“Dreams…… Yea, Right!”

Genesis 15: 1 “Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”  

          Why in the heck would Abram be afraid?  Abram had jus won a great victory and had been blessed by Melchizedek.  Maybe he was afraid of revenge by the kings he had just defeated in battle.  But God gave him two reasons to take courage. He promised to protect Abram and God promised him a great reward.  So what’s the point?  Simply this: when we fear what lies ahead, we must remember that God will stay with us through difficult times and that he has promised us great blessings.           

For awhile now, there are many folks out there who have either lost their faith or don’t believe that they need faith.  But this story of Abram is a prime example of how we as the people of God, should be living our lives. Abram demonstrated his faith through his actions, but it was his belief in the Lord, not his actions, that made him right with God.  We, too, can have a right relationship with God by trusting him.  Our outward actions, you know church attendance, prayer, good deeds will not by themselves make us right with God.  A right relationship is based on faith…., the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who he says he is and does what he says he will do.           

 I know that life as we have known it is about to change.  And that bothers a lot of folks.  Some see their dreams going up in smoke.  But I remember back in the early 80’s when a friend who owned a trucking company thought that he would lose his company and his home because of the down turn in the economy.  So we prayed from him and his family, but he never seemed overly concerned.  So one day I had to ask him about this.  Here is what he said to me: “Barry, as long as I have God and my family, I can do anything!  You see he told me that even if he lost his company, with God and his family they would rebuild or do something else. How you might wonder! My friend understands this piece of Scripture.  If you love God and trust him and have a loving family these are the most important things of life. The scriptures tell us that with God all things are possible.  By the way, my friend today has a very successful trucking and logging business with all of his children working in the company.  He truly is blessed.           

So what about you?  Will you trust God to see you through these tough economic times?  Will you take stock of your life and cut where you can to reduce your dependency on stuff?  I think that it’s a good time to turn off the televisions and take a long walk with God.  The answers are right before us.  All we have to do is change the way we’ve been doing it and concentrate more on the way God would want us to do life.  Then and only then will life become better for you and me!  Fear not! Our God is with us!!!

CHURCH MATTERS- December 30, 2008    - “Just Say No!”

Matthew 5:37a: “Just say a simple ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.”

A New Year is upon us, and as we prepare to make those New Year’s resolutions, I would like all of us to take a moment to think about how we can prevent some stress in our life. I am sure you have heard this before, and I know my wife has said it to me many times but I would like to offer to you proof that if we learn to do this, you and I will be following the example Jesus set for us --- Learn to say no! 

How many times have you wondered, as you are running here and there, struggling to meet deadlines, juggling duties as mother or father, wife, husband, employee, chauffer, and church member, How did I get myself into this mess? Or, do you find yourself, like I often do, scheduled to be in two places at the same time? Multitasking is the catch word of the day but it is also a learned behavior.  Many mothers can pick up their kids at school, listen to their stories, respond caringly, decide what is in the frig so they can fix supper, and remember to get to the kids to their many afterschool activities.  

I read a story recently of a woman’s erroneously belief that the two sides of a man’s brain were finely separated and therefore caused men to only be able to perform one task at a time. Then, she watched her husband back up a truck with a trailer—he was able to gauge distances, work the gear shift, clutch, brake, and gas, think in reverse as he used only the mirrors to back the trailer and turned the steering wheel in the opposite direction that she would have—without becoming frustrated! 

You see we, as ordinary people, want to please people, want to achieve, and want to be given credit for what we do.  The pattern for success in the secular world, which now influences the church and other arenas, is to move up the ladder in position, responsibility, and authority.  In the secular world advancement is rewarded by a larger salary, more influence, more benefits, and even some envy. Just ask the executives of the financial giants or the Big Three! 

Leadership, in all areas, requires more of our time and energy, many times to the detriment to our families, our marriages, and our spiritual life.  Jesus was a leader and yet he managed his calendar of healing, teaching, preaching, mentoring and incurring the wrath of the Pharisees.  He could say no—no to his family, to Satan, to the church, and to his disciples. Just look at John 2:3 where he tells his mother to quit sticking her nose in other people’s business, or Matthew 4:1-11, where Satan promises Jesus the world, Mark 8:11 where the Pharisees wanted him to perform signs to prove who he was, and the best one is Mark 6:37, when the disciples said that there were many hungry and that Jesus should send them away to find food and Jesus told them “NO” you give them something to eat. 

As I have discovered, each one of us has the ability and the responsibility to make decisions regarding time, money and our thoughts.  In fact, how we spend our money, time, and energy are indicative of what is most important in our lives.  We know that the church is important, yet there are times when we can be overstretched, even in the church.  One sure way to prevent burnout and stress is to know your limits, and with prayer, maintain them.   It would be interesting to see the comparison of when Jesus spent time in prayer to the times he said no. 

I invite you to value yourself this year.  Avoid overextending yourself. Learn to say no.  Jesus still ministered, still made disciples, and made sure he took care of himself.  He said no so he could fulfill his purpose with clear conscience and intention.  May your New Year and its resolutions include some no’s and some Sabbath time for yourself. See you all in the New Year!