Shepastor: "It Belongs to God..."

Parable of the Vineyard Workers
1“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay the normal daily wagea and sent them out to work. 3“At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing. 6“At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’7“They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’8“That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. 9When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. 10When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, 12‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’13“He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ 16“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard is troublesome in the light of our concept of “fairness.” Anyway you cut it, it just does not seem fair, right, just, etc.! How is it that those who came to work early, worked hard all day long, in the heat of the day, get the same pay as those who mosey in at the last hour? Something seems to be very, very wrong with this picture!

Now those of us who have been in church any length of time have heard this story. We understand that Jesus is referring to salvation and God's grace (unearned favor)– The Lord will save us whenever we say “yes.” It does not matter how, when or where. Age, time, etc., are not factors. The one who received Christ at an early age and served in the church all of his or her life will not receive some higher level of salvation than the one who accepts Christ near the end of their lives – just doesn’t seem fair!

This concept of “fairness” just does not fit well with how the Lord seems to operate. God’s sovereignty over rides our understanding of fairness. The crux of this message, however, flows over into other arenas of our walk with God. The Lord gives each of us assignments. Our job is to complete the work assigned to our hands. When we look across the proverbial class room and see the assignments and apparent “pay” of others, our human frailty may cause our spirit to holler, “Not fair!”

But Jesus asked the workers a simple question, “Is it wrong for me to do what I want with what is mine?” The song writer said, “Have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way. Thou art the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after thine will, while I am waiting, yielded and still…”

We belong to the Lord. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein,” (Psalm 24:1). As difficult as it may feel at times, may we, by faith, allow the Holy Spirit to keep us focused upon our assignment. Whatever is right, He will pay.

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until Next Wednesday,

In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: "Rethinking Our Understanding of Destination..."

32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Hebrews 11: 32-40, NIV

The Biblical concept of destination is always greater than one individual. Throughout scripture, we see the interconnectedness of humanity. A person’s life spanned far beyond the length of their individual years. As long as someone in their family line was alive, they were thought to be alive. Blessings and yes, even curses were thought to have been passed down through families. But also, as in our focus scripture, the Bible suggests that “we are made perfect” in connection with one another.

We are passing proverbial batons. At times it feels like our prayers are not being answered. Sometimes it seems like our efforts, our endeavors, our seeds, our attempts to do are in vain. Yet we are reminded that our “destination,” in terms of goals, dreams, prayers etc., are a piece of a puzzle. This was brought home to me recently as our small congregation made the faith leap to sell our church property, take the proceeds and re-envision ministry as the Lord leads us (you can read our testimony by visiting www.covenantbaptistministries.org).

The pastors of the new congregation who purchased our property invited me to come and greet their congregation during their first worship service in the new space. Joyous, vibrant, full of worship and praise, they gathered in the newly renovated facility. My heart leaped with joy as I experienced their exuberant spirit of worship, engagement and eagerness to serve God in that place and community!

Suddenly, I had an epiphany. For years, I led our congregation in corporate prayers, seeking the Lord’s favor, asking to Lord to cultivate in that place (our former worship location) and within our congregation a vibrant spirit of worship, praise, service and love for Him. Admittedly, our congregation wrestles with a spirit of lethargy and dullness. I found myself frequently asking the Lord, “Can these dry bones live?” This has been a painful reality for me personally as a pastor. Having come from both small and large congregations that were filled with faith, hope, praise, worship, song and service, serving in this environment was foreign to me.
Years of fasting, praying, teaching, preaching, planting, watering etc., at times felt fruitless. But on this Sunday, the Lord reminded me of something…God honored our request to revive worship in that space, but through a different congregation. He used us to prepare the way for them. We now will continue our journey to cultivate a fresh, new ministry, outreach, worship and praise in a new space, a new way, a new community! Together, with us, the Lord accomplished His purposes.

