Pastor's Corner

BURDEN-BEARERS NEED BURDEN SHARERS

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:12:15 -0400

Galatians 6:2 says that we are to...

"Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."

However, in order to accomplish that we need to not only be good burden-bearers (which most of the people I know are) but also good burden-sharers (and this is where most of us need work). Burden-bearers can't do burden-bearing unless there are burden-sharers doing some burden-sharing.

ACCEPT AND HEED CRITICISM

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:59:24 -0400

I think that for most of us, it's very difficult to accept criticism. And even more difficult than accepting criticism is heeding it, i.e. making corrections in our lives as a result of it. The reason that's true, I think, is because criticism pricks our pride. The criticism we receive may be entirely true, but it's offensive, and that's because it points out our lack of perfection. And let's face it, we all want to be seen as perfect (well, at least more "perfect" than those around us).

We need to swallow our pride and to accept and respond to the criticism offered to us (even the "redeemable" parts of the nasty criticism that's hurled at us). We'll grow in our faith if we do, not to mention in our humility (and that's good because "God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble"--James 4:6).

"Whoever heeds instruction is on the path of life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray." (Prov. 10:17)

GOD IS GOD; WE ARE NOT

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:05:48 -0400

What did Job learn through his experience, i.e. his incredible loss, his pain & suffering, his debate with his friends, and, most importantly, his encounter with God? We find the bottom line of Job’s story in Job 42:2-3…

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”

From these verses, it seems to me that Job learned two very important and fundamental truths:

1. God is God
2. Job is not

And, although it may seem like a no-brainer, those are important and fundamental truths that all of us need to learn as well. The reason I say that is because we often live out our lives under the assumption that: 1). God is missing something about our situations, and 2). He needs us to tell Him what that something is.

The truth of the matter is that God is entirely omniscient (all-knowing) and completely sovereign! He is intimately aware of our situations, even more so than we are, and He is in total control over them. And He really doesn’t need us to tell Him how and when those situations should be resolved. He is God; we are not!

ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE TRAINED BY YOUR TROUBLE

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:42:28 -0400

Many Christians find comfort through their trials and tribulations in James' words recorded in James 1:2-4...

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Their thinking goes like this: The Lord uses our trials to discipline us and to shape us; therefore, whenever we experience trials we grow in righteousness. Ideally, that's true, but it's not an automatic. The author of Hebrews tells us (Heb. 12:11)...

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

Did you catch that last phrase? "...to those who have been trained by it."

Our trouble (including our discipline) can produce righteousness within us, but only if we allow ourselves to be "trained by it," i.e., if we accept it and look to God for His will in and through it. If we reject the trouble in our life, as though we were undeserving of it, we will not become righteous as a result, but rather we will become resentful.

READY TO SHUT UP AND LISTEN?

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:23:05 -0400

After receiving a boatload of rebuke from Almighty God for challenging His ways (Job 38-39), Job interjected in Job 40:4-5 with what is about the only thing one can interject after being chastised by the Creator and Sustainer of the universe…

“Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”

In other words, to use Eugene Peterson’s words from The Message (Job 40:5), “I've talked too much, way too much. I'm ready to shut up and listen.”

Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever spouted off to or challenged God over some situation that just wasn’t panning out as you had hoped only to be completely humbled and brought low when He revealed even a glimpse of His purpose in and/or through that situation, a purpose that clearly testified to His far superior wisdom? I have, and when that happens, what’s left to say, really, but, “I’m sorry, Lord. I’ve said too much. I’m ready now to shut up and listen”?

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are His ways our ways (Is. 55:8), but His thoughts and His ways are ALWAYS the best! We need to learn to shut up and listen much more quickly than we typically do!

GOD'S WILL, NOT MINE!

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:25:33 -0400

"I can nothing on my own...I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me." (Jesus; John 5:30)

If Jesus recognized that He could nothing on His own, so must we! Therefore, each and every day we need to roll out of bed onto our knees and ask that God's will be imprinted upon our hearts and that our own wills quickly fade from view.

GOD'S WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:44:12 -0400

Throughout the first 37 chapters of the Book of Job, Job pleaded with God to answer him, to give him a legal hearing, i.e. an opportunity for him to prove the illegality of God’s onslaughts against him. In chapter 38 Job’s plea was finally granted. But God’s response was nothing like Job had anticipated. Instead of answering Job’s charge of injustice or explaining the theory of evil or the role of suffering, God, through a series of questions, rebuked Job for presuming to challenge His ways…

• “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (v. 2)
• “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (v. 4a)
• “Who determined its measurements…or who stretched the line upon it?” (v. 5)
• “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?” (vv. 12-13)
• “Do you know the ordinances of heaven? Can you establish their rule on earth?” (v. 33)

What was the purpose of God’s rebuke of Job through these (and several other) unanswerable questions? To demonstrate to him that since He (God) has His own unique purpose for creation and His own unique way of bringing it about, He also has His own unique purpose for people as well as His own unique way of bringing it about.

Although we can’t always understand God’s ways, we need to trust Him nevertheless, and our worship of Him should come not from our comprehension of His purposes but from a deep appreciation of His person.

