Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Shepastor: “Don’t Leave Before the Benediction, Part IV”

This week, Shepastor completes our reflection upon aspects of the words that the Lord spoke to Moses to give to the Priest Aaron and his sons as a blessing over Israel. These verses are known as the “Priestly Benediction.”

Our focus for today highlights the last and 5th aspect of this blessing, “And give you peace…”

God told Aaron and his sons to bless his people with peace. There is nothing like having peace…peace of mind, peace of heart, peace of spirit. It does not matter how many material things you have, how much money you have, how many people say that you are the best thing since sliced bread, if you don’t have peace of mind, peace with God and peace with yourself, you will perpetually remain in the desert! When you leave before the good word, the word of blessing, the word of hope, the word of instruction, the word of deliverance, you miss out on God’s blessing of peace. All of the above aspects of the blessing lead ultimately to God’s peace.

When we understand that even in the desert, the Lord is blessing and keeping us, we will walk in peace. When we understand that the Lord’s favor, grace, mercy and compassion is upon us, we will live in peace. When we humble ourselves, yield ourselves, submit ourselves to the way, the Word and the will of our heavenly Father, we embrace God’s likeness – His countenance upon us and we will walk in God’s peace.

The Lord will keep us in perfect peace when our mind remains on Him. The Lord will give us peace that surpasses understanding when we corral our thoughts and bring them under subjection to the obedience of Christ. Peace comes as we resist the temptation to lean on our own understanding and instead trust God. When we acknowledge God in all of our ways God will direct our paths. When we wait for the Lord’s Word – His word of blessing, His word of guidance, His word of hope, His word of correction, His word of love, we will be blessed – even during desert seasons.

In every season, yes, even in seasons of pain, disappointment, struggle and dearth, God can and will bless us with peace. But we must yield ourselves to Him. Don’t leave before you get your blessing! Stay right there in God’s presence. Stay right there in God’s appointed place. Stay right there and don’t move until the Holy Spirit gives the green light! Don’t check out. Don’t go AWOL (Absent without leave), wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. God will strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Post a comment or send me an email at Revcsmith1@gmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Shepastor “Can You Live With a Limp?”

24So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Genesis 32: 24-26, NIV

Recently, I fell and broke my ankle – UGGHHH!!! Unfortunately, that means that I have to wear a bulky cast and use crutches for several weeks. Needless to say, I am living with a limp, at least for now.

Limping is very uncomfortable. It makes you tired, sore and a little frustrated. I thought to myself, “I will be so glad when this heals so that I won’t have to limp any more.” But what if I had to live with that limp? Our main character in our text for today, Jacob had to live with a limp. He not only had a physical limp, but Jacob carried a spiritual limp – a reminder that God blessed him, would be with him, would protect and keep him, but there were some consequences for his choices. But not only consequences, the whole concept of “the limp” lets us know that it’s not easy to wrestle for your blessing.

Some blessings have to be pursued. Sometimes you have to hold on with everything in you and then some in order to receive your blessing. And sometimes, in the course of your “holding on,” in the course of you straining to reach your mark, in the course of you wrestling with God, you develop a limp. Sometimes that limp is a result of the bumps and the bruises you receive on your way to the blessing.

Sometimes the limp develops because of the years you spend hoping for a change. Sometimes the limp develops because of the pain of the “hoping process.” You can’t live without hope but sometimes it hurts to hope. It would almost be easier to give up and throw in the towel. Sometimes it hurts to hope because hope is a long term commitment. In other words, as Paul says in Romans, “if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” Along the hoping path we meet with the enemies of doubt, discouragement, scoffers who tell us its no use, and our own inner voices that raise the question, “What in the world are you doing?”

But hope is a long term investment. It is our wrestling with God until He blesses us. It is a decision not to let go, not to give up, not to throw in the towel, not to say, “it’s no use.” It is a long term commitment to ignore the naysayers, to ignore what is readily apparent and to choose to trust God, realizing that we walk by faith and not by sight. It is a decision, an understanding that sometimes, it hurts but as the athletes say, “no pain, no gain.” It is the understanding that some of the things we experience will leave us some scars, but the scars are not there to defeat us, the scars are not there to kill us, the scars are there to remind us of the fierce love of God that would not let us go even when we wanted to let go.

I’m reminded of a story of a little boy, down in the south, out playing near a creek. His mother was near by when the boy decided to go out to wade in the water, not realizing that an alligator was lurking near by. Just as the boy stepped down further in the water, an alligator grabbed the boy by the leg. The boy started screaming and the mother ran down and grabbed the boy by his arms. The alligator was fierce and strong, but the mother’s love was stronger. As they tussled and screamed, some on lookers near by came to help and with sticks and rocks began pelting and beating the alligator until it finally let the boy go.

Thankfully, the alligator did not take off the boy’s legs, they were, however badly mangled and knarred by the alligators teeth. The boy’s arms were bruised and bleeding from the deep wounds made by his mother’s nails as she dug into his flesh in desperation, struggling not to let the little boy go. When the news reporters came to interview the boy, expecting a story of woe and pain – they were surprised. Instead of him showing his broken, bruised and knarred legs, he proudly pulled up his sleeves and showed him his scarred arms.

