The Joys of Giving

Today’s Bible readings are Leviticus 16:29-18:30, Mark 7:24-8:1-, Psalm 41:1-13, & Proverbs 10:15-16

Psalm 41:1-3

¹ Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!  The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. ² The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land
    and rescues them from their enemies. ³ The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.

Do me a favor for a minute & answer this one question; who is the most joyful person you know in this life? We have all met somebody that is such a pleasure to be around. They are always smiling. They seem to be carefree about everything. They are like a ray of sunshine to everybody.

For me, one of the most joyful people that I have ever met is my daughter. She is always so full of life & joy. It does me good to see how much she loves people & loves to live.

Like Vivian, we all know somebody like this. Now let me ask you another question; why do they have so much joy? I believe that there is a common thread in the lives of people who have true joy. It is something that you will find to be a strong quality in the lives of every person who fits the description that we are talking about this morning. Whether they are young or old, male or female, this is a trait that you will find in each of them. The trait that I’m speaking of is generosity.

Each morning, as soon as she is done getting dressed, Vivian comes up to GIVE me my morning kiss. Each evening she GIVES me a warm welcome. When she has a treat she makes sure to GIVE me a portion of it. She finds joy in giving.

I know that she is not giving money to the poor, but the principal is the same. She receives joy as she gives to others what she has to offer. There is a great blessing in it for her. She is a giver. I know that as she grows, she will continue to be generous to others. I know that it will grow into her helping the poor someday.

The bible speaks to us about specific blessings that come on a person who has a heart to help the poor. They are blessing that we all want to have in our lives. I know a lady who spends much time taking care of the needy. She makes such sacrifice to care for poor people in our community. She is one of the most blessed people I know. She is blessed with great health. She is filled with joy. She is as alive & vibrant as any person I have ever met in my life. There is a blessing on her life because of her desire to help & care for those in need.

As I read this Psalm I see specific promises made to the one who helps the poor.

1.      They have joy.

2.      They will be rescued from troubles

3.      They will be protected.

4.      God will sustain them.

5.      They will prosper.

6.      They will be saved from their enemies.

7.      Their health will be restored & renewed.

These are the joys of those who help the poor. They don’t come to the selfish. They are not part of the self-centered person’s life.  They are lacking in the lives of the self-absorbed. They only seem to be a part of the life of people who find joy in helping the poor & needy. It reminds me of Jesus. He had all of the blessing above in His life. His life was spent to help those that nobody else wanted to help. He came to save the ones that others thought deserved to perish.

I see a great hardening in many people today. The desire to help those in need is disappearing. I know that there are a lot of people who abuse the generosity of the church & of Christians. I have experienced this myself. But I pray that we never lose the desire to help those that are truly in need. Let us find joy again in being a blessing to others that are less fortunate than we are. I believe that it will only lead to more blessing in our lives.

Pastor Richard Schlotter

Garbage In, Garbage Out

Today’s Bible Readings are Leviticus 15:1-16:28, Mark 7:1-23, Psalm 40:11-17, & Proverbs 10:13-14

Mark 7:20-23

²⁰ And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. ²¹ For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²² adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. ²³ All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

Have you ever wondered why we think the way we do? Have you ever spent any time trying to figure out why we act the way we do? What is it that leads us to do the different things that we find ourselves doing? The answer is found in these words that are spoken by Jesus.

The Pharisees were people who practiced a lot of rigid regulations. They practiced these rigid regulations because they thought that in following them they could perfect themselves to be a super spiritual body of people. It wasn’t that any of these things were bad; in fact, they had value to them according to Paul.

Philippians 3:4-7

⁴ though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

Paul never said that these things listed in his pedigree were bad things. He knew that they had their place. There was gain & profit in the things that they practiced BUT THEY COULD DO NOTHING WITH THE REAL ISSUE—THE HEART OF MAN.

Paul continues in his letter to the church:

Philippians 3:8-9

⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Now Paul begins to speak the solution to our sin problem—JESUS! He realized that ONLY JESUS can change our heart. It is only when our heart is changed that our life is changed. It is only when the inside is changed that the outside is changed. There is nothing that we can do on an outward basis to change what is an inward problem.

