On Fire Again in 2010

I'm excited about the upcoming year that's just around the corner. I look for great things to happen in the kingdom of God and our church. U.A.C. is going to dedicate the first 21 days of the new year to the Lord through Prayer and Fasting. I invite all who will to join us as we draw close to God as a church family. The word says that some things come not but through prayer and fasting. So lets do more than just cover up the T.V. for a little while lets give up as much as we can for the next 21 days to honor God and to surrender to Him all we have and all we are. Maybe you would like to do a Daniel fast or maybe even fast all but one meal a day. Whatever you chose to fast make sure you pray about it first. I would like to see the good old fashioned miracles return to the church this year and I believe that they will happen when the church begin to get serious with God in our prayers and our fasting. Let's get on fire for God again in 2010. God Bless!!!!!!!!!

Follow Jesus

John 21:18-19 KJV Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. (19) This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

In this scripture Jesus tells Peter that he would have to go somewhere he wouldn’t want to go if he was to continue following Him, and then says “follow me”. I find this verse interesting because Jesus had just questioned Peter’s love for Him the few verses before these. After Peter answered His questions correctly Jesus commissioned him to feed His sheep, and then turns right around and begins to tell Peter what kind of death he (Peter) would die. You see it’s easy to be happy when God calls you to do something great like feeding His sheep, but it’s not to pleasant to hear of the trials God is going to allow you to face in order to fulfill His calling. But just like Jesus said to Peter after warning him of the hard times to come Jesus still wants us to follow Him even when all we see ahead is a dark valley. Follow Jesus through all the ridicule, sorrow, pain, tears, and whatever else my come your way. If you do God will take the bad things done against you and turn them around to work for you. Romans 8:28 all things do works together for our good. God Bless!!!!!

Do You Love Me? – Jesus –

In John 21:15 Jesus begins to ask Peter a series of simple questions. I want to look at the very first question Jesus asked Peter. He asked Peter, “Do you love Me more than these”. He went on to ask Peter do you love Me two more times after that. But lets look at the first question. Do you love Me more than these? I wonder how many of us truly love God more than everyone else. If your best friend called and wanted you to go to the movies Sunday morning instead of church would it be easy for you to say no or would you battle with the idea of skipping church to please your friend? Or how about a family member who needs help with something they could have gotten done on Saturday? We like to justify our slothfulness with many different excuses but in the end that’s all they are, excuses. If we truly love Jesus more than anything else in the world we would be more faithful to Him than anyone or anything else. Do you Love Jesus?

Legacy or Tragedy?

My wife's grandmother just past away this morning and to be honest it really got me thinking. What if today was my day to meet Jesus? I know it's not odd for me to think about that question seeing that I'm a pastor and all. But I wonder what people would say about me if I was to leave this world today. We spend so much time trying to make withdraws from life, family, and friends that we sometimes forget to make any deposits. My advice today would be to stop long enough to think about the impact you've had on others and ask yourself how you can make an even greater impact from this point on. There is a quote my wife sends to me every once and a while, we don't remember who it came from but it says "Some people are made to read history, some were made to write history, and others were made to make history". I would like to be the one who makes history because of a courageous faith. Leave a legacy not a tragedy. God Bless!!!

Just Keep Digging

When I read the story of Isaac as he re-dug the wells of his father Abraham in the book of Genisis chapter 26 I’m reminded of the many battles we face today. It seems like every time we find a place where we feel Gods blessings someone comes along and throws dirt in the well we are drinking from. But Isaac teaches us a very simple lesson about persistence. When the Philistines filled in his wells he knew they wanted him to leave and move far away. But instead he found another spot close by and began digging again. When he found water the next time they came and fought with him for it to. But we see that he walked a little ways further and started digging again. The point is, even though people keep trying to steal the water that is rightfully yours, keep digging for sooner or later the Lord will make room for you and give you rest. People may not like it when you start drinking from the wells of salvation and out of jealousy they might kick dirt back into your wells but don’t let them discourage you from digging deeper in your relationship with God. So grab your spiritual shovels and start digging again in prayer, study, and worship. Rest will come in God’s appointed time. God Bless!!!

Family Time

Can you imagine life without family? During the Holiday season we meet with family and friends to exchange gifts and spend time reminiscing. We catch up on so many things we missed out on throughout the year. I enjoy this time of year but often it can become overwhelming. So before you get all worked up about shopping and finding the perfect gift for everyone slow down and remember the real reason for the season. Jesus was born of a virgin to deliver us from sin and to adopt us into the family of God the Father. Now all that are born again believers are brothers and sister in Christ, so reach out to your (immediate and extended) family this year and show them you love them with more than just gifts wrapped in pretty paper. Spend as much time with them as you can and share the hope of salvation with as many as you can.

Spreading The Cure

Have you ever stopped Long enough to pay attention to all the lost people that you encounter on a daily basis? These people are infected with a very contagious disease called sin. We should being doing everything we can to deliver the cure to them but often times we’re too afraid of coming in contact with them and we refuse to get close enough to them to share the cure with them. The good thing is that if we have the blood applied to our lives then we are now immune to the disease they are battling. So get out and tell somebody, anybody, and everybody about Jesus for He is the cure for all their needs. God bless!!!