Wednesday, March 30, 2011

March 30

Jotham's parable is a fabulous insight into leadership, especially within the local church. Often, people are drawn into leadership by the same motivation as Abimelech, vain glory. Jotham's parable repeats the phrase (Judges 9:7-15) "just to wave back and forth over the trees."

In Matthew 20:28, Jesus tells us that even He came not to be served but to serve, and offer His life as a ransom for many. We must however be careful that we do not misunderstand Jesus' command. If leaders are overly pre-occupied with the daily details of tasks, there is no time to invest in people. A leader's greatest act of service is to invest in others and see their life potential fulfilled. Which takes us back to Jotham's parable.

He speaks of the olive tree, the fig tree, and the grape vine. Each one endowed with a special gift that worships God and benefits people when flourishing. I like the distinction among the three trees, subtle but still very instructive: to bless, to delight, and to uplift.

A great leader does not long to wave above the masses, feeding their own selfish ego. Great leaders find their greatest joy in empowering others to be the absolute best creation, uniquely endowed by their Creator, possible. If you are searching for a church, make sure that on your list of criteria, you are looking for a place where people are blessed, delighted, and uplifted because the leadership there excels in service, not vain glory!

Pastor Fred

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

March 29

Peter faced the same decision in Luke 5 that we face at critical moments in our lives. Who are we going to follow, to what are we going to give our lives? Our destinies, our futures, await the moments of decision that we all must face. Imagine if Peter had not followed, if Peter had refused to go, if Peter had rejected Jesus' call to become one of His followers? He probably would have continued in his family business, raised a family, lived a meaningful and enriching life there in his community, even been a faithful worshipper of God and quite possibly a devoted believer in Jesus... but God's plan beckoned to him.

I remember when Vannessa and I faced a decision about our future in ministry together. We were in a wonderful church with great leaders, deep friendships, and close to family. But a meaningful existence is not the standard by which we measure our lives. We must consider our call, Heaven's invitation, what do the books in Heaven mentioned in Psalm 139:16 say about our journeys this side of eternity? Peter walked in those pages... I want to walk in those pages... let's walk in them together! Is God asking something of you? Don't stay in the chapter you are in when destiny is waiting!

Pastor Fred

Friday, March 25, 2011

March 25

In Joshua 21, we read about the allotment of cities to the Levites. In the preceding chapters, there were 12 other allotments of land to the the 10 other tribes who descended from the sons of Jacob, in addition to the two tribes who descended from Joseph. All the other allotments geographically defined the various tribes, set boundaries, distinguished them from one another. As well, the distribution of territory had been determined by God, instructed to Moses and now being executed by Joshua.

Yet for the Levites, the giving of land was according to the individual tribes. They each gave a portion of their cities, that they had at first received from God. Why didn't God just set aside those cities for the Levites initially? Why give them to the 12 tribes only to be given immediately in turn? And while we are questioning, why are the Levites dispersed throughout the entire Promised Land without a specific geographic identity?

God is creating a picture of Himself relative to humanity. His desire has always been to be among His people but even in His sovereignty, He longs for us to give Him place in our hearts.

Pastor Fred

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

March 23

As Zechariah prophesied over his eight day old son, we find the story of each of us. Luke 1:76-79, begins with a reminder that we often need the voice of others to inspire us to listen more intently to the voice of God. Zechariah speaks of his son becoming a prophet of the Most High. We need each other. I find that the more I accept that God speaks through people, the more I hear Him in others and ultimately the more I hear Him directly with greater clarity.

The latter half of verse 76 presses me to self-reflect. How am I helping others prepare for a life more fully devoted to Jesus? I want my life to echo in eternity and one of the most eternally significant pursuits I can pursue is to point others to Jesus, with my attitudes, my choices, my character, my graciousness, my generosity, my family...I want to be a " way preparer."

Verses 77-79 all emphasize the same sobering reality, we need forgiveness. Until we fully yield to God's divine right to rule and govern our lives, we remain in darkness, the path of peace an untraveled road for our spiritual feet, the shadow of death eclipsing the light of heaven in our hearts...may we not delay casting ourselves fully upon His tender mercy, Jesus will lead us there.

Pastor Fred

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

March 22

Luke 1:48... what have we accomplished in our lives that will cause future generations to call us blessed? May we all have some measure of hope to make a contribution in our world that will have a generational impact.

