Notes of Faith June 30, 2023

Notes of Faith June 30, 2023

Guilt

There is unspeakable joy… for the person who knows release from guilt and the release of forgiveness. ~ Stuart Briscoe

Guilt says, “You failed.” Shame says, “You’re a failure.” Grace says, “Your failures are forgiven.” ~ Lecrae

When I was ten years old and in the fifth grade, there was a boy in my class whose mother committed suicide. It was a horrible experience for a little boy to find his mother in the garage with the car idling and a hose running from the exhaust pipe to the driver’s side window.

As a ten-year-old it was hard for me to even imagine what it would be like for your mother to take her own life. Max returned to school about a week later. I remember wondering how he would act around the rest of us. I can remember being on the playground, and I noticed he was laughing with the other kids and having a good time. I thought he should be acting sad, so with the immaturity of a ten-year-old boy, I said a very cruel and hurtful thing to him: “You don’t even care that your mother is dead!” He immediately burst into tears and ran inside the building. I then felt horrible as I realized I had hurt his feelings.

A few minutes later I was called to the principal’s office. Both the principal and my teacher let me know that what I had said to this boy was a horrible thing to say. But they didn’t need to worry because I already felt the guilt for what I had said.

I think that is my earliest recollection of struggling with feelings of guilt. But like most people I have had a lot of things throughout the years that I regret or feel guilt over.

When I worked late at night, I felt guilty because I wasn’t at home with the kids. When I was at home, I felt guilty because I wasn’t at work. I felt guilty because I wasn’t a better husband. I felt guilty because I wasn’t a better son. When I was on the treadmill and listening to a novel, I felt guilty because I wasn’t listening to a leadership book. When we would take a family vacation, I felt guilty for spending the money. I felt guilty that I had clothes in my closet I hadn’t worn in a while. I did all the things a pastor should do but I never thought I prayed enough or read my Bible enough. I never felt like I made enough phone calls or visited enough people in the hospital. I felt guilty that I couldn’t be in two places at the same time. I felt guilty when I worked and I felt guilty when I relaxed.

I pretty much felt guilty about everything.

Feelings of guilt often come because you don’t think you measure up to your own high standards or because you did something you think you shouldn’t have done or failed to do something you think you should have done. It’s a feeling of shame or regret because of bad conduct or, more often, perceived bad conduct. And you keep yourself in that state of guilt because you think you need to pay for what you did or didn’t do.

“I feel bad for not doing that.”

“I feel horrible for letting her down.”

“I feel like it’s my fault.”

“I’m mad at myself for not…”

If you say things like this, you are probably struggling with guilt.

Through the years my wife has confronted me on several occasions and said, “Steve, you are driven by feelings of guilt, and it’s not healthy.” Which is why I’ve always related to David when he wrote in Psalms,

My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. — Psalm 38:4-6 NIV

And yet while I continue to struggle at times with feelings of guilt, I no longer feel like I’m driven by my guilt. It’s no longer habitual because I’ve taken positive steps to let go of it.

I found this startling research published in the Harvard Business Review: “People who are prone to guilt tend to work harder and perform better than people who are not guilt-prone, and are perceived to be more capable leaders.”1

Does that mean that guilt is a good thing? You do need some guilt. If you have never experienced guilt, it could be a sign you are a sociopath or have narcissistic personality disorder, making you one of those rare people who are incapable of feeling guilt or regret.

There are actually two types of guilt. There is the healthy kind that comes from the Holy Spirit. It is intended to lead us to repentance and a return to God’s plan for our life. Once we respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, that guilt is gone and replaced by God’s peace and joy.

The other type of guilt is often called false guilt. That’s when you have feelings of guilt even though you haven’t done anything wrong. Or maybe you did do something wrong but have already fixed it and asked God to forgive you — and yet you still feel guilty.

False guilt can affect any area of your life and keep you trapped in an unhealthy place if you don’t do something about it.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. — 1 Peter 5:7

Maybe a friend is having marriage problems and they ask if you will come over and talk with them in the morning. But you have to work, so you apologize and ask if there is another time you can get together. They get angry and tell you to forget it, and a week later you hear they split up. Now you are struggling with these feelings of guilt, even though you didn’t do anything wrong!

People driven by false guilt feel they have to do everything perfectly so they don’t disappoint others. I’ve heard it said that if false guilt were a chariot, then fear of disapproval from others is the whip upon the back of the horses pulling it. That fear can cause you to picture the worst possible scenario to your problem. It will consume your thoughts and cause you to judge yourself inaccurately and too harshly.

False guilt can also be caused by the feeling that you are responsible to save everyone that crosses your path or asks for help. Psychologists often refer to this as a savior complex. You might sacrifice your own personal needs or overextend yourself to help others because you think you are the only one who can do it.

There can be many other reasons for your false guilt, but the most likely reason is that the devil is accusing you. Revelation talks about how Satan was a fallen angel and thrown out of Heaven.

This great dragon — the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world — was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens… For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth — the one who accuses them before our God day and night. — Revelation 12:9-10, emphasis mine

The devil is a spirit and therefore has the ability to plant thoughts in your head (1 Timothy 4:1). We call it spiritual warfare because Satan always has a one-two punch. He first hits you with a temptation and then quickly hits you a second time with an accusation. Let’s say he tempts you to cheat on your taxes. You dodge the first swing by resisting the temptation. But Satan then throws his second punch by whispering in your ear, “You are a terrible Christian to have thoughts of cheating on your taxes!” If you believe his lies, the guilt will eat away at you. Jesus said the devil is a liar and the father of lies.

Satan doesn’t want you to experience God’s peace; he wants you to live under the weight of guilt.

This type of guilt is self-destructive and abusive. It will do harm to your relationship with God, with others, and with yourself. It puts a heavy burden on your back, a burden you were never intended to shoulder. Which is why Peter said,

Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. — 1 Peter 5:7

Compare the misery from false guilt to the beneficial nature of healthy guilt, or what is often referred to as godly sorrow. It’s that sense of sadness you experience as a result of the sins you have committed. Paul explains it best:

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

— 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 NIV

In the 2 Corinthians passage we just looked at, Paul said godly sorrow leaves you with no regret. But on the other hand, false guilt leaves you with lots of regrets. Guilt and regret are two words that get tossed together a lot. They are like two brothers; they are from the same family and spend a lot of time together, but they are not the same person. In the same way guilt and regret are not exactly the same either, but it’s hard to have one without the other.

And these two emotions can cause us to go down the path of “if only.”

If only I had kept my mouth shut.

If only I hadn’t dropped out of college.

If only I had gone with them.

“‘If only’ can crush hopes, steal peace, prevent forgiveness, and trap us in negative patterns of behavior. Regret is the second most frequently mentioned emotion after love.”2 Needless to say, it plays a big part in our lives.

