Thought for the day...

Follow me
By Pastor Dave Scharf
Then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!” (John 21:19).

Do you know the context of that verse? You might think that it was Jesus seeing the “full of life and potential” Peter at the beginning of his ministry calling him to be one of his disciples. Jesus did do that, but that was a number of chapters before this! Check out the reference: John chapter 21 is one of the accounts of the resurrected Jesus. This is after . . .

After Peter was slow to believe, after Peter had doubted Jesus’ power when walking on water, after Peter told Jesus that Jesus would never suffer a cross, after Peter had cut off Malchus’ ear, after Peter abandoned Jesus in the garden, after Peter denied Jesus three times . . . you get the point. And yet, Jesus still said, “Follow me”? I don’t get it.

We can only get it after we realize what else it was after . . .

After Jesus gave his life on Good Friday to pay for the sins of the world. After Jesus rose to life on Easter morning. We remember Peter’s sins, but because he removed those sins forever, Jesus does not. That’s why Jesus could say to Peter, “Follow me!”

Think you have too many “afters” to hear those words from Jesus? Think again. His cross and empty tomb assure you. It’s why after all of our afters, Jesus can say, “You’re forgiven—follow me!” Follow him, certain that when your final after comes, Jesus will say, “Welcome home!”

 

March 11, 2020
Verse of the Day
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10 NIV

 

Change Worry to Worship by Asking God for Help
By Rick Warren — March 11, 2020


“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.”

(Philippians 4:6 NLT)

Have you ever had one of those days when nothing goes right? When the odds are stacked against you, you’re overwhelmed, and you wonder if you should just give up and go back to bed?

When you have a day like that—or maybe even a year like that—you have two choices: You can worry, or you can worship.

You can’t do both. If you’re worrying, you’re not going to worship. If you’re worshiping, you’re not going to worry.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (NLT).

The antidote to worry is worship—to pray, praise God, and ask him for what you need.

When many people hear the word “worship,” they think of music. Music is one way to worship. But worship really is an entire lifestyle. Every aspect of your life can be an act of worship to God.

For the next several days we’re going to look at what it means to worship. I’ll walk you through one of my favorite stories in the Bible. It’s found in the Old Testament book of 2 Chronicles.

Three enemy nations—the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites—ganged up on King Jehoshaphat. The king received a report that they were on their way to fight the nation of Israel.

The odds were three nations against one. But, instead of worrying, Jehoshaphat chose to worship by asking God for help: “Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to ask the LORD what to do” (2 Chronicles 20:3 NCV).

His first reaction was fear—and, considering the odds, fear was reasonable.

The king could have let his fear intimidate him, discourage him, or cause him to give up. But, instead, Jehoshaphat let his fear motivate him to worship through prayer.

And he didn’t do it alone. He gathered others to pray with him: “The country of Judah united in seeking GOD’s help—they came from all the cities of Judah to pray to GOD” (2 Chronicles 20:4 The Message).

You likely never have had a day when three nations were united in war against you. But you have had days when the odds were not in your favor. And you will again.

When impossible days come, choose to worship God by asking him to help you. He will always hear and respond.

 

March 13, 2020
Verse of the Day
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:35 NIV

 

March 14, 2020
Verse of the Day
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6 NIV

 

Tilting the covenant
By Jason Nelson
For 40-plus years God used ten core laws, peculiar ceremonies, stern warnings, and divine retribution to drag his children through the wilderness and into the promised land. Under Moses the deal was, “You obey me, and I will be there for you. You don’t obey me, and you will have hell to pay.” It was the standard agreement. But something changed with Joshua. On a hallowed plain between sacred hills, Joshua restated the agreement between God and his people. It was different this time and signaled a covenant shift. God was done with the children of Israel. He wanted faithful grown-ups. With the trumpets of Jericho fading from their memories and the real estate parceled out, Joshua gave people permission to go their own way if they wanted to. He spoke only for himself and tilted the covenant away from compliance toward commitment.

“If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).

Joshua lived up to his own name. He didn’t dictate terms. He delivered on promises. In Hebrew his name is Yeshua. In Greek his name is Yesous. In English his name is Jesus. And it means, “God delivers.” Joshua set the example and committed himself to the promise of a namesake who would come to deliver all people from their sins

 

March 16, 2020
Verse of the Day
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Matthew 5:7 NIV

 

The Urgent Need for Repentance
The love of God is not for some or a select few, for the rich or the poor, for people from a particular country or society — but rather it is for everybody. God’s love is accessible to anybody who prays with a pure heart and a genuine desire for salvation. In this verse from 2 Peter, we read that God is waiting with infinite patience and mercy for everyone to learn about him and come to him. He wants to welcome us warmly to his home, just as the lost son was welcomed by his father in the Gospel of Luke (see Luke 15:11 – 32).

God is always calling us to come home — to respond to his love and mercy, to participate in his kingdom. God does not want anyone to lose the chance to receive salvation; he is patient and kind and merciful. At the same time, that does not mean that we should put off the decision! Like a football game, our lives are on a clock that is counting down. One day the whistle will blow, and our earthly lives will come to an end. For some, that will be today. For others, that may be some time from now. We don’t know when our time on earth will end. So it is vitally important that we trust in Christ today as our Lord and Savior. Heaven and hell are both real (Jesus talked about both). The choice is ours: We can turn to Christ or go our own way.

Taken from NIV Essentials of the Christian Faith

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
II Peter 3:9 NKJV
II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. | New King James Version (NKJV) | Download The Bible App Now

 

The world has gone crazy.

 

March 17, 2020
Verse of the Day
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

 

March 15, 2020
Verse of the Day
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Hebrews 13:16 NIV

 

What people think
By Pastor Matt Ewart
People around you will form opinions about you based on how you live your life. Some will think highly of you. Others won’t. Rarely is someone loved by everyone.

There was a high-ranking Roman soldier in the first century who lived his life in such a way that everyone had very high opinions about him. So much so that when this man’s beloved servant was on the brink of death, his friends were more than happy to seek out Jesus on his behalf. Here’s what they said to him: “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue” (Luke 7:4,5).

Some people might have similar opinions about you, saying that you’re such a good person you deserve to have God do anything for you. And it’s tempting to agree with them. But when this Roman soldier heard what his friends had done, he quickly sent another entourage with a direct message to Jesus: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof” (verse 6).

Jesus was impressed by this Roman soldier, but not because he built a temple. He was impressed by this man’s faith. The soldier knew that all the great things he had done were nothing compared to the great things Jesus came to do.

Faith in Jesus does not eliminate the impact of great things you do for other people. Faith recognizes that what people think about you isn’t as important as what Jesus did for you