Embracing Change

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

(rf. Php. 3:13–14 NASB)

 

I find it interesting that the Good Lord put into the very fabric of our being and existence the need and reality for change. One year morphs into another as the past gives way to the future. This is change. We can easily perceive and somewhat clearly see what has transpired through the year previous, but we have no idea what awaits us in the twelve months (or more) ahead. We will experience change one way or another. There’s no avenue around it. God has engineered time to keep us from staying in the present, encouraging us not to live in the past, but to embrace the future.

 

Knowing that such change is ordained by God Himself, it is then up to us to gauge our attitudes on how we respond to this change. Will we look forward in anticipation to what God has in store for us individually, as a church, as The Church? Or will we spend our time in mourning over a past that we were comfortable with but one that weighs us down like an anchor, preventing us from the joys God has planned for us?

 

I believe that we need to have the same attitude toward change as did the Apostle Paul in the text above. In “forgetting what lies behind”, we are not letting go of the great lessons we have learned from the past; rather, we are putting the past behind us and choosing not to look that direction any longer. We are “reaching forward to what lies ahead”, following the Lord’s lead into a future He alone knows and over which He has complete and total control. In this way alone can we ever hope to “press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. 

 

Let us then set our sails, individually and corporately as a church family, to catch the wind ahead of us and go into the future that God Himself has planned for His people.

Wonderful Counselor

 “And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor…” (rf. Is. 9:6b)

 

            I have been blessed to have had the opportunity over the years to complete two graduate degrees in counseling, namely in Human Services Counseling (M.A.) and in Pastoral Counseling (Th.M. in Practical Theology). Counseling from a Christian/Biblical point of view has always been important to me and integral to my ministry over all these years. I have seen this particular area of service grow exponentially and become an imperative part of and benefit to so many people.

            In Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter nine, he foresees the coming of Messiah. Messiah will come out of “Galilee of the Gentiles” (vs. 1) as “a child born to us, a son given to us” (vs. 6a). This child is none other than the “Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” (vs. 6c) who will rule from the “throne of David” (vs. 7a) and whose government will have no end. 

            However, the Messiah will also be the “Wonderful Counselor” as the text above describes. He will not only hear the words of His people and sympathize with their problems and issues, but, unlike most modern-day counselors, Messiah will provide wise insights and proven direction that will address the real needs of the hurting and despondent. He will not only share His counsel but will also exemplify it in His own life, showing us how we should respond as we follow Him by faith.

            Since He is the “Wonderful Counselor”, Jesus the Messiah invites us to “cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us” (rf. I Pet. 5:7). It is not as if we are giving Him new information when we open our hearts and lives to Him. Rather, He knows we need to verbalize our issues to Him as a child would tell his/her parents what really is going on inside. And when words elude us, His Holy Spirit takes our feelings and translates them into clear communication with Christ (rf. Rom. 8:26). So, whether with or without an oral explanation, Jesus hears our hearts and prayers and addresses those things most needed to bring healing and restoration.

            As we celebrate the first coming of Christ with all its festivities, let us not limit ourselves to seeing Him in the manger. Rather, let us remember that Jesus came not only to give us eternal life through His gift of salvation, but also to bless our lives in the present by being our “Wonderful Counselor”, one who knows us and understands our struggles better than we could ever grasp ourselves. Let us hear His wisdom and follow His example so that we will know His healing and restorative power personally.

No Room for Negativity

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” (rf. Ps. 100:4-5 NASB)

 

We all know folks who have a difficult time seeing the good in life. Their focus is always on the negative, wanting things to go badly for others and expecting disaster for themselves. These folk remind me of Eeyore in the Winnie Pooh saga. For them, no amount of good news is good; there has to be “a fly in the ointment” somewhere. 

The one place where such people should have a difficult time with their perspective should be in church. Since our whole focus as Christians should be the glory of our God, positivity needs to be our perspective. The good God has promised to do good things for His people. We as His people should immerse ourselves in His love, mercy and grace, none of which qualities has any negativity attached.

To that end, the Psalmist reminds us that we should be thankful at all times, especially when we “enter His gates” to worship the Lord. One cannot have a heart of praise and a negative spirit at the same time. Indeed, the latter tends to snuff out the former. How do we keep this from happening to us? The Psalmist tells us: “Give thanks to Him, bless His name”. Why, you may ask? Because “the Lord is good; His lovingkindness and His faithfulness (is) to all generations”; that is the reason. God has given us ample proof of His love toward us as His children. There is no lack of evidence of His mercy and grace in our lives.

