Have you ever met someone that seemed to have it all together? Someone that regardless of what it was, they seemed to excel at it? There was that kid in school that never had to study and was great at sports. The person that had good looks and good character to back it up. Did you ever just wish you could find something wrong? In 1 Kings 10 there was a similar situation going on. The Queen of Sheba, a woman with plenty of money, power, and influence traveled over a thousand miles to meet this king named Solomon to test his intellect. I think it would be safe to say that she wanted to see if he lived up to the hype.
As the story goes, Queen Sheba shows up with her whole caravan of camels bringing gifts all across the spectrum. Once introductions had been made and gifts swapped, the queen was free to grill Solomon with whatever question she could think of. We don't know exactly what all she asked of Solomon, but we do know that he answered every question. Not only did he answer every single one, but verse 3 says that "nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her." Once Sheba had asked all she could and witnessed the kingdom that Solomon had built, she was in utter awe. “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true, but I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard." (1 Kings 10:6-7) This is a big statement coming from someone that it would have seemed had it all together. A person of her stature and wealth has reached the point where she realized something was missing from her already beautiful life and she was searching for something to sustain her. As big as that speech was, her closing statement is where we see her coming to the true realization of what she was missing. "Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”(1 Kings 10:9) She didn't congratulate Solomon on what he had built, but instead she praised the God who used Solomon for his glory. Yes, Solomon was the wisest man in history. Yes, his kingdom was the wealthiest in history. Yes, even the people under his care were happy with him. However, after witnessing all of this in person, Queen Sheba realized that this couldn't be accomplished even by a man as great as Solomon. Instead, she gives credit to him for keeping the peace and maintaining the holiness standards. I think it would be safe to say that none of us could ever match Solomon's wisdom. We probably won't ever have the same wealth or rule over a kingdom like he did. The good news is that none of that is needed to glorify God in a way that even those that seem to have it all together take notice. Instead, simply living a life that is just in character and righteous in lifestyle will speak God's love more than us trying pretend to "have it all together" ever could. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33) Don't worry about having it all together. Instead, make sure God has your world in his hands. Coburn Hoffman
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Matt 16:24-25
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. One of the problems that we have as human beings is trying to cling to our rights and what we think we deserve. We tend to value ourselves at a level that we feel like we have earned the right to receive. We want all of our successes to be celebrated with great enthusiasm and all of our failures to be forgotten about with great amnesia. Sadly, our human nature even wants to esteem ourselves above others that we really know nothing about. The truth is, when we become true followers of Christ we give over all the rights of our lives to the One who has the unquestionable right to lead us. In truly following the Lord we believe Him, we trust Him, and we let Him accomplish His purpose through our life without regard to whatever we may think that we deserve. When we take up our cross to follow the Lord, we must live by the cross and all that it stands for. 1. The cross is about total and complete obedience. But, I sometimes find it difficult to obey. I want to do what’s right, but I struggle with the actual implementation of it in my life. We must learn to obey the same way Jesus learned to obey. Heb 5:5-8 5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; ( reverent submission) 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; Jesus, God in the flesh, learned obedience the very same way that you and I learn obedience. Through the endurance of affliction. Jesus allowed His suffering to keep moving Him forward on the path of obedience. Jesus let obedience be the direct result of all of his suffering. Those things that we are going through in life are really not as negative as they seem. Through our suffering or trials we are having our weaknesses and faults worked on and God is going to make out of our lives what he wants us to be. A quote I read recently says “God does not require of us the martyrdom of the body; He requires only the martyrdom of the heart and the will.” 2. The cross leads us to obedience, but it also points to surrender. Matt 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, & suffer many things of the elders & chief priests & scribes, & be killed, & be raised again the third day. Did you see that word in the course of that scripture text? Jesus said: • He must go into Jerusalem • He must suffer many things • He must be killed • He must be raised the third day When Jesus said “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross , and follow me” He knew exactly what He had in mind. The saying “it’s my cross to bear”, when we’re just talking about a difficulty or an unpleasant situation, is not what Jesus was talking about. An illness, difficult relationship, or an unlikable job are not our cross. Those