HIde It Under A Bushel--NO!

Today’s Bible readings are Leviticus 7:28-9:6, Mark 3:31-4:25, Psalm 37:12-29, & Proverbs 10:5

Mark 4:21-23

²¹ Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. ²² For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. ²³ Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

I have a word for you today—“It is time to let your light shine.” That’s right; it is time for you to shine. Have you ever wondered why God called you? Has there ever been a time when you asked yourself, “Why is God so good to me?” I know that these are thoughts that have come to mind later for me.

I often think about how my life use to be & how it is now. It was not that long ago, 13 years to be exact, that my life radically changed. I was addicted to drugs & my marriage & family was falling to pieces. I was in jail waiting to go to prison for drug charges when I gave my heart to Jesus Christ. That was the best thing that ever happened to me. I look at where He has brought me today: a happily married father of 6, a 36 year old pastor of a thriving church, helping multitudes of people just like me, & filled with joy & peace indescribable.

I sometimes wonder, “Why is God so good to me?” I know that I don’t deserve it. I have never done anything that spectacular to earn it. Yet, I can see His favor & blessing all over my life. I believe that this passage has something to do with it.

Jesus said that our light is meant to be seen. I give all the glory to Him. He has done great things in my life. I get to reap such incredible blessings because of His GREAT LOVE. He causes me to burn for Him. It brings me great pleasure to let His light shine in & through me.

I can’t hide what He has done in my life.

1.      He saved me.

2.      He healed.

3.      He turned my life around.

4.      He delivered me from drugs.

5.      He gave me back my family & added to it.

6.      He gave a sound mind.

7.      He washed away years of failures & shame.

This makes me want to shout, “GLORY TO GOD”!!! I can’t keep it in. I have to tell people what God has done for me & what He wants to do for them. There is this old song that says:

It is no secret, what God can do
What He's done for others, He'll do for you
With arms wide open, He'll pardon you
It is no secret, what God can do

This is letting your light shine. It is not being afraid to tell others how your life turned around. It is telling others who turned your life around. But most importantly, it is letting others see by your actions that your life is TRULY turned around. Let them see the new life & not just lip service. This speaks volumes to others. They may not understand all the bible verses that you know but they can see the changes in you. That is letting your light shine.

Do you want to be a soul winner? I know that you do. Start letting your light shine. The fact of the matter is this—you were created for God glory. Nothing brings Him greater glory than to see you shine for Him. It brings Him honor.

Proverbs 10:5

⁵ A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.

You have a story to tell. You have a light that others need to see. Let today be the day that you choose to let your light shine. It isn’t difficult. Here are a couple things you can do before the day is over to let others see your light.

1.      Pray for somebody that you cross paths with today.

2.      Give a word of encouragement to someone who is down.

3.      Help somebody that is struggling.

There is plenty of opportunity to let your light shine. Be intentional about it. Be alert & take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. If you do, there is a good chance that revival will start in your life.

 

Pastor Richard Schlotter

The Place You Want to Live

Today’s Bible readings are Leviticus 6:1-7:27, Mark 3:7-30, Psalm 37:1-11, & Proverbs 10:3-4

Psalm 37:3-5

³ Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. ⁵ Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust him, and he will help you.

What is it that leads to prospering in our lives? What does it take to have the blessing of God in our lives? What is the source of true peace in life? Those are the questions that nearly all people are trying to find the answers to. People search far & wide in an attempt to find the solution to these questions; the whole time failing to realize that the answer is in the Bible.

Many people think that the answer lies in education. Some believe that the answer lies in hard work. Both of these may play a part but neither has the ability to produce the result that people are searching for. They can help achieve the mark once the source is discovered, but they can never get you to the mark on their own.

True prosperity comes from Jesus Christ. He is the One who can make you whole. That is what prosperity really is, it is being whole-nothing missing, nothing broken, in our lives. This involves:

1.      Spiritual well-being

2.      Financial well-being

3.      Mental well-being

4.      Emotional well-being

5.      Physical well-being

6.      Relational well-being

Being whole involves having every aspect of your life in perfect balance. It is what happens when everything is in alignment. That only happens when we are in the Vine.

John 10:10

¹⁰ The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

True prosperity is when you find that rich & satisfying life, BUT it can only be found in Christ because He is the One who gives it. You will never find it in:

1.      Money

2.      Professions

3.      A new spouse

4.      Sex

5.      Material stuff

6.      Power

7.      Drugs/alcohol

These things only leave you more empty & discouraged than when you started. This is because they promise to give you what is missing but they can’t produce the goods. This leaves us depressed & hopeless. Now we are even more desperate to fill the hurt & emptiness inside. We start to grab after anything that we can get our hands on hoping that this will be the one. It never is. We are only going further done the spiral of hopelessness.

This is a story that far too many people are far too familiar with. This may sound to some like I have been reading your mail. That is not the case at all. The fact of the matter is that I have been down that road myself. I have chased after every empty promise that the world has to offer, BUT then I found Jesus! In Him I found everything that I have ever wanted & all I’ll ever need! He has filled that aching & longing inside of me. He has blessed me & satisfied me in every way. He fills me with His presence each day. He protects me. He speaks His blessing over me giving me confidence, worth, & strength. How did this all come about in my life? By doing the things that are written in this Psalm.

