Be Saved – What God Wants

Back in the raising kids chapter of our lives, now and then I’d take them to the Don Pedro Market and they could pick out some candy. It was amazing how differently they went about their candy-choosing business. One usually had her mind made before we even got there, but just in case there was something new she’d scan the racks. One looked over the candy stock and made a quick decision. One didn’t care all that much about candy and usually got the same thing. And then there was the one who couldn’t make up her mind, she’d get stuck in the valley of indecision every time. So much for a quick happy trip to the store.

I don’t know where you are on the knowing what you want spectrum but when it comes to wanting the most important thing to ask yourself is, “What does God want?”

• Regarding God Himself, He wants you to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” Mark 12:30 (ESV). “You shall have no other gods before me” Exodus 20:3 (ESV).

• Regarding yourself, your soul, God wants you to be saved, “This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time” 1 Timothy 2:3-6 (NLT2).

• Regarding Jesus Christ, God wants you to believe in Him and follow Him as your Savior and Lord, “To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” Jude 1:25 (ESV). “God did not send his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world, including you, might be saved through him” John 3:17 (ESV, italics mine).

• Regarding other people, your neighbor, God wants you to,  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” Matthew 22:39 (ESV).

• Regarding how you live your life, God wants you, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV).  “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen”
  2 Peter 3:18 (ESV).

• Regarding our possessions and money, God wants you to “not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV). “Do good, be rich in good works, be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for yourself as a good foundation for the future, so that you may take hold of that which is truly life” 1 Timothy 6:18-19.

There are, of course, many more clear statements as to what God wants us to believe and do, all of them are found in His book, His written revelation, the Bible.

You and I might not be standing in the candy aisle of life every day, but we do find ourselves having to make choices, and we all have criteria that influence and determine the choices we end up making. Jesus is hands down our best example of how to make consistently, good, godly, righteous, loving, and God-glorifying decisions. In the most stressful and heavy moment of His life He gives us the following insight and prayer, “Father, …, I want your will to be done, not mine” Luke 22:42 (NLT2). This of course was the daily and moment practice of His life, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” John 4:34 (ESV).

If you and I are going to live a God-approved, God-centered, and eternally significant life, we will have to learn to always ask for and then embrace what God wants.

            To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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Revelation – Speculation – Preparation, part 2, Share what’s in your pockets

If your sharing capacity depended on what’s in your pockets right now, what would be the verdict? Well, I turned my pockets inside out and laid out their contents, one pocketknife, a guitar pick, one used and one unused paper napkin, and a very corroded penny.

If I put the knife, pick, napkins, and penny back into pockets and set out into today what else could I possibly share that would bless, help, benefit others, and bring glory to God?

• Me. My presence, being present, and God’s presence within me. The Apostle Paul was rotting alone in a Roman jail cell, and pretty much everyone had checked out on him, he writes, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, …” (2 Timothy 4:17). He doesn’t say how Jesus strengthened him, but does note his presence, sometimes that’s the most important thing. Both Martha and Mary, grieving the death of their brother Lazarus, said to Jesus, who came to see them after the funeral, “Lord, if you had been here, …” (John 11:21, 32). Few things I can share are more valuable than my time and presence.

• Faith, Hope, and Love. When it comes to the Christian treasure chest, my spiritual pockets, these three are abundant and eternally valuable. According to 1 Corinthians 13:13, they are also marks of true spiritual maturity. I might not be the most gifted person, but I have equal access to faith, hope, and love. Those three words are far more than just spiritual jargon, they are immensely practical and are meant to be shared. My faith, hope in Jesus, and my knowledge and experience of God’s love are the bedrock of my life, the source of my peace, joy, and confident outlook when it comes to the future. I might run out of money but I get to start each new day with my pockets full of faith, hope, and love. They are meant to be shared, they lift people’s spirits, encourage their hearts, make a difference in any setting. We don’t know how long and how deeply the man had been discouraged, most likely since he lost the use of his legs. His good fortune was that he had some friends who had faith in Jesus. One day, they picked up on his stretcher and carried him to Jesus’ house. Unable to get in, they found the backstairs to the roof, dug a hole in the roof, and lowered him down right in front of Jesus. The Bible records, “And Jesus seeing their faith …” (Mark 2:5), not the paralytic’s faith, but his friends’ faith. It is a life-giving thing when you feel like you’ve run out of faith, hope, love, or all three, and someone shares, gives you some of theirs.

