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| Pastor Jesse's Blog |
| Every week, Pastor Jesse will be posting a new blog, so come back weekly and see what he has to say! |
| Responsive Heart |
| Monday, October 29, 2007 |
| I was reading a devotional this morning and it started by saying, “The next time you read your Bible, try this exercise. Whenever you come to a passage that points out your sin or tells you what you ought to do, tear out that page and burn it!” I shook my head to get out the cob-webs because I had to have read it wrong and then read it again. To my surprise that is exactly what it said to do. As I continued to read I soon realized the author was purposely using an example that we would all see as ridiculous, even appalling, and then turn that finger we’re pointing right back at us as Nathan did to David. In following God’s direction Jeremiah dictated the words of God against Judah to a scribe named Baruch. Then Baruch took the scroll and read it to Judah’s officials and then Jehudi, an official of the palace, read it to king Jehoiakim. Here is the king’s reaction to the words of God: Whenever Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took his knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up. Neither the king nor his officials showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard. Jeremiah 36:23-24 Now this seems so extreme. It maybe even angers you that someone would do this with the word of God. Yet, whenever we read the Bible and it points out a sin in our life or maybe points out something we should be doing that we are not and we ignore it we are essentially cutting out that passage and throwing it in the fire. James 4:17 says, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.” The challenge for all of us, myself included, is that when we pick up the word of God we are to make a commitment with God and ourselves that we will read it with a responsive heart. |
| posted by jesse at 9:54 AM |
| Appearances |
| Monday, October 22, 2007 |
| All of us get caught up in our appearance living in America. It’s not necessarily all bad but its amazing to me how much time we spend trying to look good. It’s not that I think trying to look pretty or handsome is a sin but the amount of time we spend on appearances seems a little out of balance especially when in the end God says that our appearance doesn’t matter much but the heart does. What would happen in our lives if we would spend as much time working on our hearts as we do our outward appearances? I was reminded of this in my reading this morning. Jeremiah is speaking against the people of Jerusalem but he is specifically calling out King Johoiakim because he only cares for building his luxuries and in doing so actually oppresses the very people he is called to serve, shepherd, and care for so that he can have what he thinks makes him look like a good and powerful king. Through Jeremiah God speaks about Johoaikim to the people of Judah: He (Johoiakim) says, “I will build a magnificent palace with huge rooms and many windows, paneled throughout with fragrant cedar and painted a lovely red.” But a beautiful palace does not make a great king! Jeremiah 22:14-15 For us it is also true that a beautiful appearance does not make a Godly person. Whatever that appearance may be for us, a great job, big house, nice car, good looks, we need to be reminded that none of these will make us who God wants us to be. My challenge for us today is not that these things in themselves are to be cut out but I want us all to evaluate the amount of time and effort we spend in getting these things versus the amount of time we spend with God allowing him to change our hearts, the real measure of greatness |
| posted by jesse at 9:45 AM |
| Avoid the Hard Way |
| Monday, October 15, 2007 |
Yesterday I had the opportunity to listen to 13 testimonies from people who are becoming members of the church. I had preached 3 sermons that morning and honestly, I was exhausted and was looking forward to going home to rest. I knew that this part of the membership process is vital but it had been a long day and I didn’t have much gas left. Then the stories of how Christ had changed people’s lives starting being told and I felt invigorated as if God was filling me up with energy with every word spoken. I don’t have the time to write about all the wonderful miraculous stories told but I wanted to share the one common denominator in every story I heard. Every person in my group shared essentially that at one time or another they felt like they knew better than God and took control of their own lives. At that point all of them shared it was at that moment the heartache of life began. For all of them it wasn’t until they came back to God and released their lives over to him that joy began to fill their lives again. Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols! The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay, says the LORD. or my people have done two evil things: They have forsaken me — the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all! 2:11b-13 NLT Maybe this is you today. Your holding onto your own life either afraid of giving control over to the Lord or you really wrongfully believe that you know what’s best for your own life. My friend, I plead with you to listen to God’s instructions to Israel as he is “still calling you to come back to him (3:1)”: “My wayward children,” says the LORD, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” 3:22 NLT Listen to the word of God and to the stories of his people today. It’s not worth learning the hard way, and that is exactly what it will be if you take control of your own life. It always leads to the same place. |
| posted by jesse at 11:27 AM |
| The Lead Builder |
| Monday, October 8, 2007 |
| In the morning I often read large portions of scripture so that I can get the full context of the passage that I am reading but as I read I try to keep my eye out for a verse or a smaller passage that I will come back to so that I can spend more time reflecting on it. I do this because it is impossible to reflect on large portions of scripture. The Biblical term for this is meditation. This allows me to meditate on a verse or passage everyday so that I can allow it to really penetrate my mind and heart for life change. This morning the very first verse I read, Psalm 127:1, made me stop right there and begin my reflecting. Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. Psalm 127:1 Every area of life is about building. We want to build a strong faith, strong families, strong businesses, strong churches, strong small groups, strong marriages, strong careers, strong ministries, and the list goes on and on. This verse puts it as simply as possible, if the Lord our God is not in the building process it is useless. Period. What he is saying is that if God isn’t involved in our building our work is in vain. We are just spinning wheels. So as I ask you as I ask myself, are you allowing God to lead you in building your family, your marriage, your business, your small group, your career, our church or whatever area of life you may want to pick? I ask this because if you want to find success he must be the lead builder! |
| posted by jesse at 10:34 AM |
| Hope Dealer |
| Monday, October 1, 2007 |
| As I continue to read through Job I have picked up on a theme that I don’t think I have quite caught before. Job was very frustrated with God because as he says in 30:20-22 “I cry to you, O God, but you don‘t answer me. I stand before you, and you don’t bother to look. You have become cruel toward me. You persecute me with your great power. You throw me into the whirlwind and destroy me in the storm.” Job then for many chapters defends himself against such treatment. He cries out to God essentially saying “look at all the good I have done in your name! The intentional events that have left me with nothing are completely unjustified and unfair!” Now, I think all of us have felt that way at one time or another in life but with that said that is not what I would like to share with you this morning. In Job’s defense throughout all of those chapters I have discovered a common theme. Job, although rich beyond measure, was a man of Godly character. Let’s look at a few of Job’s activities: “For I helped the poor in their need and the orphans who had no one to help them.” 29:12 “Surely no one would turn against the needy when they cry for help. Did I not weep for those in trouble? Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?” 30:24-25 “Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows who looked to me for help? Have I been stingy with my food and refused to share it with hungry orphans? No, from childhood I have cared for orphans, and all my life I have cared for widows. Whenever I saw someone who was homeless and without clothes, did they not praise me for providing wool clothing to keep them warm?” 31:16-20 This list of Job’s outreach to those in need because of his love for God and love for people could continue for pages. He had his wealth in proper perspective and leveraged his position to help people in need over and over again (31:24-25). One verse in these chapters overwhelmed me with excitement, “I helped those who had lost hope… (29:13)” Job was an agent for God providing hope for those who had lost it. Job was a dealer in hope. He gave it through the power of God to all those in need of it. I don’t think there is any greater calling on us as believers to rise up and join Job in this endeavor. As Christians we have a hope that is indescribable and is not lost in any circumstance. Many people around us have completely lost hope. Life without hope is absolutely unbearable. I challenge you to make it a point to deliver hope to the people God will put in your path today. |
| posted by jesse at 11:04 AM |
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