Some people actually get so overwhelmed with guilt or regret they become physically ill, while others become so overwhelmed they take their own life. I’ve seen Christians walk away from their faith because they can’t handle the guilt from a mistake or wrong choice they’ve made. Guilt is hard to live with.

This is what regret or guilt does: it consumes you. While the weight of it will pull you down emotionally, the disappointments will disillusion you.

If you are tired of feeling guilty all the time, why not make a decision to do something about it? Guilt is never a pleasant emotion. However, it’s an emotion you can work through successfully and then, over time, eradicate from your life.

Francis J. Flynn, “Defend Your Research: Guilt-Ridden People Make Great Leaders,” Harvard Business Review January–February 2011, https://hbr.org/2011/01/defend-your-research-guilt-ridden -people-make-great-leaders/ar/1.

Jessica Van Roekel, “10 Ways to Overcome Your ‘If-Only’ Regrets,” iBelieve.com, https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/10-ways -to-overcome-your-if-only-regrets.html.

Excerpted from Creatures of Habit by Steve Poe, copyright Steve Poe.

I am guilty! But God, through the love, obedience, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, paid my debt of guilt and offers the freedom of forgiveness through believing in Him. I’m free! I’m free! I’m truly free!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith June 29, 2023

Notes of Faith June 29, 2023

Fully Human: Jesus Joined Us on the Floor

The Savior assumed a body for Himself, in order that the body, being interwoven as it were with life, should no longer remain a mortal thing… He put on a body, so that in the body he might find death and blot it out. ~ Athanasius, On the Incarnation

Only the suffering God can help.

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

The year I got sick, I was a resident assistant tasked with emotionally and spiritually supporting a group of nearly thirty college women. I spent hours each day in the library writing papers, the day punctuated by meals and coffee dates with women from my dorm. After copious amounts of tea sipped between fervid research binges, I would walk across the dark, quiet campus to my hall, where I would stay up even later attending to the tears of peers getting over breakups or venting anger about their roommates.1

Suffering has an inelegant way of reversing relationships, and where I was used to being the comforter, I suddenly found myself learning the harder role of recipient. Out of nowhere the majority of my life consisted of crying tears of my own within the confines of four cinderblock walls, too sick on most days to even get out of bed. The body that had effortlessly carried me through the winding, steep paths of my mountainous college campus could now barely hold itself up in bed. The limbs that climbed limestone cliffs between classes now struggled to walk fourteen steps to the bathroom.

At night I often couldn’t sleep because of pain, and after hours of no relief, I’d cry from the excruciation. One suitemate in particular would often find me awake in the middle of the night, weeping on the floor of our shared study room. Instead of turning the other way or quipping about how early she had to get up for an exam, Katie would join me on the floor, massaging my aching hands as I sobbed into her chest.

In the first half of my college experience, I had started to better learn the Gospel story, where weakness is welcome and hurt is held. But I didn’t know it yet in my limbs and ache and shame. I had to learn that on the floor, where Katie came to find me, willingly holding my weak body in her embrace. When I went to college, I signed up for an education of books and lectures. I didn’t realize the education I would need for the rest of my life was the nearness of Christ and His body to the indignity, brokenness, and shame in my own.

This is grace: God joined us on the floor of this earth.

Grace is solidarity instead of scrutiny. This is the power that sustains us when suffering lingers.

God took on the human condition you and I so struggle to bear so we could be enfolded in His love.

Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. — 1 John 4:10

Many of us are confused about the purpose of Christ’s coming and the heart of our hope, often without realizing it, and the confusion amplifies our pain when suffering lingers. The very persistence of suffering might not fit with the hope we thought we had or the Jesus we thought we were serving.

We’ll keep looking in the wrong places for grace in our suffering if we don’t reexamine and rearticulate the substance of our hope and the message of our Lord.

God did not stay far from our pain. He did not judge it from a distance. He did not pity it from the other side of the universe. He became it.

Jesus said His Father’s purpose in sending Him to earth was for Him to bring the Kingdom of God near to us (Mark 1:15; Luke 4:43). But our churches often collapse His message and our hope into salvation from sin. Many unintentionally reduce the Gospel to a disembodied cure and moment of transformation, neglecting to give us the scaffolding of story and solidity of physical experience needed to build a life on God’s promises. Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost,” (Luke 19:10) and He seeks and saves us into a new reality of experiencing His presence, memory, and story. We are saved not only from sin. We are saved to join and enjoy a Kingdom where Christ reigns in love, is restoring all that has been broken by the curse of sin, and is personally present in and among us.2

In His coming, Jesus brought the Kingdom of God near to us, so near that His Spirit now lives in us, comforting us and filling us with a presence that brings life. The Kingdom of God is both our hope and the grace that carries us toward hope’s fulfillment. It is a reality we take part in now, even as we continue to feel the heavy weight of brokenness.3 Right now “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19 ESV). But the Father “has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.”

(Colossians 1:13)

The future of God’s good reign has already been set in motion with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and the gift of His Spirit. Salvation is already here, but its fullness awaits Christ’s second coming. The wholeness of our salvation is a guaranteed reality that sculpts our present existence. As New Testament scholar Gordon Fee writes, our present is shaped by “the singular reality that God’s people belong to the future that has already come present. Marked by Christ’s death and resurrection and identified as God’s people by the gift of the Spirit, they live the life of the future in the present, determined by its values and perspective, no matter what their present circumstances.”4

Christ has brought His Kingdom near, and He will extend its fullness when He returns. The timing of His return is beyond our understanding,5 but we wait now with a patience powered by the Spirit’s presence and an eagerness to experience Christ’s life even in the midst of death.

Rather than pining after some distant day when we will make it to Heaven, we base our hope on the reality that Jesus is creating a new earth where those who are united to Him will live, play, sing, and love with redeemed physical bodies in a redeemed physical world as a redeemed people united in worship and radiant in diversity.

Our hope is not in being beamed up to Heaven upon death with suddenly perfected bodies. Our hope is informed and colored by John’s vision in Revelation 21: the New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven. Hope in suffering is never for a disembodied day when we can finally escape the bodies, relationships, and circumstances that have caused us so much pain. Biblical hope is expressed not in certainty but in curiosity, hearts that acknowledge and accept Jesus is already King, lives that look for the restoration of His rule right here, people propelled by a willingness to see Jesus turn every inch of Creation from cursed to cured. The relationships that were broken will be made right; our relationship to our bodies, each other, the earth, and God will be fully and finally restored.

The Kingdom is already and not yet; living in its tension rather than panicking for release is the only way to be pulled into the trajectory of hope.

A version of this story first appeared in Fathom. K.J. Ramsey, “The Education I Never Signed Up For,” Fathom (September 11, 2018), www.fathommag.com/stories/ the-education-i-never-signed-up-for.

I first heard this concept of “saved from” versus “saved to” in an undergraduate doctrine course at Covenant College with Dr. Kelly Kapic.

