God is not like me

God is not like me.

Whew.  I said it.

And I am ecstatic that He is not.

Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us, "The Lord says, 'My thoughts are not like your thoughts.  Your ways are not like my ways.  Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than  your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts'" 

Here's what I know:  God's schedule is different from mine.

If you know me at all - you know that I typically need and want things now.  Not tomorrow.  Today.

I can be very impatient (although to my credit - I am becoming more patient as I get older).

Waiting is not really a big part of my DNA.

And yet God specializes in making us wait.

We continually find ourselves in the "waiting room" of life. 

However, there is a qualifier here:  God puts us in situations where we wait - but he wants us to wait with the hope that something is about to happen.

Trust is probably a good word to throw in here.

He wants us to wait - but trusting in him.

Please know this:  that while we wait - God is doing something in us.  The process is what He is interested in - far more than the end result.

Secondly, God sees things differently than we do.  Where we see problems and disappointment, God sees opportunities.

When we go to God with a problem, expecting him to solve it, he will tell us to take another look.

And usually what we will see is that the problem (or opportunity) is there to help us become more like Jesus. 

Finally, God loves differently than we do.

God's love is perfect.  Flawless.  He never stops loving us no matter what we do.

This is huge:  God loves me the way I wish I could love others. 

God says, essentially, "there are no deal breakers with me."

God is not like me - and (if I can say it this way) I am thankful that He is not like you.

Just a thought for a Thursday.

Having direct and effective access

In our study of Romans, this evening we will look at Romans 5:1,2.

Paul writes, "Therefore (or because of everything he has written in the first four chapters),  since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." 

Because we are connected to God through faith, we now have the privilege of coming into God's presence day and night.  24/7.

Incredible!

Because of what Jesus did for me, I have direct access to him!

Let's suppose I went to Washington D.C. and showed up outside the White House and asked to see the President.

When the guards asked who I am, suppose I say, "Just tell the President that George is here to see him."

You and I both know that my visit with the president is not going to happen.  I'm not a personal friend or a family member.  I don't have an appointment.

But suppose one of the President's daughters needed some lunch money.  She could just walk in and say, "Dad, I need some money for lunch."  And he would give her the money.  No one would say anything.

Paul writes, that you and I have that kind of direct access to the Father.  When we come to Jesus Christ, we are admitted into the very presence of God himself!

Yet, this access is not only direct it is also effective.

This truth is taught by Ephesians 3:12. It emphasizes that through faith in Christ “we have boldness and access with confidence.” Confidence in what? Obviously that he will hear us and answer our prayers according to his wise and perfect will.

We can pray wrongly, of course, and we often do. But when we pray according to the wise will of God, we can be confident that he will both hear us and answer our prayers.

My favorite story in this respect is about Martin Luther and his good friend and assistant Frederick Myconius.

One day Myconius became sick and was expected to die within a short time.

On his bed he wrote a loving farewell note to Luther; but when Luther received it he sat down instantly and wrote this reply:

“I command you in the name of God to live, because I still have need of you in the work of reforming the church. . . . The Lord will never let me hear that you are dead, but will permit you to survive me. For this I am praying. This is my will, and may my will be done, because I seek only to glorify the name of God.”

The words seem shocking to us, because we live in less fervent times. But Luther’s prayer was clearly of God and therefore effective. For, although Myconius had already lost the ability to speak when Luther’s letter came, in a short time he revived, and he lived six more years, surviving Luther by two months.

Can we be bold in prayer, as Luther was?

Know this - you can come to God directly today - and with confidence!

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

Storms and rainbows

Rainbows are cool.

Beautiful.  Colorful.

In the Bible, they are symbolic of the moving of God in our lives.

Whenever you read of a rainbow in the Scriptures, I encourage you to pause and realize the tremendous significance they have - not only for the person in the passage - but for you and I today.

Three men in the Bible saw significant rainbows.

Noah saw the rainbow after the storm – just as God’s people see it today (We will look at this on Sunday).

Ezekiel saw the rainbow in the middle of a storm when he had this incredible vision of the wheels and the throne.  He saw living creatures and each one had four faces.  One was like a man, one like a lion, one like an ox, and one like an eagle – the same faces that John saw in Revelation 4:6,7.

Finally, the apostle John saw the rainbow before the storm of judgment broke loose in Revelation 4:3.

In fact, John saw a complete rainbow around the throne of God!

What’s the lesson for us?  In the storms of life, always look for the rainbow of God’s covenant promise. 

