That's always a tough one isn't it? Jesus said in John 15:19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. The question I am often asked is "How?" How do I live "in" the world but not be "of" the world? We know that again the bible says, 2 Corinthians 6:7 "Leave those people and be separate, says the Lord..." I can't just walk away from the world I live in, I can't make myself invisible so how do I go about living in a world I am not supposed to be a part of?
Here is how someone helped me understand this. Let's use the illustration of the scuba diver. When the scuba diver goes into the water first he suits up. He puts on a wet suit, mask, snorkel, weight belt, oxygen tanks and a few other items. Why doesn't he just jump off the side of the boat and swim down to the bottom and stay there for a few hours? It is because he is not a fish, he doesn't have the capacity to breath under water. To survive under water he needs assistance, mainly the scuba tanks. When the diver goes over board after suiting up he is now "in" the water but he is not "of" the water. He can survive in the water for a certain period of time (as long as his oxygen tanks hold out) but he can't stay there forever because he is not of the water.
As followers of Christ we live in sin sick and evil polluted world. How do we stay alive in this world without becoming corrupted by it? Well as Paul said it, "put on Christ". You and I have to survive in this world a lot longer than a scuba diver does on a single dive. We can't stay in the world for a few hours and then leave. We are here until Jesus comes. Everyday you and I have to suit up in Christ. How do we do that? Well I think Paul gives us great directions for getting suited up to face the world. We find his instructions in Ephesians 6:13-17 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
This is another reason why you and I need daily devotions. Daily we need to suit ourselves up in the Word of God and in prayer. Everyday we need to remind ourselves who we are and who stands against us. Jesus said that he who endures to the end will be saved.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Which Way Is North?
Which way is north? Do you know? What would happen if I asked you to point to where "north" is right now? Which way would you point? If there were a few of us doing this at the same time would we all be pointing in the same direction? What would happen if I asked you to tell me why you pointed in the direction you chose as north? I imagine that you would give me some point of reference such as mountains or the a highway that you think goes north, but would you be correct in your assumption? What does it take to know just what direction north really is? Well if you were a boy scout you would probably know the answer to that question right away. You would tell me that you need a compass to know what direction north is.
Right you are! You really do not know which direction north is without a compass. Without a compass you are left to what?; YOUR FEELINGS! Just this week I was up in the mountains of the Eastern Sierras and as I drove along a forest rode and looked into all those trees I realized just how easy it is to get lost. When I hear those stories about people getting lost I always thought, "Well why didn't you just go back in the direction you came" but without a compass you don't know which direction that is.
As Christians we are supposed to be "Christ like" but what does that mean and how do I accomplish this? Sadly I believe that an awful lot of people both outside and inside the church are determining how to be Christ like by what they "feel" and the result is we have a huge number of people lost.
Right you are! You really do not know which direction north is without a compass. Without a compass you are left to what?; YOUR FEELINGS! Just this week I was up in the mountains of the Eastern Sierras and as I drove along a forest rode and looked into all those trees I realized just how easy it is to get lost. When I hear those stories about people getting lost I always thought, "Well why didn't you just go back in the direction you came" but without a compass you don't know which direction that is.
As Christians we are supposed to be "Christ like" but what does that mean and how do I accomplish this? Sadly I believe that an awful lot of people both outside and inside the church are determining how to be Christ like by what they "feel" and the result is we have a huge number of people lost.
What is your "compass" as a Christian to find your way to Christ likeness? If you said the Bible you would be correct! Hosea 4:6 NLT says this, "My people are being destroyed because they don't know me."
I have a great and growing concern that this verse describes all to closely much of the Christian church today. Over and over again I hear people say (not always in these exact words) "I don't see any thing wrong with it." or "I feel ..." When I ask people to defend their "feelings" or "opinions" on certain subjects that I see contradict the bible they cannot tell me where the bible supports those feelings or opinions.