As citizens of the kingdom of God, we experience two conflicting realities. As theologian and pastoral counselor Eric Johnson writes, “Humanity is unknowingly under the degrading and enslaving influence of Satan (1 John 5:19), along with the ‘powers and principalities’ (Eph. 6:12), and the earth is now the site of a spiritual battle going on between Satan and his forces and God and his, ultimately limited by God’s power and plan.” If we fail to remember this, the bitterness of death will unnecessarily overpower the flavor of life Christ continuously offers us. Eric L. Johnson, God and Soul Care: The Therapeutic Resources of the Christian Faith (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017), 132.

Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 50–51, emphasis added.

Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32.

Excerpted from This Too Shall Last by K. J. Ramsey, copyright Katie Jo Ramsey.

My hope is expressed in certainty that the reason for Jesus coming to earth was to redeem me for Himself. The sufferings of this world are caused by sin. Sin will not exist in the New Jerusalem of the future. Yes, I will have a perfected body and will suffer no more. In taking on a human body, Jesus suffered as we do, emotionally, physically, and even spiritually…speaking to the Father, “why have You forsaken Me.” Our suffering though caused by sin’s existence is tempered by the very presence of God and His love, care, provision, and desire to redeem us from not only the suffering and evil that is in this world, but from its very presence. Be confident that Jesus provides for you a hope that is sure, your perfect salvation, redemption and glorification!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith June 28, 2023

Notes of Faith June 28, 2023

The Relief of Letting Go

If you love anything at all in this world more than God, you will crush that object under the weight of your expectations, and it will eventually break your heart. ~ Timothy Keller, prayer

For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of being a mother. I pictured a house full of children, family holidays filled with laughter and traditions, photo albums filled with school pictures, family vacations, and momentous events. This desire influenced where I chose to attend college and how I built a career. I didn’t want anything to get in the way of my dreams of family. Which is in large part why finding out I had cancer while I still had young children at home wrecked me. I looked at my children and couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on their lives.

What pained me the most, though, was the very real possibility that I could die, and then someone else would take my place as my children’s mother. I didn’t want anyone else to play wife to my husband or mom to my children. That was my job. And the fact that I might not be around to fulfill it haunted me. As a result, I tried to hang on to them more tightly. Of course, the tighter you cling to people, the more they resent it. What felt like love to me felt like a stranglehold to them.

This is often the case with more than just people. Try to grasp love, and you’ll lose it. Reach for affirmation and attention, and they will remain elusive. Try to seek financial success, and you’ll miss out on it. Hold it all loosely, though, and you just might find what you were looking for.

In 1857, a twenty-year-old businessman surrendered to God. Although not rich by human standards, he had a solid head for business and desired success. But on his twentieth birthday, he came to a deep awareness of God’s reality and determined to surrender it all to Him, including his dreams of personal and financial success.

On that particular day, Thomas Maclellan penned a prayer releasing his dreams and plans to the will of Christ. This radical relinquishment is difficult to do at any stage in life, even for those who have followed Jesus for decades. But it’s hard to imagine a twenty-year-old aspiring businessman releasing his future and pending success so fully into the hands of his God. And yet this is what Thomas Maclellan did.

“To Thy direction also, I resign myself and all that I have to be disposed of by Thee as Thou shalt see fit. To Thee I leave the management of all events and desire that Thou enable me to say, without reserve, not my will but Thine be done. Knowing that Thou governest all things wisely and will ever do that which is best for me.”1 This is only a small section of the covenant he penned. But it provides a glimpse of his relinquishment of those things he would, otherwise, be tempted to cling to.

Fast-forward more than a hundred and fifty years and Thomas’s covenantal prayer has multiplied into the Maclellan Foundation and more than $600 million in total donations. One man’s willingness to give himself to the will of God has now become generations of men, women, and dollars reinvested in the kingdom. All because one man was willing to let go.2

There’s a story told in the gospel books of Mark and Luke about a poor widow who came to the temple to give her offering (Mark 12:41– 44; Luke 21:1–4). Moments before, Jesus had issued a warning against the teachers of the law, blasting them for their displays of religiosity while “devour[ing] widows’ houses.” They aimed for fame, grasping for attention and recognition. But they failed to see those who needed them most of all.

The gift of letting go... relinquishing all we have, even our lives, to a God who sees.

Against that backdrop, a widow entered the temple along with a crowd of worshipers with offerings. Many deposited huge sums, making quite a show with the sound of their gifts. But the widow offered a couple of coins, an amount so small that no one noticed. Her contribution couldn’t possibly make a difference. It was less than nothing.

Jesus noticed:

Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on. — (Mark 12:43–44)

Whether your gift is money or ministry, it is possible to give large amounts without giving anything at all. And it is possible to give little and yet give everything. The widow did what so many others find difficult: she held nothing back. Proving that God Himself was indeed her truest treasure, she relinquished all of her earthly riches. And in the end, she left far richer than the rest.

This is the gift of letting go, of relinquishing all we have, even our lives, to a God who sees. Your sacrifice matters, no matter how big or small. Trust Him with it and watch as your faith grows in the giving.

Five-Minute Faith Builder

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. — Galatians 2:20

Much like the widow with her two coins, Thomas Maclellan relinquished his life to his God in a prayer on his twentieth birthday.

“Consecrate all that I am and all that I have, the faculties of my mind, the members of my body, my worldly possessions, my time, and my influence over others, all to be used entirely for Thy glory and resolutely employed in obedience to Thy commands as long as Thou continuest me in life.”3

Read this section of his prayer one more time, and highlight any words or phrases that are meaningful to you. Then find a quiet place, absent of distraction, and pray Thomas’s prayer aloud, releasing your life into the hands of the God who loves you more than all others.

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy. — Jude 24

1. “Our Covenant,” Maclellan.net, https://maclellan.net/our-covenant.

2. “Our History,” Maclellan.net, https://maclellan.net/our-history.

3. Thomas Maclellan, “A Wholehearted Covenant,” Renovaré, https://renovare.org/articles/a-wholehearted-covenant.

Excerpted from A Faith That Will Not Fail by Michele Cushatt, copyright Michele Cushatt.

More is done for the sake of heaven through a sacrificial giver than the one who proudly proclaims his gift through his wealth. Give as the Lord directs you with a cheerful heart and He will bless more than you could ever imagine.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith June 27, 2023

Notes of Faith June 27, 2023

All of Creation: Mountains and Minerals

The Peaks and Possessions We Prize

In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. — Psalm 95:4 NIV

Have you ever seen mountains from a distance? The land around you is flat, then you notice something appear on the horizon. As you get closer, what you thought might be a cloud or a hill starts to come into focus. With every step, the mountains get bigger and bigger. And if you venture up them, you might find yourself looking down at clouds of fog beneath you.

Or maybe you’ve visited a cave or a cavern and seen stalactites (the ones that hang down) and stalagmites (the ones that stick up) and been amazed at God’s hidden creativity. Think about all the beautiful things God has buried in the ground, just waiting for us to discover. Diamonds and gemstones are some of the most expensive things in the world, but they’re natural wonders made by God.