BE STRONG IN THE LORD

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:49:59 -0400

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have an enemy, powerful and wily, who "prowls around like a lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8), one who wants today to discourage and defeat you. So then, how do you guard yourself against this formidable foe? Paul tells you how (Eph 6:10-11)...

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil."

And the key to Paul's advice is in the following phrases:

"in the Lord"
"in the strength of his might"
"armor of God"

Simply put: we cannot stand against the wiles of the devil in our strength or by our wisdom--he's much more powerful and cunning than we are--but we can stand firmly against him when we rest in and rely upon God's strength and God's wisdom!

PONDER THE PATH OF YOUR FEET

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:25:05 -0400

There are so many distractions to our faith, so many influences vying to take our attention off of our Christian walk. What’s a believer to do? I love the counsel given in Proverbs 4:25-26 in that regard…

“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.”

And I’m especially taken by the first part of v. 26—“Ponder the path of your feet.” That is…

“Know where you are headed” (CEV)

An effective way to avoid those distractions to our faith is to be an intentional traveler as opposed to an aimless wanderer. Know where you are headed, i.e. toward Jesus, “fix [your] eyes upon [Him], the author and perfecter of [your] faith” (Heb. 12:2), and then walk confidently and resolutely to Him!

…“then all your ways will be sure”

MINISTRY IS NEVER FOR NOTHING

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:41:44 -0400

ANYone who is involved to ANY degree in ANY ministry (whether professionally or as a lay person), will from time to time have the overwhelming sense that they are a failure and that they have been doing nothing but wasting their time (I have been in that place many times!). But if we are to take God at His word, then we must believe that our labor in the Lord is NEVER in vain.

Paul said it plainly (1 Corinthians 15:58)...

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose]." (Amplified Bible)

So, if you're doing ministry (which ALL of God's people should be), keep at it, even though you might feel as though it's for naught--God said that it is never for nothing!

LET NO ONE DESPISE YOU FOR YOUR YOUTH

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:49:53 -0400

In defense of his right to speak and share his opinion despite his young age relative to that of Job and his three friends, Elihu makes a profound observation (Job 32:6-9)…

“I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you. I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’ But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.”

In other words, it’s not mere years that produce wisdom, but rather years with the Lord.

You would expect, as you look out over a typical church congregation, that you should be able to pick out a good source of godly wisdom based on certain physical characteristics, i.e. a slow gait and gray hair. But unfortunately that’s not always true. Sadly, there are many “gray-heads” sitting in our churches today who, though they have been sitting there for a long, long time, are nevertheless spiritual infants.

Conversely, there are many young, quick-gaited, “multi-color-heads” sitting in our churches today who have taken their relationship with God very seriously and who have consequently collected a great deal of premature spiritual “gray” (i.e. wisdom). And I for one would go for advice, on any day of the week, to one younger than myself who walks closely with God than one older than myself who merely goes through the motions!

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)

PREACH THE GOOD NEWS!

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:42:37 -0400

What a sobering reminder Job gives (Job 27:8) of the plight of the unbeliever…

“For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?”

Jesus put it this way…

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” (Matt. 16:26-27)

It’s easy for us as believers to trip through life giving little or no thought to (or having little or no concern for) the fate of pagans. But the fact of the matter is that, when God takes away their lives, there is no more hope for them. Their only hope lies on this side of eternity in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And it’s our job to tell them that!

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14)

GOD IS NEVER REALLY ABSENT

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:50:55 -0400

Ever feel this way?

“Oh, that I knew where I might find [God]. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.” (Job 23:3, 8-9)

Sometimes it seems that no matter where you look, God is nowhere to be found. Do you ever have days like that? When you do (and we all do), you really have no choice but to take God at His word that, even though He may seem absent and uninvolved, He really is…

“…our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Ps 46:1)

And so sometimes all we can do is simply….

“Be still, and know that [He is] God” (Ps 46:10)

...and let Him show up in His time and in His way.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE WICKED

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:34:43 -0400

Job asks a really good question in Job 21:7—one that, if we are honest, we would have to admit that we too have asked at least once or twice (or a thousand times) throughout our lifetimes…

“Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?”

And then he elaborates on that question over the next several verses (vv. 8-14)…

“Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and does not miscarry. They send out their little boys like a flock, and their children dance. They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.’”

In other words, why does it often appear that crime indeed DOES pay? Furthermore, why does it often appear that righteousness DOES NOT?

Whenever I’m plagued with this question (and I certainly am from time to time), I turn to Psalm 37 and meditate on these timeless words (vv. 1-13)…

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.”

GORDON PARAPHRASE: Don’t worry about what the wicked do or how they may seem to prosper—God will deal with them in His way and in His time; worry about yourself—“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.”

ALWAYS ROOM FOR OPTIMISM

nospam@example.com (Dan Gordon) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:16:08 -0400

I love the optimism that Job expressed in the midst of his pain and suffering (not to mention in the midst of the hurtful and worthless dribble of his “friends”). In Job 19:25, he said…

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.”

Regardless of how bad things might get in our lives, as children of God we ALWAYS have room for optimism, and that’s because our Redeemer lives! And He has promised by the sufficiency of His grace to see us through whatever life throws at us and to use those trials and tribulations to help repair the damage that the Fall did to the image of God within us.

Paul so appropriately wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17…

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”