Above all else…

13 07 2009

What are you protecting above all else?  Yesterday at Element we talked about character.  One of our Elementers came up to me after 2nd service and shared something that I thought was GREAT.  I don’t have permission to use their name, so I won’t.  They said that in counseling they learned this:  “You protect that which you love most.”  What are you protecting?  What are you guarding?

Is there a sin you are keeping from someone?…a weakness your not letting anyone know about?…a mistake in your past that you want to keep quiet?…an old habit or guilty pleasure that no one knows about?…If so, THAT is what you love most!

Proverbs 4:23 says “Guard your heart above all else,for it determines the course of your life.”

3 John v. 12 says “Everyone speaks highly of Demetrius, AS DOES the truth itself.”

WOW!  What does the truth speak about me?  What do I love most?  Are there any issues in my life that I am protecting because I love them.

ABOVE ALL ELSE, guard your heart!  May the truth speak highly of us.

Following Christ,

Jeff


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What is God looking for?

8 07 2009

Some of our pastoral staff just recently attended a pastors conference in Colorado Springs, CO. One quote jumped out at me today as I was looking back through my notes from the week:

David Perkins said “The church is looking for greater methods, God is looking for greater men.  What ministry looks like, is NOT the most important, what its leaders look like IS.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 says  “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

That’s what God is looking for.  He’s not looking for the next great method, but the next great man.  He’s not looking for programs that look right but hearts that look right.  We get FAR too caught up in ministry and Christianity in how our churches and programs look and often forget that God is searching the WHOLE EARTH looking for those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.  I want Him to find me.  Do you?

Following Christ,

Jeff


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The Little Things

29 06 2009

So my family was gone for a little over 2 weeks.  Sabrina took all four of our children to Oklahoma to visit family and that left me here in Cheyenne by myself.  She has done this the past couple years but it still takes some getting used to.  (Last year she was gone for 5 weeks.  That can’t happen again.  It was brutal.)

I was mowing the lawn Saturday and eventually got to the point where I needed to move our trampoline that was now standing square in my way.  All the sudden I was overcome with a longing for my kids.  I missed them immensely in that moment.  It was weird.  Then again, all of a sudden I realized why.  You see, every time I mow the lawn there is something my kids MAKE SURE I do.  If they are home, they make it VERY clear NOT to move the trampoline until they are on it.  I will even stop mowing, find the kids, then move the tramp where it is out of my way.  They love it.  They always want to be on the tramp when I move it.  Jonah always says “Come get me when you’re ready to move the tramp.”   I stopped mowing, sat down and text my wife.  I said “Tell the kids I miss them.  I wish they were here.  I’m getting ready to move the trampoline.”

It was then that God spoke to me.  He spoke about the little things.  Right then, I didn’t miss their birth moment.  I didn’t miss their birthday parties.  I didn’t miss Kindergarten graduation, school plays or sports events.  I REALLY missed the little things.  I missed them being on the tramp when I moved it.  I went into Jaydah’s room and missed her pretty little smile.  I went into Jonah’s room and missed him jumping on my back.  I went into Mariah and Makalah’s room and missed the little giggles of my princess and care bear.  I missed saying goodnight to Mariah and when I say “See you tomorrow.”  She says “See you AFTER tomorrow.”  And laughs at herself.  It was the little things.

I think God misses the little things in me sometimes.  He doesn’t necessarily miss my conversion moment.  A moving worship experience.  A trip to the altar.  He misses the time alone with Him.  The moments of praise I used to give Him.  The thoughts of my heart going to Him instead of something else.  The spontaneous things that are “little” but mean the world.  I want God to ALWAYS have the little things in me and NOT just the big ones.  It’s the LITTLE things that become a BIG deal when they are gone.

Giving the little things,

Jeff


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One Prayer Day 28: Alive

28 06 2009

Matthew 28:  God is ALIVE

This is the last day of our 28 day journey through Matthew and through praying for our city.  I can’t think of a better way to end our 28 days than with this GREAT reminder about God.

Matthew 28:5 says  5The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

Jesus WAS crucified.  He is NOT dead any longer.  He is ALIVE!  God is ALIVE!  That should change us.  That should rally us.  Encourage and inspire us.  Our God is NOT in a grave, or bound to a book.  He is NOT just a story!  Our God IS ALIVE!

He’s ALIVE!  He is with you where you are, He is ahead of where you are going and He has FORGOTTEN your forgiven past.  He is ALIVE!