He said, “These scars show how much my mommy loved me because she wouldn’t let go.” Sometimes hope and determination will produce scars and limps, but the scars and the limps are not to defeat us, they are to remind us that God will hold us and never let us go! Our hope in Him is never misdirected and our destiny in Christ is secure.

Sometimes in order to receive your blessing, you’ve got to wrestle, you’ve got to dig, you’ve got to pursue, you’ve got to strain. You may have to limp along the way, but if you hold on and don’t let go, God will deliver on His promises. Jesus was deeply bruised and wounded for us. His love for us is so fierce, that He would not let go. Walk in that love, strength and blessed assurance today. Even if you are limping, there is a blessing wrapped up in our limp!

Post a comment or send me an email at Revcsmith1@gmail.com
Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Shepastor: “Don’t Leave Before the Benediction, Part III”

Numbers 6:22-27 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Priestly Benediction


22 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 23 Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,
24 The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
27 So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

This week, Shepastor continues to reflect upon aspects of the words that the Lord spoke to Moses to give to the Priest Aaron and his sons as a blessing over Israel. These verses are known as the “Priestly Benediction.”

Our focus for today highlights the fourth phrase, “the Lord lift up his countenance upon you…” (the Lord’s approval”). This phrase gives us even greater insight into this blessing. The term “countenance” means the look on a person’s face that shows one’s nature or feelings. We know that God is not a person but a spirit - and none of us living have seen the face of God, but by the reading of His word and the experiences of our lives, we know and understand the nature of God.

The personality of God – the way of God. God is a healer – God is a deliverer – God is a way maker – God is the source of our joy and our strength – God is all powerful – God is all knowing – God is everywhere and can do anything – God’s countenance – God’s nature. Just think about that. God instructed Aaron and his sons – the priests to bless his people by letting them know that God Himself is lifting up His nature upon them. In other words, God wants to bless us to look like Him! That’s the only way for us to get His approval.

The only way for that to happen is for us to be covered by Jesus! God knew that in order for us to look like Him, in order for us to gain His approval, God would need to pour out upon broken, depraved, sinful humanity the likeness of Himself through His son Jesus Christ. While that would not happen in the flesh for centuries later, there on Mt. Sinai, God provided a glimpse or a shadow of things to come. The sacrifices of lambs, and rams and bulls were only a shadow of that which was to come, but it served as a reminder that we serve a holy God and God wants holiness. That holiness is only made possible when we submit ourselves to be washed and made clean through the forgiveness of our sins. God desires that for us. But we’ve got to desire that for ourselves.

Through Christ, we are covered by God’s grace and mercy. He lifts up His countenance or “likeness” upon us. When God sees His reflection in us, it pleases Him. May we walk in the beauty that the Lord desires to place upon us today!

Next week is our final installment of this series, “Don’t Leave Before the Benediction.” We’ll discuss the phrase, “And give you peace…”

Post a comment or send me an email at Revcsmith1@gmail.com
Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Shepastor: “Don’t Leave Before the Benediction, Part II”

Numbers 6:22-27 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Priestly Benediction


22 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 23 Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,
24 The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
27 So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.


This week, Shepastor continues to reflect upon aspects of the words that the Lord spoke to Moses to give to the Priest Aaron and his sons as a blessing over Israel. These verses are known as the “Priestly Benediction.”

Our focus for today highlights the next two phrases that teach us another aspect of this blessing…
“The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you…”

“Make His face to shine upon you” (God being pleased) and “be gracious unto you,” (merciful and compassionate). God wants to bless us with a heart that desires to please Him. God is merciful and compassionate and sometimes we take that mercy and compassion for granted by adopting a “cheap grace” mentality. That is a mentality that believes that it’s ok to go against God’s way, God’s word, God’s will because after all, God is a merciful and forgiving God and God understands. That is a false interpretation of God’s mercy and compassion.

God honors and blesses the heart that genuinely declares, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” God favors those who are of a contrite heart and a humble spirit. In other words, God honors, blesses and favors the one who not only acknowledges their sin, but hates their sin, desires to distance themselves from their sin and seeks God’s grace and mercy for forgiveness and a new direction. Although we will never be perfect in this flesh, our desire should be to walk in holiness with the Lord through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Lord’s face shines upon those who humble themselves and declare unashamedly “I need thee every hour!” God desires to bless us with a heart to please Him. God wants us to know that His mercy and compassion is towards us, with us and for us.

Next week we will consider the fourth phrase of this blessing, “The Lord lift up His countenance upon you…”

Until then,
May you have a heart that desires to please God. May you bask in His mercy, compassion and love towards you!

Post a comment or send me an email at Revcsmith1@gmail.com

In faith, hope and perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Shepastor: "Happy New Year!!!"

Dear Shepastor Friends,

It is my prayer that in 2019 and beyond, each one of you will experience the love, peace, guidance and presence of the Lord in an undeniable way! May you have the courage and the strength to face every challenge, defeat every giant and embrace every victory through Christ! May you enjoy the fruit of your labor on "this side of the Jordan," and may God use you to bless, encourage, lift up, deliver and heal many in His name!

Next week we will return to our series, "Don't Leave Before the Benediction..."

Happy New Year!!! Expect GREAT THINGS in 2019!!!

Be blessed by this beautiful message in song, sung by Preashea Hilliard (click on link below...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xUqaesCog8

In faith, hope and perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org