You may see the rainbow before the storm like John.

You may see the rainbow in the midst of a storm like Ezekiel.

You may see the rainbow after the storm like Noah.

But you can always see the rainbow of God’s promise if you look by faith.

My thought of the day?  Why not pause and focus not on the storm you are walking through - but on the promise of God's help, peace and security in the midst of that storm. 

God has a rainbow of promise for you today.

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend:

Being the loving husband that I am - I took Debbie to a White Sox game last Friday evening for Mother's Day.  :) :)

(The punch line is that Debbie doesn't care for baseball).

It was 39 degrees.

Yet, we still had a great time.

The White Sox lost.

They are bad.

Did manage to pound down a brat with sauerkraut.  Man, those things are good.

Had a great meeting with our adult bible teachers this past Saturday morning.  What a wonderful group of quality, godly people.  We are working on coming up with a system of discipleship, connecting all of the classes together.

Kind of like spokes on a wheel.  Connected to the hub - the purpose and the process of discipleship.

Many, many thanks to Debbie for speaking yesterday.  Her presentation was truly anointed!

I appreciated her down to earth, common sense, funny sermon.  Many shared how much it meant to them - and ministered to them.

Truly, God knows our name!

We love you Debbie!

Watched a little bit of Sergio Garcia chocking on the 17th hole yesterday at the player's championship.  Some can handle pressure - others can't.

It was almost like watching the movie Tin Cup.

Looking forward to the warmer weather this week.

Met several newer people this past Sunday. 

We are working hard at assimilating those who are visiting us.

Busy, busy, busy - but it is a good busy. 

Love you all!

George

God is strong

As most of our congregation know, I go to Charter Fitness six days a week.

I walk the treadmill for 40 minutes.  2 miles.

But there is a part of the gym that I dare not trod.  It is the section where the free weights are.

The guys (and gals) that are there - scare me to death.

Huge muscles.  Arms bigger than my thighs.

The floor to that area is cover with a black rubbery substance.  I joke with the guys lifting the weights that I don't dare to walk on it.

(BTW, the guys and gals working out on the weights are some of the nicest people I've ever met).

These people are strong.

Even the women working out in that area are stronger than me - and could beat me up.

Here's what I know:  while I am weak - my God is strong.

I need to focus in on that.  I need to realize that in the midst of my weakness, my God is strong - and that the more I focus on God's strength and power, the more I find I have the courage to do and to say the things that God wants me to.

Throughout the Bible, God is presented as strong.  Powerful.

Who wants to serve a timid God?  Who wants to serve a God that gets run over?

In our study in the book of Genesis, we saw that God created the heavens and the earth - and if he did that - and he did, that what can't he do?

Psalms 115:3 says it very succinctly:  "Our God is in the heavens.  He does all that he pleases."

God does whatever he wants, and when he wants to.

J. Vernon McGee once said, "This is God's universe, and God does things his way.  You may have a better way, but you don't have a universe."

That is perfect.

In other words, "When you get a universe, you do it your way.  But for now, this is God's universe.  And no one holds back his hand."

God is strong.

And because of his strength - I can be strong.  God tells Joshua, "Be strong and courageous.  be strong and courageous."  Over and over again, God says, "Be strong and courageous."

Strength and courage should be a part of our spiritual DNA.  It should typify us, characterize us, define us.

We should not be afraid.

Don't be afraid this day, my friends.  Your God is strong.  And He lives in you.

Just a thought for a Thursday.

Faith, moms and Abraham

Being that Sunday is Mother's Day, it is very appropriate that we will look at Abraham and Sarah this evening in our bible study (Romans 4:18-25).

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest woman in the world to give birth was Ruth Alice Kistler - who gave birth to a daughter at the age of 57.

There comes a time in every woman's life where she can no longer bear children.  It is a normal and natural passage of life that marks a transition form one phase of life to another.

That is what makes the story of Sarah so remarkable.

Sarah is a woman who gives birth at the age of 90 and get this:  her husband is 100 years old.

Dr. Luke writes in Luke 18:27, "What is impossible with me is possible with God."

Here's what I know:  Our God is a God who can make the impossible possible.

When Abraham heard the news he laughed (at the promise of God for a child - at his age).  Sarah also laughed.  (What's ironic is that when the baby was born they named him Isaac - which means "laughter").

They wrestled with the promise of God - but at the end of the day - both of them had faith that God would do what he promised.

