselves. Something that I think is very important for us to look at. To self reflect. Something that can help us keep our priorities straight. So here we go. What do you have faith in? Yourself? Your family? Do you have faith in your employees? What about your favorite sports team? What is it that you put your faith in? Such an important question.

Nothing wrong with having faith in any of those things I mentioned in our day today lives here on earth. I think it helps us have hope that all of those things are successful. And that might even motivate us to help those things to be successful. But there’s something more important about faith that we need to realize. Faith is such a key part of our relationship with God. It is the glue that ties us to God. Without faith, we really don’t have any relationship with God. And it’s in Romans that scripture tells us, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” So our lives serving our Lord and Savior require us to have faith.

So maybe today is a good day to take a moment and analyze yourself. Actually, let’s be more direct. Make today a day to take a moment and analyze yourself. See where your faith is. See where you put it. Is it time to re-prioritize? Maybe it’s time for you to really determine what your relationship with God looks like. That’s the challenge today. To work on putting your faith in God. Knowing that he will see you through whatever it is you face. Knowing that your relationship with him is built on your faith in him. He wants you to love him. He wants you to put your faith in him. He wants these things, because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

How many times have you said or done something that as soon as you did you knew you had messed up? Are you ever frustrated with yourself? Frustrated that you did something that wasn’t honoring God? Was it hard to forgive yourself? These are all legitimate questions. I know from experience. I mess up daily. We all do. Thank goodness we have a forgiving God.

God‘s grace reaches farther than we will ever be able to comprehend. It extends and covers beyond all of our actions. Nothing we can do will surpass it. Nothing we can do to earn it. Nothing! That doesn’t mean we have a free ticket to sin. We can’t just go do what we want to do. It just means that there’s nothing that we can do that God‘s love can’t overcome. Think about Saul. Even he was forgiven when he repented. Then he went on to be a warrior for Jesus.

Make no mistake, there are two forces battling daily for our lives. There are two teams. Jesus’s team and Satan‘s team. I have played on both. Not proud of it. But I have. But I can say is this, God’s grace and forgiveness has covered me. And it can cover you. And what’s more amazing are the testimonies that we can have. Others can see this grace. They can see God‘s love. They can see our transformations. And how awesome is that! Others can see the hope from Jesus through us. And then they can be covered with grace and forgiveness. And then others can see it through them. And that’s what it’s all about. Don’t let Satan trick you into thinking you are not forgiven. Don’t let him trick you into thinking God’s grace isn’t for you. Pray that prayer. Receive that grace. And show others the hope that you have through Christ.