Search me God

Today’s readings are 2 Kings 1:1-2:25, Acts 13:42-14:7, Psalm 139:1-24, and Proverbs 17-19-21

Psalm 139:23-24

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

There are so many really good scriptures in the readings today, but this one touched my spirit.  This is something that I pray often.  I am not perfect and need to be searched regularly so that when I am offensive to God and so  he can correct me.

The Lord knows us fully, and we are strangers to ourselves sometimes, we should desire and pray to be searched.  If there is any wicked in me, let me see it and help remove it from my life. Being Godly is pleasing to him, and very good for us.  All Christians should want to be led this way so we will not miss out on the goodness God has for our lives. 

If we are living lives that are offensive to God we cannot walk in all he has for us.  We can become so consumed by anxious thoughts and the offense that we forget about our walk with God.  Then we can start to fail in our walk with him.

This scripture really just says to check in with God ask him if there is anything offensive in you.  He will always tell us the truth. He will always give us the answer we need.  Sometimes we just don’t want to listen.

Kelly Schlotter

INTEGRITY MATTERS

Today’s Bible readings are 1 Kings 22:1-53, Acts 13:16-41, Psalm 138:1-8, & Proverbs 17:17-18

 

1 Kings 22:13-14

¹³ Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”

¹⁴ But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”

I recently preached a series in our Sunday morning services on honor. I have been prompted to stress the importance of honor to our people. Honor is being forgotten in culture today. There is another topic that needs to be revived in the church today. That topic is integrity.

Much like honor, integrity is being forgotten. People have lost sight of the value in being a person of integrity. I love our reading for today for the book of 1 Kings. We see a great prophet of God. He was great for many reasons, but the one thing that stands out about him to me is that he was a man of integrity.

I also believe that it was because of his integrity that he was such a powerful prophet of God. Integrity lead to him being used by God in ways that others were not.

What is integrity? The Hebrew word literally means:

the condition of being without blemish, completeness, perfection, sincerity, soundness, uprightness, wholeness.

A man of integrity is a man who in whole. He is not lacking anything. His character is in impeccable. His word is his bond. It matters to him do what he says. Honoring God is still the number 1 thing to uphold. He treats his family the same each day. He handles his wife with great respect & love.

Integrity is doing what is right even when nobody is looking. So many times we do the right thing only when there are eyes on us. What we fail to realize is that even when eyes aren’t on us that God’s eyes are on us. Men of integrity believe that.

How many times have people said things only to please another? How many times have people been dishonest only for the approval of another? How many times have people been dishonest about things because they knew that they could get away with it. How many times have people made a commitment that they never took serious & never fulfilled? Integrity does none of the above.

Integrity:

1.      Handles money right.

2.      Practices self-control.

3.      Never takes what isn’t theirs, even if it was let lying around.

4.      Practices sexual purity.

5.      Tells the truth even if it costs you.

6.      Holds other & themselves accountable for their actions.

Here are some things that God has to say about integrity.

Proverbs 10:9

⁹ People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.

 

Proverbs 28:6

⁶ Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

 

Proverbs 11:3

³ The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

 

Proverbs 20:7

⁷ The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him!

Integrity matters to God. It should matter to each of us. It is something that we can all improve on if we will ask God for grace in this area. All areas of our lives will be better as we reach for a higher level of integrity. Let’s work on this together so that we can make a greater difference in our families, churches, & our world!

 

Pastor Richard Schlotter

THE PLACE GOD SPEAKS

Today’s Bible readings are 1 Kings 20:1-21:29, Acts 12:24-13:15, Psalm 137:1-9, & Proverbs 17:16

Acts 13:2-3

² One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” ³ So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

What would you do if you found the place where God speaks? I know that you may be wondering if that is possible. I believe that it is. Moses found the place where God spoke when He climbed the mountain. Joshua found the place where God spoke when he entered the Tent of Meeting. Jesus found the place where God spoke as He withdrew to a solitaire place.

Why were these 3 places such special meeting places with God? Was it because they were holy? Was it because they were special? I don’t think that the answer is either of those. I believe that the answer really has to do with the condition of the hearts of each of these men when they entered those places.

We see in our text today that the apostles also found the place where God speaks. It wasn’t a tent. It wasn’t a mountain. It wasn’t a solitaire place. I am lead to believe that the place had very little to do with the outcome at all. I see that in all of the instances that we have talked about so far, the one thing that they all have in common is that in each place the men had a hunger in their hearts to hear God speak.

This is such an important piece to remember when it comes to hearing God—Do you want to hear Him? The next piece is just as important—Do you believe that you are going to hear Him?

We can see that in all of the above mentioned references that the men who heard God speak wanted to hear God speak & they also believed that they would hear God speak. I know this is true because they all went to these places in expectation that they would hear from God. They also all worshipped in those places because they were in faith believing that they were going to hear God.

In the text from Acts, we see that it was a direct result of their worship & fasting that God spoke. They were ministering to the Lord. They weren’t gathered for selfish reasons. They were gathered to honor God & give pleasure to Him through their sacrifice through fasting & worshipping Him. ‘

That is really a whole paradigm shift for most people. Most still think that worship is for them. They complain if they don’t like the songs sung. They judge every movement & expression that takes place from others. They try to dictate what brings pleasure to God. They are the center of their own worship. That is why they NEVER hear God speak. That is why they stay UNCHANGED year after year.

I want to hear God speak to me regularly. I want to be transformed daily. I know that in order for that to happen I must have a hungry heart for hearing His voice & I must make worship a thing for Him & not about me.

It is like the line in the worship song that we all know says:

When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come

Longin' just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless your heart

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required

You search much deeper within
Through the ways things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm comin' back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
It's all about You, Jesus

I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You, Jesus

Find a place today & give true worship to God. He longs to share Himself with you. He longs for you to minister to Him. This is really the place where He speaks.

Pastor Richard Schlotter

THE MOVE THAT WILL LAST THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

Today’s Bible readings are 1 Kings 19:1-21, Acts 12:1-23, Psalm 136:1-26, & Proverbs 17:14-15

1 Kings 19:1-2

When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. ² So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

How important is it to marry the right mate? There are so many problems that come into our lives when we don’t choose wisely in this area. We can find long lasting problems that spill over into many areas by making a haste decision when it comes to pour mates. I think that this is the case for Ahab.

I know that Ahab was not a good man before he married Jezebel. The fact that he married a woman like here speaks a lot about the lack of character that he had, but marrying her didn’t improve in his already lacking character. It only made things worse.

Every one of us will choose a mate at some point. I want to encourage you to choose wisely. The person we choose to spend the rest of our lives with will have a huge impact on our views, morals, & decisions. When we choose poorly, we will surely reap a harvest of destruction.

Here are a few things to consider in choosing a mate.

1.      Do they love God with all of their heart?

2.      Are they willing to remain faithful to God at any cost?

3.      Do they honor their parents?

4.      How do they handle money?

5.      Are they the center of their own universe?

6.      Do they put the needs of others ahead of their own?

7.      Are they absorbed by themselves?

Remember, who unite yourself to will determine the direction that you go in life. Choose wisely. Let the Holy Spirit lead you. If you don’t hear a clear yes, then don’t make that move. It is a move that will last your entire life, so you want to make sure that you got it right.

Pastor Richard Schlotter