People show up at worship services for all sorts of reasons. Some of my favorite people are those who are desperate. I guess that is because I have been desperate so many times myself. Even while standing behind the pulpit I have needed God to touch me over the years and He has and still does. I have watched God tenderly touch hurting and broken people. I watched him do it last night among a group of teenagers.
There are other people who show up at worship for all the wrong reasons. They are the self appointed worship police. They scrutinize everything and everyone to make sure every "i" is dotted and "t" is crossed. They do not have a heart for God. They are so busy critiquing the music, the fashions of the attenders, and the sermon they miss encountering God altogether.
I talked to a a friend of mine recently who serves on staff at a large church. He told me his pastor received an anonymous letter from a croup of people criticizing his preaching. The focus of their criticism was not theological content. They nitpicked his grammar. I am not talking about a preacher who is not educated and who does have proper grasp and use of the English language. These people are so focused on this issue I wonder when do they ever worship. When do they open their ears and hearts to hear from God. When do they ever turn their attention off themselves and onto God.
There is s story in Mark 3 about a desperate man who came to the synagogues and about some Pharisees who only showed up to criticize Jesus. Jesus knew wha wast in their hearts. He rebuked the hardness of the Pharisee's hearts. He healed the desperate man.
Which one are you? Do you show up to your church desperate for a fresh touch and a fresh word from God. Do you enter the sanctuary or the classroom prayerfully ready to encounter God. Or do you come with a critical spirit to scrutinize and tp take notes of everything done wrong and those who are doing so.
I have a word of rebuke for those worship police. You can actually show up for worship and anger the very God you are supposed to adore with your sinful attitude and air of superiority. You do not have the right to grieve the Holy Spirit for the rest of the body of Christ. Your petrified hard heart is an offense to God. I stand with faithful pastors all over the nation and rebuke you in the name of Jesus. Take the log out of your own eye so you can see more clearly to take the splinter out of other people's eyes.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Jesus Take My Hand
Jesus in this uncertain world I ask You to take my hand,
And lead me safely to my eternal promised land,
The path is difficult and filled with the pitfall of sins,
That only Your shed blood can forgive and cleanse,
The trials mount up like the coming evening tide,
Please take my hand to find refuge in You and hide,
Take my hand to lead me through sickness and disease,
Lead me and those I love to deliverance if You please,
As I get older and my hair thins and begins to grey,
Take my hand so that I can hear everything You say,
Take my hand as You lead me through the shadow of death,
Take my hand and sustain me until my dying last breath.
And lead me safely to my eternal promised land,
The path is difficult and filled with the pitfall of sins,
That only Your shed blood can forgive and cleanse,
The trials mount up like the coming evening tide,
Please take my hand to find refuge in You and hide,
Take my hand to lead me through sickness and disease,
Lead me and those I love to deliverance if You please,
As I get older and my hair thins and begins to grey,
Take my hand so that I can hear everything You say,
Take my hand as You lead me through the shadow of death,
Take my hand and sustain me until my dying last breath.
Jesus, Cleanse The House
You know the hard work that goes into cleaning house. Saturday we have family coming over to celebrate birthdays. Floors will be swept and mopped. The carpet will be vacuumed. The laundry will be washed and put away. Things will be dusted. Beds will be made and everything will be put in place.Dishes will be cleaned and put in the cupboards. When company is coming over we want the house clean.
That is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. He died so that the house of our lives could be cleansed from sin. He died so that we could be dead to sin and alive to God.
All of us fail and stray. We wander off the straight and narrow and soil our souls with the stains of sin. Jesus wants to clean house. Every room. He wants to take the broom of His grace and scrub the inner chambers of our hearts until the house is clean.
We are not to be slaves of sin. Sin is not to reign over us. Sin is not to have mastery over our mortal bodies. Yet many of us have lived at times dead to God and alive to sin. Sin has held a strangle hold os us. This is only because we choose not to believe Jesus has the power to set us free. We do not have to be slaves to sin but can be slaves to righteousness. [Rom 6:1-17].
