It seems like there are a lot of people and ideologies out there that think they have the corner on truth.  Everywhere you turn someone is saying that they are right and everyone else is wrong.  Just the other day I watched a news story about an event going on and three news stations reported that they had the exclusive truth about the incident.  Each story was completely different and as it turns out it appears now after the fact that they were all wrong.  So how do we get at truth?  I John 4 talks about this very thing in regards to faith at least (I can’t help with the news) lets look at it together today. 

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Have you ever received an amazing gift?  Perhaps something extravagant or lavish.  Something far beyond what you would do for yourself.  I can recall several gifts that i have received like that where I was truly overwhelmed.  When you receive such a gift you truly feel loved and appreciated.  You feel a sense of great connection to the giver of the gift.  That is the way that the Bible describes God’s love for us.  Let’s look together at what it says in I John 3. 

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Hello Advent Family,

One of the great misconceptions about following Jesus has been the same from the time of the Pharisees to today.  It is so easy to stumble into the idea that we earn God’s favor by being good.  I have had many conversations with people who thought that they were not good enough for Jesus.  The reality is they were right – none of us are.  Thank goodness God embraces us because of Jesus’ goodness not our own.  The thing is once we follow Jesus He begins working in our life and makes us more and more like Him.  Let’s look together at I John 1 today.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

God is in the forgiveness business.  He forgives us in the midst of our sin but He doesn’t leave us there.  He works through His Spirit to help us walk more and more in the light.  We will always struggle and fail and He is always there to forgive but as we grow in our faith journey He gives us the strength to overcome.  I pray that today and everyday God works in us all to help us walk more and more in the light.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever been on a team where you were supremely confident because of who was on your team?  I once challenged a buddy to doubles tennis and he was a better player than me.  I knew I was going to win because at the time my sister was dating a guy who played professional tennis and he was going to be my partner.  I knew that I couldn’t lose.  I witnessed this yesterday at summer camp as kids were playing games and one team was saying we are going to win because we have Christian on our team.  The other team was complaining that they wanted him on their team so that they could win.  God reminds us throughout scripture that He is on our team.  Let’s look together at one such passage in Isaiah 41.

“But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,
    you descendants of Abraham my friend,

I took you from the ends of the earth,
    from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
    I have chosen you and have not rejected you.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

“All who rage against you
    will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
    will be as nothing and perish.

Though you search for your enemies,
    you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
    will be as nothing at all.

For I am the Lord your God
    who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
    I will help you.

Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob,
    little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord,
    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

God is reminding us that we will prevail because He is on our team.  He has our back.  That truth should give us confidence as we journey through life.  God is on your team!  You can boldly share His love with the world knowing that He is with you each and every step of the way.  He is with us at our jobs, as we struggle through challenging situations, even as we play or engage in our hobbies (although He hasn’t offered any help in my short game in golf).  God is with you, always.

Have you ever been in the midst of one of the storms of life and wondered why?   Why is this happening, why am I walking through this struggle? Often we never get answers to the why’s of life but the good news is we always know the who.  Who is in control? Who loves me through this storm? Who never will leave me?  It’s always Jesus.  It’s interesting that God actually gives Pharaoh a why in the midst of bringing down judgment through the plagues.  Let’s look at the passage together today.

 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, 14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. 19 Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’” 20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 21 But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.

It’s interesting that God tells Pharaoh His purpose.  He says that Pharaoh is actually a part of God’s plan.  His stubbornness actually goes on to serve God’s purpose and plan.  Some times after we walk through a time of struggle God’s plan and purpose become evident to us.  I can look back on several of those seasons in my own life and clearly see that God was at work.  Other times I can look at and not see anything.  The truth that I can hold too is that God was with me through all of those times.  In good times and bad.  He is with you and He loves you and He is at work.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Today is Olympics Day at our elementary summer camp.  Kids will be competing in a variety of fun and crazy games today and winning interesting prizes.  Whenever I think of competition I am reminded of my sports days.  I remember how hard I would work to try and be successful for whatever I was competing in, particularly baseball.  I also am reminded of the following passage from I Timothy 4, let’s look at it together today.

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 11 Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

Physical training is important.  The Bible doesn’t knock it.  We are simply reminded of the even more significance of godliness.  How much do we “train” for that?  I don’t know if any of the kids have been in training for the ice cream eating competition they will have in camp today but I do know we should all be in training in our spiritual lives.  I love Paul’s words in Philippians –  “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him…  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Let’s press on toward our goal of knowing Jesus more and more, embracing His love, and sharing that love with the world.

Have you ever awoken and started your morning routine only to find you are out of coffee?  It truly is a disheartening experience.  What do you do?  Run to the store and buy some more.  Stop at the coffee shop and pick some up.  Perhaps grind it out and wait and get some at work.  For the coffee addict this becomes a true dilemma.  What if we “needed” to spend time with God each morning the way we need coffee.  David seemed to have this need for God and His word.  Let’s look at what he says in Psalm 19 today.

The reality is we need God much more than we need coffee.  The question is how much do we pursue God.  I can remember one morning being out of coffee and running to the store which was closed and then asking Siri which coffee shops were open.  I then drove 15 minutes to a shop to wait another 10 minutes for it to open to get my morning fix.  In my defense I once owned coffee shops so it’s not as bad as it seems.  What if we put that kind of energy into pursuing God each morning?  How filled with the spirit might we be with that type of effort.  I’m sipping my coffee as I write this but more importantly I’ve had some time in God’s word to prepare it.  That truly is the best way to start the day!

Any of you ever experience FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out.  I have a little bit right now as our students are on the Rush trip.  I have been at Rush probably 15 times and it is always an awesome experience where God does amazing things in the lives of students.  As I was praying for them this AM it occurred to me that we often look forward to God working in special places or at special events but the Bible is actually filled with stories of God working in the every day mundane activity of life.  Let’s look together at Luke 15 today.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Zacchaeus’ FOMO led him to climb a tree so he could see who this Jesus really was.  His every day ordinary act of climbing a tree led to Jesus, a dinner party, and ultimately his salvation.  God’s word to me this morning and to all of us is not to wait for the “special” times where God shows up and works but look for Him in the midst of the every day.  God is always at work in our lives sometimes when we least expect it.

Imagine you are Mary, either one.  Jesus has just been crucified and you are devastated.  You go to mourn His loss and walk up on the tomb only to experience an earthquake and watch an angel roll to stone away and plop himself down on it. The angel says do not be afraid, ha good luck.  The guards are shaking and feint like dead men. I can only imagine the crazy emotions they must have been going through.  Let’s look at the account together today.

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.

I love verse 9  I wonder if Jesus was watching the whole scene slightly amused.  The Marys run off afraid and excited and all of the sudden Jesus pops out.  Now the fear is gone and it’s only joy and worship.  He sends them on their mission to tell the disciples and I imagine has a good laugh.  That’s the thing about Jesus.  He is with us even when we don’t see Him.  When we do look to Him everything changes.  Our problems look smaller and Jesus is bigger.  Whether you are walking through good times or bad make sure you don’t miss Jesus.  He is with you always.