One of the greatest promises in Scripture is the promise of joy.  It is very clear in the Bible, especially in Jesus’ teachings, that joy is something God wants every believer to experience, not occasionally but continually.

Unfortunately, many of us never seem to discover the secret to this kind of joy.  Instead, we fight ongoing battles with discouragement and despair.  At best, our lives are marked by a kind-of dullness that is sporadically highlighted with fleeting moments of hope and possibility.

While there are many reasons for the lack and loss of joy, one sure cause is self-centeredness.  Any time our thoughts are primarily focused on ourselves, we can say good-bye to joy!  The opposite is also true.  When we move beyond ourselves to serve someone else — to genuinely and willingly serve them — we open our lives to a fresh flow of joy.

I still remember the equation for joy that was often taught to me as a kid in Sunday School:

J = Love and obey Jesus first.

O = Think about and serve others second.

Y = Let yourself bring up the rear!

There is a great story in the New Testament about 4 men who found and chose this road to joy.  Take a look at Luke 5:17-26:

One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.  Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.  When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” … Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.  Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

The 4 men in this story probably had problems of their own.  It is very likely that they had issues that could have been the focus of their concern that day — things that would have benefited from Jesus’ attention.  Nevertheless, these true friends forgot about their own problems and focused their efforts on getting their buddy into Jesus’ presence.  His problems and pain were more important than anything they were facing in their lives.

I can only imagine the joy these guys felt when their friend was healed and his life was changed forever by Jesus.  It was a joy that lasted a lifetime!  From that day forward, every time they saw this man they remembered that they had a part in his healing and salvation.  What a memory!  What a legacy!  What a source of joy!

Being a stretcher-bearer for someone else is a sure path to joy.  If your level is running low, find someone to serve.  Be a stretcher-bearer!

Pastor Dale

BTW, Join us this weekend for one of our worship services.  For directions, service times and campuses visit CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER.  I am looking forward to seeing you!

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There is one thing that is very hard to live without — HOPE!

Hope is a positive expectation and anticipation for the future.  It lives in the heart and impacts every part of our lives.

What does hope do for us?

• Hope keeps us going when our mind or flesh wants to give up.

• Hope gives us the strength to keep fighting when the tide of a battle has seemingly turned against us.

• Hope is what enables us to grab and tightly hold the promises of God when circumstances are communicating the opposite.

• Hope says, “It’s always too soon to quit!”

• Hope says, “There is a beautful mountaintop on the other side of this valley!”

• Hope says, “God is my help and strength!”

• When your faith is faltering or fatigue is weakening you, hope will get you through!

Take a look at what God’s Word says about the power of hope:

” … those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings of eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”. — Isaiah 40:31

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”. –  Romans 15:13

Hold on to hope!

Pastor Dale

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Have you ever found yourself in a conversation that made you uncomfortable?  Maybe something was being said about another person, and internally you knew that it crossed the line of gossip.  Perhaps someone dived into a dirty joke without warning, leaving you in the awkward position of deciding how to respond.  Do you laugh along with them or let them know that it bothered you?  Do you risk appearing to be a prude by some righteous reaction or rebuke?  Do you potentially compromise your moral standards rationalizing that it is only a passing interaction; “What’s the big deal?”

While I certainly don’t have the answers for all the conversational situations you may find yourself in, the Bible does give us some guidelines in how you can minimize, and perhaps avoid the bad ones.  There are some things you can do that will, at the very least, reduce the occurrence of conversations that compromise your witness for Jesus Christ and grieve the Holy Spirit.

Here are a few things to think about:

• Make sure others know about your spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ.  It is important that those who work with you, and those you are around daily know that you are committed to God.  Your public witness shouldn’t be presented brashly or self-righteously, but humbly and humanly.  The people around you need to know that you are, although imperfect, nevertheless a person of faith.  Many times this will change the content of their conversations with you.

• Determine to clean up your own speech.  The way you communicate will set the standard for the way people communicate with you.  If you use profanity, don’t be surprised if others use it around you.  If you gossip, don’t be surprised if others gossip to you (or about you!).

• Find gracious ways to excuse yourself from compromising conversations.  Ask God to give you wisdom to know how to step away from these situations, or perhaps communicate your spiritual values to those who engage in such conversations.  Ask Him to help you avoid those who habitually traffic in verbal trash.  Know when it is appropriate to lovingly confront the situation with someone.

• Pray before beginning your day, and pray during the day.  Ask God to allow HIs presence, holiness, love and grace to invade and permeate your office or place of business.  Use the authority Jesus has given you against the forces of darkness that hang around your work environment.  Don’t underestimate the power of short, inaudible prayers.  Persistent prayer can and will change atmospheres.