Jesus said:

John 3:3

³ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

The outward things that we stress so much can do nothing if there hasn’t first been an inward change. It doesn’t matter how much we work on cleaning up the outside of our cup, the inside must be washed first. That doesn’t mean that we do nothing with the outside of the cup. The way we live matters to God. Our actions should match with our faith.

Once we deal with the root of the problem; our heart, now we are positioned to live right. The next thing that we do is begin to store good things into our heart. We have the Spirit when we get saved. Now we begin to fill our hearts & minds with the right things instead of the wrong things like we once did. No more:

1.      Internet porn

2.      Filthy jokes

3.      Smutty television programs

4.      Profane music

5.      Hanging out at wrong playgrounds with wrong playmates

It is time to:

1.      Fill our minds with the Word of God.

2.      Watch will edify & encourage us.

3.      Listen to what will build us up to be like Christ.

4.      Be around a people who share the same purpose & values that we do.

5.      Serve in a local church & use our gifts for God’s glory.

 

Luke 6:45

⁴⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

To answer the earlier question, what we see, hear & think sink deep into our heart. Actions come from the thought we have allowed to be part of our mind. Behaviors follow what we act out on, which is a result of what we have out into us. All behaviors have consequences.

 

James 1:14-15

¹⁴ Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵ These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

Remember this one thing—GARBAGE IN = GARBAGE OUT!

Pastor Richard Schlotter

                                                   

A Time For Rest

Today’s Bible readings are Leviticus 14:1-57, Mark 6:30-56, Psalm 40:1-10, & Proverbs 10:11-12

Mark 6:30-32

³⁰ The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. ³¹ Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

³² So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.

Just how important is it for us to have rest? That is the thought for the day. The disciples had been out on the most amazing ministry journey of their lives. They had been used of God in supernatural ways. They had ministered to countless people for many days straight. They had poured themselves out for the glory of God. They returned in joy & excitement to update Jesus on their progress. He must have been very proud of them for what they accomplished. It was the first fruits of what would come when He was gone. Jesus saw what the apostles may not have even known was present, a need for rest.

Jesus was so use to pouring out His life for others. He constantly ministered to others. The difference was that He also constantly prayed & communed with His Father. He stayed strong by connect with His Father in His daily prayer & quiet time. This was something that the apostles were not use to doing. He would soon be gone. They would be on their own to finish His work. He wanted to leave them a pattern so they could be successful in their task.

Even with the anointing WE STILL NEED REST! Jesus needed rest. Later in this story we see that He withdrew & had His own quiet time of rest & recovery from ministry.

Mark 6:46

⁴⁶ After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

He understood the demands of ministry. He understood the pressures of serving people. He understood the weight of carrying the anointing. The anointing is a very strong thing. We must learn that we need a balance of rest with the anointing.

There are many things that can drain us in ministry:

1.      Emotional strain from others

2.      Constantly meeting the needs of other

3.      On the go 24/7

4.      Feeding others & not ourselves

5.      Getting things prepared

These are just a few of a list that could go on & on. The anointing enables us to do these things. Thank God for His anointing. It is by Hi anointing that we do these things well. I have learned that wisdom is to know when to rest.

What we have to give is directly connected to what we have received. We have to get away, on a regular basis, from the grindstone of ministry so we can receive from the Lord ourselves. This keeps us fresh. It ensures that we always have something to offer.

Usually, we give to others that we minister to & have nothing left to give to those that matter the most; wife, husband, children, etc… Rest is important because we don’t want to give our leftovers to our families. We want to give them our best too.

Our families are usually the first people to experience our lack of rest. We get short on them. We break our promises to them. We don’t give them what they need. This is not the way it was meant to be. Jesus doesn’t want to break us. He wants us to learn HOW TO BEAR THE ANOINTING. That is why He taught the apostles the principal of rest.

1.      Rest keeps us strong.

Isaiah 40:30-31

³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. ³¹ But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

          

            2. Rest keeps us healthy.

Psalm 23:1-3

¹ The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. ² He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

 

3.      Rest is God’s plan for us.

Genesis 2:1-3

So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. ² On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. ³ And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

Do me & yourself a favor, REST TODAY!!! Let the refreshing Spirit of God revive & refresh you so you can be MORE EFFECTIVE for Him!

Pastor Richard Schlotter