The Pen of Pastor

Philippians  1:27–2:18 27Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. What a powerful passage of scripture penned by the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit and a word that last forever. You and I are responsible for our actions. We must protect the good news that we've been privileged with. Paul challeng...

"If you fail under pressure, your strength is to small." Said the writer of Proverbs in chapter 24 and verse 10. What a statement! Life presents pressure points daily it seems. Some a little larger or more complex than others but none the less, pressure.  It also seems that pressure is no respecter of age, race, gender, religous belief, or financial status.  Less wealthy people seem to have the pressure if the bills will be paid, while wealthy people struggle with what to do with it all, or perhaps how to act with it. Students in school have the pressures of assignments and due dates, while senior citizens are often pressured daily with the realization they must do the things in life they want, because their time might not be as long as others.  However, if you look at scripture it is a reminder that our strength comes from One greater than you or I. We can read, greater is He in you, than He that's in the world. Or perhaps, I can do all things through Christ who gives me...

God is a big God who cares for you. He loves you deeply. He is concerned about your concerns, His desire is to give you your desires and yet in His time! The prophet Isaiah said it like this in the 49th chapter and verse 16, " See, I have inscribed you on the palms  of My hands;" Think about that, we serve a God so big and powerful that He created the whole world with His voice. Scriptures give accounts that when Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, walked this earth, He had the power in His voice that even the winds obeyed Him. Yet in all of His infinite wisdom, might, glory and power, He chose to inscribe you and I in the palms of His hands.  I can't help but imagine the scars in the palms of His hands from crucifixion day and think that's me. See, according to the prophet Isaiah my name is there in the middle of those scars, perhaps. He loved you and I enough that He would give us His life that you and I could enjoy life with Him for eternity. He loved us enough th...

I didn't write yesterday. However, through the night and this morning I have been traveling to see family and have taken a little time to reflect on a particular passage of scripture,  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV) What an encouraging piece of bread of life for Christians this morning. We have a job to do. We must continue to take the saving news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with us every where we go. We must remain steadfast and unmoveable. Be content where God has placed you today. Serve Him with your whole heart and know that your labour is not in vain. God chose to use you and I for a purpose, when we live our lives for His glory we in turn will be thanked eternally when we see Him face to face.  Be blessed today and don't grow weary but keep your head up high and serve Him with your whole heart, mind, soul an...

The prayerful words of the prophet Habakuk found in chapter 3 and verse 2, Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2 NIV) What a thought. You and I have heard of Gods fame. In fact, He is perhaps the most famous person ever known who has walked this earth. In the words of Steve Harvey, He is a man who needs no introduction. However, as you have heard of Him and the fullness of His glory or all the great works He has done; DO YOU STAND IN AWE?  When I heard the words of this prayer read this morning and then as I have reflected on them throughout the day I can't help but stand in awe of a very  AWEsome God! He is still faithful, He is still just. He is still able to heal and bring life to that which is broken and dying. He is still a very present help in time of need and He is still God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Like the prophet, I pray today,...

You know, I love everything about the Word of God because I still believe that it is true in its entirety. I believe it is without error, inspired and still the very relevant writ Word of God Himself. Although I love and appreciate it all, I, like you have some of my favorite passages. One of them is found in 2 Kings chapter 4 and begins in verse 18. It is the story of the Shunamite woman.  If you visit the earlier part of chapter 4 you find an account given where the Shunamite woman was unable to carry a child. Elisha, the man of God, visited her and her husband regularly so they prepared him a place to stay. During one of his visits he tells the woman by that time the next year she will give birth to a son. So the prophecy was fulfilled and she gave birth. Yet now we come to the best part, in my opinion.  Beginning in verse 18 you find the account of the child sitting in his mothers lap and dies. She places the child on her bed goes out and calls for her husband to send her ...

Have you ever just wondered, WHY? Why the world appears to race around you at what seems 1,000mph, or perhaps why it is as though the weight of the whole world is on your shoulders.  To be rather transparent, I have been there lately. There have been things personally, professionally and spiritually that have caused me to ask God why. It has felt as though I'm constantly going and no time for rest, no time for extra curriculars with family or friends and even no time for my own spiritual growth or devotion. Truthfully, that is what rekindled the desire for this blog. To require me to take time and reflect a few moments about life and what I feel God is doing in me.  Yesterday morning I sat in a local devotion where the speaker for the day made the statement, "I have nothing to say, I just came to pray." What a thought, this man drove over 80miles one way to do nothing but to pray with us. What  a way to make this preacher feel spiritual, considering I hadn't taken tim...

"Seek to please Me  above all else. Let that goal be your focal point as you go through this day." This is the way my morning devotion started off today. Yes, by now you're probably thinking man this guy must really like the devotional Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Well, I do!  Think about it, God Himself just commanded me to seek to please Him above anything else and for His pleasure to be my focal point of this entire day. That's a tall command when I have a job to tend to, school working staring me in the face, responsibilities for the church that have yet to be completed, appointments to schedule and keep and planning for a trip with family next week. How in the middle of my busy day can I make His pleasure my focal point...by keeping Him in the middle of everything I do. This day was given to me by God, why would I want to do anything but please Him?! He woke me up this morning and started me on my way. He allowed me to fellowship with others in like faith in a l...

During my morning devotions today, I couldn't help but be challenged by the Words of Sarah Young in her book Jesus Calling, " You will not find My Peace  by engaging in excessive planning: attempting to control what will happen to you in the future." I am a planner and I know it. Often Kaye will have to remind me that there is always tomorrow and I don't have to do everything I want today. I have so many goals and dreams and would much rather have them sooner than later, but the way she started this off, as if Jesus, Himself, was talking directly to me, was rather challenging. Have I become so consumed with my own personal desires in life; to be wealthy, to hold prestigious titles and positions, to secure my financial means for retirement or perhaps any other thing in life, that I have lost the peace of Christ?  Young went on to say, "I crafted your mind for continual communication with Me." What a thought, God designed you and I so that we would require and...

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. —Psalm 139:13–16 The idea that god loves me enough to have taken time to create me and know me in his very own image. He is a great God and I will praise Him for His works are wonderful!  Be encouraged today and know that God knows you! He is your very present help in time of need and he hears and answers your prayers!  --Josh Edwards--