• Be a positive person.  A positive attitude comes out in positive comments.  When you are positive, negative people with their negative comments tend to stay away.  Like attracts like!  Remember, your words always reveal your heart.  Jesus said, “out of the abundance (fullness) of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) To have positive words, it is our responsibility to fill our hearts with positive, faith-filled, holy thoughts.  When our hearts are filled with the right content, our words will reflect it.

The words we listen to as well as the words we speak are powerful.  They can propel us forward or poison our souls.  Be careful what you say, and be careful what you hear!

Pastor Dale

“Watch the way you talk.  Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth.  Say only what helps, each word a gift.”  –  Ephesians 4:29 (Message)

“A wicked man listens to evil lips … ”  –  Proverbs 17:4

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One of the most powerful forces and influences in our lives is perception.  Perception is the mental and emotional lens through which a person views and interprets their world — their reality.  The right perception leads to right responses and relationships.  The wrong perception creates all kinds of problems for us.

In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus gave us a teaching that has many practical lessons.  A key lesson in this parable involves perception.

In the story Jesus described a master who was leaving on an extended journey.  Before he departed, he called three of his servants to meet with him.  In this meeting he gave each of them resources to use while he was gone. To the first servant he gave “five talents of money.” To the second he gave “two talents of money.” To the third, the master gave “one talent of  money.”

The Bible says that the distribution of resources was made on the basis of each man’s “ability.” The master assured these men that he would one day return to see what each man had done with what had been given to him.  They were to put the money to use in a way that resulted in increase — in growth.

Take a look at how each of the three responded after the master departed:

“The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”  –  Matthew 25:16-18

The first two men invested their resources in ways that brought increase.  The third man did not.  This man kept what had been given to him, but did nothing to grow it.

When the master returned, the first two received great commendation, while the third received rebuke.  Look at Jesus’ words describing the master’s response to the men.

To the first two men, the master’s words were the same:

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”  –  Matthew 25:21

To the third man, the master’s response was very different:

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.  Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.”  –  Matthew 25:26-28

Recently I have been thinking about these two groups.  What made the difference in them?   My primary reason for asking this question is, I never want to find myself in the latter category!  I am confident that you feel the same way.

One of the things that contributed to the third man’s failure to grow was a wrong perception.  His thoughts about his master were tainted, twisted and untrue.  This affected his behavior.

Note what the third servant said when asked the third to give an account of the use of his talent:

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’”  –  Matthew 25:24, 25

What was the problem with the third man?  Primarily it was his perception!

This servant had a wrong perception of his master.  He viewed his master as a “hard man,” when in reality the master was a very generous and good man.  This distorted perspective produced unnecessary fear and inappropriate actions on the man’s part — actions that ultimately robbed him of the great gift that had originally been given to him.

When you and I develop wrong perceptions of circumstances and people, it inevitably affects us adversely.  Wrong perceptions create unnecessary fear, anger, resentment, isolation and insecurity.  It robs us of possibilities and potential.  Wrong perceptions can ultimately cause us to lose the rewards God desires for us to enjoy.

In what area of your life are you suffering from the consequences of a wrong perception?  May God help each of us to develop perceptions that are permeated with positive, faith-filled thoughts that bring about faithfulness in us and fruitfulness in our service to God and others!

Pastor Dale

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How well do you follow instructions?

Many people never grasp the power and importance of this one simple life principle — it pays to follow orders!

No where is this truth seen more clearly than in the life of Saul, the first king of Israel.  Although he was the official civil leader of the nation, Saul was still subject to the law and rule of God.  On multiple occasions the prophet Samuel gave specific instructions to King Saul — instructions that came from God.  These orders were not complicated, neither were they difficult to obey.  They were simple instructions.  You can read about them in 1 Samuel 13 and 15.

Each time Saul ignored the orders, substituting his plan for God’s plan.  It appears that Saul did not know how to follow instructions.  This basic ingredient was absent in his character, and it cost him dearly.

The prophet Samuel finally had enough.  He saw this fatal spiritual flaw in Saul.  In sadness and with righteous anger, Samuel declared God’s sentence on Saul:

“For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”  –  1 Samuel 15:23

Take a look at this verse in The Message paraphrase:

“Not doing what GOD tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult.  Getting self-important around GOD is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors.  Because you said No to GOD’S command, he says No to your kingship.”

Saul lost it all because he never learned the basic lesson of leadership.  To be a good leader you must first be a good follower.  Good followers know how to honor orders and obey instructions.  This is essential to a leader’s character and will either qualify or disqualify for service.

How about you?  Are you a good follower?  Do you honor orders and obey instructions?

If you do, you distinguish yourself from the majority of people and are on your way to useful, productive service in God’s Kingdom!

Pastor Dale

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