God has given us free will. Ultimately, God’s purposes will prevail. It is dangerous, however, to assume that we are “pre-destined,” to receive what God has in store for us on this side of the Jordan, if we don’t heed the leading of His Holy Spirit. Had our congregation refused to see “the hand writing on the wall,” we would have died, the relationship with the property purchasers may have never been born and mutual blessings now experienced would not have happened.

It’s time for us to re-think our perception of destination. Sometimes what feels like failure or barrenness is really a seed, planted in the soil, preparing to burst through in the spring time of life’s cycle. In the words of another preacher, “burial and planting look very similar.”

Be encouraged. We are connected. Your labor is not in vain. Listen, trust God and obey His Holy Spirit.

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com
Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: "How Bold Are Your Prayers?"

5Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,6because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’7Then he will reply from inside, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything.’8I tell you, even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s sheer persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9“So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened Luke 11: 5-10, from the New English Translation

The disciples have been observing Jesus’ pattern of prayer. They’ve watched as he slipped away early in the morning to get alone with His Father in heaven. They’ve watched as Jesus prays and miracles happen – blinded eyes are open, the sick become well, the demons shriek and are cast out. They wanted to know what it was about Jesus’ prayers and his prayer life that made him so effective in ministry.

So they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” The verses prior to our focus text provide for us one of the most powerful and well known prayers in the Christian Church – often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer,” or more accurately called, “The Model Prayer.” But after that, Jesus makes his point about the power of bold/persistent prayer even plainer by giving the illustration of the knock at midnight.

In the book entitled, Sister to Sister: Devotions for and from African American Women, Dr. Marcia A. Harris, a gynecologist who practiced in New York, on Manhattan’s East Side wrote the entry, “Determination and Dignity.” Dr. Harris asks the reader to walk through the corridors of her past realities by picturing her struggles as an orphaned West Indian Jamaican girl. She wrote,

“Yes, determination coupled with consummate faith and instilled pride—and underwritten by intense desire has brought me this far. Life has not been easy. The deck was stacked against me early on, as it is and has been for so many of us. The road is not straight. It has many curves and detours and has been unusually long and hard. Even adversity, however, can be used to our advantage, as long as we don’t lose sight of our goals.”

END QUOTE (taken from pages 80-82).

Some years ago, the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preached the sermon, “A Knock at Midnight.” In it, he asserts that the world is enshrouded by the darkness of midnight through wars, hatred, social injustices, and a famine of ethics and morality. He suggests that hungry humanity knocks at the door of the Church seeking “three loaves of bread: the bread of faith, the bread of hope and the bread of love.”

He goes on to suggest that in order to confront the darkness, the church must do more than roll over in the bed of complacency and comfort, but must open the door wide and feed the soul of hungry humanity.

But in our text for today, Jesus is not referring to God the Father as a “reluctant friend,” but rather is urging his disciples to understand the relationship between bold and persistent prayers and answered prayers. Jesus is saying to them in so many words, “The friend said within himself, ‘Man look, I am in bed, my wife and my children are in bed, it’s after midnight and I ain’t thinking about comin and givin you nothing!” But then the man thought about it and said, (in so many words), if this man is bold enough, crazy enough, persistent enough to come to my house at midnight and ask me for some bread, he must really need it. Let me get up and give him what he needs!

Jesus is suggesting that there is something about bold and persistent faith that gets the attention of God. We see this when the Centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant (Luke 7:1-10). He told Jesus that there was no need for Jesus himself to come to his humble home. Just “say the word and my servant will be healed.” The scripture says that Jesus marveled at that man’s faith. We see this with the faith of the Syrophoenician woman (Matthew 15: 21-28). She came to Jesus and Jesus told her that it was not right to take the children’s food and serve it to the dogs, basically, placing this woman in the category of a dog.