Once the house of our lives have been cleansed why would we want to dirty up what Jesus has washed and purified.. Maybe the greatest news for me in all the Bible is [II Cor 5:21] Jesus is my righteousness. He cleanses the house of my life. My standing before God is totally based on what He did on the cross and not my pitiful efforts to earn His good graces.
Therefore, we are alive to God and dead to sin through Jesus Christ. We do not have to be slaves to unrighteous behavior. Satan is a liar and wishers that we will never be free from sin. He rattles the chains that keep us in bondage reminding us of our past failures. JESUS DIED TO DEFEAT SIN AND SATAN IN OUR LIVES. WE MUST BELIEVE HIM FOR IT.
Jesus, come with the broom of Your grace and sweep every corner of every room in our hearts. Crucify the flesh along iwht every lustful desire that draws us away form You. We plead that You wIll make us dead to sin and alive to God. Please let our hunger for You and the things of You be greater than any temptation to sin and dirty the house. In Jesus name, amen.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Vacation
My family just returned home from our vacation. We went out to eat to a few of my all time favorite places to eat. We watched a movie. We saw some old friends. We traveled back to my home town. We saw the house I grew up in. We drove to the first church I served as pastor and showed Taylor and Tanner the first home they ever lived in. We drove to the first home we bought where Tucker and Turner first called home. We visited the cemetery and put flowers on the graves of my baby sister, mother, grandfather, and grandmother.
We then traveled to a resort on Lake Conroe. We played putt putt where Taylor ended the week as the family champion. Tucker and I tied for second but he beat me soundly in a play off. Taylor and I won the two on two family basketball championship though it was close all the way to the end. Turner and I won the shuffleboard championship with Turner carrying me from beginning to the end. He played masterfully beating his older brothers nearly single handedly. Tanner won our tennis tournament in a rematch with Tucker.from last year. Due to only one tennis court I sat that one out. We swam and they played board games.
We slept late. Ate our meals at odd times. We sweat profusely in the Houston area humidity leaving perspiration soaked clothing that had to be left out to air dry. We worshipped in other churches where we reconnected with some old friends.
Vacation is a fantasy. We live in a make believe world. For the first time in a long time I did not wear a watch. It did not matter what time I woke up. Every day my agenda was to spend time with the boys doing what they wanted to do. I did not check emails. I did not even take my computer out of the backpack. I read a little and prayed each morning. I played with the boys a lot while Brenda rested.
Now it is back to reality. I did not preach while away but starting tomorrow I am preaching a youth revival this week. I have a hospital visit to make tomorrow in Fort Worth. And of course there will be the family tradition Edwards Summer workouts.
I enjoyed our vacation but the longer we were away the more I was ready to get back. Many people want their whole life to be a vacation. God created us for purpose. He gives us assignments. Vacations are great for renewal, to recharge the batteries and making memories. We were not meant to live on a permanent vacation though. I am not interested in living on vacation. I will not sleep in tomorrow morning. I will not keep the computer in the backpack. This is the second blog I have written this afternoon. It is time to go back to work. There are responsibilities to keep. There are tasks to be done. There are things to be accomplished. Vacation is over.
We then traveled to a resort on Lake Conroe. We played putt putt where Taylor ended the week as the family champion. Tucker and I tied for second but he beat me soundly in a play off. Taylor and I won the two on two family basketball championship though it was close all the way to the end. Turner and I won the shuffleboard championship with Turner carrying me from beginning to the end. He played masterfully beating his older brothers nearly single handedly. Tanner won our tennis tournament in a rematch with Tucker.from last year. Due to only one tennis court I sat that one out. We swam and they played board games.
We slept late. Ate our meals at odd times. We sweat profusely in the Houston area humidity leaving perspiration soaked clothing that had to be left out to air dry. We worshipped in other churches where we reconnected with some old friends.