are things that we have to tolerate even when we don’t want to, but the cross must be something that you choose to bear. When Jesus tells us to take up our cross, He isn’t talking about simply resigning ourselves to unavoidable circumstances. But actually, to surrendering and yielding ourselves to his will for our life. Jesus didn’t come to this Earth so we would have a great nativity story at Christmas time. Jesus didn’t humble himself and come as a man so that we could know that he obeyed his parents. Jesus wasn’t born to be known as a great teacher and the healer of mankind’s illnesses. The cross, for Jesus, was the ultimate purpose of His life and he had to surrender all along the way so it would come to pass. We cannot use life or circumstances as excuses of why we do not follow after God’s will for our lives. Surrender is surrender no matter what is or isn’t going on in our lives. The cross for you and I must be a sign and symbol for us to obediently carry out the will of God in our own lives. If we will walk in a right relationship and in obedience with God, then God will bring to completion his amazing will for our lives. Nothing out of our own circumstances will prevent it. We pray much of the time and tell the Lord “I just want you to know what is on my heart”, but surrender says “I just want to know what’s on your heart”. A true Christian has learned that his life is not his own, but he lives unto the One who died for him and was raised again. A true Christian’s life is marked by complete, unwavering obedience to the will and purpose of God no matter what is asked of them. The cross calls out for you and I to be obedient and surrender to the Lord in this present world. This all isn't just for us to be saved from our sins and enjoy the blessings of the Lord’s rich presence, but it's about being obedient to the Lord and surrendering to His presence for our lives. Are you being obedient to the Lord and His Word, today? Is your heart, soul, and life fully surrendered to God’s will, today? Take up your cross, and follow Jesus! Pastor Hoffman When I was just a child my parents began taking me to church, and Sunday School class became my Sunday morning ritual. I can't remember all the teachers that I've had during the course of my life, but each one of them made an impact on my walk with the Lord. I remember that at least once each year they would teach about Jesus dying on the cross. I don't know about you, but this didn't sit well with me.
For 50 or so Sundays I was taught about how Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, and exuded love and kindness to everyone He met. Then for a couple of weeks each Spring I'd hear how much people hated Jesus and how they chose a known criminal to go free so that Jesus would be crucified and die on the old rugged cross. It just didn't sit well with me. I was more than willing to take the "loving Jesus". I eagerly accepted the "miracle making Jesus". I loved the "kind and caring Jesus". But, when they got to the hated, disfigured, bloodied, beaten, and crucified Jesus, I just wasn't willing to think of him that way. The cross got in the way! A lot of water has gone under the bridge since I was a child and I'm glad some things changed along the way. I'm still a long way from perfect, but I'm a lot further away from the old me than I used to be. Thankfully, my relationship with the cross has gone through many steps throughout the years. I'm glad to say that the cross and I have a much better relationship today. I'm more mature to deal with the gruesome events of Calvary. I can see the perfect love beyond the blood and death now. I'm committed to my relationship with God today, so their are no unruly and unholy influences that pull me back and forth. The only one I'm trying to impress is the Lord, today. But I can tell you; the cross still gets in the way! When I was a child I didn't fully understand a Savior that loved me so much that he would die on that cruel tree. But today, as a wiser and more mature Christian, I'm glad the cross gets in my way. The tempter still comes around to my life, but the cross gets in the way. Satan still tries to tempt my life with false promises of a good time, but the cross gets in my way and saves me from making those sinful mistakes. My flesh is still alive and kicking and pulls me away from the right way, but the cross gets in the way and gets me back on the right path. I'm glad the cross gets in my way! Sometimes the devil even gets in my face and tries to remind me of the sin that has been in the course of my life and the cross gets in the way and reminds him of the blood that has cleansed me of that sin. I'm glad the cross gets in the way! So as we embark on another Easter season, take heart that the cross gets in the way! "So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, til my trophies at last I lay down. I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown." Pastor Hoffman It is March 1st. The start of the last month in the first quarter of 2019. Metaphorically speaking, we are on page 60 of this 365 day chapter of our lives. Mathematically, today would mark 16% of the year completed. Winter is nearing the end of its reign and Spring is (hopefully) closer than it seems. A lot has probably happened since we said farewell to 2018 and welcomed 2019. The promises we made and intentions we had for the new year seem so far away. For most, New Year's resolutions have come and gone. The sad actuality is that only 8 out of every 100 people continue them (you can read more about that and how to prevent it here). I wouldn't be surprised if there were similar statistics in our spiritual resolutions as well. Why is consistent commitment so hard?
Trying to solve a problem that big is (thankfully) well above my pay grade. So as we should do in most situations where questions are too hard to answer, let's see what scripture has to say about it. God's word, always being alive and active in our present situations, has a simple way of enacting commitment consistently. In Psalm 37 David writes "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." I'm very prone to the practical aspects of scripture, which is what makes this portion of scripture translate into an equation in my head. Commitment to God + Trust in God = He will work it out. Take a moment and plug in your own personal situation. My commitment to God in ________ + trusting in God = God will work it out. The importance in this equation is that regardless of what you commit to God you have the guarantee that he will work it out as long as you also trust that he will. This is where the disconnect usually comes in our commitments. We have no problem at all giving our problems, struggles, or decisions to God. We offer them up freely (typically when we've exhausted all other options, but that's a different conversation all together) because we've come to the point where anything is better than where we are. There is even an acceptance of the outcome as well because God's will has an expected end. Where our commitment becomes inconsistent though, is when we forget to trust in him. Why? Because if your trust is no longer in God, all you are left to lean on is your own understanding. Trying to stay consistent in your commitment with God while trusting in yourself guarantees that you will be "unstable in everything you do". Instead, we should always put our trust in the one that never fails. Don't let your commitment become inconsistent. Don't miss out on the chance of God working it out. Put your trust in him and see how he steps in and steps up. I know from experience that he will never leave you hanging. "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name." Commit to God, trust in God, and he will work it out. Coburn Hoffman 2 Kings 5:1
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. I just recently used this portion of scripture in our Week of Consecration kickoff message entitled “Breakthrough”, but as I have continued to look at this text I began to see something else. Naaman, it seems from the scriptures, was doing pretty well. • Captain of the host of the king of Syria • Great man with his master • He was honorable • The Lord had blessed his leadership • He was a mighty man in valor And still, with all he had going his way, he still had one thing standing in his way. The Bible simply says "but he was a leper”. Even with all his accolades, his wealth, his honor, and his victories he still had to look in the mirror every day and face the fact that he was surely going to face a horrible death at the hands of this terrible disease. Naaman needed something to change. Naaman was desperate to be free from this horrible weight that followed him wherever he went and whatever he did. Surely each victory was celebrated and Naaman’s wonderful leadership was acknowledged, but all he could think was “But I’m a leper”. His king undoubtedly praised and rewarded Naaman for his battle prowess and honorable life, but all Naaman thought of was “But I’m a leper”. A nation was grateful for Naaman’s protection from its enemies, but all that kept rolling over in Naaman’s mind was “But, I’m still a leper”. Naaman had gotten to a place that his affliction was going to be hard to hide and everything that people thought of him would soon be forgotten because he was going to die a leper's death. Naaman needed a change in his life and the Bible says he knew where to go to get it. Here’s where the story gets interesting. • Naaman had some expectations about how he thought he should be treated by the man of God • Naaman didn’t appreciate being greeted by Elisha’s servant • Naaman didn’t like that he was told to dip in the cesspool of Jordan • Naaman got angry and stormed off not getting his answer Thankfully, Naaman had someone in his life to speak some sense into him. Thankfully, Naaman was willing to listen to this someone that was speaking sense into his life. Thankfully, Naaman got his mind right and did what the man of God had said and received his healing. Sometimes we’re doing okay, but we’ve still got that one thing. We know where to get the answer, so we go to God. We don’t get the direction that we think we deserve. We may get upset (yes we do) with God. Hopefully, we have someone that will speak sense into our lives. Hopefully, we will listen and do what God says. If we don’t do what God says, we will still have the “one thing” laughing at us. But how long is long enough? You don’t have to be roommates with that “one thing” any more. It doesn’t have to always be there and be a permanent part of your life. You can get the change that you’ve longed for. But, you’ve got to come to God, listen to God, and follow exactly what God says to get your change. Don’t be a slave to that “one thing” any longer! Pastor Hoffman Listening to music has drastically changed in the last couple of decades. Today we stream music from an online service or listen from a massive library of downloaded music on a mobile device. If you want to listen to people discuss topics you are interested in, you download a podcast. With all this convenient and powerful technology, there is still another media that is widely used today and that is AM/FM radio. Every radio station broadcasts their content over a unique frequency and in order to listen to it, you must "tune in" to that frequency. Car radios today have scan and seek buttons that only stop on frequencies that are coming in clearly so it's easy to find what you are looking for. I remember when car radios had two big knobs ("dials"). One controlled the volume and the other was for tuning into the frequency we wanted. Many times we had to gently and carefully turn the dial until the signal became clear enough to hear the music and not just a bunch of static. It was quite the victorious moment whenever we found that "sweet spot".