I want to leave you with this.  Something practical.

Where did Abraham and Sarah find the faith to believe?  Romans 4:20 tells us that Abraham was "strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God."

Abraham found the will and emotion to believe by resting in God.  By trusting in God.  And that in turn gave God glory.  Abraham and Sarah glorified God by letting God be God!

Why not let God be God today!

In what area do you need to trust God?

Is there something that you've given up on, that just seems dead?

I would suggest that you trust that God can bring life out of that which is lifeless.  A dead marriage.  A ruptured relationship.  A financial situation.  A health crisis.

Give it to God right now and let Him "give life to the dead and call things that are not as though they were." (Romans 4:17)

Why not trust more - and let God move?

Just a thought for a Wednesday

Condemnation and conviction

When we sin, God doesn't condemn us - but we does convict us.

Well, God will send the conviction of his Holy Spirit – the conviction of the Holy Spirit which will woo them back into the faith. 

He always responds with grace.

Paul writes in Romans 8:1, “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus Christ.”

Do you belong to Jesus today?

When you sin, when you have a bad day like Noah, the Holy Spirit will convict you and never, ever condemn you.

There is NO condemnation.  No.

That word "No" is the strongest possible negative in the Greek language.

It means, “no, no..Never…never...not in a million years.

There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

There is a difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the enemy.

Paul writes in Second Corinthians 7:10, “Godly sorrow (conviction) leads to repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow (condemnation) brings death.”

The conviction of the Holy Spirit makes us painfully aware of our sinfulness and our failures, but even as it does we are motivated to confess our sins and try again.

We hear ourselves saying, “I know I’ve failed, but I will do better next time.”

Condemnation, on the other hand, makes us feel like giving up.  It tells us that we will never be any different that God is sick of our repeated failure.

That God is ready to wash His hands of us.  It drives us into hiding away from God.

The conviction of the Holy Spirit is always very specific when He convicts us of sin.  He puts his finger on it – identifies it – so we can deal with it and bring it to God and get rid of it.

Condemnation is vague, general, it leaves us feeling guilty, unworthy but not really sure why.

It does not identify a particular sin, lest we deal with it and be delivered.

In fact, the only time condemnation is specific is when it condemns us of sins we’ve already confessed.

God forgives our sins, He is done with them; he never brings them up to us again, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”  Psalms 103:12

As you come to God in repentance - God will never, ever reject you.

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

 

 

 

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend:

What a privilege it was to introduce our new youth pastor, Charlie Bassett, to our church!

Charlie has been an "immediate hit" with all of our kids and church family.

Please be praying with them as they make the transition from Florida to Chicago!

It will be a busy summer for them - moving into the area, youth camps, planning for the fall, etc.

Thank you to everyone who came and helped us move some mulch into the children's playground area this past Saturday!

We really appreciated your time! 

I know that Saturday's are busy for everyone - I am grateful for folks who serve in this capacity.

I trust that you are finding our series in Genesis to be spiritually profitable.  I know that I take a great deal of personal satisfaction in preparing the messages.

The whole "verse by verse" thing in teaching, gets me into the Word as much as anybody else!

I would ask that you consider inviting your friends to one of our services this coming Sunday morning. 

It is going to be a wonderful Mother's Day, as Debbie will be speaking and we will be recognizing and praying for moms.

The White Sox and Cubs continue their downward pilgrimage in the baseball standings.

The positive side of it is that we don't have to worry about spending money on playoff tickets.

Derek Rose needs to play in the series against the Miami Heat.  No doubt.

Thought of the day:  Just because something is a sin - and I, as a follower of Christ tell someone what the Bible says about the sin - doesn't mean that I hate them.  In fact, it is just the opposite - it means that I love them enough to tell them the truth.  In love.

Love you all....George

Don't quit

Here's something I know:

When you are walking through a trial - don't quit.

Don't get discouraged or frustrated and quit before the test is complete.

Don't bail and don't run away.

God has allowed that trial for a purpose - and that purpose is ultimately to grow closer to Him.

So even though the test is hard, don't lay down your pencil, walk up to the teacher, hand her your paper and leave the room.

Pastor James writes in James 1:4, "Let endurance have its perfect result".

In other words, if you and I don't complete the test (trial) that is before us, we will stunt the growth process God has built into our trial.

I read today of a little boy who saw a cocoon wiggling on the side of a tree.  He knew it was a butterfly struggling to emerge, and that when it came out it would be beautiful.