Vacation is a fantasy. We live in a make believe world. For the first time in a long time I did not wear a watch. It did not matter what time I woke up. Every day my agenda was to spend time with the boys doing what they wanted to do. I did not check emails. I did not even take my computer out of the backpack. I read a little and prayed each morning. I played with the boys a lot while Brenda rested.
Now it is back to reality. I did not preach while away but starting tomorrow I am preaching a youth revival this week. I have a hospital visit to make tomorrow in Fort Worth. And of course there will be the family tradition Edwards Summer workouts.
I enjoyed our vacation but the longer we were away the more I was ready to get back. Many people want their whole life to be a vacation. God created us for purpose. He gives us assignments. Vacations are great for renewal, to recharge the batteries and making memories. We were not meant to live on a permanent vacation though. I am not interested in living on vacation. I will not sleep in tomorrow morning. I will not keep the computer in the backpack. This is the second blog I have written this afternoon. It is time to go back to work. There are responsibilities to keep. There are tasks to be done. There are things to be accomplished. Vacation is over.
The Long Journey Back
Many followers of Jesus stray. They stumble. They err. They sin. They grow lukewarm. They drift into passionless mediocrity. Pews are filled with such people. Some even stand behind the pulpit.
God's merciful kindness leads such people to repentance. The long journey back to full restoration starts with repentance. Repentance can be an immediate response to God. The path to wholeness and healing may take a little longer. Not that God does not receive our repentance. The journey to wholeness sometimes does not happen instantaneously. It often takes much prayer, scripture reading and meditation.
The long journey back takes longer for some than others. Some are able to repent, seek restoration, and turn from sinful behavior. For others there is tug of war in the soul and the flesh does not give up one square inch of territory without a life and death struggle. On the path back to wholeness there are setbacks, sin, and sorrows.
We may not understand why a person lives in a less desirable walk with God and embraces sin, doubts, and lukewarmness. We have all been there at one time or another and I will not be the first to cast a stone. We have been content to live in defeat and the pig pen squalor of sin rather than in the victorious abundant life Jesus purchased for us.
The journey back starts with genuine repentance but when do people really take the time to look inward in reflection and repent over sin anymore? When do churches do it when they have sinned corporately.
While on vacation recently our family attended a church service in a church that used to be strong, vibrant, and effective. That church was a shining lighthouse in the community with many people trusting Christ for salvation. When we set in that worship service the attendance was ten percent of what it used to be. Don't misread that. I do not mean that it was down ten percent. I mean there were only ten percent of the people left in a church building that can hold hundreds and classroom space for hundreds as well. Over the years the church has had several pastors, some good and others bad, and the end result is a church of barely a dozen people. While I sat there I wondered if the church has ever repented of corporate sins and if individuals had repented of personal sins.
Each of us is on a journey. Some are journeying further and further from God. Others are on a fast track toward God. Wherever you find yourself as you read this I pray we will all all start the journey back to God, wholeness, as well as personal and church revival this moment. Each day we delay takes us further down a road we really do not want to travel.
Repentance is not a popular subject these days but it is a vital one. I challenge individuals and churches to look inward and to fall on our faces in repentance and come back home. Home to the arms of a loving, merciful, and gracious God who is willing to receive us and restore us. Start the journey right now without further delay.
God's merciful kindness leads such people to repentance. The long journey back to full restoration starts with repentance. Repentance can be an immediate response to God. The path to wholeness and healing may take a little longer. Not that God does not receive our repentance. The journey to wholeness sometimes does not happen instantaneously. It often takes much prayer, scripture reading and meditation.
The long journey back takes longer for some than others. Some are able to repent, seek restoration, and turn from sinful behavior. For others there is tug of war in the soul and the flesh does not give up one square inch of territory without a life and death struggle. On the path back to wholeness there are setbacks, sin, and sorrows.