This text has bothered and baffled many over the years, but Jesus was up to something. He knew that this woman would be an example for us today. He knew that this woman would push past even the pain of feeling like she was being treated like a dog…

Look at this woman’s boldness in the face of her pain…
This woman had a need. Her need was so great that it enabled her to drown out all real and perceived negativity. In other words, this woman was so focused that she screened out and ignored any and everything that was going to take her focus off of her goal. Her goal was to have her daughter healed by Jesus. This woman was determined woman. By definition, the term “determined” means, “having one’s mind made up, resolute, unwavering.” This woman was resolute. She had made up her mind and she was unwavering. No matter who said that she couldn’t, she shouldn’t, it wasn’t going to happen, give it up, go back home, don’t show your face – it didn’t matter what anyone said, this woman’s goal was to get to Jesus! But not only that, this woman was persistent! Even when it looked like Jesus was ignoring her, for the scripture declares, “But he answered her not a word…” She just stayed right there. And then when he finally did answer, his initial response was less than consoling. Jesus said, “I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But the woman still wouldn’t budge! She didn’t throw up her hands. She didn’t throw in her towel. She didn’t walk away in defeat. She didn’t even get angry, the scripture says that in the face of Jesus’ seeming insensitive response and turn down, the scripture says that she worshiped the Lord, saying help me!”

Sometimes we give up conversing with God too quickly. We get disappointed or our answer doesn’t come packaged the way we want it and we give up. Sometimes, we get weary in our mind and we get side tracked – forgetting what we were even praying for – we lose hope, we lose heart, we loose feeling, we lose direction and ultimately we lose our blessing. But this woman put all that aside. She was determined. She had a goal in mind and that goal was to get to Jesus.

Have you ever felt like God was ignoring you? Have you ever felt like God was allowing you to be treated like a dog? Have you ever had friends and family question the falidity of your christianity because you were struggling up the rough side of the mountain for so long? Let me see if I can’t bring this a little closer to home – have you ever had somebody spread lies about you and have people question your integrity?

Have you ever put your trust in a friend and have them stab you in the back. Have you ever given your all and had somebody trample on your pearls? Have you ever prayed and cried all night long and woke up and the mess was still there?

Oh yes, there are times in our lives when it seems that God has forsaken us. There may be times in our lives, when our enemies wonder why we serve the Lord when deep trouble comes our way – but he never promised that we wouldn’t have trouble – he said, “in this world, ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33)

The gentile woman, had bold and persistent prayers. She was not going to let what looked like insensitivity and meanness turn her away from Jesus. She believed that somehow, the Lord was still good and that He would bless her, therefore she humbled herself and responded, “Yea, Lord, for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table!”

Because of her boldness, because of her persistence to maintain a conversation with God, because of humility and her determination, and yes, because of her praise in the midst of adversity, Jesus looked down at this woman and declared, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt!”

And the Bible declares that the woman’s daughter was healed immediately. The Bible declares that Jesus granted her petition! God will reward your bold and persistent prayers. God will honor and reward your humility and persistent praise. God will exalt you when you humble yourself before Him.

You may think that what you want is too big. You may think that what you are asking God to do is impossible. You may think that what you desire God to do is too far out of your reach. Let me ask you a question, how bold are your prayers? Are you bold enough to go to God with some crazy prayers and have some crazy faith?

Are you bold enough to ignore the negativity of what folks are saying all around you? Are you bold enough to believe God for what your eyes cannot see? Are you bold and persistent enough to go to God and let God tell you what is and is not for you? You wont’ know unless you ask. You won’t know unless you try. You won’t know unless you trust. And if God doesn’t do that…God will do something else and it will be greater, it will be better, it will bless you in ways that cannot imagine!

God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Keep on trusting, keep on believing, keep on praying, keep on praising, keep on pressing, keep on loving, keep on serving, keep on keeping on and God will lift you up – God will make your crooked places straight, God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory, God will make your rough places smooth, God will carry you through!

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: “Becoming Irrelevant or Do We Just Have it Too Good? Attitudes Toward ‘Church’ Today…”

18“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." Matthew 16:8, NASB

“Your problem is that you’ve got it too good…” I can still hear my Dad speaking those words to me as I (a teenager at the time) complained, moaned and or groaned about this or that. He would go on to share with me the difficulties he experienced as a child and as a young person, growing up in painful and poor conditions. He was trying to help me understand that appreciation often is an outgrowth of having experienced the pain of the opposite.