With this in mind, let’s take some time during this Thanksgiving holiday season to “give thanks to Him”. He has blessed our families, lives and those of our church family as well. Indeed, when we began the year, our church had to tighten our belt financially. Then, the Lord blessed us in unexpected ways so that we’ve been running a surplus throughout most of 2023. We’ve had large projects to be completed, all of which were paid in full with no debt accrued. Also, He has blessed St. John’s with additions to our membership and new visitors to worship. We’re seeing “new blood” and a revival of interest in our brand of traditional worship. God continues to “shine His countenance” upon us. We pray for more and more of the same blessing as we enter into 2024.

Take a few moments after reading this missive and recount the many blessings you have experienced this year, individually and as part of His work at St. John’s. I think you will agree that we all have absolutely nothing to be negative about! “The Lord is good…and His faithfulness (is) to all generations.”

 

Worship: Our Time to be Quiet and Hear from God

 “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” 

(rf. Ps. 46:10-11 MEV)

 

Lori and I had the opportunity last week to return to a Pastors and Wives Retreat that we had previously attended twice before. In years past our time away proved to be immeasurably beneficial to both of us. This one was no different in outcome, though somewhat different in structure. Nonetheless we were very blessed by the time away, the new friends in ministry we met, the wonderful meals provided, and, especially, the quiet which fed our souls.

 

Everyone needs a quiet place where the noises of this world cease to be a distraction, allowing the proper background for us to truly hear the voice of God to our hearts. The quiet we experienced last week was essential in recharging our batteries for further ministry and to be able to sense God’s direction for our lives.

 

It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of life, the constant demands of work and family, the incessant call of “things to do”. This generation of American Christians is obviously struggling with these burdens as evidenced by their lack of faithfulness to Christ’s Church and an absence of desire to participate in the work and worship of God’s people. Many believers today would rather spend their Sundays doing anything other than being with fellow Christians. This is so sad!

 

Sunday morning worship is designed as a time to “get away” from the cares of this world, to recharge our batteries as we fellowship with one another and God’s Spirit. It is a “quiet place” where one can look into one’s own heart and pursue a stronger and deeper connection with Almighty God. Worship is specifically planned so that we are immersed in God’s Word to the end that we can be better living testimonies of God’s grace in Christ Jesus who lives within each of us.

 

As Lori and I had to make plans ahead of time to “get away” to WinShape for rest and restoration, so all of us as Jesus’ followers must plan to be with God’s people in worship each and every Sunday (barring sickness and Providential reasons, obviously). If we are faithful in the worship of our Lord and Savior, He will be responsive to our worship, inclining His ear to our prayers and speaking encouragement to our hearts through His Word and Spirit. Make the commitment going forward to setting God’s worship as a weekly priority for you and your family. He will bless your dedication to Him.

Looking Forward to Home (September 2023)

“Then He said, ‘A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.’ So he divided his estate between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together, and journeyed to a distant country, and there squandered his possessions in prodigal living. When he had spent everything, there came a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and hired himself to a citizen of that county, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. He would gladly have filled his stomach with the husks that the swine were eating, but no one gave him any. When he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, and here I am perishing with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he arose and came to his father.” (rf. Lk. 15:11-20 MEV)

            

 

Home is a treasured place for most of us. It is where we can come and truly be ourselves with no airs of greatness and no need to impress others. We can be who we are at heart, knowing that those with us understand and accept us completely (“warts and all”, as the old saying goes). Home has a strong pull on us when we are away visiting others for business or pleasure, when normal life is interrupted by significant events that cause us to go away for a time. When we are away for such reasons, we begin to experience a longing, a yearning for home, a strong and growing desire to return to the place where we are most comfortable and most loved.

            This is how God eventually brought conviction to the Prodigal Son. He found himself vying for food with swine and new in his heart that there must be something better for him. Then he remembered home. Even if it meant the loss of his position as son, he was willing to become a slave in his father’s house if that resulted in his being home. What he found on his return was a welcome much more than he ever could have imagined (rf. Lk. 15:21-32).

            As followers of Christ, we have “home” calling in our hearts. We already have a home with Almighty God in heaven prepared for us (rf. Jn. 14:2-3). We have been called to work in His fields, caring for His sheep, growing in our own understanding and faith in the one True Shepherd. We have been told to continue this process of maturing in our faith until He calls us home to be with Him forever. Therefore, until we are called home, let us look forward to that day and fulfill His will in the light of knowing we will be in His Presence and experiencing His love for eternity.