We may not understand why a person lives in a less desirable walk with God and embraces sin, doubts, and lukewarmness. We have all been there at one time or another and I will not be the first to cast a stone. We have been content to live in defeat and the pig pen squalor of sin rather than in the victorious abundant life Jesus purchased for us.
The journey back starts with genuine repentance but when do people really take the time to look inward in reflection and repent over sin anymore? When do churches do it when they have sinned corporately.
While on vacation recently our family attended a church service in a church that used to be strong, vibrant, and effective. That church was a shining lighthouse in the community with many people trusting Christ for salvation. When we set in that worship service the attendance was ten percent of what it used to be. Don't misread that. I do not mean that it was down ten percent. I mean there were only ten percent of the people left in a church building that can hold hundreds and classroom space for hundreds as well. Over the years the church has had several pastors, some good and others bad, and the end result is a church of barely a dozen people. While I sat there I wondered if the church has ever repented of corporate sins and if individuals had repented of personal sins.
Each of us is on a journey. Some are journeying further and further from God. Others are on a fast track toward God. Wherever you find yourself as you read this I pray we will all all start the journey back to God, wholeness, as well as personal and church revival this moment. Each day we delay takes us further down a road we really do not want to travel.
Repentance is not a popular subject these days but it is a vital one. I challenge individuals and churches to look inward and to fall on our faces in repentance and come back home. Home to the arms of a loving, merciful, and gracious God who is willing to receive us and restore us. Start the journey right now without further delay.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
God's Ministry Of Perseverance, Encouragement And Hope
Are you sad today? Maybe a little discouraged? Feel like giving up or giving into a life of sin because the journey is too difficult? Feeling overwhelmed and you are desperate for some relief. Hang on tight for this word for you.
God gave us His word for our instruction. That means our learning and understanding. HIs word helps us with perseverance. O how we need that. We need endurance, patience, and the ability to continue though difficulties.
The young mother needs perseverance to get through sleepless nights. The addict needs perseverance to get back up after falling and try again. People in the work force need perseverance to press through another work week. The student needs perseverance to stay the course in their studies. We will all need perseverance as we face old age.
Over the years these are just a few of the verses God has used in my life to help me persevere and to encourage me. Ex 14:13-14, Joshua 1:9, Job 1:20-22, Ps 27:13-14, Ps 30:5, Ps 40:1-3, Ps 46:1, Ps 50:15, Is 41:10, Is 59:1 just to name a few.
Not only does God's word instruct us in this [Rom 15:4-5] but God grants perseverance and encouragement to us. The word grants also means ministers. God Himself ministers perseverance and encouragement to us often using His word. He comforts and consoles us. He can prompt someone to write just the write note of encouragement or to speak a tender word to us at just the right time. He brings the right scripture at just the right time for our need. He is constantly ministering perseverance, encouragement, and hope to us. Many times He uses other people in the church to help us.
In all this God gives us hope. We need hope. A little hope can carry us through the tough times.
Today as you go to worship or sit at home I am praying that God will minister perseverance, encouragement, and hope to your troubled heart. I am thankful for an early morning jaunt in His word that brought me to Rom 15:4-5.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Blue Collar
I grew up in a blue collar family. I began working at an early age raking leaves, mowing yards, cutting trees and running a paper route. Things were not handed to me. I worked to earn bicycles and record players. I learned the value of hard work and a dollar because I worked. During my high school years I did not know what it was like to sleep a whole night through. I got up around 230 a.m. day after day (except ruing football season) to run my route. I usually finished around 6:00-6;30 a.m. and then went to school during the day. I did so to pay my Jeep payment.
In college I worked construction work during one summer and worked at furniture stores delivering furniture. During my last days at Howard Payne University I worked for the campus maintenance department. Blue collar all the way.
Over the years I have run a jack hammer, driven a dump truck, pushed a rock bar, and dropped galleons of sweat in the blazing hot sun. My heart's desire has been to give my life to ministry and the church.