Pastor Fred

Monday, March 21, 2011

March 21

Achan, oh Achan. How do you go from infancy to adulthood, seeing every moment of Isareal's burgeoning history, every moment of obedience that was rewarded and every moment of disobedience punished, in strikingly public arenas and come to Jericho with instructions from God that in no way lacked any clarity and reach the conclusion that a robe, a bar of gold, and some silver coins were worth risking death?

And how about the manner in which he was discovered...can you imagine Achan trying to not be conspicuous? "Hey, who do you think it's going to be?" and he knows it's him! What was it like when his tribe was identified, then his clan, then his family...uh oh! And then, him. One person out of millions...we cannot hide from a sovereign gaze.

The moment of the narrative that spoke to me most however was the silver being buried deeper than the rest. He was actually preparing for a later moment of deception. That if something was found, he would confess the first layer. Remember, he says that the silver was buried deeper than the rest. We all have a tendency to only confess just enough to assuage the suspicion of the person bringing accountability to us. I think it also confronts us in the manner in which we respond to God's rule over our lives. We yield in layers when the fullness of life He longs for us to posses, the truest of treasures, can only be held when we give Him every strata of our humanity.

Confess generously, yield completely, live fully!

Pastor Fred

Sunday, March 20, 2011

March 20

Luke 1:19-20, have you found your prayer voice? Many people like Zechariah, live in silence spiritually because they doubt that God transcends circumstances. Don't be a mute prayer! Find your prayer voice...believe!

Pastor Fred

Saturday, March 19, 2011

March 19

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

This excerpt comes from Joshua chapter one and is not just for leaders of nations, not just for pastors, not just for church leaders...it is the promise of God to everyone. We all have a life we lead, a life for which are are responsible, a life God has entrusted to us. May God find in us the same resolve recorded in this great text: courage, strength, deference to Scripture, no fear, no discouragement, and an unrelenting faith in the abiding presence of God!

Now let's go and conquer our destinies!

Pastor Fred

Monday, March 14, 2011

March 14

I'd like to suggest that an overly simplistic view of grace has over-shadowed the Biblical teaching on desecration for many people. Deuteronomy 21:1-9 brings this idea of desecration into focus for us. If I were to define desecration as I understand it in relation to our lives, I would say desecration is to cause the sacredness of my life to be diminished by my willful disobedience to God's precepts resulting in the minimization of the favor of God upon my life. My missteps in life do not jeopardize my hope of Heaven as a devoted follower of Jesus, that's a healthy hold on grace. But desecration is something entirely different. Check out these verses for how desecration affects our prayer life: -Psalm 66:18, -Zechariah 7:13, -Proverbs 21:13, -Proverbs 28:9, -Isaiah 1:15, and -1 Peter 3:7.

C.S. Lewis says, "The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us." That's a wonderful distinction between grace and desecration. We cannot keep Him from loving us, His grace, may we not resist His divine work to transform us, dealing with our desecration inclinations!

Pastor Fred

Friday, March 11, 2011

March 11

Okay, I love Deuteronomy 14:21b, "You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk." What is the spiritual significance of that? None! It's just wrong, come on, God's sense of fair play just can't allow some things!

I find Jesus' response to the questioner in Mark 12:34 curious, " Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God." Knowing and being are never the same. There are scores of people who know much about Scripture, Jesus, and the Kingdom of Heaven but the pressing question is still the same 2,000 years later, are we in are just not far.

Pastor Fred

Thursday, March 10, 2011

March 10

Mark 12:13-17 is a demanding text. It is here that Jesus takes a coin that bears the image of Caesar and acknowledges that the observable image substantiates ownership. He then makes that statement, "...give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God."

What belongs to God? We needn't turn far for our answer, the preceding parable, verses 1-12. And the answer is most certainly, everything. Psalm 24:1 declares, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it!" Then we read in Genesis 1:27, "So God created mankind in His own image..."

We are the coin of God, His image is upon us, we belong to Him.

Pastor Fred

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

March 8

Deuteronomy 6:7-9, what of God's Word have I repeated to anyone today, written to anyone today, taught to someone today? What of God's Word was observable today from the countenance of my face, my expressions in response to people and circumstances? What of God's Word was evidenced today through the work of my hands? What of God's Word was undeniable today in my home, the manner of my house, the values of my family? What of God's Word was discernible from what I allowed to enter into my life?