I’m wondering if modern day American Christians are not victims of the “you’ve got it too good” syndrome. I’ve qualified Christians with “American” because in general, in our Nation (to God be the glory) we are free to practice our faith where ever we want, whenever we want and basically, however we want. We’ve read the statistics about severely declining church attendance. We’ve heard the chatter that “the local church is dying…people have lost interest in the local church…we’ve got to find a new way to ‘do’ church or it will disappear…it has become irrelevant…people are no longer interested in coming to church…”

Interestingly, in other parts of the world where “the Church,” (big “C” and little “c”) is being persecuted, the church is thriving. In places where Christians are denied Bibles, imprisoned, beaten, beheaded, abused etc., the Church and the church is growing in record numbers. People in those circumstances are clamoring to hear the Word of God, secretly assembling for prayer and a message of salvation, hope, inspiration and empowerment from the Holy writ.

No praise band, no entertaining and flowery words, no gimmicks, no twitter accounts or websites, no catchy themes or colorful banners or “hot cards,”…yet they thrive. By word of mouth and compelling testimony, they draw others to “come and dine.” Some meet in caves. Some meet in crude make shift sheds. Some meet in valleys. Some meet in damp, dark basements. Some meet in obscure patches of trees…yet they are vibrant, “sold-out,” risking literally life and limb to go. To them, “church/Church,” is not an option, a tradition, a thing to check off of a “to-do” list, a place to do social networking…for them, “church/Church” is the life-blood of their existence. This is not because of the institution, but because they hunger and thirst for the relationship with Christ and other believers.

May we realize the beauty and blessing of what we have in both the “Big C and the little c.” May we value the gifts and talents that the Lord has given to the body of Christ to heal, free and give sight. May we get back to the basics of preaching and teaching the life, love and salvation offered through Jesus Christ and speak more respectfully and appreciatively of the Bride that Christ died for.

Irrelevant? Dying? Boring? Out of touch? Maybe we've got it too good. Maybe what we need is a good dose of persecution. It would be interesting to see how many of those terms would then apply.

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com
Be blessed on your Lenten journey of repentance, reflection and rededication.

Until Next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: “Revisiting the Meaning of Lent…”

23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139: 23-24, KJV

Today is Ash Wednesday – the official beginning of the Lenten Season. When I was a little girl, I remember “fasting” from candy and other delectables for forty days. Every Friday we ate fish. On Sundays, no secular music and excessive talking until after 12:00 noon! Every Good Friday we went to mass at 3:00 p.m., the time believed to be when Christ uttered the words, “It is finished” (I was raised Catholic). “Easter Saturday” was to be a somber, reverential day. Oh but on Sunday, we tore into our carefully crafted Easter baskets filled with colorful jelly beans, dyed boiled eggs, chocolate bunnies and crosses and yellow marshmallow chicks!

My dad ensured that we had “hot cross buns” and other sweet rolls or coffee cakes for breakfast. The fast was finally over – hallelujah! For sure, the adults understood the deeper meaning of this Lenten season. For us kids, it was mostly about getting through forty days without delicious sweets!
As I reflect upon those days, I realize that we lacked a depth level explanation and understanding of what true repentance looks like. I believe that many still lack understanding today. Below is a beautiful explanation of the meaning and purpose of Lent, taken from an article entitled, “The Liturgical Structure of Lent.” Consider…

The Liturgical Structure of Lent

To understand the various liturgical particularities of the Lenten period, we must remember that they express and convey to us the spiritual meaning of Lent and are related to the central idea of Lent, to its function in the liturgical life of the Church. It is the idea of repentance. In the teaching of the Orthodox Church however, repentance means much more than a mere enumeration of sins and transgressions to the priest. Confession and absolution are but the result, the fruit, the "climax" of true repentance. And, before this result can be reached, become truly valid and meaningful, one must make a spiritual effort, go through a long period of preparation and purification. Repentance, in the Orthodox acceptance of this word, means a deep, radical reevaluation of our whole life, of all our ideas, judgments, worries, mutual relations, etc. It applies not only to some "bad actions," but to the whole of life, and is a Christian judgment passed on it, on its basic presuppositions. At every moment of our life, but especially during Lent, the Church invites us to concentrate our attention on the ultimate values and goals, to measure ourselves by the criteria of Christian teaching, to contemplate our existence in its relation to God. This is repentance and it consists therefore, before everything else, in the acquisition of the Spirit of repentance, i.e., of a special state of mind, a special disposition of our conscience and spiritual vision.

