How To Make Godly Decisions

Posted on December 31, 2012 by pastorpstephens

Psalm 119:66   Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. 

As I have said before, when I was growing up I was not somebody you would consider “churched.”  I did not grow up in a home where we prayed regularly or went to church regularly or talked about the things of God regularly.  I am grateful that my parents got me to Vacation Bible School and Sunday School enough times for some of the “basics” to sink in.  But I must admit that many of the things of God were pretty foreign to me until I really began to trust Him at a higher level when I was about 25 years old.  One thing that I had to learn was discerning His voice.  Another lesson I had to learn was to trust Him enough to listen to Him and follow His voice.  I have found that following His voice and doing His will typically involves ignoring my voice, my flesh and my own selfish desires.  Like most people, I am still working on that one!  I find that it just takes practice even for preachers.

I have also found that life works best when we stay in God’s will.  That does not mean it is always an easy road but there are fewer potholes and unnecessary detours.  We all need to come to the point where we consistently seek God’s input in our lives and in our decision making processes. How do the things we do line up with His word and His will?  Have we prayed about the decisions we are about to make and asked for wisdom and discernment?  In Psalm 119:66 David prays, “Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments.”  That is a prayer that I believe the Lord will answer and honor.  The Lord wants His people to make good decisions.  So here are the steps –  P.R.A.Y.:

  1. Pray.  Ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment.  Talk to Him and He will talk to you.
  2. Read.  Look for principles in His Word.  You may not find the exact problem you face, but there is nothing new under the sun.  God has dealt with your situation before.
  3. Ask.  Ask a spiritually mature Christian.  Not necessarily an old Christian but maybe.  Someone who has been around the block a few times has seen a few things and hopefully learned a few things.  The key is “spiritually mature.”  You would be surprised how spiritually mature some youth can be.  Ask someone solid in the faith, who you trust and who you can speak to in confidence.
  4. You.  How is the Lord speaking to you?  What do you know to be true in your heart?  Not what do you want to do but what do you KNOW you should do?  The Lord speaks to our spirit.

Recently someone came to me very concerned about a decision they had made.  They had prayed and asked for guidance from the Lord but when it was all said and done they felt like they had made a bad decision after all.  They wanted to know what kind of trouble they were in.   I tried to ease their mind.  My experience has been that if we have prayerfully submitted our actions to Him and found that the option that we are choosing does not defy or deny scripture AND we have not heard any clear cut direction from God that we are ignoring – God can use that choice that we make.  It’s those choices we make that don’t line up with scripture and His clearly defined will that get us in trouble.  It seems that every time I have struggled with an issue – whether it be what scripture to preach on or how to handle a situation with a loved one – if I have prayerfully submitted it to Him and followed the guidelines He has given me in His word and His commandments; He has ultimately caused it to work together for good (see Romans 8:28).

It is those times that in my life when I have known that something has not lined up with God’s word or God’s will and have barged ahead anyway that I have ended up taking an unnecessary detour in this journey that God has placed me on.  I truly believe that if you pray, read God’s word, ask spiritually mature Christians for godly advice and listen to how God is leading you, He will keep you on the right path.

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He Came to Bless Us All – Christmas Eve Message 2012

Posted on December 24, 2012 by pastorpstephens

It is Christmas Eve and one of the traditions in my family is that we will gather together at my father-in-law’s home and open presents from aunts and uncles and all the cousins.  Following that we will return to our house and open one present each and wait until the next morning when there will be many more presents under the tree.  I don’t know what traditions you may have in your family but I think we can all appreciate the anticipation and joy that children have for Christmas morning and the promise of presents and toys.

I remember many years ago we were out shopping one evening at a mall when my daughter was only 3 and she saw Santa Claus.  She proclaimed, “It’s Santa!  He’ll give me candy!”  By age three she had this Christmas thing figured out!  She took off running toward him as fast as her little 3 year old legs would carry her.  She knew that she was headed toward someone who was going to give her something that she would enjoy, something good, something that would bless her.  It made me feel so good as a father to see the light of expectation and promise in her eyes.