This Truth is THE MOST IMPORTANT Truth of our Christian faith.  God’s not dead, He’s ALIVE!  Live like it!

Living because HE’s ALIVE,

Jeff


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One Prayer Day 27: Revolutionary

27 06 2009

Matthew 27:  God is REVOLUTIONARY

Whenever I get to the Gospels in my Bible reading, and whenever I read the crucifixion story in Matthew 27 a smile comes across my face.  I smile when I see ONE word in Matthew 27 and think about the implications of what was happening.

Matthew 27:38  Two revolutionaries[i] were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. (NLT)

EVERY TIME I read that I say in my head “So, there were three revolutionaries crucified that day right?”

Jesus was a REVOLUTIONARY!  Think of the things Jesus did that were COUNTER religion and COUNTER culture.  The leaders thought they were ending a small cult following by killing Jesus.  What they were doing was multiplying the REVOLUTION.

Touching the leper.  REVOLUTIONARY!

Eating with sinners.  REVOLUTIONARY!

Serving as the leader.  REVOLUTIONARY!

Teaching on love, grace, forgiveness, mercy…REVOLUTIONARY!

Calling out sin AND calling sinners to overcome.  REVOLUTIONARY!

Dying for His followers.  REVOLUTIONARY!

Congquering death, the grave and hell.  REVOLUTIONARY!

The veil was torn in two.  The old system was done and the new system in place.  An age of grace and the Holy Spirit now reigns.  EVERYTHING changed with Jesus…because Jesus is REVOLUTIONARY!  If Jesus is revolutionary, shouldn’t His church be as well?

Following the revolution,

Jeff


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One Prayer Day 26: Could

26 06 2009

Matthew 26:  God COULD…

But sometimes He doesn’t.  God can do ANYTHING He wishes.  He’s God.  As Francis Chan said in his One Prayer message “You may not like the way God does things.  You might have a ‘better’ way, but you don’t have a universe.”  GOD DOES.  And He MADE it.  He can do ANYTHING.  But even though He COULD he doesn’t ALWAYS do what He can.

In Matthew 26, Jesus is betrayed by his close friend Judas, then He is arrested.  When arrested, Peter tries to slash one of the guards with a sword.  Jesus reprimands him and says in Matthew 26:52-54  52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I COULD ask my Father for thousands[h] of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54BUT IF I DID, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”

“Peter, I COULD…but if I did…”  Peter had to be thinking, “If you CAN, why don’t you?”

Don’t we ask that?  “Lord, if you CAN heal me why don’t you?”  “Lord if you COULD have stopped mom from dying…”  “If you CAN get me that job…”  “If you COULD provide this…” “If you COULD do that…”

I think many times we might be missing the voice of God saying “Jeff, I COULD…but if I did…”  “I COULD fix that problem, but if I did THIS better thing wouldn’t happen.”  Did Peter realize that IF Christ had done what He COULD, PETER’S sin wouldn’t have been paid for on the cross?  The cross HAD to happen. And for the cross to happen, the God that COULD had to NOT!

I want to be able to trust God in ALL of life’s situations, knowing that He COULD, but also trusting in the “but if”.

Trusting,

Jeff


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One Prayer Day 25: Judge

25 06 2009

Matthew 25:  God is a JUDGE

Listen, no matter how you slice it, we CAN”T get around the fact that God is a JUDGE.  He IS merciful and compassionate.  He IS slow to get angry and FILLED with unfailing love.  He IS gracious.  He IS patient and loving.  But friends, our God is also JUST!  He is a JUDGE.

God is going to say either COME or AWAY from EVERY person who has lived.  There isn’t “wait”.  There isn’t a mulligan.  There isn’t “maybe”.  COME or AWAY.

In Matthew 25 Jesus talks about the final judgement.  He says it will be like a separating of sheep and goats.

Matthew 25:32 says “32 All the nations[e] will be gathered in his presence,” NONE of us will miss out on being judged.  EVERYONE will stand before this perfectly holy God.  That should sober us a bit. No…that should sober us a LOT!  God is a JUDGE!

Matthew 25:34 says “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.” The sheep will hear COME. God is a JUDGE.

Matthew 25:41 says “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.” The goats?  AWAY!  (Side Note:  Notice that heaven was prepared for US sheep.  Hell for the devil and his demons.  Hell was NOT intended for human beings.  Heaven IS.  Sadly, many people choose the “highway to hell” as Jesus put it in Matthew 7:13)  God is a JUDGE!