The boy watched the struggle for a while because he wanted to see the butterfly come out and fly away, but he grew impatient as time passed.

So the little boy decided to help the butterfly, which he figured had to be exhausted by now.  He broke the cocoon open, but the butterfly inside was unable to fly because its wings were not strong enough.

What the boy didn't know was that the battle to shed the cocoon is necessary to develop and strengthen the butterfly's wings.

The butterfly he "helped" was grounded because the boy let it out too soon.

So - have patience!  Don't quit!

You may not like your trial (test), and that is very, very natural.  There is nothing wrong with wrestling with a trial emotionally.  Emotions will come.  We all get discouraged from time to time.

But don't cut the trial short by running away.

Now then, a key point to remember:  God has His hand on both the clock and the thermostat of your trial.  The "how long" and the "how intense" the trial will be.

And....I am grateful for that.

Just a thought for a Thursday.

Taking ownership

I had a great conversation last night (for about an hour and a half) with David Dewes and Russ Bettenhausen concerning, "assimilating new people into our church".

It's a great topic - one that I think about constantly.

We are seeing a new influx of people coming to our church and checking us out.  I am really excited and jazzed about that.

Here's the question:

How can we get them to "stick"?

How can we lead people to it becoming "your church" to "my church"?

As "our" church becomes "their" church, they will assimilate into our church family.

Nelson Searcy writes about the "Three R's of retention".

Return, relationships and responsibility.

When new guests walk through the door for the first time, our initial goal is to earn return visits from them.

When they do return, our goal evolves to relationship.  We desire to place people in a setting that encourages and builds relationships.  Small groups are perfect for this.

After creating friendships, we our focus comes from relationships to responsibility.

You see, I will become responsible over something that I "own", something that I care about.

If you have ever rented a car, you know the feeling of a lack of ownership.  I mean - you treat the car right, but if it becomes dirty, "oh well", it is not my car.  I am not responsible for it.

However, if you own the car, you want to take care of it the best you can.  You change the oil.  You get the car washed.

Responsibility is always the catalyst that moves people from regular attendance to membership. 

It does not matter how well I preach or how passionate our worship team is - if our newcomers do not find relationship and take on responsibility within our church, they will not stay long.

How does that play out practically?

Talk to newer people in the hallways and foyer of our church.  Break out of the mold of always talking to the same people every Sunday.

Invite newer people out for dinner.  Take them out after a Sunday service.  (Debbie and I do this on a consistent basis).

Encourage them to return.  Share positive events and happenings of our church.

Invite someone to your small group.  Let them meet others who might have similar likes and dislikes.

Follow up with a phone call or an email.

I guess what I am saying is that we each, everyone of us, must take personal responsibility of leading people from return to relationship to responsibility.

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

Key choices in life

I must admit that there are times in my life where I get discouraged.

When I do, I know that I can rely upon the Holy Spirit go give me encouragement.  To strengthen me.  I know that there are people around me who will lift me up, if not by their words, then by their mere positive presence.

However, many times, it comes down to simply this:  A choice that I make.

Life is full of choices, some of them "big" and some of them "small".

When I begin to lose my joy, when I being to feel down, it all comes down to a choice to move on, keep going and let God have His way.

Author Carol Kent, in her book, "A New Kind of Normal," writes this:

When despair tries to take me under....I choose life.

When I wonder what God could possibly be thinking....I choose trust.

When I desperately want relief from unrelenting reality....I choose perseverance.

When I feel oppressed by my disappointment and sorrow....I choose gratitude.

When I want to keep my feelings to myself....I choose vulnerability.

When nothing goes according to my plan...I choose relinquishment.

When I want to point a finger...I choose forgiveness.

When I want to give up....I choose purposeful action.

My word to you today?  Don't give up!  Keep on going!

God has a plan and a purpose for your life!

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend:

I can't tell you how grateful I am to the Lord at the number of people who raised their hand in the second service - signifying that they wanted to start or (restart) a relationship with Christ.

Our worship continues to be lead by the Holy Spirit - anointed by God.

While we plan, while we work, while we plant seed and water, only God can bring in the harvest.

Father, may we see the fruition of our work!

May you show us your favor!

Debbie and I attended a life group leader's luncheon yesterday after the second service.

What a feast we had!  David Dewes brought children and ribs - "fall off the bone ribs."

Some of the best I have ever had!

Many thanks to David and Rick Maldener for leading this endeavor!