• Some more things I can share that I found in my “pocket” this morning: Prayer, God’s word and promises, Holy Spirit power, encouraging words, praises, thanksgivings, patience, goodness, kindness, and truth. And that’s just my left pocket, I haven’t even checked the others.

Not a week goes by I don’t hear a Christian brother (sometimes myself) or sister talk about how bad things are getting and that surely Jesus will have to come back soon. He might, but if He waits, that’s actually very good news for the billions (think about that, billions!) of people who are lost, not saved, heading straight for the judgment of God and eternal hell, “The Lord is not slow about His promise to return, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9 (NASB, italics mine). However, regardless of when Jesus will return, He expects all believers to make a kingdom difference now. The only way we can do that is by being Holy Spirit-filled, godly, Gospel-sharing, kingdom-building, sold-out, followers of Jesus who continually share all God daily puts in our pockets. We must warn the world not to be caught with their pants down when Jesus returns, but we must be equally diligent not to be caught with our pockets full.

      To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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Prayer – Essential and Essentials, part 3, Prayer Mistakes

Jesus, while teaching on praying, gave us an incredible prayer promise anchored in God’s goodness and power, “I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” Luke 11:9-10 (HCSB). But let’s face it, we are extremely good at messing things up, even very good things, like drugs, vaccines, peace, marriage, family, an inheritance, liberty, the internet, …, and prayer is no different. Here are a few prayer mess-ups to avoid:

• Not praying

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God” James 4:1-2 (NIV). The most foolish thing to do in life is to cut God out of the picture (Psalm 14:1, Proverbs 9:10), for the creature to dismiss the Creator, to think there is a proper and healthy order to life aside from God. Prayerlessness fosters foolishness, self-reliance, and conflict.

• Self-centered praying

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” James 4:3-4 (NIV). Prayer is by definition a God-centered activity, it helps us to adjust ourselves to God, His kingdom, His will, His ways, and His timing. Pleasing and glorifying God is the right motivational backdrop to right praying. Making God the supply line for what we want, what pleases us, for what accomplishes our will, reduces God to our servant. God does not respond to self-centered praying.

• World-centered praying

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” James 4:4 (NIV). World-centered praying is related to self-centered praying, its goal is to have all the best this world has to offer, wealth, ease, comfort, and being free to do whatever we want, including the godless, the ungodly, the idolatrous, and the immoral. World-centered praying is steeped in the temporal and actually pits us against God because it doesn’t value what God values most.

• Double-minded praying

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” James 1:5-8 (NIV). This is the kind of praying that reduces God to a second opinion, one expert among others, with the person praying being the final arbiter. Double-minded praying leads to an unstable life, constantly bouncing around between different sources, never allowing God to become the bedrock of our life and decisions.

• Unrepentant praying

“For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” Psalm 66:17-18 (NLT2). Prayer is coming into the presence of Holy God, there is no room for being casual with, codling, or continuing in sin. Part of praying is confessing and dealing with our sins, seeking forgiveness, pleading for mercy, and desiring to clean up our lives. Paraphrasing the Apostle Peter, “Husbands you can’t dishonor or even abuse your wives and think your prayers make it past the ceiling (1 Peter 3:7). Undealt with sin undermines the holiness and sincerity of prayer.

• Proud praying

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” James 4:6 (NIV). Pride corrodes, blinds, exalts ourselves, and brims with self-righteousness (Luke 18:9-14). It hinders every aspect of our spiritual lives including prayer. Coming before God dressed in pride instead of humility is a sure way of causing prayer disasters. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” James 4:10 (NIV).

Now, pray, pray, and pray some more.

            To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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Prayer – Essential and Essentials, part 2

Ready for Jesus to give us another lesson on praying? No, not prayer, but praying. There is a big difference between the noun and the verb, between knowing about prayer and actually praying. You can know all kinds of things about prayer and never pray. When it comes to prayer what we want to be really good at is praying. Jesus’ disciples saw Him praying, and witnessed His prayer habits, which caused one of them to ask, “Teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1-2). Responding to the request, Jesus’ first words were, “When you pray …” followed by who to pray to and what to pray for, “Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation” Luke 11:2-4 (NASB).