Where are these amazing things found? In mountains and mines! Before we get into how we use the stuff God’s hidden for us to discover, let’s talk about mountains and how God made them.

Where Do Mountains Come From?

There are a few different ways mountains show up in the world, but they are all related to tectonic plates in one way or another. Tectonic plates are different sections of the earth’s crust and upper mantle that float on top of the liquid magma (melted rock) near the earth’s core. Let’s break that down a bit more.

Think of the earth as a boiled egg. The earth’s crust is like the thin shell of the egg. The mantle, which is made of semi-solid rock and magma, is like the white part of the egg. And the yellow bit represents the earth’s core, which is made of iron and nickel. Tectonic plates are places where the eggshell has cracked and can float around the surface of the “egg.”

When two different plates smash into each other like a car crash in slow motion, they buckle up into mountain ranges. The Appalachian Mountains formed in this way. The tectonic plate that’s forced under gets melted and becomes part of the earth’s mantle again.

A more jaw-dropping way mountains are formed is through volcanic activity. As tectonic plates move away from each other, magma rises from the cracks and cools as crystals to form igneous rocks. Over time, these rocks grow into volcanic mountains. The Hawaiian Islands are a great example of active volcanoes turning into ever-growing mountains.

Similar to the water cycle, rocks can cycle through different stages. Over time, weather and vegetation break down the igneous rocks that make up most mountains, turning them into the sedimentary layers of the earth — the parts above the earth’s mantle. When enough of those layers stack on top of each other, they get pressed together to form sedimentary rocks. The rocks closest to the earth’s hot core get changed by the heat into metamorphic rock. Then when these new rocks melt completely, they become magma. The magma rises through volcanoes and cracks in the earth’s crust, and bam! We’re back where we started!

A Biblical Perspective

Maybe you never thought about metals, minerals, or mining practices before today. But not knowing where something comes from or how it is made doesn’t mean you aren’t responsible for using it. The fact that our lives benefit from people who destroy the earth (literally blasting it apart in the case of mining operations!) means we need to be thoughtful about how we live. We can change the way we use things and apologize to God for our part in messing up the planet, then we can accept God’s grace through the cross, on which Jesus carried our greed and destructive habits.

In Him we can have the wisdom and motivation to make changes. The first step is to start recognizing that the way we treat the environment is a part of holy, godly living. God has given us the ability to take care of the temporary treasures of earth in ways that reflect His goodness, uphold His natural world, and serve the people who rely on it.

God made the minerals and metals as resources for the things we need, but we should be careful not to be greedy or take things just because we want them. And how we get these materials from the earth should match the character of the God who put them there in the first place.

The Mountains and God Protect Us

Many times in Scripture, God’s people had to hide in the cliffs and caves of mountains when they were in danger. In Psalm 121, the psalm writer looked up to the hills for a reminder that his help comes from the Lord.

God Himself is compared to the mountains as our refuge and strong shelter.

Psalm 125:2 says,

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. — NIV

Yet God is greater and sturdier than the most solid mountain range.

In the words of Psalm 46:1–3:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. — NIV

Minerals Are God’s Unique Creation

Silver, sapphires, opals, and gold — all the precious metals and gems — were made in the earliest days of creation, watched over personally by God. For the one-of-a-kind crystals to grow, each mineral required specific conditions and ingredients: the right mixture of elements, intense pressure, high temperatures, space, and time. John 1:3 says,

Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. — NIV

God is the melder of minerals and knows the location of each deposit. How awesome is He to hide beautiful things in the ground for us to discover!

Have you ever found a particularly sparkly rock or stone on the playground or in a park? Maybe you showed it off to your friends or took it home to add to your rock collection. Minerals and gemstones are one of the most dazzling parts of God’s creation. Sometimes Christians worry that when we appreciate the beauty in this world, we may be tempted to worship nature instead of its Creator. We can avoid this by remembering that

God is way more awesome than anything He’s created.

Beauty in nature points to its Maker. We can simply say thanks to Him! Then show our gratitude by holding our earthly treasures with open hands — happy not only to show and tell but to share.

Excerpted from All of Creation by Betsy Painter, copyright Karen Elizabeth Painter.

Ps 19:1

The Heavens declare the glory of God,

I love a clear night sky that reveals myriads of stars and planets. I love to see the wonders of God in His creation. Recently, we were visiting family in Kentucky and noticed a large hole in a post that supports our deck. Looking down and inside this hole revealed baby birds where mom had nested and was raising her young. Not my choice of where to enjoy this wonder, but it was still an amazing sight. We can find things every day that are simply and wondrously amazing works of God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith June 26, 2023

Notes of Faith June 26, 2023

Maturing in God — What It Means to Grow in Christ

Sometimes in church or Christian circles, people focus on the moment of conversion as if it’s a sort of end point. Yes, the moment of accepting the gift of love being offered to each of us by God is crucial — but when a person comes to Christ, their journey has just begun! What flows from the Good Father to His children is a waterfall of transformation and blessing. And as His children, we can expect to take on His nature and learn from His loving example.

What does it mean to mature in God?

Some may call this process of growth discipleship. Others may think of it as God, the perfect Parent, modeling His power for His children and changing them from the inside out. Like children, we imitate God by becoming the mouth of God, the eyes of God, the ears of God, the hands of God, the feet of God, the heart of God, the thoughts of God, the compassion of God, the justice of God, the love of God. That’s how we mature. That’s how we grow up.

As we walk with God, God shows us how to truly live. Yet for those of us who like things laid out, let me offer three markers on the road to spiritual maturity. Three steps in the pathway of discipleship. As we imitate God, as we grow up to be like our heavenly Father, these are the markers we’re looking for. These are the things we should expect to see in our lives.

1. We Awaken

We awaken to who we are and to whose we are. The more spiritually mature we get, the more we constantly remind ourselves of the truth of our new identity. We are not merely followers of beliefs about God, we have a new essence thanks to our new relationship with God. He is our perfect heavenly Father, and we are His beloved children.

That’s our identity!

Our understanding of our new identity changes everything for us. By nature, we are not lost spiritual pilgrims. We are not simply churchgoers. We are not trying to be “do-gooders.” We are not merely shined-up sinners. Who we are now at the core is this: We are born of God. He is our perfect Father. We have received Christ, and we believe in His name. We are new creatures whose DNA is being transformed by the One who made us. When we wake up to our true identities in Christ, we are no longer bound by the chains of our earthly burdens.

2. We Accept

The second marker of spiritual maturity is that we accept the implications and possibilities of our new genetic makeup. It’s one thing to believe in Jesus, to acknowledge that God is our perfect heavenly Father and that we’re beloved children of God, and it’s another thing to truly live out those realities.