The Russian Orthodox Journal, March, 1959, pp. 6-8

During this Lenten Season, may we do more than refrain from special types of food. May we dare to spend time in deep reflection, contemplation, and spiritual renewal. May we allow the Holy Spirit to give us a “spiritual check-up.” May we ask the Lord to “search our hearts, try our thoughts, see if there be any wicked way in us and lead us in the way everlasting.”

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: “The Kingdom of Heaven is Within You…”

20 And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:21 neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17: 20-21 (ASV)

The Kingdom of Heaven is Within You…

Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us. How could that be? What does ‘Kingdom Living’ mean?

Let’s consider the "BE SCRIPTURES…"

John 3:3 “Be Born Again”

3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:18 “Be filled with the Spirit”

18Stop getting [g] drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit.

I Peter 1: 13b; 15-16 “Be self-controlled, Be Holy”

13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Ephesians 4: 23, 26, 32 Be…

- “Be renewed in your mental attitude”
- “Be angry, yet do not sin”
- “Be kind to one another”

23to be renewed in your mental attitude,
. 26“Be angry, yet do not sin.”
32And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you [n] in the Messiah.

Romans 12: 2 “Be Transformed”

2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Galatians 6:7 “Don’t be misled”

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant

Proverbs 13: 20 “Be wise”

Whoever walks with wise people will be wise, but whoever associates with fools will suffer.

Philippians 2:5 “Be like Jesus”
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Jeremiah 17: 7-8 “Trust God – be like a tree”

7“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”

I Corinthians 15:58 “Be Steadfast”

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Ephesians 6:10 “Be strong in the Lord…”

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Joshua 1: 7-9 “Be…

- strong and courageous
- careful to obey
- that you may be prosperous & successful
- do not be terrified
- do not be discouraged

7Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Galatians 6: 4-5 “Be Responsible”

4Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Romans 12:18 “Be at Peace”

18 As far as it is possible for you be at peace with all men.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be not anxious”

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 2:10c “Be Faithful”

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the victor's crown of life.

The Kingdom of Heaven is within you!

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: "Am I a Soldier of the Cross?"

1Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.2And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.3Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.4No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of [this] life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. II Timothy 2: 1-4, KJV

The great hymnologist Sir Isaac Watts penned these haunting words…

1. Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follow’r of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His name?
2. Must I be carried to the skies
On flow’ry beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?
3. Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?
4. Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord;
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.

On the heels of many civil rights memorials and in preparation for the Lenten season, we as the people of God should be reminded of the sacrificial nature of Christian discipleship. There are costs associated with being a “soldier of the cross.” While many literally gave their lives to “make this world a better place,” God calls others to continue to live out their lives in a manner that is sacrificial in different ways.

At times we must choose between popularity and speaking the truth in love. At times we must stand with the minority for a just cause. Other times we may feel like “a voice crying in the wilderness.”

Whether we are preaching to multitudes like Peter or like Noah, building arks for refuge while others laugh or assisting with making tents like Pricilla and Aquilla, our assignments have been given by God. May we have the courage, the faith, the obedience and the perseverance to remain clear about our assignments. May we seek always to please our “enlisting officer.”

The Way

To every man there openeth
A Way, and Ways, and a Way,
And the High Soul climbs the High Way,
And the Low Soul gropes the Low,
And in between, on the misty flats,
To rest drift to and fro.
But to every man there openeth
A High Way, and a Low.
And every man decideth
The way his soul shall go.

John Oxenham

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris