With many congregations facing a problem of lacking involvement, they have often ask what it is they must do to motivate people to do more for the Lord. Motivation is the key to involvement. Although many think the problem is laziness, I believe it is that their members are involved in many other activities which crowd their time. A while back I shared a thought about taking a Sabbath. We often over work ourselves and accidentally leave God out. It’s not that people don’t want to work for God, they just have their priorities jumbled up! I even fall into this category from time to time. A church sign in North Carolina said “the main thing is to see that the main thing is the main thing.” Often we forget what the main thing actually is. We forget to prioritize the most important things in life so they are lost in the lesser important.
Look at Malachi 1:6-10
The OT priests dishonored God because they did not give Him their best. Although we, today, do not offer animal sacrifices, we do offer ourselves as sacrifices (Romans 12:1). This offering involves our time, lifestyles, money, and everything else. Where do we spend our energy and effort? Do we really wish we could do more instead of thinking we have already done our share?
I want to congratulate all of you as members for your willingness to do what is needed. With that said, I know many of us struggle at times with making sure the main thing is in fact the main thing. Many of us sometimes slip into a slump and forget our purpose on earth. If you are one of those and currently down, find the strength to get back up and do what’s needed for God’s Kingdom!
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Obstacles
As they neared the sea, the Israelites knew that there was no way out of it. They looked behind them and saw the Egyptians gaining on them and became afraid. As they cried out, they told Moses it was better to be slaves then in the situation they were now in!
My favorite part of this story is Moses’ response to the Israelites. As they cried out, Moses told them “Do not fear. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today...The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
All the Israelites needed to do was to trust in God. They so quickly lost faith and wanted to turn back to their old lives as slaves. At this moment, they could not see past the situation they were in and they could not see the deliverance God was bringing.
How many times in life have we done this same thing? How many times have we been caught in the middle of something and were not able to see God’s hand working? We need only to be still and watch for God.
Are you going to let Satan and this world convince you that your old life was better than it is now? Are you going to turn from God because you can't let go of the sin(s) you were in? I pray that we continue to take a stand and press on no matter how the odds are. God used an army of hundreds to beat an army of thousands! The obstacles we face in life are God’s to deal with. God tells us to “lay down our burdens.” So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, tackle your obstacles and press on!
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
My favorite part of this story is Moses’ response to the Israelites. As they cried out, Moses told them “Do not fear. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today...The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
All the Israelites needed to do was to trust in God. They so quickly lost faith and wanted to turn back to their old lives as slaves. At this moment, they could not see past the situation they were in and they could not see the deliverance God was bringing.
How many times in life have we done this same thing? How many times have we been caught in the middle of something and were not able to see God’s hand working? We need only to be still and watch for God.
Are you going to let Satan and this world convince you that your old life was better than it is now? Are you going to turn from God because you can't let go of the sin(s) you were in? I pray that we continue to take a stand and press on no matter how the odds are. God used an army of hundreds to beat an army of thousands! The obstacles we face in life are God’s to deal with. God tells us to “lay down our burdens.” So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, tackle your obstacles and press on!
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Humility
Greetings from Memphis! As you worship this morning, I will be worshiping in Memphis, TN. This coming week will be filled with lots of study and Old Testament discussion as I take one of my Graduate courses! Although I deeply miss being with my Watertown family, I am confident it is in good hands as brother Joe will bring our class and morning sermon and Aaron will bring our evening sermon! May God bless you as you worship Him and learn from His Word.
1 Peter 5:5b-6 says “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.”
Humility is more than denying one is good at something. It is more than poor self esteem and looking at the ground. In fact, this is not at all what is meant by humility. Humility is more along the lines of submission. We must not be proud and arrogant individuals. We must not consider ourselves “wiser than the others,” or “holier than others.” We must not fall into the trap of building ourselves up while it tears down others or the trap of being un-teachable. Humility is best seen in the example of Christ. Christ was submissive to God, comfortable with who he was while not lording it over others. As a child we see that Jesus is teachable! We see him sitting in the temple not only asking questions but learning from the Rabbis of old. If Jesus wanted too could he have walked in and told them how it is and how it is going to be? Sure he could have! Could he have spoken every time he attended synagogue? Of course! However, Jesus had a humble attitude and was willing to listen! Do we have the attitude of Christ? An attitude of humility? Or are we un-teachable, prideful, and the best Christian of the bunch? If we are never wrong...we are not humble (and possibly naïve). We must clothe ourselves with humility and only then will God exalt us!
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
1 Peter 5:5b-6 says “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.”
Humility is more than denying one is good at something. It is more than poor self esteem and looking at the ground. In fact, this is not at all what is meant by humility. Humility is more along the lines of submission. We must not be proud and arrogant individuals. We must not consider ourselves “wiser than the others,” or “holier than others.” We must not fall into the trap of building ourselves up while it tears down others or the trap of being un-teachable. Humility is best seen in the example of Christ. Christ was submissive to God, comfortable with who he was while not lording it over others. As a child we see that Jesus is teachable! We see him sitting in the temple not only asking questions but learning from the Rabbis of old. If Jesus wanted too could he have walked in and told them how it is and how it is going to be? Sure he could have! Could he have spoken every time he attended synagogue? Of course! However, Jesus had a humble attitude and was willing to listen! Do we have the attitude of Christ? An attitude of humility? Or are we un-teachable, prideful, and the best Christian of the bunch? If we are never wrong...we are not humble (and possibly naïve). We must clothe ourselves with humility and only then will God exalt us!
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Independence Day
I pray that you all had a wonderful (and safe) 4th of July! It’s always good to remember our freedom and those who have served our country and given their lives for what we enjoy here in the United States. I am happy to live in such a great country! Sure, we have our problems, but what country doesn’t? Celebrations such as our Independence Day help us look past the negative aspects of things that sometimes happen and focus on the positives. One doesn’t have to travel very far out of the country to see the difference between the United States and other countries. Many times I hear people complaining about the United States and how much they hate living here…”there’s a simple solution,” I tell them, “change citizenship and move somewhere else.” Guess how many have actually taken my advice. The truth is that we are a blessed nation in so many ways and the poorest of us are rich by the worlds standards. Thank God for our blessings while we have them!
As much as I love the United States, I have to come to the realization that our ultimate goal is not the United States (or any other country for that matter). Recall the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:13b-14: “But one thing I do: ‘forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’” Although Paul was proud of both his Jewish and Roman citizenship, ultimately, it was his citizenship with God ‘s Kingdom that gave his life meaning. Yes we should be proud of the United States and strive to continually better ourselves and our country, however, we must remember that our primary focus is to be that of God’s Kingdom! After all, independence day for God’s Kingdom was around 33A.D. on a Sunday. Happy Independence Day!
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
As much as I love the United States, I have to come to the realization that our ultimate goal is not the United States (or any other country for that matter). Recall the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:13b-14: “But one thing I do: ‘forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’” Although Paul was proud of both his Jewish and Roman citizenship, ultimately, it was his citizenship with God ‘s Kingdom that gave his life meaning. Yes we should be proud of the United States and strive to continually better ourselves and our country, however, we must remember that our primary focus is to be that of God’s Kingdom! After all, independence day for God’s Kingdom was around 33A.D. on a Sunday. Happy Independence Day!
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
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