It should be VERY serious for us to realize…ALL will stand before Him…SHEEP will come…GOATS will go away.  God is a JUDGE.  Where will you be found?

Following Christ,

Jeff


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Freedom

24 06 2009

I want to always  remember ONE thing.

Jesus did not die so I could be FREE in my worship.

Jesus did not die so I could be FREE financially.

Jesus did not die to FREE me physically.

Jesus did not die to FREE me socially.

Jesus DID die to free me from SIN!  THAT is the CORE of the redemption story.  We focus WAY to much on freedom in external things.  GOD WANTS TO FREE ME FROM SIN!  If I am not FREE from sin I am not FREE in worship.  If I am not FREE from sin I a not FREE financially.  If I am not FREE from sin I’ll never be free SOCIALLY.  It is freedom FROM SIN that God sacrificed His only Son. We are free from the bondage of sin and death.  We are no longer slaves to sin but of righteousness.

Lord, may I NEVER forget that.  EVER!

For Freedom,

Jeff


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One Prayer Day 24: Coming

24 06 2009

Matthew 24:  God is COMING

Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, Post-Trib.  Millinial.  Rapture.  Wrath.  Tribulation.  Anti-Christ.  The mark of the beast.  One world government.  Wars and rumors of wars.  Persecution.  Famine, disease and pestilence.

All those things are issues concerning the end of time that we argue about.  Should we study end times?  ABSOLUTELY.  The book of Revelation and the supporting Scriptures THROUGHOUT the Bible should NOT be avoided and SHOULD be studied diligently.  We should form an opinion concerning the end.  We need to know the Truth about the tribulation, the rapture, the anti-christ and the end times.  BUT… I wonder if in the midst of ALL our debating over the things of the end we have forgotten the greatest part about it.

Whether you believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, mid-trib or post-trib, we all believe the same thing is going to happen.  Christ is COMING!  He is COMING!  Do we realize that?  THAT my friends, is a Truth that offers hope.  Christ went to prepare a place for us…and if He went, HE WILL RETURN (John 14).

In Matthew 24 Jesus says this “And they will see the Son of Man COMING on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

I LOVE studying end times and prophecy.  I have my own opinion about the end, and it is a strong one.  But I always say this.  “I don’t think God is so concerned with us being RIGHT about the details concerning His return.  Ultimately, I really think God just wants us ALL to be READY because He IS COMING.”  I need to be ready for His return NOW, because He is COMING!  I need to be ready to face persecution if need be, for He is COMING!  I need to be ready to go through WHATEVER I may go through (pre, mid or post tribulation) for HE IS COMING!

What if He came today?  What if He came after the tribulation?  What if He doesn’t do it the way I think He will?  Will I be ready?  You better be.  He is COMING!

Ready,

Jeff


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Same God

23 06 2009

Every camp, conference, “revival” service etc. that I get a chance to be a part of I am ALWAYS challenged by the same thought.  That thought isn’t any different while at the Ascent pastors conference I find myself at this week.  They announced that there were pastors from over 40 states present at this conference.  We’ve experienced AMAZING worship and INSPIRING Word delivered by some GREAT speakers.  I’m saddened by the fact that many pastors (I know because I’ve thought this way before) leave thinking, I wish we had God at our church like they have at theirs.  I want to grab them by the shoulders, look them square in the eye and say “YOU DO!  The SAME GOD that you experienced at that conference is waiting for you back home.  You just refuse to experience Him in your own setting.”

As a youth pastor I had so many students say “I wish God was at youth group like He was at camp.”  Did God change or us?  It wasn’t God.  I’ve heard church people say similar things about other churches, other personal experiences or some of our own experiences at church.  SURE, there are times God rains down an unusual outpouring of Himself, but typically, we become enamored with the moment, the surroundings, the EMOTION and we aren’t enamored enough with GOD.  I truly believe that if we enamor ourselves with the GOD OF THE AGES, we will experience Him in ways that we would describe “conference, camp or revival” like.  I hope we leave this conference NOT with a new greed and jealousy for the THINGS that seem to create a movement of God, but with a genuine HUNGER and EXPECTATION for GOD HIMSELF.  We need to remember, this church started with NOTHING and STILL experienced God.  When people HUNGER AND THIRST for God, all these things will be given unto them.  I hope my hunger for God is NEVER replaced by my hunger for the experience.

Challenged,

Jeff


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