I have known the joy of serving churches full time. I have enjoyed my own office, worn slacks and a dress shirt to work. I have been treated with honor having bankers and other high officials in the community come welcome me to the community while I chuckled on the inside. I have served white collar people and loved them. Down deep I have always known I was a bloc collar man. though.
Today I wear jeans and boots most days. I no longer have an office to go to. My office is in my house. Over the past three years the boys and I have mowed yards. Yesterday we hauled hay. I could not have been prouder of my four boys who worked. They moved hundreds of bales of hay. Even Turner, the youngest at 11, tugged, flipped, dragged, and lifted bale after bale. They worked hard. Later on this morning we will be back in the hay field. It is not my dream. I would rather give my days to writing, studying for messages, and working at ministry. Maybe God will allow that to happen again one day down the road.
It dawns on me this morning that I am working on ministry with my sons. They are learning lessons passed down to me from my mother and grandparents. They are learning the value of hard work. They know what it means to WORK. I watched Tucker climb up in highest part of a hay barn to stack bales while Taylor and Tanner threw them up to him. They worked past exhaustion. Way past it!
My hands ache. My shoulders are sore. My back is stiff. If you have ever hauled hay you know exactly what I am talking about. Yet the pride in my heart of watching my four sons grow into young men brings a special reward. I guess no matter what church I serve or the size of that congregation I will always be blue collar. I will go to my grave blue collar. I will always be more at home in a cafe than a five star restaurant. I am comfortable in jeans and slacks. I am most at home behind the pulpit preaching my guts out expounding the glorious truth of God's word. One day I hope to trade days mowing yards or in the hay field for more ministry. I am thankful for getting to share these blue collar experiences with four sons who bring me more joy and delight than I can ever put into words. Even when we are working blue collar jobs.
In college I worked construction work during one summer and worked at furniture stores delivering furniture. During my last days at Howard Payne University I worked for the campus maintenance department. Blue collar all the way.
Over the years I have run a jack hammer, driven a dump truck, pushed a rock bar, and dropped galleons of sweat in the blazing hot sun. My heart's desire has been to give my life to ministry and the church.
I have known the joy of serving churches full time. I have enjoyed my own office, worn slacks and a dress shirt to work. I have been treated with honor having bankers and other high officials in the community come welcome me to the community while I chuckled on the inside. I have served white collar people and loved them. Down deep I have always known I was a bloc collar man. though.
Today I wear jeans and boots most days. I no longer have an office to go to. My office is in my house. Over the past three years the boys and I have mowed yards. Yesterday we hauled hay. I could not have been prouder of my four boys who worked. They moved hundreds of bales of hay. Even Turner, the youngest at 11, tugged, flipped, dragged, and lifted bale after bale. They worked hard. Later on this morning we will be back in the hay field. It is not my dream. I would rather give my days to writing, studying for messages, and working at ministry. Maybe God will allow that to happen again one day down the road.
It dawns on me this morning that I am working on ministry with my sons. They are learning lessons passed down to me from my mother and grandparents. They are learning the value of hard work. They know what it means to WORK. I watched Tucker climb up in highest part of a hay barn to stack bales while Taylor and Tanner threw them up to him. They worked past exhaustion. Way past it!
My hands ache. My shoulders are sore. My back is stiff. If you have ever hauled hay you know exactly what I am talking about. Yet the pride in my heart of watching my four sons grow into young men brings a special reward. I guess no matter what church I serve or the size of that congregation I will always be blue collar. I will go to my grave blue collar. I will always be more at home in a cafe than a five star restaurant. I am comfortable in jeans and slacks. I am most at home behind the pulpit preaching my guts out expounding the glorious truth of God's word. One day I hope to trade days mowing yards or in the hay field for more ministry. I am thankful for getting to share these blue collar experiences with four sons who bring me more joy and delight than I can ever put into words. Even when we are working blue collar jobs.
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