If we’re truly living in light of our new identity, then our lives will change, and we will lean toward that change in conjunction with the power of the Holy Spirit working inside of us. By grace, we will deliberately walk that new direction with our minds and hearts and wills and whole beings. We put off the old man and put on the new man, and we won’t tolerate the stink of sin in our lives anymore.

Far too often, even though we’re believers, we develop a comfortable tolerance of our old ways. But as dearly loved children of God, it’s up to us to shout, Enough! to the old ways of living. By faith, we can claim the light of Christ to guide our pathways.

We must not settle for second-rate living anymore. We want to truly live, in Jesus’ name.

In time, we learn to do nothing apart from Christ (John 15:5). We abide in Him; we dwell in Him; we stay close to Him, because we learn that if we don’t, then our lives are a mess. We learn that God has given us unlimited resources, as Peter told us — everything we need for life and godliness. In Him, we are enriched in every way (1 Corinthians 1:4–5), and thanks to God, we are blessed abundantly, “so that in all things at all times, having all that [we] need, [we] will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). We simply accept the bounty.

3. We Adopt

The third marker of spiritual maturity is that we’re called to adopt the behavior and character of God. We model after Him. This means we pattern after Him, copy Him, emulate Him, shadow Him, echo Him, mirror Him. We model after Him and model after Him again. Through the close relationship we have with God through Christ, we constantly study how God works and moves, and then we study Him some more. The change doesn’t happen all at once. It happens bit by bit through the trueness of our walk with Him.

This progression actually takes pressure off of us, knowing our lives are transformed bit by bit. We don’t learn from our earthly fathers all at once, and our heavenly Father doesn’t expect us to figure everything out immediately either. In our spiritual walks, we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). The key word is grow. And growth is gradual.

If you are new in Christ, the adventure of your new life and identity waits before you. God promises to accompany you every step of the glorious path. And as you awaken, accept, and adopt His perfect and powerful ways, you will discover the majesty of His abundant goodness. Your journey has only begun!

Excerpted from Seeing God as a Perfect Father by Louie Giglio, copyright Louie Giglio.

We are not created and designed to become children of God and stay as little children but to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and become more like Him day by day. This is a life-long pursuit and will not be complete until we are taken to be with Him but God promises to make those that He calls to Himself to be transformed into the image of His Son. Praise God for His daily work in your life to make you more like Jesus!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith June 25, 2023

Notes of Faith June 25, 2023

Article by David Mathis

Executive Editor, desiringGod.org

Lightning can be majestic. That is, from a safe distance. Or from a secure shelter that frees us from the threat of electrocution, and allows us to enjoy the spectacular show.

The concept of majesty first brings to mind great sights, like distant lightning. Whether it’s a scenic vista of purple mountain majesties, the skyline of a great city, the dazzling beauty of gold or precious jewels, or the grandeur of a royal palace and its decorum, we typically associate the noun majesty, and its adjective majestic, with stunning glimpses, panoramas, and sights.

Majesty captures a greatness, power, and glory that is both impressive and attractive. And as with lightning, what is majestic from a safe distance can be terrifying when right overhead, without shelter. And so it is when the living God showcases his majesty at the Red Sea — his enemies panic with fear (Exodus 14:24), while his people, whom he rescues, know themselves safe and praise his majesty:

In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;

you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble. . . .

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:7, 11)

Yet when Scripture mentions the majesty of God, the reference is not exclusively to the visible. Thunder, not only lightning, also may strike us as majestic, when we don’t find ourselves exposed and at risk. And so, as Scripture testifies, God’s voice is majestic.

His words ring out with divine greatness, and tangible goodness, in the ears of his people. His speech is both authoritative and appealing, imposing and attractive. His voice both cuts us to the heart, and makes our hearts thrill. His words wound us in our sin, and we welcome it in the Spirit. God’s majestic words, spoken and written, surprise and delight his people, even as his enemies cower at his thunderings. Their fear is terror; ours is reverent awe and joy.

His lightnings enthrall his saints. As does the thunder of his words.

Greatness of His Word

Consider, first, the greatness of “his majestic voice” (Isaiah 30:30).

“No voice speaks with such authority — or remotely close to such authority — as the voice of the living God.”

No voice speaks with such authority — or anywhere even remotely close to such authority — as the voice of the living God. His words, unlike any other words, are utterly authoritative, and on every possible subject he chooses to address. Like no other mind and mouth, his words are not limited to an area of expertise. His expertise, as God, is all things, without exception.

But the greatness of his word includes not only his right to speak on any given subject (and every subject), but also his ability to speak to the most important subjects and do so extensively, and perfectly, and have the final say. He not only takes up far-reaching, bottomless, eternal, truly great topics, but he never speaks above his head, or out of his depths, as even the world’s greatest minds do when they come to the topics that matter most.

God never speculates. He never overreaches or overextends his knowledge. He never over-speaks. As God, he may publicly address any subject matter he chooses, and with unassailable authority, and he does so perfectly, every time, in all he chooses to say and not say.

In Scripture, he does give us an extensive word, but not an exhaustive one. He chooses to limit his spoken revelation to a first covenant and then a new one, 66 books, and 30,000 verses across the span of a millennium and a half. However, he chooses not (yet) to speak to every possible subject in his created world and beyond, but to speak with both clarity and repetition, despite the trends and undulations of every generation, to the realities that are most timeless and essential. And in doing so, he cues his people in on the subjects and proportions of his focus that prove most important in every time and season.

Power of His Word

Ponder also the power of his majestic voice. His divine speech is not only authoritative on every subject but indomitably effective in accomplishing every purpose he intends. His words do not return to him empty, but effect, every time, precisely what he purposes (Isaiah 55:11).

“God has the ability to do exactly what he says — and to do it simply by saying it.”

Like no other being in the universe, God has the ability to do exactly what he says — and to do so simply by saying it. “Let there be light,” he says, and without delay or uncertainty, there is light. And he keeps the world he made in existence — he upholds it — says Hebrews 1:3, “by his powerful word.” And when he chooses, he speaks into the deaf hearts of “those who are perishing” — those whose spiritual sight has been blinded by “the god of this world” — and he says, “Let light shine out of darkness.” At that moment, dead hearts begin to beat. Deaf ears hear, and blind eyes see the light of his gospel. They believe and are saved (2 Corinthians 4:3–6).

Well did Martin Luther, author of “A Mighty Fortress,” marvel at the majesty of the divine voice when he wrote that we tremble not for the prince of darkness — because “one little word shall fell him.” According to John’s Apocalypse, the God-man, with his risen, glorified, human mouth will speak the decisive, effective word in the end. On the isle of Patmos, John first heard “a loud voice like a trumpet” (Revelation 1:10), and turned to see — among the visible majesties of Christ’s robe, sash, hair, eyes, feet, and face — that “from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword,” and “his voice was like the roar of many waters” (Revelation 1:15–16). With no weapon in hand, but fully armed with the power of his perfectly effective word, Christ will defeat his enemies, making “war against them with the sword of my mouth” (Revelation 2:16).