Then Jesus added two parables that emphasize two important aspects of praying, persistence and confidence. One highlights doggedness and the other faith, letting nothing stop us from praying and never praying without expectation. Jesus said, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.‘ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
 Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” Luke 11:5-13 (NASB)

There are some things we should quit, like habits that do not improve our lives, praying is not one of them. Never ever stop praying, keep asking, keep knocking, keep seeking. Pray when the unexpected hits you, when your circumstances change, when you have a need, when … Keep going to your Heavenly Father even when it is embarrassing, when you feel like you shouldn’t, when you messed up, or when you feel like He has more important things to do than to listen to you. Be a fixture, a constant presence in the throne room of God. Let laying-hold-of-God kind of praying be one of the most consistent practices and habits of your life.

Did you notice the prayer promise Jesus gave to His disciples and us? Those who ask will receive, those who seek will find, and those who knock will be let in. We can be confident, have complete faith, that God hears and responds to our prayers in the best way possible. When praying we can rest in the commitment of our heavenly Father’s loving heart, His unequaled goodness, and His ability to do what no one else can do (only God can give the Holy Spirit).

Pray away. Pray always. Pray with persistence. Pray with confidence. Pray. And pray some more.

To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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Prayer – Essential and Essentials

I want you to think with me about prayer for a minute or two. Prayer is an incredible invitation, one of the great privileges of life. God inviting us into His presence to listen to us and to speak to us, God granting us access to Himself, encouraging us to ask of Him, to draw on His wealth of resources including His knowledge, wisdom, power, goodness, and ability to provide.

Prayer is absolutely essential for anyone serious about living a life with God, anyone who is serious about following Jesus Christ. The most foundational teaching on prayer is given by Jesus Matthew 6:5-14 and Luke 11:1-13.

Pray, then, in this way:

Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] Matthew 6:9-13 (NASB)

Entire books have been written on the “Lord’s Prayer,” but I want to highlight three of the most basic things it teaches us about prayer: Who to pray to? Why pray? and, What to ask for?

• Who to pray to?

There is only one true and living God. Praying to anyone or anything else might feel spiritual or religious, but it is futile. The universe, a creation of God, cannot answer a single prayer. Praying to an idol, statue, saint, ancestor, prophet, or angel is not just an empty exercise but also an affront to God. We are not free to decide who God is, we are, however, invited to acknowledge Him as God, our heavenly Father, the singular God of eternity and glory, who has granted us access through God the Son, Jesus Christ, and who helps us in our praying through God the Holy Spirit.

• Why pray?

First of all, to keep God front and center, to make sure we make life about Him, His honor, His glory, His will, and His kingdom. Before we make a single request, prayer is meant to focus us on God, to align ourselves with what is important to Him, and to pursue the knowing and doing of His will. If we are not focused on God and His will but on what we want or think we need, we might end up asking for all the wrong things.

Before asking God for anything we need to hear from Him, have Him speak to us about His kingdom (rule) and His will. So we pray because prayer is stepping into the presence of God, it focuses our eyes, heart, and mind on God, it allows us to hear from God, helps us to know the will of God, and then we are in a good position to make our requests and ask away.

• What to ask for?

There are eight requests in the “Lord’s Prayer”: That God would be glorified/hallowed, for His kingdom to come, for His will to be done on earth, His provision for our daily needs, for Him to forgive us, to aid us in forgiving others, to keep us from and help us with navigating temptations, and for deliverance from evil and the evil one (satan). Talk about comprehensive, a lot more and much broader than our usual asking, which too often is centered on our health, safety, finances, struggles, and comfort. Our asking changes when we first concern ourselves with God’s honor, kingdom, and will.

We are also wise not to forget the very first word, “our.” That’s thinking about others right from the outset. If we want to be good at asking for the right things in prayer our praying needs to be about God, we, and me. Me-centered praying has the wrong center, quickly reduces God to a genie in a bottle or a crisis hotline, lacks concern for others, and forgets that what I think is best might not be what God thinks is best or what is best for others.

One last thing, Jesus, teaching His disciples on praying said, “When you pray” (Luke 11:2a), not “if.” Two things are required if we want to pray well, learning from God’s word (the Bible) what good praying looks like, and actually praying, daily, often, everywhere, anytime, and continually.