It's true that finding clear signals is much easier with today's radios, but one thing remains the same no matter how new or old your radio is - the station is always broadcasting a signal and you must tune in to the correct frequency in order to hear the broadcast. Whether you tune in or not, the radio station is sending out a powerful signal. It's always there, always available, but you only hear it if you're tuned in. This is also true of God. He is always speaking, always transmitting His power, but it's on us to "tune in" to His frequency and receive the transmission. Jesus said in John 10:27 that His "...sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" In John 8:47 He said "He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear [them] not, because ye are not of God." I don't want to be guilty of not being of God and not receiving what He's broadcasting. It would be a shame to stand in need of something and never receive the power of God that is being transmitted to meet the need because I'm not tuning in to His frequency. God is broadcasting a powerful transmission that will bless you immensely if you tune in. You must be praying consistently and sincerely. You must be reading and studying the Scriptures daily. You need to attend church regularly and submit to a pastor. You must be kingdom minded. If you're consumed with earthly things and carnal pleasures, you are not tuned in to God and are missing out on the greatest source of power you will ever know. It will answer your questions, give you peace of mind, heal your body, and change your whole perspective. It's everything you need and want and it's available to all who will pursue it. Let's get on God's frequency. He's broadcasting, but are you tuned in? Patrick Thomson Overnight success is a misnomer, because success rarely comes in this fashion. Bill Gates is the world’s richest person, still, worth a reported $79.2 billion. It’s a list he has been on the top of for 16 years, but he didn’t magically become lucky and build up a massive fortune. He worked for it -- and experienced failure along the way. Gates’ first company, Traf-O-Data, didn’t make any money. It wasn’t successful, but it did provide a learning experience that Gates and his partner Paul Allen used for their next venture. A little business called Microsoft.
Colonel Sanders didn't found KFC until he was 56 years old. His fried chicken recipe was rejected more than 1,000 times and he held a number of odd-ball jobs, from steam-engine stoker to gas-station attendant, all before his entrepreneurial journey started. The most surprising one being founding a company that manufactured acetylene lamps. The company failed, but that didn’t stop him. He believed in his chicken recipe, starting a roadside restaurant, and later saw the opportunity that franchising presented. It might have seemed to people of Egypt that Joseph just burst onto the scene and was an overnight success. I can see the headlines of the Egyptian Chronicle now: “From The Pit To The Palace” “Rags To Riches; The Joseph Story” From those looking in on this story it seemed all too easy, but this story was anything but easy. Here's the proof from a few highlights of his history. • Joseph dreamed his dream of his brothers bowing down to him when he was 17 years old • Joseph was 39 when that dream finally came to pass • To my calculation that was 22 years of no dream in sight that he had to endure Those who thought he was an overnight success should have been there when: • His brothers hated him for his dream and his father’s love • He was tossed into a pit by those same brothers • He was sold into slavery • His master’s wife lied about his integrity • He landed in prison because of her lies • He stayed in prison even after helping another man go free 22 years is much less than a overnight success. But if you just look at the end of the story, you will never see what all went into making Joseph’s success come to be. Joseph had numerous opportunities to walk away from the dream. He had numerous chances to believe it was never going to come. He could have at any moment just walked away and chalked it up to a bad dream and lived in obscurity. He could have thought that God didn't love him and that is why it had all gone awry. But instead, Joseph just let the process of the dream play out and eventually was able to stand at his place of fulfillment. If you just see the moment of success, you miss what was done to bring about that long, hard fought success. If you look around you might see a successful child of God, but what you don't see is: • The many times it just didn't go right • The numerous crossroads they could’ve made the wrong choice • The sleepless nights spent in prayer • The family members who critiqued every move they made You might see a growing field of ministry, but what you don't see is: • The burden that weighs heavy on their heart • The occasions that no one else was there • The naysayers that found fault with everything they did You might see a blessed church that seems to have it all at their beck and call, but what you don't see is: • The times that “two or three” gathering together was all they had • The euphoria of a Sunday night, quickly followed by the reality of a Monday morning • All the fasting, prayer, and evangelism that finally helped the needle move If you just see the moment of success, you miss what was done to bring about that long, hard fought success. Five things to consider about “overnight success” 1. Runaway success doesn't happen with God 2. Big breaks don’t just come out of nowhere. 