1
John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out
fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not
made perfect in love. (NIV)
As
part of the history class that I took in High School, I had to study the
origins of World War 2. Our class spent several weeks focusing on FDR’s
Presidency and how he motivated the American people to deal with the Great
Depression, as well as leading them through the dark days of the global war. We
also had to learn his exceptional words - which are still often quoted - from
his first inaugural speech in 1933: ‘The only thing we have to fear is
fear itself.’
There’s
no doubt that we are living in anxious times. Most of the good folks I know are
fearful of the future because uncertainty has robbed them of their confidence.
Others feel that partisan politics have become an extreme problem and that we
are heading toward a severe conflict which will divide our communities, our
congregations, and our families. The longer this insecurity continues, the
deeper our divisions; the more our unfettered concerns grow, the fewer
connections we will have with one another. Fearing our fears will erode our
trust; fueling our fears will break our nation.
All
this has happened before. Centuries ago, when Christians were actually being
persecuted and the survival of the church was questionable, old men like the
Apostle John called upon the community of faith to face their fear by replacing
it with love. To be fearful was to punish yourself with anxiety; to be faithful
was to replenish yourself with love. John fully believed that our lives were
meant to be focused on love and not overwhelmed with fear.
Today,
Christ’s Church, as always, has the remedy to reduce our fears and relinquish
our anxieties. The Spirit of Christ within us has the power to overcome the
spirit of spite outside us. Fear is a manipulator which imprisons our souls
with lies; faith is a motivator which frees our spirits with love.
May you bring all your fears to Christ and exchange them
for His love.
Prayer: Loving God, help us to live lovingly rather than
existing fearfully. Enable us to follow Jesus faithfully and share His love
generously. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
Isaiah
63:7 I will tell of the
kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all
the Lord has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his
compassion and many kindnesses. (NIV)
I remember
years ago when my car was in the shop being repaired. It practically took all
day to be fixed, but I used the time to read a book about ministry, written by
one of my favorite authors. I personally met the writer years before in
California at a clergy conference. I was really impressed with his gentle and
compassionate manner. He had been a real pastors’ pastor and had a lifetime of
congregational wisdom, as well as relevant church experiences which resonated
and connected with other ministers like me.
Anyway, I
was sitting in the shop reading this book, looking at a chapter on reaching out
to other people. Sitting beside me was a young man, who noticed that my book
bag had “History Book Club” imprinted on it. He turned out to be a history
graduate from UT called Eric, whose grandparents had emigrated from Jamaica.
His area of specialization was in World War II and when I asked him why he
chose that era, he told me that his uncle had been a Tuskegee airman in North
Africa and Italy.
We talked
for about two hours, sharing our life stories, cultural backgrounds, and
historical interests. It was one of the best conversations that I have ever
had. We both felt completely at ease with one another.
And then a
news story on the television in the waiting area interrupted our conversation.
It was all about a popular radio host, who made an appalling insult concerning
a ladies college basketball team. Students, administrators, and teachers at the
college were staging a protest, calling for the radio personality to be fired
from his TV/radio station. Some commentators were talking about vengeance and
vanity; others were mentioning forgiveness and fair play. It was a hostile and
divisive situation which was being instantly broadcast on the car showroom
television.
Eric and I
looked at each other.
“So long as
we keep talking together, we can overcome these issues,” I said.
“So long as
we have dialogue, we’ll always respect each other,” Eric replied.
We continued
our great conversation and filled the rest of the day with hope, not hatred.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for
the people we meet, the sharing of stories, and the mixing of cultures. Thank
You for the varieties of experiences that we all have, which enrich our lives
and enhance unity, purpose, and faith. Bless all whom we encounter this week,
and may we discover new ideas, new lessons, and new lives that will touch our
hearts, strengthen our souls, and broaden our minds. In Your Holy Name, we
pray. Amen.
God bless
you all.
Pastor John
Midweek Message: Making Mistakes
Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from
the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (NIV)
You
and I are going to make mistakes during the coming New Year. We’re going to say
something we regret. We may do something that will disappoint or hurt others. We’ll
probably let pride overtake our spirits and allow impatience to damage our hearts,
minds, bodies, and souls, as well as our relationship with God and others.