1.      Trust in the Lord & do good.

This may sound like something that you have heard 100 times but when your eyes are open to it, it will change your life. We have to learn to trust Jesus to meet our every need. He can & He will. Then next part is not as easy to notice at first, but the first part doesn’t work without it. We must do good.

I want to take a moment to expand on that. This doesn’t mean that we are earn God’s favor or blessing. It simply means that we obey His Word.

Psalm 119:128

¹²⁸ Each of your commandments is right. That is why I hate every false way.

God’s Word is good. It is perfect. To do good is to walk in His Word. This is what leads us to prosperity & safety. That is why Psalm 91 says these words:

Psalm 91:4

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.  He will shelter you with his wings.  His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

 

2.      Delight yourself in the Lord.

I have learned to love God. I never get tired of worshiping Him. I never get bored of spending time with Him. I have learned that He is my true lover. The more I seek Him, the more I find Him. The more I find Him, the more I love Him. That is the wonder of His love. Once you taste it you can’t get enough of it.

As I chase after God the way I use to chase after Kelly when we were teenager, I find so may more reasons to love Him back. Somewhere in the midst of it all He changes my heart. He makes me want Him more. As my desire for Him increases, my desires for other things decrease. This is the most wonderful place to live life. It is where TRUE life & blessing are found.

Have you allowed other things to become the delight of your heart? Has there been a pulling away for the One that you love most? If so, make today the day that you commit to chase after Jesus with all of your heart. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Pastor Richard Schlotter

No Defects

Today’s Bible readings are Leviticus 4:1-5:19, Mark 2:13-3:6, Psalm 36:1-12, & Proverbs 10:1-2

Leviticus 4:32

³² “If the people bring a sheep as their sin offering, it must be a female with no defects.

As we begin to read through the book of Leviticus, we begin to see the system that God put into place under the Law that was in place to deal with sin. There was specific instruction that had to be followed in order to atone for specific sin. The one thing that stands out to me is that is that in many of the offerings that required animals being offered we see these words—“with no defects”.

I find it interesting that the priest only inspected the sacrifice that was being given. He was to make sure that the sacrifice was without blemish. He didn’t inspect the one offering the sacrifice to make sure they were without blemish. It didn’t matter if they had many defects; the sacrifice is what mattered most. It had to be perfect.

We fail to realize the importance of this small detail. Remember, everything in the OT is to point us to Christ. All of the sacrificial system was there to point to the Lamb who would take away the sin of the world. These things were intended to train us so that when Messiah would come we would be able to receive the gift He would offer, forgiveness of sin.

Many people wrestle with the fact that they are flawed. They know about all of their weaknesses & they think that those things will keep God from receiving them. They pay much mind to things like:

1.      Their drug addiction

2.      Their alcohol problems

3.      Their past failures

4.      The abortion they had

5.      They adultery they once committed

6.      Their violent past

7.      The sexual issues they wrestle with

 

The more they think about & are reminded of these things, the less they think that they can approach God. They begin to suffer from the same thing that the leper suffered from in the gospel.

Matthew 8:1-3

Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. ² Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

³ Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

This man didn’t know if Jesus would want to help him because he was so hung up on his weakness. He was inspecting himself. He was focusing on his failures, his sin, & his righteousness.

This is exactly what happens to us. We fail to realize that it is not about us. We begin to inspect ourselves & come to the conclusion that we aren’t good enough. We fail to learn & connect the lesson of the OT to the blessing in the NT. Remember, the high priest didn’t even make one glance at the person with the sin that needed atoned for. The high priest didn’t begin to inspect them to see if they were worthy to offer the sacrifice. He didn’t check their background to make sure it was flawless. He simply looked at the animal that was being offered. If it met the requirements that God set forth, it was accepted & they were cleansed & atoned.

Let that sink into your heart. You are not the sacrifice. The High Priest is not concerned with you or your tattered background in the least little bit. He only cares that the sacrifice that is offered is without blemish. Your sacrifice is Jesus! He is the perfect lamb.

1 Peter 1:18-20

¹⁸ For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. ¹⁹ It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. ²⁰ God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.

God Himself has inspected Jesus. He has declared Him to be a Lamb without sin, blemish, or defect; worthy to be presented for the payment of sins.  He has accepted the sacrifice. The payment has been made once & for all. Jesus presented His Own blood to the Father after His death. That blood has taken away your sin. God is not interested or concerned about the flaws & past that you may have. You ARE NOT the sacrifice. Jesus was. He is accepted. As a result, you are:

1.      Forgiven

2.      Healed

3.      Delivered

4.      Brought near to God

5.      Accepted

6.      Part of the team

7.      A new creature

8.      Filled with His Spirit

9.      Holy

10.   Examined & declared NOT GUILTY

Stop agreeing with the things that the enemy suggests. He wants to keep you in confusion when it comes to this matter. This is what he uses to keep you feeling inadequate & hiding from God. It is time to step into the light & live as the redeemed of the Lord. Your sins are gone. You must stop bringing them up. The blood of the Lamb has washed them away!

Pastor Richard Schlotter