People Get Ready

Today’s Bible readings are Numbers 26:52-28:15, Luke 3:1-22, Psalm 61:1-8, & Proverbs 11:16-17

  

Luke 3:7-9

⁷ When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? ⁸ Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. ⁹ Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

I’m sure that John was not the most popular preacher of his day. I’m sure that there were many who didn’t care for him or the message that he was preaching. I am also convinced that many in leadership wanted to shut him up but they feared what the crowd would think. Yet, one thing I know for certain is that God was GREATLY pleased in John.

 

Matthew 11:7-11

⁷ As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? ⁸ Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. ⁹ Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. ¹⁰ John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    and he will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹ “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!

John did not have a “feel good” message. In fact, his message was intended to bring sorrow, “Godly sorrow”. He was a preacher of repentance. His message was much needed because it would pave the way for the Messiah’s coming.

One of the things that really jump off the pages of the bible to me is that people of John’s day thought they were right with God by their family connections. They thought that since they were born into the right family & bloodline that they were cool with God. They believed that God was obligated to them because of who they were. They were badly mistaken.

John dealt with them on this matter. He simply told them, “Look, it doesn’t matter who your mamma & papa are. You have to have a connection with God yourself.” He went on to tell them that if they are truly connected to God that their life will show it by the fruit that it produces. No fruit = no connection to the Vine.

I really believe that this is a message that our generation needs to hear as well. We live in a day much like the day of John the Baptist. Messiah is getting ready to come again, only this time He will not come as the gentle Lamb that Israel saw. He is going to came as the Mighty, Roaring, Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He will come with fire in His eyes & a sword in His mouth. He will not come to save the nations, but rather, to strike them down.

 

Revelation 19:11-16

¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. ¹² His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. ¹³ He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. ¹⁶ On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

This day is quickly approaching us. We need to have many voices rise up to be like that of John the Baptist declaring, “PEOPLE GET READY!!!”

There are many in our churches & our country who think they too are cool with God because they live in America & were raised in the church. Maybe their daddy was a deacon. Maybe their grandma was a Sunday school teacher. They have gone to church their whole life but have NEVER experienced God.

There are millions of others who simply think that just because they live in America they are cool with God. They believe that because they are civilized they are saved. They believe that because they live upstanding, moral lives that they are safe. They trust in their own righteousness to save them. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

We are only saved by grace. We only have hope in Christ. It doesn’t matter how good we think we are, without His blood covering us we are but filthy rags. It doesn’t matter what your daddy or grandma did for the kingdom. Their faith can’t save you. It is a personal thing. Their fruit is not your fruit. You must decide. You must repent. You must prove by your actions that you have turned from sin to a Holy God. You must enter into a relationship with Jesus for yourself.

When you stand before God Almighty, He is not going to ask you who your parents were, nor will He ask you about what church you attended; nothing you ever did in your own righteousness will ever be enough to save you. The only thing that will get it is done is if you have repented & accepted the payment of Jesus Christ’s blood for your sins. This is your wake-up call. Please don’t reject it.

 

Pastor Richard Schlotter

Resting in God's strength

Resting in God’s strength

Today’s readings are Numbers 24:1-25:18, Luke 2:1-35 Psalm 59:1-17 and Proverbs 11:14

Psalm 59:16-17

¹⁶ But as for me, I will sing about your power.
    Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.
For you have been my refuge,
    a place of safety when I am in distress. ¹⁷ O my Strength, to you I sing praises,
    for you, O God, are my refuge,
    the God who shows me unfailing love.

This is a Psalm for David during a time when Saul sent soldiers to his house in order to kill him.  David was going through a very terrifying time in his life.  I have had times in my life when I feared I would die.  I think we all have had moments either a split second when driving or real terrifying times when you thought Oh Lord this is it.  This is the end.  When David was going through this he wrote this Psalm.  I will sing about your power, each morning I will sing with joy about you unfailing love.  You are my refuge, my safety, my strength.   This is it this is what we do when going through terrifying times.  We praise God go to him for strength and refuge.  Reading through the Bible in a year has already been great for me.  I’ve read stories I have never heard before, been encouraged to do blogs I  never wanted to do before and grown in faith tremendously.  I encourage you to praise God through the tough times and read the bible for encouragement.  You will find it.  Thank you Lord.

Kelly Schlotter

Show Me Your Friends & I Will Show You Your Future

Today’s Bible readings are Numbers 22:21-23:30, Luke 1:57-80, Psalm 58:1-11, & Proverbs 11:12-13

Numbers 25:1-3

While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. ² These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. ³ In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people.

I had a friend who use to tell me, “If you show me your friends I will show you your future.  I always wondered how true that statement really was until I started to see it in work.