Marriage as God's Design (August 2023)

“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; 

for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” (rf. Heb 13:4 NASB)

 

            On the sixth of this month, my wife, Lori, and I will have been married for 40 years. It is hard to believe that four decades have passed since we both stood on the platform at Byne Memorial Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia and said our vows one to another. We knew that the Lord had chosen each of us for the other the year before. I knew she was the one when I first saw her across the dance floor at the street dance held during Orientation Week at (then) Shorter College in Rome, Georgia. This feeling of divine oneness was only solidified as we spent more and more time with each other until I finally got up the nerve to ask her to marry me. We knew God’s will was being done when Lori’s dad (who I was concerned would nix the whole idea since she was “the apple of his eye”) unexpectedly pushed for us to be married sooner than the end of our college careers as we had originally planned. So, it all came together for us on August 6^th, 1983 when I sang several love songs to her during the service…and she agreed to be wife anyway!

            One of the things that we discussed and agreed to as a couple at the very beginning of our relationship was that our marriage would be a lifelong commitment. The only way to undo the relationship was by death since God is the final determiner of our lifespans. We knew we would have ups and downs, good days and hard days, times of struggle and times of great joy. These just come with the total package of a commitment that is binding. This is clearly what the Bible teaches about marriage. This was the standard upon which we chose to build our own.

            Our society unfortunately has totally voided that original intent by God. Divorce has been made as easy and quickly as possible. Many, including Christians, keep divorce as a viable option, using it as an escape hatch should the relationship begin to move into choppy waters. Today, we have made the meaning and intent of marriage a complete blank (i.e. _________) that we can fill in any way we desire. Though God designed marriage to be between a biological male and a biological female, we have thoroughly undermined the concept altogether, blurring the lines between male and female and making it acceptable for those of like gender to enter into matrimony.

            The writer of Hebrews reminds us that “marriage is to be held in honor among all”, that is, we are to respect the precepts of marriage as God purposed it from the beginning. This respect extends, according to this same inspired writer, to the “marriage bed” where the fullness of our individual sexuality as male or female, respectively, can be intimately shared without shame, guilt or sin. As long as we are making ourselves gifts to one another and strengthening the marriage relationship, we have no fear of committing iniquity or transgression. However, when we pervert the marriage relationship by including others in the intimacy or redefining marriage altogether, the writer of Hebrews warns us that we would be “judged” by the God who originated marriage. Indeed, those who violate God’s template for marriage are deemed “fornicators and adulterers”; such is not a safe place to be with the Holy One.

            Some marriages fail and that is a fact we cannot ignore. Forgiveness for such situations is always available through the blood of Christ. However, God still stands by His original design. He wants His people to keep marriage holy and sacred because it is a living example of His own relationship with the Church. As Christians, let us then be diligent to uphold His blueprint for marriage, shining the light of His truth in the midst of a dark, spiritually dead culture. Our presence and model alone will be enough to bring a needed accountability for them before God.

A Nation Needing God's People (July 2023)

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own                                                            inheritance.” (rf. Ps. 33:12 NASB)

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (rf. Ps. 11:3 NASB)

 

          I remember when I was 13 years old, my parents and I were heavily involved in the Bicentennial celebrations occurring in my hometown of Rockmart, Georgia. As we commemorated the 200^th anniversary of our nation’s birth, stars and stripes were everywhere. We had patriotic music, fanfare, fireworks, costumes, etc. As I recall, our celebrations, as it did with most Americans, lasted at least a full week. The Bicentennial caused all of us to return to and review the historical realities of our founding. Not only did the celebration make us thankful that we were Americans, but it also reminded us of the values upon which our country was based.

            Unfortunately, we have drifted far from our moorings. Our forefathers would be creating wind tunnels in their graves if they could see what we have done with the results of their blood, sweat and tears! They would be witnessing the complete undoing of all for which they had worked so diligently. They would weep at how we have created rights that were never existent and how we have so perverted the freedoms they cherished enough to enshrine in our founding documents. 

            Our only hope for the future as Americans is to corporately turn back to the Lord in full and total repentance for the sins our nation and its people have committed and for how we have so poorly stewarded the blessings He has showered upon us from day one. If such repentance and renewal of godly purpose is not forthcoming, we will have doomed ourselves to a solemn and destructive end. We will shortly tear ourselves apart as we continue to emphasize all that divides us and minimize/destroy the things that unite us. We will become as Esau who foolishly sold his birthright for a bowl of porridge, trading away the things that endure for the fleeting pleasures of the present.

            May this repentance and renewal start with each of us. May we uphold God’s standard of righteousness in our own lives so that we can provide the example for others to follow. May our interactions with others be marked with love, compassion and understanding, rather than pursuing the course of division and hate. May we as believers in Christ shine the light of His Spirit in the dark places so others may be delivered from sin and unbelief. 

The only and lasting hope of our nation is for Christians to be reflections of Him to a country that has completely lost its way. If we fail in this, then the American experiment in freedom will end miserably after only a mere two hundred and forty-seven year stint.