I believe that God desires to see that same light of expectation and hope in all of His Children.  I truly believe that He wants to see that joy in all.  When you read the gospels and look at the passages surrounding the birth of Christ you will notice that word “ALL” plays an integral part in the story.  When the angel made the announcement of the birth of Christ to the shepherds in Luke 2:10 the angel said:

Luke 2:10  “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11  for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

I love the way God presents the birth announcement of His Son.  He came for all and He came for you!  The light of the world came all people…and He came for you!   He came for all people and He came for me!  He came for shepherds and wise men, He came for rich and poor.  He came for ALL because ALL need Him.  The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that “ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

He came for ALL because we ALL need His strength.  He says in Matthew 11:18 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.”

All of us need the gift of Christ.  All of us need what He has to offer.  All of us need what only He provides.  All of us need the light of expectation, the promise of hope and the eternal joy that only comes from Jesus Christ!

The other evening I was walking down the sidewalk with my 3 year old granddaughter Avery.  This is the first year that Avery really understands about Christmas.  She saw a manger scene.  She points and said, “That’s baby Jesus.”  I said, “Yes, it is.  He loves us and came to bless us ALL.”

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Twas the Night Before Christmas 2012

Posted on December 18, 2012 by pastorpstephens

‘Twas the week before Christmas and everyone’s heart

Was broken and sad for families torn apart.

Questions without answers, for who could have guessed

That grief stricken parents would soon lay their children to rest.

Presents unwrapped still sit by the tree,

Never to be opened, Lord how can this be?

Christmas it seems won’t come this year,

How can one recapture the Holiday cheer?

As I pondered these things, the Lord spoke to my spirit,

“Christmas is still coming…don’t you hear it?

The children have passed but they are still living,

They’re with Me now and there’s plenty of giving!

I know what they want and just what they need,

They’ll get the best gifts they’ve ever received!

They’ll have blessings and grace and unspeakable joy,

I got something grand for every girl and boy!

So rest easy My son and don’t worry tonight,

The children are with Me, everything will be all right.”

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Strength That Never Fails

Posted on December 15, 2012 by pastorpstephens

I lost another friend this last week due to a long term illness.  He battled cancer for the last couple of years and even though he was going through a rough situation he always kept a positive outlook.  As I have ministered to my friend while he went through the trial of this illness there was one verse from the Bible that continually came to my heart.  For me it is one which perfectly describes the way that he has handled himself.  The verse is found in 1 Corinthians 16:13.  Paul is closing a letter to the church at Corinth and he writes these words.

1 Cor 16:13 Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  14 Let all that you do be done in love. 

Paul wrote these words to the church because they were facing difficult and stressful times.  The church faced persecution from people who did not share the same faith.  The church faced trials and tribulations from those who would oppress them, take away their land and even take away their lives.  The church faced trouble not only from the outside but they faced trouble from the inside.  There were false teachers and people with agendas who only wanted to serve in order to promote themselves.  There were other people who constantly found fault with others and who always found some way to stir the pot.  For the people of Corinth life was full of stress and struggle, trials and trouble.  Paul’s message to the church was that in the midst of these situations they were to be strong in the faith!  Now when I say Paul wrote to the church, it makes it sound too clinical, too distant, and too detached.  We have to remember that when Paul was writing to the church, Paul was writing to believers.  And we have to remember that when Paul was writing to believers, Paul was writing to us.  You see just like the folks who lived 2,000 years ago in Corinth, our lives can also be filled with stress and struggle, trials and troubles.  Our lives can have headaches and heartaches too.  Sometimes the trouble comes from people on the outside; people that you expect to act up and act out but sometimes the trouble comes from people who are close to you, people who ought to know better, and people who have no business acting a fool.  Paul’s message to us in the midst of all our stress, in the middle of all of our trouble no matter where it comes from is BE STRONG IN THE FAITH!