To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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God’s Will – Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks – Do It

 Rejoice always;
 pray without ceasing;
 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NASB)

There’s a spiritual bacon, eggs, and biscuits breakfast for you. In fact, the Apostle Paul is prescribing this spiritual diet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as for morning, afternoon, and late-night snacks.

How many times in your life have you been told to stop something because it supposedly wasn’t good for you? How many times were they right? And how many times did you actually listen?

Stopping to do something can be really tough, especially if it is a habit, an addiction, something we enjoy, or what our social circle practices. On the other hand, starting something can be equally tough, even when you know you should, when you agree it’s the right thing and good for you.

But back to the spiritual doughnut shop above. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked about figuring out God’s will. Well, there are many things we already know to be God’s will, being a rejoicer, prayer, and thanksgiver are among them. It is God’s will for rejoicing, prayer, and gratefulness to be our mindset, practice, and habit. Can you hear the Holy Spirit serving you from behind the countertop of the Rejoice – Pray – Give Thanks Doughnut Shop? “Don’t just take one, take all three, and come back tomorrow for more!”

“How much?” you might ask.

“Today, no charge.”

“What’s the catch?”

“Two things. If you eat them, they will change you. You’ll want more.”

Rejoice, pray, give thanks. These three are meant to keep us in God’s presence by rejoicing before God, praying to God, thanking God. They help us with keeping God in the center, and when God is the center, we got the first steps of knowing, being, and doing God’s will figured out. They also insulate us against negativity, self-reliance, discontent, and ungratefulness, none of which are helpful with knowing and doing God’s will.

If you and I are going to, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything,” we will have to get started in the morning, right when we get going, because if we start it later then the “always” has already gone out of the window. And we can’t take a break or quit early because then the “always” has … (You’re catching on).

One more thing, we have been programmed to only rejoice and give thanks when things are going great, when life is not working out the way we think it should, when good things are happening to us. Rarely do we think about rejoicing before and giving thanks to God when His will is being worked in and through our lives. The Apostles had been arrested, threatened, and beaten for following and preaching Jesus, for doing God’s will. When they were released, they left “rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus” Acts 5:41 (NLT2). I think it is safe to say that they had stopped by the Rejoice – Pray – Give Thanks Doughnut Shop, that morning.

 Rejoice always;
 pray without ceasing;
 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NASB)

            Have a most meaningful Thanksgiving. Love you, Pastor Hans

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My Table Saw’s Final Blessing

My table saw bit the dust. A mighty screech, smoke, and the smell of something electrical frying and that was it. What the dischens! It couldn’t wait till the end of the project before giving up the ghost? Now its decommissioned corpse is sitting in the driveway, waiting to be hauled off to the dump.

I was already frustrated because, like seemingly every home fixing project, the job of replacing rotted siding was steadily growing bigger. At some point, you just had your fill, which seems to be true about other things in life as well. When you get near that point it doesn’t take much to push you over the edge, break the camel’s back, to be the final straw. Yes, my little Craftsman table saw had terrible timing, to say the least, and I needed to get a grip, catch my bearings, because I never function better with a frustrated sour, and down attitude.

What do you do when you need to get a hold of yourself, when your attitude smells worse than a table saw motor burning up? For me, a little reflection helps. So, I looked at my now-dead saw and remembered it was a gift Susie (my exceptional wife) gave me a long time ago, back when we didn’t have much, which meant she somehow managed to save enough to bless me with it. I can’t tell you how much easier that little table saw made my life. It also lasted far longer than anyone would have expected, which means God heard our constant prayer to make our things last. That saw served its purpose, was reliable, saved us all kinds of money, and was an all-around blessing.

We live in a world where things break, wear out, decay, blow up, rot, leak, and get old, a world that has no shortage of frustrations, bad timing, and overload; enough to daily stink up our attitudes, drown gratefulness, and put our inner grump on steroids. None of which is helpful in any shape or form. There is enough this damn …, those damn …, them damn …, to take you all the way to the grave. Which is a terrible way to live, and most certainly not the way God would have us navigate through life.