If you are attending a life group - try one out!

Life groups are a wonderful way of connecting your non-churched friend to Christ - and to Stone Church!  While they may not come (initially) to a Sunday morning service - they will probably consider going to a home for a time of food and fellowship.

We continue to receive testimonies of people reconnecting or connecting to Christ in our life groups!

Small groups are a venue where a person can relax, be themselves, worship God and share personal needs.

My privilege to dedicate three kids, "unto the Lord" yesterday.  I appreciate the responsibility that parents feel in doing this.

Symbolic acts have meaning as a person comes with the right motivation of heart and spirit.

Derek Rose needs to step up and play for the Chicago Bulls.  Now is the time.

Love you all......

A life of trivial pursuit

Is your life a game of "trivial pursuit"?

Are you satisfied with the mundane?   The trivialities of life?

Can I give you a thought today?

We, as a culture, are amusing ourselves to death. 

But it is not just our culture.  We, as the people who have professed Jesus as Savior and Lord have also allowed our lives to become filled with the trivial.

Trivial conversations.

Trivial fights.

Trivial agendas.

Trivial reading.

Trivial praying.

Trivial views of God.

I am guilty of that and so are you.

It reminds me of a Seinfeld episode.  A show about nothing.  Dialogue about nothing.

Our culture is filled with people facebooking (yes it is now a verb) and tweeting what they had for dinner and what kind of hair day they are having.

Now there is nothing inherently wrong with that  (please don't misunderstand me) - it's just that it is replacing the important things of life.

God has not called us to live a trivial life. 

Our life in God is meant to be a great adventure with Him.  Knowing him, pursuing Him, living passionately for God and with God - caught up with God' mission for the world.

Discussing the important things of life.

That should seize us, compel us and burn within us so trivial stuff still exists, but it gets a much lower level of importance on our agendas.

Just a thought for a Thursday.

Which eye are you looking through?

One of the axioms of life is that we see what we want to see - and hear what we want to hear.

We can hear - but not really listen.

And we can see - but not really comprehend.

Many times the negativity and sin of this world remains oblivious to us - not because we aren't aware of what is going around us - but because we choose not to see and comprehend - and then do something about it.

My dear friends, how long can we "turn a blind eye" to the sins of this world?

How long can we "turn a blind eye" to the sins of the church?

How long can we "turn a blind eye" to our own sins?

How long can we keep blaming and pointing fingers at others without approaching the fact that perhaps we are "turning a blind eye" to our own faults and failures?

The phrase "turn a blind eye," means to ignore undesirable information.  It means to live in denial.

It means to have Pollyanna view of life - that things are great and will only get better.

That's not to say that I am to become a negative person, not at all.  But it is to say that I can be realistically positive - and not turn a blind eye to the evil of this world.

I can turn a blind eye to what is going on in my family.

I can turn a blind eye to what is going on at my job.

I can turn a blind eye to what is going on in my church.

Where did the saying, "turning a blind eye" come from?

The saying comes from a 19th century British naval battle.

Kevin Miller writes:

"On April 2, 1801, during the Battle of Copenhagen, the British fleet was attacking the combined navies of Denmark and Norway.

Three British ships ran aground, so the admiral, Hyde Parker, decide that the fire of battle was "too hot for Nelson to oppose."  So Parker sent an order, thorough signal flags, that the younger admiral Horatio Nelson should "Discontinue Action" and withdraw.

When Nelson heard his own signalman relay the order, the pretended not to hear him.

Mesmerized by the thrill of battle, Nelson had no intention of obeying the order.  He turned to his captain and said, "This day may be the last for us at any moment," even as a Danish cannonball struck his ship's mainmast, scattering splinter all around him.  This was typical of Nelson's stubborn and aggressive approach to war.

In fact, he'd already lost sight in his right yes in a previous battle.  So when he pressed again to respond to Parker's order, Nelson told his flag captain Thomas Foley, "You know, Foley, I only have one eye - I have the right to be blind sometimes," and then Nelson held up his telescope to his right eye and said, "I really do not see the signal!"

Sometimes we are like that.  With one good eye and one blind eye, when an order comes through from God, we hold up the telescope to the blind eye - and we ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit.

We ignore the evil around us.

I, as a pastor and teacher, have the biblical, God-given responsibility to encourage and lift up the "saints of God", but also to remind us of the fact that we can't ignore our sins and failures.

I have been called to confront - but to confront in love.

Just a thought for a Wednesday.