I was so impressed with how strong my friend was.  When he was first diagnosed with his illness, he said, “I am going to do my best to fight it.”  He decided to fight and fight he did.  Even in the last couple of weeks when the doctors only gave him a day or two he held on so much longer.  Now, when I see somebody so strong like that I want to know how they do it.  You can say that is because they have a strong resolve. You can say it is because they are tough and that is just how they are wired.  Now, there is a lot of truth to that.  You can accomplish a lot with resolve and determination.  But even tough people with a strong resolve break every now and then.  I remember a few months back that my friend broke.  He had been undergoing chemo therapy and radiation treatments at the same time and it was tough.  It was taking a toll on him physically, mentally and emotionally.  One day when he was feeling sick he looked outside and saw his wife mowing his yard.  Now while some men would not mind that, it made him mad.  That was his job and his way to get away from things and relieve stress and now his wife was mowing the yard!

The cancer had taken away a lot of things from him.  It had taken away his ability to work, it had taken away his ability to spend quality time with his family and now this stupid nasty illness had taken away his ability to mow the yard.  Oh, he was mad.  He was so mad that he decided to give up.  He stayed home from his treatment and didn’t go to the doctor that day; he just stayed in the bed and fumed.  I called him a couple of days later at lunch time and he told me about it.  He told me how mad he was.  And he told me how he got over it.  He told me that he figured if the Lord was going to give him the strength to get out of bed, the Lord was going to give him the strength to go to the doctor.  He decided he was going to stay strong and keep fighting.  My friend’s strength came from the Lord.  The Bible says in Psalm 121:

1 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come?  2 My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.  3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.  4 Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  5 The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand.  6 The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.  7 The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.  8 The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. 

Yes my friend’s help came from the Lord.  The Lord strengthened him.  The Lord helped him to fight.  The Lord helped him to be an awesome husband.  The Lord helped him to be a wonderful father.  The Lord helped him to be a great son-in-law.  The Lord strengthened him for every task and when he passed from this world the Lord ushered him into His kingdom!   The Lord God, maker of Heaven and earth strengthens His children.

Where does your strength come from?  Does it come from your own resolve?  Does it come from your own strength?  If it does then some day it shall fail, some day you shall break.  But if your strength comes from the Lord you can know that it will never end.  The Lord will protect you, He will keep your soul forever and ever.

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Stress Eating and Seeking Comfort

Posted on December 10, 2012 by pastorpstephens

I am a little bit hungry today as I have started trying to eat a little bit better.  I had a physical last month and my cholesterol was a little high.  My good cholesterol was in good shape but my bad cholesterol was too high.  The overall number was not too bad, it was 199.  The level where my doctor says it is high is 200.   The level where my wife says it is high is a different story.  That is why I am so hungry today.  No more breakfast tacos and cookies for mid morning snacks.  Two years ago when I had my last physical my overall number was 176.  I think my number has gone up because I have not been eating as healthy in the last year since I started taking some extra classes.  I have gotten into the habit of eating some extra goodies during my study times.  This not only accounts for the extra 24 points on the cholesterol scale but also accounts for some extra numbers on the bathroom scale.  Right now I need to lose about 15 pounds to get to my target weight…………………………..

Sorry, I took a break to chew on a pencil next to my keyboard.  So far, things have been going well.  I am awaiting my final grades on a couple of classes which end this week and I am anxiously awaiting the start of my final two classes.  The classes don’t start until January 10th or so and I have read half of my books for those classes already.  I will be glad when I am done.  Taking the classes has kept me off of the basketball court and out of the gym as much as I used to go.   That probably accounts for the extra 15 pounds… that and the oatmeal cookies.  I tend to stress eat.  Anytime I am feeling additional anxiety or start working extra hard for extended periods of time I tend to reach for the comfort food.  I guess it is better than some alternatives.  I have gotten better at not totally giving in to this habit over the years but I still need work.  As we know there is only one appropriate way to deal with stress.  The Bible says in Proverbs 18:10

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.  Prov. 18:10

If you are under stress and strain, if you are in the midst of some trials and troubles you need to turn to the Lord.  Seek His help.  He does so much more for us than oatmeal cookies.  He gives us comfort that lasts, grace that is sufficient and strength that sustains us for the situation at hand.  And what He provides does not add points to the cholesterol or the bathroom scale.  Our God is a good and gracious God.  He knows how to comfort His children.

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‘Tis the Season

Posted on December 2, 2012 by pastorpstephens

This is the time of year when we put up the Christmas tree, hang the Christmas lights, strategically place the decorations in the yard and gleefully go about eating cakes, cookies and pies so that we can gain the “seasonal seven” that everybody puts on and nobody worries about until New Year’s resolutions roll around.  It is indeed a joyous time of year as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.  With all of the festivities and giving of gifts it can be easy to forget that this time of year is not always joyous for everyone.  The holidays can be stressful times for those under financial strain who feel pressure to give presents but just don’t have the resources to show their love in a material way.  This time of year can also be stressful for those who have lost loved ones and who face the parties and “get togethers” without people that they have always shared important events with in their life.

As you go about your business and look forward to the fun and excitement of Christmas and the New Year pray for those who may be feeling down at this time.  Look for ways to reach out and include people who seem to be weighed down with worry or just sitting on the sidelines.  The Bible says in Proverbs 12:25

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.”  Proverbs 12:25

Share the love of Christ and see you who can lift up not only in prayer but also in word and deed.

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Covering Marks of Indiscretion, Making Things White as Snow

Posted on November 26, 2012 by pastorpstephens

I used the Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday to take care of some household chores.  I cleaned the garage and threw away anything that I have not used in a couple of years or do not think that I will need in the upcoming year.  I swept it out and then took some dishwashing soap and the water hose and sprayed it down.  Though there was still some clutter, it was stacked nice and neat and the concrete floors were pretty clean.  It is looking really good for a garage.  I also took the time to re-paint the wall in the bedroom where my granddaughter stayed when they lived with us.  Avery is three.  She is an artist and the world is her canvas.  If you do not hide the crayolas you will find artwork in the strangest places.  I have found some of her masterpieces behind the couch and on the underside of a table.  I do not know how she gets in these places or gets her hands on the colors or when she does her work.  She is like a “Crayola Ninja.”

The masterpiece she left in the bedroom was behind and over the bed.  It covered an area which was 4 feet high by 8 feet long.  That is great range for a kid who is just barely 3 feet tall.  I covered it with some primer and painted over it with the touch up paint provided by the builder.  Unfortunately the builder did not properly estimate the prolific amount of art work my granddaughter would leave in my house and I ran out of touch up paint.  I had to buy more.  It was a flat paint and being “builder’s grade” it took three coats for me to cover my granddaughter’s art work.

While I have continued to emphasize to Avery that coloring should be done only on paper, I am reminded of another lesson every time I clean up behind her.  Though it takes me multiple attempts to remove the traces of her indiscretions, the Lord is able remove ALL traces of our indiscretions with no problem at all when we go to Him in repentance.  In Isaiah 1:18 the Lord says to His people:

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18

I am so glad that our Lord is able to forgive us so readily and so completely through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am so glad that He is able to remove the marks and the stains which we can never hide or cover on our own.  I am so glad that we have a merciful and forgiving God.

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Giving Thanks

Posted on November 19, 2012 by pastorpstephens

We have Thanksgiving just around the corner and most of the family is going to be coming over to our house.  I know that it will be a lot of work but I am looking forward to it.  I was talking to my youth class this week about Thanksgiving Day traditions and one that came up was the tradition of going around the table and saying something that we were thankful for.  I hope that we make time to do that this year at my house.  In our discussion in class we acknowledged that we often don’t give enough thanks to the Lord or to those wonderful people He sends into our lives to help us and support us in good times and in bad.  Thanksgiving Day provides an excellent occasion to say “Thank You.”

Too many times we forget about the important things and just blow right past t6he meaning of the holidays and the blessing of enjoying the moments we have with one another.  I like what David said in Psalm 111:1-4

Psalm 111:1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly.  2 Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them.  3 Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever.  4 He has made His wonders to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and compassionate. 

As David says the works of the Lord are wonderful and worthy to be praised.  They are great and He has made them to be remembered.  I hope that you have an opportunity to relax, reflect and remember His wonderful works in your life this week.  I hope you get the opportunity to tell Him thank you and to tell those who He has placed in your life to support you.  Yes, the Lord is gracious and compassionate.

