New Life and a Clean Slate

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

We recently celebrated Palm Sunday and I was blessed to officiate the wedding ceremony for my son and his fiance. As my son and future daughter-in-law stood before God and witnesses I recalled that on a Palm Sunday years ago my son was baptized into his new life in Jesus Christ. What an awesome day it was for a wedding as to celebrate another opportunity for a new life in Christ through our Christian marriages.

Yes, this Palm Sunday was a joy in the fact that my son was married, but the true joy was the opportunity to celebrate the joyful entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Living one's life in joy is how God truly wishes us to lead our lives. This Holy week that begins in joy will soon turn to despair and mourning as Christ is arrested and crucified. But that is not the way God intends it to end, because true joy returns on Easter morning with the empty tomb and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Beloved, we as followers of Christ are given many opportunities to begin life anew and with a clean slate. When we are baptized into new life in Christ we are given the blessing of never being the same again as God gives us a brand new clean slate as to document our lives. Additionally, when we are married, and have our children, we are given the opportunity to begin that life with a clean slate of possibilities. 

Yes, our lives are a clean slate with Jesus, and it all began with the Joy of Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem that would lead to the joy of the empty tomb in which Christ defeated the sting of death on humanity. My prayer for you today is that you recall your new life in your baptisms, as well as the joy that Christ has given us to make each life event a clean slate of possibilities.

Go out in joy this week, and know that through Christ Jesus we are not past dwellers but rather his people moving into the future with endless possibilities.

This is the day that the Lord has made. 

The Feast

As I write this day thirty-one blog for tomorrow I'm working on my laptop with my cell phone next to me and drinking a cup of coffee from my fabulous one cup coffee maker. I consider myself a pretty tech minded person, but often find myself lost when the newest and greatest technology comes out. As a preacher that works with young people I'm often amazed how much faster they pick up new technology, and how they adapt it to their daily lives. The only problem with technology is making sure that it doesn't consume who we are and that it doesn't take away our quality time from other things.

When the Israelite's were departing Egypt, the people were told that this day would be a day of memorial and that a feast should be observed in remembrance, and should be passed down to future generations. Prior to this in ancient times the people worship many different god's, but as the Exodus from Egypt continued, the people would learn that there was only one God (The Creator and Lover of All). 

As we go through this day, let us ask ourselves if we let anything in our lives become a god that we worship, such as our cell phones, our Facebook? We can worship thing to the extent that it takes away from our worship of the one true God. What occurs on Sunday morning that has become our god, instead of worshiping the one true God with others at church.

Brothers and Sisters, my prayer for all of this day is that we separate from things that take away from our worship of God and his Son Jesus Christ. Like anything, too much of a piece of technology of hobby can become a thing of worship. As the ancient Israelite's learned to pass the one true God down to future generations, we are called to pass down the one true God of eternal relationship to our children.

My prayer for you today is that you feast of the love of God brought forth through his Son Jesus Christ. Share the feast of Christ that is truly abundant and separate yourself from the feast of the world that can never satisfy.

Feast Well Today, Worship God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit

Pastor Tim

Day Thirty-One Scripture Readings

Exodus 12: 14

Exodus 18: 1-12

Acts 19:26

Acts 17:23

Exodus 20:2

Matthew 4:10

Psalm 119:18 ESV 

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

A recent study in Cosmopolitan magazine states that the average person does not crack a smile until after 11:00 in the morning. This study goes on by giving five ways to improve your Monday morning smile probability. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/health/make-monday-mornings-less-depressing 

1. Grab a cup of coffee and hang with only positive people.
2. Watch funny YouTube videos.
3. Go to the gym prior to work.
4. Morning communication and romance with your spouse prior to work.
5. Indulge in a good breakfast prior to work.

At this time I would like to add a sixth way to improve you smile probability on a Monday morning.

6. Be in God's word before going to work on a Monday morning.

Psalm 19:18 tells us that God's Word provides us wonderful things when we read them, study them and live them out. Brothers and Sisters, Psalm 119 is all about God's Word and its effect on our lives and  how they can help us find His direction for our lives. The eighteenth verse is all about how we ask God to place His direction in our lives and leads us into falling in love with the Word of God.

Beloved, my prayer for you today is that you dive into God's word prior to going to work and school and activities. Only by knowing God's path for your life and your Monday mornings can we truly be the confident and early Monday morning smiling people that He wants us to be.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Pastor Tim

Just Come Down

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up intoa sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. Luke 19:1-9 (ESV)

As we go through our daily lives, how many of us think that we must have our lives in such away before we feel worthy of the love of Jesus? Do we play "Lets Make A Deal" with Jesus for His love? Brothers and Sisters, the love of Jesus isn't something that needs earned, it is freely offered and freely given. 

The story of Zacchaeus and Jesus reveals Zacchaeus the tax collector climbing a tree to get a view of Jesus. The next moment we see Jesus directly under the tree, saying: "Come Down Zacchaeus." Beloved the same goes for us that are today, at this moment playing "Lets Make A Deal" with Jesus.

It's not about if our lives are perfectly formed, rather it is just coming down from our tree of the world and meeting Jesus. My prayer for you this day is that you will just "Come Down" when Jesus calls and accept him into your life, no matter the time, location or situation.

"Just Come Down!"

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Jesus Understands Us.

Misplacing Life in Anxiousness.

Misplacing Life in Anxiousness. 

*Written with permission from the pastors wife*

Philippians 4:6-7 ESV 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

This morning as I was preparing to go to church, I observed my wife running around the house trying to find her cell phone. She said "Tim I can hear it ringing but can't find my cell phone"! As she went room to room looking, she began to laugh out loud. When I asked her what was so funny, she said "The reason I couldn't find my ringing cell phone was because it was in my back pocket the whole time". 

Brothers and Sisters how often do we run around in busyness and pass by something that is directly in front of us, or in my wife's case directly in back of us? The scripture from Philippians is telling us to slow down and take God with us on our journeys. With God along with us we will be at peace. No matter our destination or its outcome Jesus will be protecting our paths, and leaving us with a peace that can never be misplaced.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Pastor Tim 

  

Peeling Back the Sticker