What was the Question?

Do you have a good memory? We remember things we want to, period. All too often we fall back on the excuse of a poor memory when confronted by someone whose name momentarily escapes us. I have to be honest; this was my excuse for years.

We have the ability to remember, but it seems we just don’t remember that many things anymore. I believe this memory non-use is not a matter of memory ability, but a matter of choice. How many times do you hear a song and you are able to sing along with the lyrics? How many things are in your memory? Passwords? Addresses? Your Social Security number, and your Driver’s License number? We choose to remember what is important to us, period. And when we don’t remember. we are basically saying it is not important enough to…or that something else is more important.

I am sure technology plays a part in this laziness. Seriously, why remember phone numbers when you can tell some phones to call “Dave” and they will recite back a list of numbers in your contact list with the first name “Dave” in them? Why bother, right? Have you ever really needed a phone number, and been without your cell phone with all of its contacts? Have you ever called or texted someone and they responded with “Who is this? Sorry, but I lost my cell that had all of my contacts”. It's like without caller ID, we haven’t a clue…

We need to get back to what is important, and start committing those things to memory. For example: Scripture. The Bible is chock-full of truth. Truth that is useful, inspiring, informing, and correcting. Look at this passage:

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (NIV)

Do we treat God’s Word like this? Or do we treat it like if we need it, we know where to find it? It's good to know where to look, but we react based on the information inside of us. And if you want to know what is inside of someone, just see how they respond under pressure, as that seems to bring out the best in us, right? By memorizing Scripture we accomplish two things: First, we are practicing a Spiritual Discipline and second, we are storing up stuff inside of us, preparing for the pressures to come.

It's like filling your internal toolbox with the best available tools for all of life’s potential ups, downs, and sideways! When you look at it that way, it doesn’t sound so awful.

So what do you say? Think it is important enough to try? Or maybe you were wondering what the question was again…

…just sayin’

In His Grip,

Pastor Pat

So You Serve Much?

I was studying for this weekend’s message when I had somewhat of an epiphany…an awakening about something if you will. I have been taught, and have taught that we as followers of Christ have been given Spiritual gifts upon our conversion to be used in support of the church (little “c”). These gifts are explained in Scripture and are to be used for the betterment of the whole church.

What this means is as believers, we have all been given the necessary resources to help and build up the church. The church being the opportune word here, and it means the Body of Christ – the believers, not the place we gather together at. Over the last almost two thousand years we have changed the “c” to “C” and made the formal distinction that the service we are to do is to the Church.

We as the Church have taught that everyone is called to ministry, and this is true, but we have also inferred that the place we do this is at the Church. Just seems somewhat self-serving don’t you think?

Jesus did not establish a club that needed to be joined, a school for special teaching, build a building or write books. Jesus said in Matthew 20:28: “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus served.

So the difference then is that we should not be simply serving the Church, but rather serving “as” the church – more specifically ‘as” His church. If we are supposed to be His Body, living out His will as His church, then we should be doing a lot more serving outside the Church than inside…seeing as that is where we spend most of our time. Don’t get me wrong, there is a need for serving at the Church to support the believers when they gather together, but we need to be examining the levels to which we go to do so. We need to make sure our focus on what matters most is really what matters most.

Not bagging on “Church” here…just want to clearly define the plan and purpose of our serving so as to avoid serving the wrong thing…

…just sayin’

I hope your week is spent considering whom you are serving…because you have a choice. Read this passage of Scripture in Joshua 24:13-15 where Joshua calls out all the tribes of Israel and asked them to choose whom they were going to serve.

In His Grip,

Pastor Pat

So What's Love Got To Do With It?

There was a Tina Turner song with this title, and as I sit here writing, it is playing in my head. What a cool song, but the lyrics are kinda sad, and don't paint love in such a great picture. I think what she was referring to though, and maybe unintentionally, was the "feeling" of love. Somehow there is this "loving" feeling that we think is synonymous with love, and if it goes away then so does the love...how sad.

This loving "feeling" is a love based on feelings, and those are not the most historically trusted sources if you know what I mean. Seriously, how dependent are you on your feelings? Do they dictate everything you do? I would presume that they don't, after all do you know what they call an employee that only works when they "feel" like it? Unemployed...get it?

Feelings have become our priority. How we feel is what we say motivates and we use to make decisions. And we have become a culture that somehow believes this emotional love "feeling" is what love really is, and I do not agree so much. Ok, I do not agree at all! Love is a commitment that even encapsulates, propagates, and even seeks those loving feelings. Nevertheless the feelings are not the core, and not how one can sustain a relationship.

There is only one thing that can sustain love, and that is commitment = in other words, right priorities. In every wedding I do I always remind the love-struck couple that at some point these feelings will fail them, that love will not sustain their commitment, but that their commitment can and will sustain their love. Simply put - feelings come and go, but we can choose how to act. Sometimes we have to choose to be loving even when we don't feel like it, just like in the same way we can choose to go to work when we don't feel like it. We can do this if our priorities are right.

Right priorities? It's your life so you get to determine your priorities, right? How's that working out for you? It isn't until we get our priorities right that we can have "right priorities". In other words we need to recognize what is most important, what is most valuable, and then apply this to our lives. What is most valuable to you? Your stuff, your family, career, hobbies...what? What about the One who made life possible? What about making God the priority? Where then does love fit?

Look at this verse:

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8 NIV

If God is our priority, and God is love, then we live out God as our priority by being loving. Not the flowery pastel movie love, but true, unclouded, confident, and over-the-top love. Using the biblical, unconditional love of God as the model. This love is how we hold onto our commitments, and it is how we get "right priorities".

So what's love got to do with it? I venture to say only everything...

...just sayin'

In His Grip,
Pastor Pat

Love Wins?

Is love in the race for something? I have a better one: Love Rules! Simple, direct, and no confusion, because it is true. Love does rule!

When it comes to any circumstance or situation or really anything, if there is love, then there is hope. Hope that things will work out, get better, or at the very least, to let us know that we are not alone in whatever it is we are going through.

Where do we find love and how do we get more of it? You simply have to go the source: God.

“⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.“ 1 John 4:8 (NIV)

God is love. So the reality is whatever it is you are going through, if love is there, then God wins. He designed it, He made it, and He desires we feel it. Probably why we crave it so much. Problem is, we love all kinds of things and people to fill this need. Unfortunately, until you fill this love need with God’s love, all others will, at some point, fall short…just sayin.

In His Grip,

Pastor Pat