We
constantly make mistakes because we are human and far from being perfect. We
can try our best to avoid these sinful things with prayer, meditation, and patience,
but then, just when we expect it the least, someone will say or do something to
annoy us and before we know it, we will stumble down that old familiar road
which causes us to find faults in others and do something wrong in return.
Sadly, we may quickly experience regret, guilt, or even shame which could leave
us isolated, ornery, and perhaps even alone.
Despite
our continuous faults, God will not leave us there to woefully marinate in our
mistakes. The Lord has redeemed us from all of these things in the past. We may
have our flaws, but God will still forgive us. Long ago at Calvary, Jesus died
for every wrong thing that we do, or have done, or have still to do, so He will
forgive us if we take time to sincerely come to Christ and humbly ask to
receive His pardon and grace.
Friends,
we will all make mistakes during the coming year, but Christ will also be with
us, too, when we need Him most to grant us mercy, grace, renewal, and hope.
Prayer:
Lord God, in the past You constantly allowed Your sinful people to be restored
to Your sacred presence by loving them continuously, despite their faults and
failings. We now know that Christ sacrificed Himself for us, so we may also be
rescued from our guilt and despair, our mistakes and sins. Thank You for these
gracious blessings of love and restoration which mean so much to us every day
of every year. In Jesus’ Name, we thankfully pray. Amen.
Pastor John
Psalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. (NIV)
The
other day I heard a simple short prayer to ask of God each night. It comes from
the Cistercian monastery tradition which the monks recite just before their
nighttime prayers end. It goes like this:
“O
Lord, grant me a restful night and a peaceful day.”
It’s a beautiful prayer and one
which I need every single day, especially during these turbulent and trying
times. The words quietly remind me that God watches over us all through the
night when we sleep and also seeks to support us during each moment of the day.
Getting enough sleep is a problem for most people, so perhaps praying this
short prayer will enable us to place our hearts and minds, bodies and souls
into God’s hands until we wake in the morning.
I think that the writer of the
fourth psalm also experienced this blessing. His nightly surrender into the
arms of God enabled him to let go of his daily worries and troubles, in order
to be comforted and strengthened by God each night.
So, whatever you’re facing
today, I hope that God grants you peace and when it comes to lying down
tonight, may your sleep be restful and your dreams be full of bliss.
God bless you all.
Proverbs 28:19 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who
chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
Years ago, I used to watch a TV show called
“My World and Welcome to It,” starring William Windom, one of my favorite
American actors. Windom played a cartoonist called John Monroe and the
storylines of each episode were crafted around short stories written by
American humorist and cartoonist James Thurber. In fact, it was James Thurber’s
cartoons that peaked my interest in drawing.
In the show, John Monroe often resorted to
fantasy and created cartoons in his head to deal with the issues and problems
he was facing. It was a fascinating way to bring solutions to his family’s
difficulties and everything was usually neatly resolved by the end of the
30-minute show. It was pure escapism and moralistic entertainment, but it was
only comedic drama and could not be counted upon as a real way of dealing with
personal issues or family problems.
The gift of imagination that God has given each
of us can be a blessing or a disappointment. We can fantasize about being
successful, rich, and famous; we can even draw on paper or make cartoons in our
heads about experiencing health, wealth, and power, but unless we do something
about achieving those goals, they are just mere fantasies and unfulfilled
dreams that disappear into thin air.
It's the same with our faith. Every day, we
are given a new opportunity to do something better with our lives and make
something beautiful for God. The potential is there and the dreams for doing
good are in our hearts and on our minds, but do we have the resolve to follow
through and fulfill them? As Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green
Bay Packers once said: “The difference between a successful person
and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a
lack of will.”
So, the challenge for us today is this: will
we work more with our faith and share Christ’s love, or just dream and fantasize
about it?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You fully know what our
life’s potential is. There are things that You would have us accomplish this
week for Your Kingdom. Help us to focus on what we need to do to fulfill the
tasks of faith You constantly set before us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
Pastor
John
More Recent Articles
|