 

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Hiding Things of Value

Posted on November 5, 2012 by pastorpstephens

Saturday was our men’s prayer breakfast.  It was a very good meeting.  We ate too many pancakes and discussed Psalm 119:11.  In this verse David writes:

“Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.”

Other translations say, “Thy word have I hidden in my heart.”  In this verse, David is painting a picture of someone who places a high value and priority on God’s word.  As we discussed the picture given to us in this psalm I shared this story with my friends.  The other day I walked into the living room and my granddaughter Avery who is 3 years old was sitting in my recliner and holding a can of cashews watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  She had gone into the pantry, found the cashews, opened them up and taken them to the living room and now she was in my chair, eating them one after the other.   My main source of consternation was that this was a can that I was saving for myself.  I had been planning all week on opening that can and munching on those cashews while I watched a football game.

Now, just a few days later, after another trip to the grocery store to buy another can of cashews for the weekend (because you would be amazed at how many cashews a three year old can eat while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) I decided I better hide that can somewhere that Avery could not find them.  I put them in my room instead of the kitchen pantry which is where she got them last time.  While I do not mean to defame the Holy Scriptures I guess one could say, “Those cashews have I hidden in my room so that they might not be taken from me.” 

I went out of my way to protect my cashews.  It’s funny how we will make plans for snacks and football games and place priorities on such trivial things.  I know that there are times when it seems that I am much less possessive of my devotional and Bible times than I am of much less important things.  I also know that when I hide God’s word in my heart, when I treasure it above all other things, He guides me and leads me in the way I should go.  I know that when I make God’s word my priority I make better decisions, I treat people with more compassion and I do a better job of walking by faith.  I even find the kindness and strength to share cashews!

I pray that the Lord will help me to do a better job of treasuring His word…and help me to hide it in my heart.

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The Writing is on the Wall

Posted on October 22, 2012 by pastorpstephens

I was on vacation all of last week which means I was away from my job at the claims office and away from the work at the church.  As a bivocational pastor, it is rare that I am able to get away from both at the same time.  I had a good vacation and had an opportunity to rest and relax and spend time with my wife without having any deadlines or other things to worry about.  I also got to spend some time with the grandkids and that is always fun.

I got back to the claims office today and I was buried in email and work that piled up while I was out all last week.  I know that I will take two or three days to get back on track and get caught up so I will pace myself and won’t worry about it.  One task that I have to complete this week is a “Self-evaluation”.  I have to answer a lot of questions about my work habits, my productivity, my ability to work with others and my overall effectiveness.  Not only do I have to evaluate myself but several other people have an opportunity to evaluate me too.  That list includes several of my co-workers, direct reports and my boss.  After everyone completes the assessment, I will be given an overall evaluation and a “rating”.

As I have undergone this task it reminds me of Daniel chapter 5 when Nebuchadnezzar’s son King Belshazzar is dining in the palace.  He has offended God (Whom he despises) and brought out cups which had been stolen from the temple and is drinking wine out of them.  As he does so, the hand of God comes and writes a message on the wall.  Daniel is called in to interpret the message and he lets Belshazzarknow that God has evaluated Belshazzar and his deeds and the message from God is “You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.”  This is not a good evaluation!  God has told the king that he has not measured up and the kingdom would be taken away from him and given to the Medes and Persians.  That very night, Belshazzar was slain.  God’s word came true; His judgment came to pass.

God’s word and God’s judgment always comes to pass.  Belshazzar was not in a right relationship with God, and thus when he was weighed in the balance or the scales he was found wanting or lacking.  Belshazzar had sinned and had not received forgiveness for his sins and thus he was judged for his sins.  Belshazzar’s evaluation does not need to be our evaluaion.  None of us ever need to be judged for our sins and found lacking.

Certainly we have plenty of sins, and certainly we have done things which have offended God, but we can receive forgiveness for our sins through Jesus Christ.  There is no need for us to be placed upon the scales, weighed in the balance and to come up short.  There is no need for us to receive a negative evaluation.  We can place our faith and trust in Christ who paid the penalty for our sin.  When we place our  faith in Christ, God sees the righteousness of Christ in us!  The writing is on the wall, we can be judged by our works or we can by judged by the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

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