3. Failure is almost always a stepping stone to success. 4. Success takes more than talent. 5. Success is a journey, not a destination. But is it ever going to happen for me? Am I ever going to see it break free? Will I ever get to the place that I achieve what it is that God wants me to be? Remember, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” It's not about starting that matters! It’s not whether someone knows what went into your race, or not! Don’t strive to be an overnight success! Just make sure you endure to the end, so you can be saved. Get right, be right, stay right and be saved! Pastor Hoffman 'Tis the season for bustle of last minute shopping and panic of making sure you've checked your list (possibly twice) of to-dos to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks. The mad dash to the end of the year always comes as a surprise to most of us even though we know that it happens every year. We rush from one Christmas concert to another Christmas party while filling any time that we have in between with the dreaded side of giving which is actually buying the gifts. You have to find the correct size or make sure the toy is the right brand all the while making sure the gift isn't going to throw the rest of your holiday budget out the window. By the time it comes to open the gifts, you are just glad that you have a few minutes of rest while they unwrap and enjoy. I'm not trying to sound cynical by any means because I truly believe those few moments of joy that you bring to someone's face make all the hustle and bustle worth it. That is the moment that we show our love by giving them the gift of course, but also another gift that is a little less emphasized; our time.
This isn't to say that you are supposed to record the time spent in finding, buying, and wrapping each gift and write the total on each present. That would kind of boastful in certain instances and shameful in others, but all around it would just be pretty weird. The truth is that our time isn't something that we wrap up and present to the person along with the gift, but it is is something that we give with each gift. Whether it's something as small as a stocking-stuffer or as large as a new car with one of those gigantic red bows on it (seriously, how does someone get on that person's list), we give our time with each gift. The part that I find interesting though is that when we put time into something it usually means that we care about the recipient, so when we invest our time in a gift we are showing our love. To use the greatest scriptural example of love, it says in John 3:16 that "God so loved the world that he gave". I'm not saying that monetary gifts equal how much you love someone by any means. However, if we follow this train of thought it becomes pretty clear. Those that we love the most, we are going to give the most time. How much time, whether it's in gifts or just being available, have you given to those that you love the most? Our requirements became pretty simple when the Pharisees asked Jesus what is most important for us here on Earth in Matthew 22. Our first priority is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. This time of year we have a little help in doing that when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. This should be the true reason for the season and where we give most of our time. However, that wasn't our only requirement. He finished up his answer by saying we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. We do great with the gifts, but what about our time? When was the last time that you had a conversation with someone where your only priority was showing them love? My personal challenge and now wish for you this holiday season is that we give those that we love a little more time this year than we have in the past. You never know what you might learn about that person or how your words of love might truly change them for the better. Make it a point to give the one thing you can't really get back - your time. Merry Christmas! Coburn Hoffman Anna Marie Quindlen, American author, journalist, and New York Times columnist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992, was giving the commencement address at Villanova University on June 23, 2000. She told this story...