There is a reason God tells us to always put thankfulness in our lunch box, to never forget to pack thankfulness no matter where we go, and to download the thankfulness App first thing, “In everything, all circumstances, give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NASB, italics mine).

You’re right, many face much more serious brokenness and frustration than my table saw quitting, I certainly have, and I can’t tell you how much reflection and prayer with thankfulness have helped me there.

Do a little exercise with me. The poem below is probably the most famous psalm of David. Read it once over. Then read it in light of all David remembers and gives God thanks for down in that deep dark valley, even the shadows of death. Finally read it one more time, beginning each line with, “I thank you God that You …

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, of deepest darkness, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever” Psalm 23:1-6 (NKJV, italics mine)

Funny, isn’t it, where an old broken table saw can take you.

            To God be all glory. Love You, Pastor Hans

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Stop! Pull Over! – part 2

What keeps us from stopping when we should? Have you ever been in a car with someone behind the steering wheel who was hell-bent on getting there? No stopping except for refilling the tank, and you’d better be back from the restroom before he put the nozzle back. It doesn’t take long before everyone else is miserable and unhappy. Sadly, I can tell you from experience that a few more stops would’ve made for a much more pleasant trip.

Have you ever wished you would have stopped speaking but for some reason you didn’t? How about buying something you really shouldn’t have, recking the budget, creating all kinds of money stress? What about hanging with people whose influence on your life is negative, destructive, or ungodly? Plans you should’ve pulled the plug on but were too far into or too stubborn to do so? Don’t even mention bad habits, rotten attitudes, and ways of thinking that you can’t find the off-ramp to.

Think about how many messes in your life are the result of running through stop signs, zipping past off-ramps, or being too stubborn or too scared to pull over?

Eve ran at least three stop signs when Satan showed up (Genesis 3): 1. She listened to Satan impugning the character (goodness) of God; 2. She left an outright lie unchallenged; 3. She went against a clear command of God.

How many off-ramps did King David zip past in his seduction of married Bathsheba and the murderous coverup that followed (2 Samuel 11)? We’ll probably run out of fingers counting.

Saul wouldn’t pull over to take a look at his half-hearted devotion to God, his jealousy and suspicion of David, and his abuse of power (1 Samuel 9-31).

Jonah, the sour prophet, didn’t deal with his prejudice that sucked compassion right out of his heart (Jonah 1-4)

Ananias and Saphira didn’t stop to address their obsession with recognition and their willingness to pretend and lie (Acts 5;1-6).

Joab the general didn’t get off the revenge train (2 Samuel 2-3).

Judas kept on stealing, kept chasing money (John 12:6, Matthew 26:14-15).

Demas never did stop to deal with his love and thirst for the temporal things of this world (2 Timothy 4:10).

My Aunt gave my older brother Andi his first car, a baby blue, well-worn, Renault. He didn’t own it very long because he ignored the ‘check oil’ light. If you know anything about cars, oil light flashing = PULL OVER NOW! He claimed ignorance, and maybe, since it was his first car, he was. With the ‘check oil’ light on, he and his friends decided to see how fast old Baby-Blue could go, drove to the Autobahn, and floored her. They didn’t get far, the engine blew, rods shot out and the red-hot motor peeled the paint right off the hood.

There are many reasons for failing to stop when we should, ignorance, pride, fear, habits, pressures, stubbornness, misplaced affections and priorities, foolishness, not paying attention, fatigue, listening to lies (including our own), ignoring the Spirit God and word of God, …

I have a confession to make, I am preaching to myself, I’ve run through way too many stop signs, refused to pull over, ignored the ‘oil light,” zipped by off-ramps. I am, however, committed to learning. So far I have discovered:

• I run more stop signs when I neglect personal prayer and Bible study.
• Listening to Susie, my kids, and good and godly friends helps me with ‘oil lights’ I am prone to ignore.
• Lack of rest affects my alertness, attitude, and ability to think clearly.
• Waning compassion, growing irritability, decreased patience, short on listening, swelling over-confidence and pride, neglecting important things, getting hung up on small stuff, old bad habits resurfacing, are sure signs I am running through top signs
• Zipping past off-ramps allows sin and bad habits to persist and grow.
• Excuses piling up means I am not taking stop signs seriously.
• God, His will, His Kingdom, and His Ways not figuring into my decisions (large or small), daily activities, interactions, and routines, is a sign that I am not pulling over enough, that I need to pull over now and readjust.
• It is never too late to stop, pull over, take the off-ramp, come to God, listen to Him, trust Him, and make the changes He tells me to make.

