Disclaimer
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent anyone else's view in any way, including those of my employer.
© Copyright 2010
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent anyone else's view in any way, including those of my employer.
© Copyright 2010
| With the month of May begins the popular wedding season here in the states. Many a couples “tie the not” during this time of the year. It’s a happy time for friends and family, but It could also be a difficult time for singles as they reflect on the relationship that they don’t have. I came across this devotion by one of my all time favorite devotional preachers, Ron Hutchcraft . It’s entitled: “The Altar – Whatever it Takes “. In his fun style Ron portrays where many singles are at and gives them solid biblical advice. |  |
| A Word With You – Your Relationships |
| One of our ministry team had just gotten married, and most of our team was there. We have a lot of fun together, in spite of the fact that I’m really very serious all the time. But, anticipating the bride would do the customary throwing of the bouquet at the reception, I had a special warning for Pam, one of the single young women on our staff. I told her that I had designated two big guys to tie her to her chair when it was time for the bouquet tossing. In case you’ve missed this little custom, the story is that whoever catches the bride’s bouquet will be the next one married. Well, the big guys never materialized and Pam made sure she was front and center for the big moment. The other girls…they never stood a chance. She played defense with her flying elbows; she lunged to make the big catch. It’s the first time I’ve ever known of first-aid being administered at a bouquet toss. All right, I’m exaggerating a little…but just a little. Pam was not to be denied having the next wedding! By the way, who thought up this custom anyway?
I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Altar – Whatever it Takes.” “I’m getting married soon, whatever it takes!” Well, the grabbing of the bridal bouquet is sort of a fun pursuit of that goal. For many, there’s nothing fun about it. It’s the most serious pursuit in their life. It may be that you, or someone you know, are really living to be married. When you want it badly and it just isn’t happening, it’s easy to become more and more frustrated, and honestly more and more desperate. Which can, in turn, cause you to make some lifetime mistakes that will cost you the very happiness you want so much; a mistake like settling for the wrong person. One longtime single man I know says it this way: “I’d far rather live wanting what I don’t have than having what I don’t want.” Some who belong to Jesus will settle for marrying someone who doesn’t even share that most important of all relationships. That’s why the Bible commands, not suggests, commands, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14 ). You violate God’s boundary and you get a marriage without God’s blessing, and no love is worth that. Genesis 24:14 suggests a powerful prayer for every single person, “Let her (or him, as the case may be) be the one the Lord has chosen.” I have talked to so many people who have made a lifetime marriage mistake because of loneliness and desperation, and they all agree: there is something lonelier than not being married, and that’s being married to the wrong person. That’s the loneliest lonely of all. Our word for today from the Word of God is an awesome promise for anyone wondering if they will ever have the love they crave. Philippians 4:19 says, “My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” No one knows you better than the God who made you, including all your deepest needs. It won’t be a man or woman who will ultimately meet those needs. It will be the God behind that promise. He’s promised to give you what you need – what your Creator knows you need, not necessarily what you think you need. And He always meets our needs in His perfect time. Those who try to rush it, ruin it. Maybe you’ve almost put your life on hold until you find that man or woman to marry. Don’t waste a precious day of your life waiting for what you don’t have. Live this day – single or married – with all your heart! And don’t let your waiting start to turn you hard and cynical and bitter or negative. Those kinds of responses insult the God who said He will meet your needs, and by the way, they repel love rather than attract it. Don’t miss what God is doing in your life because all you can focus on is what you wish He was doing. Celebrate this day, knowing “this is the day the Lord has made” (Psalm 118:24 ) and that “the Lord is your shepherd and you shall not want” (Psalm 23:1 ). Devotional originally posted at http://www.hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-relationships/the-altar-whatever-it-takes-6085 |
As many of you know, I think food is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us. Besides loving to eat, I believe a meal tastes better when shared with friends and family. The enjoyment you feel as you sit around the table, share stories, laugh and partake in God’s daily bread is unlike any activity that we participate in.
I’m on one of my favorite Islands in the world, Puerto Rico, “La Isla del Encanto”, with my good friends Rev. David and Gigi Ramos and I’ve enjoyed some excellent food here. Among the great dishes Puerto Rico offers is “Mofongo”, a garlic-flavored plantain dish served with pork, chicken or sea food, with a delectable sauce. I have this all the time in the States but it just taste better on the Island with friends.
Food plays a prominent role in scriptures, references include, Jews celebrating liberation from Egypt with the Passover meal, the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion and the Apostle John chronicling the voice of Jesus as he says:
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” -Rev. 3:20
The “new birth” is likened to partaking a meal with Jesus. Something happens when we have a meal with others. Intimacy grows among those gathered at the table. Life is shared, and love and friendship have fertile ground to grow. I would be the first to admit that I don’t always think of fellowship when I’m hungry, my mind gets focused on gulping down my food and satiating my need. Why do we have to wait for vacations and special occasions to sit down together? With a bit thought and minimal planning we can share the best of God’s provision with others. Here are some things we can do:
I suspect God has many things to reveal to us around the table.