I found one of my best teachers on the boardwalk at Coney Island maybe 15 years ago. It was December and I was doing a story about how the homeless survive in the winter months. He and I sat on the edge of the wooden supports dangling our feet over the side and he told me about his schedule. Panhandling the boulevard when the summer crowds were gone, sleeping in church when the temperature went below freezing, hiding from the police amidst the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Cyclone and some of the other seasonal rides. But he told me that most of the time he stayed on the boardwalk facing the water just the way we were sitting now even when it got cold and he had to wear his newspapers after he read them. I asked him why. Why didn't he go to one of the shelters? Why didn't he check himself into the hospital for detox? He just stared out at the ocean and said, "Look at the view, young lady. Look at the view." Every day since, in some little way, I try to do what he said. I try to look at the view. That's the last thing I have to tell you today. Words of wisdom from a man with not a dime in his pocket, no place to go, and nowhere to be. Look at the view. You'll never be disappointed. I must concur with Mrs. Quindlen, the view is always staggering. Sometimes it’s staggeringly beautiful and other times it ranges to the other extreme, but it is always staggering. I’ve found the devil specializes in altering the view of God’s people. We can have blessings upon blessings around us, but we may be led to look at what is wrong or failing. We may be at church and only see who’s not there and miss all those who gave the effort to actually be there with us. We may be at our job and only see the cliques or the politics and fail to see the blessing of just having a job. We may be at home and agonize over little tasks that aren’t done and fail to see the family that God has blessed us with. It’s way too easy to miss the forest in the trees. This can only change with a purposeful alteration to the way we think and what we keep our eyes on. The next time you’re tempted to be negative while in the house of God, stop it and instead look around a find something or someone to be thankful for. The next time you find yourself “going to the grouch” at home, stop it and instead find a family member and do something impulsive that will make a forever memory. The next time you find yourself finding fault on your job, stop it and instead find someone who you know works as hard (or harder) than you do and let them know that you appreciate them. Maybe we need to stop looking for faults, shortcomings, and failures and just learn to enjoy the view. Maybe what you’re looking at or the way you’re looking at it is making you blind to the all the wonderful things and people who were there all along. Grumpy Guses and Debbie Downers are a dime a dozen, but someone who can live on the bright side of life is a blessing and an encouragement. What are you choosing to look at? Look at the view, Pastor Hoffman I read a statement the other day that jogged my memory about something else I had also read recently. The first article was talking about all the poor options we have before us when it comes to the food that we put into our bodies. In that article the writer said “Americans are eating themselves to death”. That statement reminded me of the second article where someone else wrote about all the horrible things that are vying for our time in the entertainment realm and that writer asked “Are we entertaining ourselves to death?” We’ve all heard of someone that is burning the candle at both ends and that is often referred to as eventually killing themselves.
I know I’ve done a lot of stupid things in regard to my health in my half a century of life. I guess I’ve always thought about my health, but never considered it in the way that I am today. I'm sure I’ve done my share of eating, working, and worrying myself to death. The sad part is that we cannot go back and change the poor choices that have already been made. The great part is that we can choose to make better choices now and in the future. Even though we cannot turn all the negative effects of our past around, we can hold back the tide of death that is coming for us all (that came out way more dark than I intended). Honestly though, it's not our physical health that should concern us the most. Even after this life is over, there is still an eternity to spend somewhere. We more importantly must watch out for the poor choices that we have made concerning our spiritual life. Far too many things have been done along the way that lead to death and something must be done to turn that tide. I want to be led to spiritual life, not spiritual death. I need to be lead to spiritual life, not spiritual death. I must choose to be lead to spiritual life, not spiritual death. Sadly, just as in our choices in the physical (poor choices in sustenance, time management, and work decisions), we also are barraged with way too many unholy alternatives to our spiritual life. We must make choices that lead to spiritual life, not spiritual death. Here’s a few things that can be done spiritually, that will never end in regret: 1. Make church and worship a priority: We cannot forsake coming together in the house of God and giving our all when we are there. If the joy of the Lord is my strength (and it is), then I must get into the presence of God where there is fullness of joy. 2. Make and keep a regular prayer time: It’s easy to say we pray or we’re going to pray, but your life will show whether you actually do pray. Prayer puts us and keeps us in contact with the One who knows all, but it also keeps us in the right spiritual state of mind. This way the One who knows all can actually speak to us and we will actually listen. Sometimes we think we know better, but prayer reminds us we don’t. 3. Read and study the Word of God: If you are not already reading the word in conjunction with your prayer time, then start. Don’t lie to yourself and say you don’t have time! Just get rid of some of the useless annoyances that are taking your time. If you will hide the Word of God in your heart, it will help you be holy. Don’t just read it, but dig out its truths so that you have an arsenal to fight against the enemy of your soul. 4. Make witnessing purposeful: We don’t need to wait for a door to open so that we can talk to someone about God. Open up the conversation and you’ll be surprised how many people will willingly talk to you about God. It will surprise you how many need something from God (we all do). We cannot go back and change any of our wrong spiritual choices, but we can repent of the wrong and then choose to make right choices. There is always space to turn around and do right with God. We can choose to do right and the Lord has promised his Spirit will give us the power we need to help us in doing that. We make a lot of choices. Will you choose to death or to life? Pastor Hoffman |
First Thoughts
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