From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. . . . And the rest [those who had received the mark of the beast] were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse. (Revelation 19:15, 21)

The day fast approaches when the risen Christ, as the divine-human mouthpiece of the Godhead, will have only to speak and fell the devil and his hordes with one majestic word from his mouth.

Glory of His Word

Finally, consider the glory of his majestic voice. Even more than greatness and power, glory comes closest to the heart of what majesty signals.

Majesty is typically emotive. It’s the worshiper’s word of choice, not the scientist’s. Applied to God’s word, his majesty relates to the moral beauty of his speech. The divine voice is not only great in volume and pitch but good in the ears of his people; not only powerful but wonderful for his church; not only true but desirable in the hearts of his saints.

More to be desired are [his words] than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

and drippings of the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10)

And we note, in a fallen world like ours, and with sin-swayed palates like ours, the divine glory often comes with unexpected or peculiar majesty. His majestic voice rarely speaks as human ears anticipate. With our own short-sighted and sin-shaped notions of what a glorious voice will say, we find ourselves startled again and again by Scripture. Here, in the words of God, we find a majesty, a glory, that does not meet our eyes and ears like the world and sin have taught us to expect. His voice rings out with a distinctly divine glory, a peculiar majesty, that far outstrips our small assumptions.

His majestic voice upstages the wisdom of the world, and unnerves the scribes and debaters of this age. It arrests the wise, powerful, and nobly born according to worldly standards. It shames the world’s wise and strong, while exalting the low and despised (1 Corinthians 1:20, 26–28). As the Bible’s great meditation on divine majesty, Psalm 8, celebrates,

Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger. (Psalm 8:2)

The one who “set [his] glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1) puts his peculiar majesty on display — or makes his majesty audible — in the mouths of the weakest, even babes and infants. And in such peculiar majesty, God’s people hear an undeniably self-authenticating glory: this voice is indeed God’s, not man’s. Humans may forge swords and devise missiles. They may construct towers and adorn palaces. But the Majesty on High will bring them down with the praise of children.

Victory of His Word

So we hear that when God himself came to dwell among us, “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). He did not come with the majesty man expected. The Word came to Nazareth, to a virgin, to thirty years in obscurity, with “no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). That is, no majesty for the eyes and ears of natural man.

But when God opens our eyes, and ears, we encounter his majesty. We hang on his words, as some did when he taught in the temple (Luke 19:48), and we testify in awe, with those officers who confessed, “No one ever spoke like this man!” (John 7:46). We say with the crowds in Galilee, Finally, a teacher with real authority! (Mark 1:22, 27). And we anticipate the day when he will smite our foes with the sword of his mouth, even as we his church praise him, with the tribute of Psalm 45:2, “grace is poured upon your lips.”

Then we will see even more of the majesty of his lightning, that comes with his thunderous word.

Do you listen for and hear the majestic voice of God? You can clearly hear Him speak through His Word, if you will read or listen to it. It is powerful and able to transform the heart and mind of those who will attend to it. As we seek to know and have relationship with the God who loves us and gave His Son to die for our salvation, we need to be aware, always listening/reading to the majestic voice of God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith June 24, 2023

Notes of Faith June 24, 2023

Practicing Boundaries: Love vs Enabling

We all want to care and help those in need. But how do you know when you are being loving with someone, or are actually enabling them? When you are faced with a request for your time, energy or money, how do you know if the right response is to say “yes” and provide it, or “no” and decline?

The Bible teaches, over and over again, that we are to help others:

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. — Hebrews 13:16

We are designed to love others in word and deed. Also, for most of us, it’s much easier to say “yes” than “no”, for a number of reasons:

We feel compassion for the person’s struggle

We remember our own difficult situations

We don’t want them to feel disappointed and discouraged

We wonder if God has placed us in their life for this situation

We think we may be the only solution for them

At the same time, however, our provision for someone can actually make the situation worse for them, because we may be preventing them from experiencing some consequence for their behaviors, and not learning to change how they operate in life. This is the process of God’s disciplining us, so that we grow up and mature:

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. — Hebrews 12:7

The process of experiencing consequences is key:

A child in a 5-minute time out begs to get out in 3 minutes

A teen asks not to be grounded for bad grades

A friend who has had several failing jobs asks for a loan

A spouse with a drinking problem asks their spouse to give them one more chance before requiring counseling

In all of these examples, it’s unsure what the right thing to do might be. There is just not enough information here. So back to the question: how to tell if you’re being loving, or if you’re enabling? Here are 5 questions to ask yourself as a sort of filter, and you will find the answer to the issue when you engage with them. You will probably answer some as a “yes” and some as a “no”, and don’t worry that the answers for all agree. You’ll see the balance to help your decision.

#1. Are they unable?

We are called to have compassion and help those who have not, and also can not. They simply do not have the capability or resources to solve their problem. For example, a tribe in a developing country has no water wells. Or a homeless man has nowhere to sleep but under a freeway. Or a young businesswoman needs a mentor to help her grow in her leadership. We all are to be mindful to

carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. — Galatians 6:2

However, to be unable is very different than to be unwilling. Something may be difficult or inconvenient, and that’s just life. For example, a young adult who is living at home and doesn’t want to work, go to school, or do house chores, is more unwilling than unable.

How do you know when you are being loving with someone, or are actually enabling them?

#2. Are you resourced?

Do you possess what the person is asking for? That might include the finances, or the time, or energy required. So often, I see people giving what they can’t afford to give, and then not being able to meet the demands of their lives. I have had to work with pastors whose families suffered because while Dad was helping everyone in the church, he wasn’t around to be a parent and husband. Here are some sobering words:

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. — 1 Timothy 5:8

We need to make sure we are resourcing ourselves for the priorities we have been tasked to do.

There is certainly always a case for sacrificial giving, as in the example of the woman who gave her last two coins (Mark 12:41-44). So pray, and make sure you consider if the sacrifice is one that God has surely called you to do.

#3. Do they have skin in the game?

In other words, are they also putting significant effort into solving the problem? This might involve going to job interviews, starting one’s own microbusiness, putting a small percentage of money into an initiative and doing homework after a coaching session:

The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat. — 2 Thessalonians 3:10

When a person who is struggling simply receives that help passively, it tends to foster increased passivity and what psychologists call “learned helplessness.” Learned helplessness is a sense that we don’t have choices that matter, so we simply give up and don’t take initiative or agency to solve our challenges. But when our efforts are part of the solution, we are strengthened and grow.

#4. Will you feel cheerful or will you feel reluctant or under compulsion?

This question is based on Paul’s words about giving:

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

— 2 Corinthians 9:7

Our emotions provide information for us. If we feel cheerful, then that’s a sign that you are happy you made a good choice. If we feel reluctant (grudging) or under compulsion (guilt-ridden), that’s a sign that you might need to rethink all of this.

#5. Is the outcome gratitude and autonomy, or entitlement and dependency?