To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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Comforters Pray

One of the most powerful, caring, comforting, and hopeful things you can do for and with someone is to pray for and with them.

Job, for whom the Bible book Job is named, suffered in very short order incredible loss, grief, and pain. His wealth was taken, his children were killed in a tornado, his health collapsed, his reputation took a hit, and his positions of honor and respect evaporated.

He did have three friends who showed up, sat with him in silence for seven days, weeping, mourning, grieving with him. It took Job all those days before he could gather the words to speak. Life can shatter you like that. When he finally poured out his torn-up heart the words were bitter, full of questions without good answers, wishing he had never been born in the first place.

After Job finished, his friend Eliaphaz should have prayed for him, but instead, he felt the need to set Job straight, insisting that there had to be a connection between all this misfortune and tragedy and some fault of Job. Did I mention Eliaphaz should have prayed for and with Job? Why?

In pain, loss, sorrow, grief, and suffering God can seem so far away, so detached, so on the wrong side of things. Job didn’t need correction, he needed comfort. He didn’t need a theological argument, he needed assurance of God’s presence. He needed someone to take his hand and lead him into the throne room of the Almighty. Because the first and best thing about real prayer is that it is coming into the presence of God.

Prayer isn’t some magic wand that somehow gets us whatever we ask, gets us out of every jam, guarantees our preferred and perfectly imagined outcome. It is, however, immediate access to the very presence of God. When life is hard, the circumstances are bitter, the situation is confusing, the pain is unbearable, the grief is crushing, the tears have run out, neat explanations are missing, the thoughts are tormenting, then there is no better place to be than in the presence of God, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” Hebrews 4:16 (NLT2)

Eliaphaz thought Job needed answers more than the presence of God, more than the abundant mercy and grace found in God’s presence. He thought it was more important to talk about God than to God.

Job found no comfort in Eliaphaz’s dissertation. You would think the other two friends would have picked up on that and suggest that maybe praying together would be a much better way to go. They didn’t, but they should have. The three never did pray with and for Job. Prayer should have been the first thing, not the forgotten thing, the left-out thing, the not so important thing.

Maybe you’re saying, “I’m not very good at the praying thing.” Why not? You do not have to be “good at it” to start praying and you will never get “good at it” by not praying. Prayer is meant to be a central practice and habit of the Christian life, we should be devoted to it (Acts 2:2), learn it (Luke 11:1), and be continually engaged in it (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We, all followers of Christ, are all called to be priests, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT2). Priests are called to serve both God and people. They should be familiar with being in God’s presence, leading people into God’s presence, and be practiced in prayer. We are never not priests, so don’t wait for someone who you think is more spiritual, like the pastor, to lead the hurting, mourning, grieving soul in front of you into the presence of God. Take his or her hand, look him or her in the eye and say something like, “How about I pray with you?”

Here are a few pointers I find helpful in praying for the hurting and grieving:

• I can trust the Holy Spirit, the Chief Comforter (John 14:26), to guide me.
• I consciously avoid praying mindless fluff, pop-theology, platitudes, sentimental ramblings, and giving false hope.
• I pray solid scripture truths I know for sure, beginning with what is true about God. I want those who hear my prayer have a sense of whose presence we are in.
• I pray biblical promises that apply.
• I pray for specifics I’ve noticed by listening and observing.
• I pray about the pain, sorrow, confusion, questions, fears, … in an as personal and empathetic way as I know how. I do so because it is important and right to spill out our hearts in the presence of God.

Brother and sister in Christ, be the priest/ess, the comforter, God has called you to be – pray with and for those who are shaken, hurting, mourning, and grieving.

            To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans

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Being Committed to Spiritual Growth – Part 2, Your Core-Sample

I’ve cut down and sawed up a tree or two over the years. Doing so, I often stopped, especially with large trees, to count the growth rings in order to find out how old that tree was. Dendrochronologist (those who study tree rings) can tell all kinds of things from their examination of tree rings, like climate patterns, rainfall, archeological dates, etc.