My Mofongo de Pollo, Isla Verde Restaurant, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Pastor Luis
Moca, Puerto Rico
To help us become parents with qualities like His, God expresses His Fatherhood in several ways. First, He desires intimacy with us. Our heavenly Father sent His Son to die in our place so we could become His children. But for that relationship to be intimate, honesty is necessary. Can your children openly express their thoughts, activities, and mistakes to you?
The second way God expresses His Fatherhood is by speaking through His Word, inviting us to pray, and promising to reply. Good communication includes listening. Do you offer undivided attention to your children?
Third, God unconditionally loves us, just as He unconditionally loved Jesus. (John 17:23) Do you practice this type of love in your family?
The fourth way God expresses His Fatherhood is by meeting the needs of His children. Just as He cares for the birds of the air, He will provide for us too. (Matthew 6:26) Children have spiritual needs as well as physical and emotional needs. Are you instructing your sons and daughters in the truths of the Bible?
Fifth, He disciplines us for our good. When God holds us accountable for what we say and do, it’s an expression of His perfect love. Are you holding your children accountable for their actions and words?
Finally, God expresses His Fatherhood by instructing us in the way to live. Through our example and teaching, children can learn how to please our heavenly Father by their lifestyle. What kind of model are they seeing in your daily life?
By relying on God, we can become godly parents. In which area would you like Him to help you?
In his book, “Walking with God“, author John Eldridge writes about how a Christian can have a real and intimate walk with God. John shares how we can hear God’s voice and understand His guidance in our lives. Eldridge’s book is his one year spiritual journal. John writes everything from how he and his family missed God’s timing when going on a trip, how he brings his feelings of emptiness to God and asks for His discernment, to asking the Lord if they should get a puppy. I was delighted to read how he understood God’s will and his presence.
One of the stories of the resurrection in the Gospel of Luke tells us of two disciples on the road to the town of Emmaus :
They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;but they were kept from recognizing him. -Luke 24:14-16
These disciples were discussing everything that had happened with Jesus and He comes along side of them and they don’t know it was him. Something veiled Jesus’ identity. It was only after they had gotten into town and asked Jesus to have dinner with them that they realized it was him.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”-Luke 24:30-32
They realized that their hearts burned with in them, when Jesus spoke to them. Although they did not recognize that God was among them. God was there and His presence caused something to stir inside of them. Many times when God speaks to us something burns within us, we feel an impression, something within us. It’s His Spirit.
The Scriptures teach us to listen to God’s voice:
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being taught -Isaiah 50:4.
. . . for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts . . . (Psalm 95:7–8).
‘..They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd
-John 10: 14–16
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears
my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him,
and he with me -Revelation 3:20
It’s God’s desire that we learn to recognize His stirring, burning in our hearts when we hear His voice. Imagine if we could hear His voice more, if we could be more aware of His presence? How would our life change as the simple choices and major decisions are informed by Jesus?
For the next couple of months @PSCT we’ll be considering how we can hear God’s voice more in our Spring Life Groups. Join us!
Pastor Luis
I’ve always loved Super Heroes since my youth. Among my favorite is Spiderman. This quote from the first Spiderman comic book is close to my heart,”With great power comes great responsibility”. Peter Parker (Spiderman’s alter ego) uncle Ben gives him these words of wisdom. In essence it means that there was a reason why he was given these super powers. A gift has a purpose. Some how I thought that Stan Lee (the creator of Spiderman) borrowed these words from Confucius. Ana, one of brilliant young people at PSCT, corrected me a couple of weeks ago. I did some digging and she was right. Although this was in keeping with Confucius’ teaching about those who hold power, It turns out that Stan Lee actually derived this quote from the Jesus. See below:
I heard Stan Lee speak at a college in Connecticut many, many years ago…and/or I read it later in an interview with him…where he said he enjoyed reading the Bible as Great Literature and a source of story ideas. I think he may have said at that time that the “with great power comes great responsibility” quote was adapted from what Jesus Christ says in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12, verse 48: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”
That’s the King James version that Stan might have read years ago. A contemporary translation reads: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
Who would have thought,biblical truths in Spiderman.
=-=
1 O LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done marvelous things,
things planned long ago.
2 You have made the city a heap of rubble,
the fortified town a ruin,
the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will honor you;
cities of ruthless nations will revere you.
4 You have been a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in his distress,
a shelter from the storm
and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless
is like a storm driving against a wall
5 and like the heat of the desert.
You silence the uproar of foreigners;
as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless is stilled.
6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.
9 In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
I caught this clip from Brian McLaren on worship. Check it out what do you think about what he calls the “Worship Industry”?
=-=
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