Pastor Fred

Monday, March 7, 2011

March 7

The cities of refuge are an interesting study in the extent to which God asks us to go on behalf of others. You can read about them in Numbers 35. One would expect that if the slayer, the person who accidentally killed someone was found innocent of malicious intent, that the law would have required the avenger, the closest relative of the slain, to exercise restraint and not kill the slayer. And if the avenger killed the slayer, that their life would be forfeited, because they would be guilty of murder.

But the law demands that the slayer, the person who accidentally killed someone, be escorted safely to a city of refuge and live there until the death of the residing high priest. If they do not, and the avenger finds them and kills them, the avenger is not held responsible. Really? The innocent person is expected to give up their entire way of life so as not to tempt the anger of the family member of the deceased. What would our society be like today if we loved one another to such an extent...may The Church be a place where such sacrifice, such devotion is still thriving today!

Pastor Fred

Saturday, March 5, 2011

March 5

Numbers 33 is a poignant picture of our own respective journeys out of a life of self-governance, at the behest of our craven human nature, and into a life fully submitted to God, a life defining, passion filled, moment by moment governing relationship with Him. The two lives are juxtaposed for us in seeing Egypt paralleled with the Promised Land.

The list in Numbers 33 repeatedly states, "...they left...and camped..." When a person makes a vow of devotion to Jesus, we must be patient. There is a lot of "leaving" and "camping" on their spiritual journey ahead. The journey out of Egypt into the Promised Land is not a 24 hour excursion. Values, habits, life orientations, patterns of thinking...we must be careful to not demand a pace that is not in keeping with the work of the Holy Spirit in an individual's life. Granted, as with the Israelites, disobedience along the way can very well extend one's stay so there is a delicate balance we must discern as well.

In John 3, Jesus uses the metaphor of birth to bring revelation to our hearts regarding the beginning of spiritual life. I find that people who are new in their faith unfortunately find a demand from people established in their faith as if Jesus had spoken of the inception of spiritual life as a mold... we promise, He pours, out we come. But birth necessitates a womb, birth expects infancy, birth sees the value of time, birth waits for maturity.

If you are new in your spiritual life as a devoted follower of Jesus, while I can't speak for others, at City Life Church, you will find in us a grace to "leave" and "camp" with you as you confidently abandon Egypt and expectantly reach for His Promised Land!

Pastor Fred

Friday, March 4, 2011

March 4

In Mark 9:29 we read where Jesus declares that such miracles, the deliverance of the boy whom the disciples had been unsuccessful in helping, could only be accomplished by prayer and fasting. Yet, we know that the time between the father's plea for help and Jesus praying for the boy does not qualify for a fast. That would be like us trying to justify the time in between our meals as fasts! Too, the disciples had prayed for the boy to no avail so again we find Jesus' command about prayer and fasting rather cryptic.

I believe that Jesus is trying to tell us that it is a lifestyle of prayer and fasting that prepares a person to be effective in such moments. And not only prayer and fasting, but all of what we teach as spiritual pathways at City Life: scripture, prayer, worship, fasting, relationship, reaching, gathering, accountability, service, generosity, stewardship, and rest. Show me a person whose life is defined by these pathways and I'll show you a person who has been to the top of the mountain and is ready to minister in power.

Pastor Fred

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

March 2

One of the reasons a commitment to reading the Bible daily is so vital is because we need to maintain our vision for more, more of what could be, more moments in life where the veil of this temporal world is pulled back and a glimpse of the world in which we are immersed is revealed.

The story of Balaam. There he is on the road and God enables him to see the angel. The angel has always been there, even the donkey saw the angel. So often our attention is drawn to the wonder of a donkey being given the power of speech and Balaam's apparent lack of surprise regarding his conversational beast of burden with whom he proceeds to have an argument! Undoubtedly, that part of the account deserves attention, however, not at the expense of what ensues. He caught a glimpse, the veil was pulled back, he saw something of the eternal world in which this temporal world is immersed. He saw a heavenly being.

Jesus often began His teachings with the phrase, "He who has ears, let him hear." We find that same statement from the angel in Revelation 3:22 when speaking to John. Certainly having ears and eyes has always been common place among humanity... for the hearing and seeing within the context of this natural realm. But may it be for all of us that like Balaam on the road and John on an island, God would grace us with moments of an open heaven, a glimpse.

Pastor Fred