I was very fortunate in the beginning of my walk with God. God surrounded me with God-loving & God-honoring people. It wasn’t that I didn’t have any old friends; I had plenty, but they were doing the things that I didn’t want to do anymore. I made a decision to only spend quality & quantities of time with people who had the kind of life that I desired to have. I never did question my friend’s statement about friends & our future. I thank God that I chose to follow his advice. I have seen many other people over the years try it the other way. It has NEVER worked.

Israel was no exception to this rule. God warned them about having too deep of relationships with these outsiders. It wasn’t that God didn’t want Israel to have friends, but rather, He knew where these relationships would end up taken His people. God knew that they were weak & still very impressionable. He was trying to protect them.

We see that they chose to go their own way for a season of pleasure but the result was devastating. It also proved that God was right & they were wrong. This is a lesson that I pray we all come to learn—God is always right. I have come to be alright with saying that & knowing that.

Growing up, there was this stage that I went through where I wanted to prove my parents wrong. I did exactly the opposite of what they asked of me because I wanted to show them that I knew better than them. I wanted to prove to them that I could do it if they would just let me. I have to admit, I was wrong. I created a lot of misery in my life that could have been avoided.

It was part of being a child. I wanted to be in charge of me. But I like what Paul said:

1 Corinthians 13:11

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.

As I have matured & grown over the years, I have also come to realize the wisdom in many of the things that my parents taught me. Likewise, as I have grown as a Christian I have come to accept the wisdom in the things that God says also. I no longer feel the need to fight against this type of principals. I can trust in them. I can surrender to them.

I want to leave you with some very good “Heavenly Father” wisdom.

1.      Don’t make friends with an angry man lest you learn his ways & endanger your soul.

2.      Don’t build a relationship with someone of the opposite sex that doesn’t love Jesus more than they love you.

3.      What & who you unite yourself to will determine the direction you go in life.

4.      You can’t fly like an eagle if you hang around a bunch of turkeys.

5.      Relationships matter. Choose the right ones & invest in them.

Pastor Richard Schlotter

Mission Impossible, Made Possible

Today's Bible readings are Numbers 21:1-22:20, Luke 1:26-56, Psalm 57:1-11, & Proverbs 11:9-11

Luke 1:35-37

³⁵ The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. ³⁷ For nothing is impossible with God.”

                                                                                                                                     

This is one of the greatest miracles that surrounds the life of Christ. Of all the things done by God this is one of the greatest. We often talk about the resurrection, & we should because it is such a demonstration of God great power, yet this is equally as awesome when considered. The virgin birth is one of the most remarkable things that have ever happened. In fact, it has never happened again.

Everybody say this out loud to themselves: “Nothing is impossible with God.” I am sure that Mary thought she was out of her mind when the angel first told her these things. There had never been a virgin birth before. It made no sense, but it was a message coming from God through one of His angels. She chose to believe in God & His ability to do what He says He is going to do. She was blessed as a result.

Luke 1:45

⁴⁵ You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

I know that there are things in all of your lives that may seem impossible right now. There may be:

1. Situations that seem to be unrepairable.

2. Mountains that seem to be immovable.

3. Sickness that is said to be incurable.

4. Relationships that appear to be unsalvageable.

5. Family members that act unsaveable.

6. Debt that seems unpayable.

7. Circumstances that feel unchangeable.

What you must do is, shout from deep within to what seems to be impossible & declare by faith that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!!!

The key phrase that has to be considered is the phrase, what seems to be.  Most of the stuff that seems to be impossible only seems that way because we have not yet factored in the “GOD POSSIBLITY”. That is why it seems impossible. Quite frankly, it is impossible UNTIL God is factored in. Remember, He is the One that makes EVERYTHING possible. The reason that it seems impossible is because He has not yet been considered or invited into the situation. He is truly the X-Factor.

³⁷ For nothing is impossible with God.”

When God is invited into the situation 2 things happen:

1.      The power of the Holy Spirit comes on you.

2.      The power of the Most High overshadows you.

Think about that for a moment. The Holy Spirit is the miracle working Agent of the Trinity. When you invite God into your impossibility, the miracle working Agent of God comes on you. Impossible now has the missing link to what can be made possible.

Then the power of the Most High overshadows you. All of your fears, worries, etc… are overshadowed by the awesome presence & power of a God who can do anything. His power makes up the difference for our weakness. His ability fills in the gaps of our inabilities. The result, the impossible becomes probable. Listen to the words of this song:

God makes the impossible probable,
God makes what defies solutions solvable,
He makes what can't be done, doable,
Makes mountains movable,
God makes the impossible probable.

Take a deep breath. Release it. Now rest. Take a new look at what seems impossible, but this time factor in the GOD WHO MAKES ALL THINGS POSSIBLE. Let this strengthen your faith today.

Pastor Richard Schlotter