How about a for instance? How many times have we heard this statement "You don't have to go to church to be a Christian." Well technically that is correct because we are saved by grace and not by going to church (but I wonder how many who use this position could even tell me where that bible verse is found), but does the fact that I am not saved by going to church mean that going to church is optional for me or that I can go whenever I feel like it or when other things I want to do more don't conflict? I am not going to list them all now because I have already made this post longer than I wanted to but I challenge you if this is your "opinion" PLEASE prove your opinion by the Word of God and not by what you "feel" or simply want to believe. As a Christian you are to be people of the Book. If the Book is not our one and ONLY compass then we are all lost and going in a direction that will ultimately lead to our destruction.
I encourage you to get into your bibles and spend time learning how to live the Holy life God calls you to.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sheldon
I have a great and growing concern that this verse describes all to closely much of the Christian church today. Over and over again I hear people say (not always in these exact words) "I don't see any thing wrong with it." or "I feel ..." When I ask people to defend their "feelings" or "opinions" on certain subjects that I see contradict the bible they cannot tell me where the bible supports those feelings or opinions.
How about a for instance? How many times have we heard this statement "You don't have to go to church to be a Christian." Well technically that is correct because we are saved by grace and not by going to church (but I wonder how many who use this position could even tell me where that bible verse is found), but does the fact that I am not saved by going to church mean that going to church is optional for me or that I can go whenever I feel like it or when other things I want to do more don't conflict? I am not going to list them all now because I have already made this post longer than I wanted to but I challenge you if this is your "opinion" PLEASE prove your opinion by the Word of God and not by what you "feel" or simply want to believe. As a Christian you are to be people of the Book. If the Book is not our one and ONLY compass then we are all lost and going in a direction that will ultimately lead to our destruction.
I encourage you to get into your bibles and spend time learning how to live the Holy life God calls you to.
Sincerely,
Pastor Sheldon
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Be Encouraged!
Greetings Everyone!
I know it has been a long time since I posted on my blog and I wish I could come up with a really good excuse but since I can't I better not fabricate one. If you subscribe to our churches weekly e-mail newsletter then you know I have decided to begin making weekly posts on my blog. Each week I am going to be sharing with you at least one devotional thought for the week. I may post other thoughts I have during the week as I am reading and studying but I promise you at least one post each week. For those who are a part of the Cornerstone fellowship I will also keep posting slide shows of special events. I will try to get a slide show up of our recent trip to the Quakes game as soon as I can.
As I begin this new endeavor there has been a scripture on my mind for several weeks so I thought I would begin here. Let me ask you this question; how do you encourage yourself? If you are feeling down, depressed, or discouraged what do you do to pick up your spirits? Being a male I hate to admit this but I have often found that going shopping encourages me when I am down. The bad thing about that is I usually spend money I don't need to spend and the end results can be as bad as the original problem. Maybe you like to go for a drive or go play golf or just watch TV. I am sure we all have some method we feel helps to lift us out of our depression or discouragement, but I have a feeling that whatever method we might use really doesn't provide the kind of lasting results we really need.
In 1 Samuel 30 we read of a time when David got discouraged. I encourage you to take a few minutes and read that chapter to get the big picture. To put things in a nutshell David's men were upset with him and were talking of killing him. Let me tell you that as a leader few things will cause more discouragement than to have those under your leadership upset with you. You want people to be happy and approve of what you do. I have certainly had my share of experiences where people were upset with me but I have never been in David's shoes where people wanted to kill me (at least as far as I know). So what did David do to encourage himself in such a desperate situation? I think I would have been looking for a place to hide, but in a sense that is exactly what David did.
1 Samuel 30:6 says this in the KJV, "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. I take courage in the fact that what David did not do was blame and complain to the Lord. That certainly would have been the easiest thing to do but that is not the posture David took. Instead in a time of great discouragement he chose to look to the only place where he or any of us will ever find real encouragement. Now let me quickly tell you how to do this.
