s many of you know, we are involved in a 40 day emphasis on love.    Jesus said, “I’m giving you a new commandment:  Love each other in the same way that I have loved you.”  (John 13:34)   Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church in California,  in one of his recent sermons on this topic, spelled out for us the ways we can love others:

• Accept others like Jesus accepts me.
  
  • We can show acceptance to others by looking at them and recognizing their needs.
  • We can show acceptance by listening to them.
  • Acceptance doesn’t mean we approve of their actions, but we can still show love by accepting them and treating them with dignity.  (Romans 15:7)
• Value others like Jesus values me.
  
  • Everything God created is good.  (I Tim. 4:4)   Therefore, we can agree that God doesn’t create junk.   People have real value.
    
  •  God thinks we are highly valuable because Jesus died on the cross to show us how much we are worth.  (I Peter 1:19)
    
• Forgive others like Jesus forgives me.
  
  • God doesn’t hold grudges.  He is quick to forgive.  We need to let people off the hook– allow them to fail and forgive them the way God forgives us.  (Col. 3:13)
    
  • Jesus said it like this:  “Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?”
    
• Believe in others like Jesus believes in me.
  
  • When Christ left this earth, he left his work in the hands of his 12 disciples.  He had no plan B.  He believed they would succeed.  “As  you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”  John 17:18

​One big thing that all of us need is someone to believe in us and encourage us when we fail.  King David had Jonathan.   Two is better than one.  Take the time to encourage someone today.

​Well, we are close to a week away from Good Friday.   I often wonder if believers fully understand the significance of what happened on that day.  I thought I would share some thoughts on Christ’s death, and how it effects us today in 2016.

• “and behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to  bottom.”  (Matt. 27:51)    The Holy of Holies was sacred to the Jew.  It was entered only once a year, by the High Priest.  The average person had no experience or knowledge of that special place.   But now, because of Christ’s death, we all may enter that Holy place through the blood of Jesus.  We may have intimate fellowship with God on an ongoing basis.

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• Because Christ paid our sin debt on the cross, we all may receive his divine forgiveness.   “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (I John 1:9)
• Our salvation was secured because of Christ’s obedience.  “it is finished.”  (John 19:30)

We should be grateful and thankful people for all that Jesus did for us.  Be 
sure to thank Him for saving you, and invite someone to church so that they 
may hear the gospel, and might be saved.

Blessings,
Pastor Scott

​Recently, the Lord led me to a passage of Scripture in Ephesians 3:20.   It says: “Now to the One who is able to do beyond all things superabundantly beyond and over and above those things that we are asking for ourselves and considering, in the measure of the power which is operative in us.” (Wuest)

I think we all wish God would do more in our lives.  This Scripture makes some bold promises to every child of God.  Often, our focus is on what we can do.  But God is focused on helping us to see what He can do in us and for us.

A few things to remember:  

1)  “Who is able” – God is not limited in any way.  He is all powerful.  Whatever He desires to do, He will do.  So what limits us?  Really, the truthful answer is us!  Our lack of faith in Him limits us.  We must feed our faith in Him.

2) “Above what we ask” – God desires to answer our prayers according to his will, and much farther beyond.  But sometimes we don’t ask him for anything, or we fail to expect him to answer.  

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in California, says it this way:  

When God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we think He will,  it may be because He has something bigger and better and more important to do for us.

3)  “Above all we think” – God can exceed our imagination and expectations.  As the Bible says:  “No eye has seen, nor ear heard,  nor even entered into the mind of man, the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.”  (I Cor. 2:9)

Let’s invite God to be a part of our lives, and let Him do some great and unbelievable things!

Do you like the person you have become?  Are you satisfied with the  kind of life you are living?  Is there a hunger within you that says, “There must be more?”  I am beginning a ten week series on the book, From Good to Great in God’s eyes.  It is written by Chip Ingram.  Chip 
highlights for us ten practices that Christians can do to make progress in their spiritual journey to become the person God created them to be! Proverbs states:  “as a man thinks, so is he.”  At the foundation of who we are is the way we think.  We are the product of our thought life.  

If we want to change the way we are, we must change the way we think.  The Apostle Paul illustrated for us some goalposts we are to aim for in our thinking:  “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)  The command is to think and dwell on these things.  It speaks of reflective thinking.  My grandfather once said, “You can’t stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop him from making a nest on your head.”  In order for us to think great thoughts, we must make it a priority to focus on truth, and monitor what thoughts we allow into our minds.  This is so important because of the following statement:  thoughts lead to behavior, which leads to character, which leads to our destiny. 

Chip Ingram suggests several ways to think great thoughts:

• Memorize and meditate on Scripture.
  
• Use drive time – listen to sermons, scripture, or music to fill your mind.
  
• Listen to great music – choose some worship songs that lift your heart to God.
  
• Take walks in nature – take time to listen to nature speak of God’s great creation – observe His creative genius in what He has made.
  
• Use 3x5 cards and personalize truth of promises and Scripture to address your personal areas of growth.
  

So let’s begin to shape our minds by choosing to think great thoughts! Then let’s see where God will take us on our journey with Him.

Blessings,
Pastor Scott

We talked last week about thinking great thoughts.  Now we want to look at a second practice that produces great Christians.  Read great books!  When was the last time you sat down, turned off the TV, disconnected the internet, and read a great book.  Turned your phone to vibrate, and made the effort to read a book.  I just started a small book, entitled “Your God is too small.”  It is a small book written by J.B. Philips, that talks about us putting God in a box.  It is not an easy read, but I know that God will use it to build my faith.

Paul addresses us in Romans 12:2:  “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 good, pleasing, and perfect will.”  Our future is dependent on us making the right decisions right now.  There are two main sources of wisdom for us:  1)  the Word of God;  2)  great books.  We have to start with the Bible, God’s Word to us.  Are you taking an intentional look at what God says in the Bible?  If you are looking for passion, read the New Testament.  If you need wisdom and how to live, read Proverbs and the Pastoral Epistles.  It all starts with God’s Word.

Next, we need to take time to read  great books.  To sharpen your mind, read books like Knowing God by J.I. Packer or Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.  Maybe you need to inflame your heart – read books like The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer or Power Through Prayer by E.M. Bounds.  One of my favorite books is The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson.  It challenges us to pray mightily for God to do something great in and through us.  There are many great books out there – read some biographies of great leaders – study how God sent great revivals through willing leaders like George Whitfield or Charles Spurgeon or Martin Luther.

What might be some practical steps we can take?

• Begin with a regular time in the Bible in a version you can understand.
• Use a resource that will provide some structure, understanding, and additional insight. ( Our Daily Bread, My Utmost for His Highest)
• Don’t be overwhelmed, but develop a plan to read one book every month or two.
• Enjoy the journey!  It is not how many books you read, but it is how deeply the ones you read sink into your life.
  

Blessings,
Pastor Scott