This last question is based on your history with the person. What have been the results of your providing for them? Are they thankful and able to bear their burdens more? That’s a good thing, and a positive sign that you may be doing the right thing. Or do they become entitled and demanding for more of your resource, and is their dependency on you increased? Not a good sign. Pay attention to the outcomes, or the fruit:

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. — Matthew 7:18

If you have no giving history with the person, ask others who know them for their feedback.

Use these questions to clarify what the loving, but not enabling, path should be for yourself in your situation. Be sure to pray and ask safe friends what they think.

Finally, finally finally: if, after you have used this system, it’s still murky, and you’re unsure, then it might be best, in this particular situation, to default to grace. It’s always the best place to be.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Dr. John Townsend, author with Henry Cloud of Boundaries.

Being generous is not all about financial giving. Giving of one’s self includes many resources that you have available. All of them can “come back to bite you” when you are taken advantage of, somehow you are expected to give, when there is no thanks for your sacrifice. Sacrifice and generosity go hand in hand. We should remember that before we think about giving. Give with spiritual wisdom and truly help those in need as the Scriptures command.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith June 23, 2023

Notes of Faith June 23, 2023

Jesus Always: Coping Through Hard Times with Me

When the way just ahead of you seems too difficult, turn to Me and say: “I can’t, but we (You and I together) can.” Acknowledging your inability to handle things on your own is a healthy dose of reality. However, this is only one part of the equation, because a sense of inadequacy by itself can be immobilizing. The most important part of the equation is recognizing My abiding Presence with you and My desire to help you.

Pour out your heart to Me. Ask Me to carry your burdens and show you the way forward. Don’t waste energy worrying about things that are beyond your control. Instead, use that energy to connect with Me. Seek My Face continually. Be ready to follow wherever I lead, trusting Me to open up the way before you as you go.

Dare to see your inadequacy as a door to My Presence. View your journey as an adventure that you share with Me. Remain in close communication with Me, enjoying My company as we journey together.

Philippians 4:13 NKJV; Psalm 62:8; Psalm 105:4 NASB

*

Thank Me for all the challenges in your life. They are gifts from Me — opportunities to grow stronger and more dependent on Me. Most people think that the stronger they get, the less dependent they will be. But in My Kingdom, strength and dependence go hand in hand. This is because you were designed to walk close to Me as you journey through your life. Challenging circumstances highlight your neediness and help you rely on My infinite sufficiency.

When circumstances are tough and you rise to the occasion, trusting in Me, you are blessed.

It’s exhilarating to get through challenges that you thought were too much for you. When you do so in reliance on Me, our relationship grows stronger.

Your success in handling difficulties also increases your sense of security. You gain confidence that you and I together can cope with whatever hard times the future may bring. You are ready for anything and equal to anything through the One who infuses inner strength into you. Rejoice in My sufficiency!

James 1:2 MSG; Psalm 31:14-16; Philippians 4:13 AMP

*

Do what you can, and leave the rest to Me. When you’re embroiled in a difficult situation, pour out your heart to Me, knowing that I listen and I care. Rely on Me, your ever-present Help in trouble. Refuse to let your problem become your main focus, no matter how anxious you are to solve it. When you’ve done all you can for the time being, the best thing is simply to wait — finding refreshment in My Presence. Don’t fall for the lie that you can’t enjoy life until the problem has been resolved. In the world you have trouble, but in Me you may have Peace — even in the midst of the mess!

Your relationship with Me is collaborative: you and I working together. Look to Me for help and guidance, doing whatever you can and trusting Me to do what you cannot do. Instead of trying to force things to a premature conclusion, relax and ask Me to show you the way you should go — in My timing. Hold My hand in confident trust, beloved, and enjoy the journey in My Presence.

Psalm 62:8; Psalm 46:1; John 16:33 NET; Psalm 143:8

Excerpted from Jesus Always by Sarah Young, copyright Sarah Young

Life’s journey is difficult and trying to do it by yourself seems impossible. No one needs to attempt this journey alone. Jesus will always be there with you to help in time of need and will never forsake you and leave you alone, even when you don’t want Him around. We all need support to make it through the day. God is the only perfect friend to help our every need. He knows us better than we know ourselves and wants to lead us through every trial in righteousness and truth. Trust and depend on Him every moment.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith June 22, 2023

Notes of Faith June 22, 2023

You Reap What You Sow

Habits shape your life. Where does God tell us that in the Bible?

Galatians 6.

But God doesn’t use the word habits. He uses the metaphor of seeds. Why? In biblical times, people lived in an agricultural society. Nothing was manufactured or cranked out in fast-food joints. Food had to be grown one ingredient at a time. Their lives and economy were based largely on farming.

People back then would understand the concept of planting seeds and harvesting crops, so here’s what God inspired Paul to write:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. — Galatians 6:7–9

For us non-agrarians, let’s establish some definitions.

To sow means to plant — to put seed in the ground.

To reap means to gather the fruit — the result of the seed planted.

So the passage starts, “Do not be deceived.” The idea is: don’t be led astray. Don’t be fooled, or stupid.

It continues, “God cannot be mocked.” The Greek word translated “mocked” means to snub or thumb your nose at someone. You can do that to someone — but not God. Don’t be deceived, God can’t be mocked. You might fool a lot of people, but you’re not going to fool God.

The next words are, “A man reaps what he sows.” That’s what we need to understand and not be stupid about. What does that mean?

You will harvest what you plant.

You will get out what you put in.

Your outcomes will be determined by your inputs.

The results of your life will be based on the decisions you make, the habits you stake, and the habits you break.

Paul gives us a spiritual example about sowing to the flesh or the Spirit. The flesh refers to our sinful nature. Some sow (or plant seeds) to the flesh, meaning they do what’s wrong, ungodly, and sinful. The result? They reap (or harvest) destruction.

Bad decisions lead to bad consequences.

Others sow (or plant seeds) to the Spirit, meaning they allow themselves to be led and empowered by the Holy Spirit, so they do what honors God. The result? They reap (or harvest) eternal life. So if you live your life with and for God, that’s what you’re going to get out of it. Not just now but (especially) eternally. If you live your life for yourself, ignoring God, apart from him, that’s what you’re going to get out of it. Not just now but (especially) eternally.

But it’s not just true spiritually and eternally. This is the way all of life works. We reap what we sow.

There’s a law at work. Not a law like “You must do this!” More like how gravity is a law of nature. It’s how the world works. You don’t have to like it. You don’t have to agree with it. Gravity will work for you, and on you, the same way it works with everyone. If you jump, you will go up. Then gravity will bring you down. We say people get “tripped up,” but that’s not true. People always trip down. Gravity is a natural law.

Bad decisions lead to bad consequences.

God tells us there is a law of sowing and reaping.