I’ve cut myself a time or two, and I’ve watched doctors cut on me more than a time or two, and I never saw a single growth ring. A dendrochronologist would be very frustrated after taking a core-sample of Hans. However, I am alive, as are you (otherwise you would be reading this pastor’s note) and we can be examined whether we are growing people, as to what is growing in our lives.

God has designed us to grow every bit as much as trees. In fact, He delights in growth, especially our personal growth, our spiritual growth. But unlike our physical growth, personal and spiritual growth are not automatic, they don’t just happen, they have to be fostered, embraced, pursued, and be deliberately engaged in. No guaranteed yearly adding of growth rings as long as we are breathing.

Since we are not designed to add growth rings, what are we supposed to grow in? Add year after year? What is God looking for when he examines our growth?

• Growth in faith, 2 Peter 1:1-9.
• Growth in character, James 1:2-4.
• Growth in love, Philippians 1:9-11.
• Growth in wisdom, James 3:13-18.
• Growth in using our minds, Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 13:11.
• Growth in using our abilities, skills, talents, and spiritual gifts, 1 Peter 4:10.
• Growth in generosity, 2 Corinthians 9:7.
• Growth in holiness, 1 Peter 1:15-16.
• Growth in the use of our tongue, James 3:1-12, Ephesians 4:29.
• Growth in discernment, Hebrews 5:11-14.
• Growth in thinking and reasoning from a biblical perspective, Acts 17:2.
• Growth in servanthood, Mark 10:45, Galatians 5:13.
• Growth in virtue, 2 Peter 5:5.
• Growth in our passion for and dedication to the kingdom of Christ/God, Matthew 6:33, 2 Corinthians 5:14.
• Growth in prayer, Luke 11:1-13.
• Growth in our handling, understanding, accurately interpreting, and faithfully applying of the Bible (God’s written word), 2 Timothy 2:15.
• Growth in our contribution to the Jesus’s church, our communities, and society, 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, Acts 9:36.
• Growth in our understanding of and application of justice, Proverbs 21:3, 15, 28:5.
• Growth in developing godly, Christlike attitudes, Philippians 2:1:1-11, .
• Growth in the use of our time, Ephesians 5:15-16.
• Growth in handling and resolving conflicts, Matthew 18:15-18, 1 Corinthians 6:1-8.
• Growth in shedding bad habits and replacing them with good habits, Ephesians 4:17-24.
• Growth in breaking generational patterns of sin, Daniel 9:16.
• Growth in courage, standing up for what is right, just, and good, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 11:32-38.
• Growth in endurance, perseverance, and grit, Romans 5:1-5.
• Growth in understanding, hating, and handling evil, Romans 12:9-21.
• Growth in knowing God’s ways, God’s revealed purposes, and God’s life-principles.
• Growth in handling frustration, bitterness, and anger without sinning, James 1:19-20.
• Growth in forgiveness and asking for forgiveness, Ephesians 4:29-32, Matthew 6:9-14.
• Growth in our imaginations, dreams, and aspirations, Acts 2:14-18.
• Growth in hearing and processing criticism, Proverbs 9:8, 19:25.
• Growth in gratitude, joy, and worship, Psalm 84:2, Philippians 4:6-8.
• Growth in immediately responding to Spirit of God, the Word of God, the commandments of God, Acts 16:6-10.
• Growth in reshaping our lives according to what God calls blessed, Matthew 5:1-16.
• Growth in selflessness, Luke 9:23-35.
• Growth in humility, Colossian 3:12, 1 Peter 5:5-6 .
• Growth in yielding the power and authority of God, Titus 2:15.
• Growth in introducing and incorporating Christ and the Gospel, everywhere, in everything, and to everyone Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 1;8, 16.
• Growth in producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:16-25.
• Growth in knowing God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit ever deeper, 1 Peter 3:18, Philippians 3:7-11, Exodus 3:18.

I am not a dendrochronologist, but I am a pastor, a minister of Christ, and I confidently tell you, certify, that all of the above are true. So, get after it, pursue all God wants you to grow in year after year. Live in such a way that in the day of judgment your life’s core-sample will reveal such beauty and Christlikeness that the angels will stand in awe and shout, “Hallelujah, Glory to God!”

To God be all glory. Love you, and let’s grow together, Pastor Hans

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