This really isn't hard and it really isn't anything that most of us have not heard many times before. To encourage ourselves in the Lord we need to read His word. A good novel might work as an escape for a while from our discouragement but it will not relieve our discouragement. It is reading things like this story of David that help us find the answers we need. Secondly prayer needs to be a part of the equation. Who better to talk to about our struggles than Almighty God? He has huge shoulders to carry the load we have. We are told in the scriptures to cast those cares on Him because He cares for us. Thirdly I would say, Be in fellowship. Again we see that the bible tells us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. I have never understood all these years I have been a pastor why I hear people tell me that the reason they weren't in church is because they were discouraged. What help can we possibly get by staying home and sulking? We need the Body of Christ more than ever when we face discouragement.
You may not be discouraged today but trust me the time is coming. I encourage you to use these three steps to find encouragement and why not share them with someone you know that is in that place of discouragement now?
God Bless,
Pastor Sheldon
I know it has been a long time since I posted on my blog and I wish I could come up with a really good excuse but since I can't I better not fabricate one. If you subscribe to our churches weekly e-mail newsletter then you know I have decided to begin making weekly posts on my blog. Each week I am going to be sharing with you at least one devotional thought for the week. I may post other thoughts I have during the week as I am reading and studying but I promise you at least one post each week. For those who are a part of the Cornerstone fellowship I will also keep posting slide shows of special events. I will try to get a slide show up of our recent trip to the Quakes game as soon as I can.
As I begin this new endeavor there has been a scripture on my mind for several weeks so I thought I would begin here. Let me ask you this question; how do you encourage yourself? If you are feeling down, depressed, or discouraged what do you do to pick up your spirits? Being a male I hate to admit this but I have often found that going shopping encourages me when I am down. The bad thing about that is I usually spend money I don't need to spend and the end results can be as bad as the original problem. Maybe you like to go for a drive or go play golf or just watch TV. I am sure we all have some method we feel helps to lift us out of our depression or discouragement, but I have a feeling that whatever method we might use really doesn't provide the kind of lasting results we really need.
In 1 Samuel 30 we read of a time when David got discouraged. I encourage you to take a few minutes and read that chapter to get the big picture. To put things in a nutshell David's men were upset with him and were talking of killing him. Let me tell you that as a leader few things will cause more discouragement than to have those under your leadership upset with you. You want people to be happy and approve of what you do. I have certainly had my share of experiences where people were upset with me but I have never been in David's shoes where people wanted to kill me (at least as far as I know). So what did David do to encourage himself in such a desperate situation? I think I would have been looking for a place to hide, but in a sense that is exactly what David did.
1 Samuel 30:6 says this in the KJV, "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. I take courage in the fact that what David did not do was blame and complain to the Lord. That certainly would have been the easiest thing to do but that is not the posture David took. Instead in a time of great discouragement he chose to look to the only place where he or any of us will ever find real encouragement. Now let me quickly tell you how to do this.
This really isn't hard and it really isn't anything that most of us have not heard many times before. To encourage ourselves in the Lord we need to read His word. A good novel might work as an escape for a while from our discouragement but it will not relieve our discouragement. It is reading things like this story of David that help us find the answers we need. Secondly prayer needs to be a part of the equation. Who better to talk to about our struggles than Almighty God? He has huge shoulders to carry the load we have. We are told in the scriptures to cast those cares on Him because He cares for us. Thirdly I would say, Be in fellowship. Again we see that the bible tells us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. I have never understood all these years I have been a pastor why I hear people tell me that the reason they weren't in church is because they were discouraged. What help can we possibly get by staying home and sulking? We need the Body of Christ more than ever when we face discouragement.
You may not be discouraged today but trust me the time is coming. I encourage you to use these three steps to find encouragement and why not share them with someone you know that is in that place of discouragement now?
God Bless,
Pastor Sheldon
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