If you plant apple seeds, you get apple trees. If you plant orange seeds, don’t be deceived; don’t be stupid and expect apples. You can picture a farmer out in his fields: Wait. What’s this? I wanted apples. Why did I get oranges? It’s because you planted orange seeds! If you plant corn, you’re going to reap corn. Don’t plant corn if you want pineapples. That would be stupid. When you put a certain type of seed in the ground, you get a harvest that corresponds with the seed you planted.

Every. Single. Time. You reap what you sow.

True in agriculture. True in life.

If you plant good habits, you’ll get good outcomes. If you plant bad habits, don’t be deceived and expect good outcomes.

Wait. What’s this? I didn’t want this. Why is this happening?

Because that’s what you planted. You fooled yourself into thinking you could plant one thing and reap another.

Sounds crazy that someone might do that, but it happens all the time. A guy sows seeds of lust. He checks out girls at the gym, girls at his office, girls online. But he expects to have a good marriage. Then, when his marriage struggles, he’s confused. Wait. What’s this? It’s what you planted.

A woman sows seeds of criticism and negativity but expects good friends. People avoid her. She’s lonely. She thinks, Wait. What’s this? I guess I have bad friends. No. It’s what you planted.

A recent college graduate sows seeds of showing up late for work and giving a halfhearted effort but expects a promotion. When someone else is given the promotion, the young adult thinks, Wait. What’s this? Man, my boss isn’t fair! No. It’s what you planted.

Some dude eats anything he wants. Praise the Lord and pass the Doritos! He doesn’t exercise. He drinks a six-pack on Friday to celebrate that it’s Friday. And a six-pack on Saturday cause, hey, it’s Saturday. And a six pack on Sunday because it’s the last day of the weekend. He ends up thirty-five pounds overweight in his forties and with cirrhosis in his fifties. Hey! What’s this? This isn’t fair! Is God punishing me for something I did when I was a kid? No. It’s not a punishment. It’s a harvest. You are reaping what you’ve sown.

When people mess up their marriages, friendships, or careers, they get upset and often blame God. Ummm, no. God didn’t do this to you. You did this to you.

If you plant good habits, you’ll get good outcomes.

If you plant bad habits, don’t expect good outcomes.

You reap what you sow.

If you don’t like what you’re reaping, change what you’re sowing. If you don’t like the harvest, change the seed.

Here’s a divine assignment: Take an honest, prayerful look at the disappointing parts of your life. Ask God to help you search your heart. Then pinpoint the habits that have led to each aspect of your life that isn’t what you want. Avoid having a victim mentality or blaming others. That will not help. Take responsibility by identifying the habits you’ve sown that have led to your harvest. Then decide on a type of seed you will consistently plant to get a better harvest.

If you don’t like what you’re reaping, change what you’re sowing. Because you reap what you sow.

And it’s actually even bigger than that.

Principle

If you don’t like what you’re reaping, change what you’re sowing. If you don’t like the harvest, change the seed.

You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

— Galatians 6:7–8 NLT

Excerpted from The Power to Change by Craig Groeschel, copyright Craig Groeschel.

If we would put this truth and principle into practice we would reap a godly harvest. Let us endeavor to put behind the “bad habits” of planting the wrong seeds, and plant that which is glorifying to God and reap blessings for all eternity!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith June 21, 2023

Notes of Faith June 21, 2023

You know, you’re only afraid of the presence of God if you are not ready to face God. Jesus asked His disciples, “Where is your faith?” Truly, faith is tested not in the good days, not in the peaceful days; faith is tested in the bad and troublesome days. That’s when people around you will look at you and see if your faith really is solid. Jesus asked the disciples, “Where is your faith?”

He told them, “Everything is fine when I’m walking with you, and everything is great, but now it’s time to trust. Now is the time to believe, when the storm comes, and where is it? How come you failed now? How come it disappeared? How come I’m here with you yet you’re so afraid?” Where is your faith? So when the heat comes, or when drought comes, when the bad times come, then you’re going to flourish, then you’re going to yield fruits, then your leaves will be green, and everybody will see that you’re doing great – if you trust in the Lord. So to trust in the Lord is important, mostly in bad times. And Jesus was asking them, “Where is your faith?” When Jesus is on the boat with us, we can cross the lake. We can cross any lake in the chapters of our lives. In fact, we need to remember that the presence of Jesus is what Christianity is all about.

Amir Tsarfati: Where is Your Faith?

Luke 8:22-25

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”

While the body of Christ is diverse in many ways, there is one thing we all share in common. No one likes the storms of life. The disciples on Lake Tiberius (Sea of Galilee) were in the boat with Jesus. They could see Him; they knew they were not alone. The One they watched heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead was asleep.

Mark’s gospel records a detail Luke’s did not:

Mark 4:38

But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

If there was anything the 12 should have been sure of, it was that Jesus cared for them. He called them to follow Him. He taught them, corrected them, sent them out with the power over unclean spirits and disease. Yet, when a storm arose, they were afraid and wondered if He even cared.

This is what a lapse of faith looks like, and most, if not all, of us have had them. The storms of life come, but we don’t have a sleeping Jesus nearby to look at. We have read His teaching but not heard His audible voice. We have experienced the miracle of salvation, having been born again. He has given us exceedingly great and precious promises, and, yet, at times, we wonder where is He in what we’re going through? Does He not see? Does He care about our pain and suffering? Many times the question arises, “Why would He even allow this?”

The most important aspect of this story of the disciples’ faith failure is the opening statement by both Mark and Luke: And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” Before they ever left the shore, they had been given a destination. If Jesus said, “Let’s go to the other side,” that is where they were going to wind up. It didn’t matter what happened in the middle. Satan could stir up a storm, run the boat into a rock, or draw in an enemy to try and sink the boat. Whatever happened in the middle may not have been fun and even a bit frightening, but none of it could change their destination. They were going to the other side!

The same is true for us. He has given us a destination:

John 14:3

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

He also said that in between here and there will be some rough seas:

John 16:33

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

For those who may currently be in the midst of a storm, remember, no amount of tribulation can change our destination. He said we would someday be where He is, and we will. Nothing can alter our course. Nothing can separate us from His love, and no one can snatch us from His hand.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

It has been said: Without a test, you have no testimony. We all go through trials and the storms of life. Faith is remembering our promised, unalterable destination, even though it is yet unseen, and living like it is true, especially during a storm.

If you feel like you are in a storm on the Sea of Galilee right now, remember, the middle is not the end. You have a promised destination given by the One whom you do not now see, but will someday. No storm can alter that, and what lies on the other side of this life and its storms, trials, and tribulations, is a place of unimaginable peace and beauty where death, pain, and sorrow, and all their causes, are banished forever. Until then, we walk by faith and not by sight knowing that someday we’ll get to other side.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Remembering that Jesus is always with us is hard. Sometimes the world closes in with all its problems and distractions and we forget that He is there. But He never leaves even when we don’t know He is there. Ask for strengthened faith to make it through to the other side of trials and tribulations. He is faithful and will guide us safely across to His promised destination for us.

Pastor Dale