One Day At A Time

Today’s Bible readings are Joshua 11:1-12:24, Luke 17:11-37, Psalm 84:1-12, & Proverbs 13:5-6

Joshua 11:23

²³ So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.

Has there ever been a task so large that the Lord gave you that it seemed like it would never be completed? Was there ever a time in your life that so much needed to be done in order for you to experience what God was promising you that it didn’t seem like it would ever occur? That was the case for Joshua & the people of Israel.

They came to the Jordan River one day being told that they would fill the land before them. It all sounded great. The only problem was that there were already people living in that land that would not just give up their home. Some of these people were known to be fierce & vicious people. Others had great & powerful armies. Still others were protected by fortified cities.

40 years prior to this date, as the land was spied out, the heart of the people melted because they didn’t think they could complete the task. They saw the huge task & the great hurdles before then & said it was not possible. They lost all faith of seeing it ever happen. That bunch of people all died in the wilderness NEVER receiving what God desired to give them.

What a tragedy for that generation. Because they couldn’t see it happening they never tried to do what God was asking them to do. They paid no mind to the fact that God was going to enable them to do the impossible. They disregarded the promise that He made when He said He would go before them & make a way where there seemed to be no way.

When we read about the generation of Joshua, we don’t see a more experienced people. They don’t appear to be a more battle skilled people. They must have had less experience because they were all younger, but they all had the thing that matters most to God—FAITH IN HIS PROMISE.

God doesn’t need super gifted people. God does not need perfect people. God takes those who are humble enough to believe Him at His Word & He makes them mighty. God takes the ordinary & makes them extraordinary through His Spirit.

Many times in life, when we will look at the road before us, it may seem impossible for things to be what we know God wants them to be. Take for instance your marriage; right now things may be very rocky. There may be a lot of hurt feeling & deep offenses. It may stretch beyond you & even into relationship with your in-laws. It can look like there is no way that God can heal all the hurts that have occurred. It may look like so many things have to change that it is impossible.

That was the case for me.  When I got saved my marriage was falling apart. It went much deeper than just my wife & I having issues. There was such relationship damage that stretched throughout our families that it didn’t look like things could ever be the way that they were meant to be. I looked at all that needed to change & I simply didn’t know if it could ever change. It looked like it would take far beyond a lifetime to fix what had been broken.

There were days when it seemed like the easiest thing to do would be just walk away & quit. Something inside told me not to give up. I have come to know that something as hope. I stood my ground in faith. I knew it was impossible for me to fix but I had faith that God could do anything. I surrendered to Him.

It didn’t all happen overnight, but things began to change. It was just like in the book of Joshua. We found victory over one area then moved on to the next. Before long, we had victory over many things that once held us down. Over the course of time, we saw the Lord restore to us EVERYTHING that He had promised to us. Praise & honor belong to Him forever more!

I wanted to share this with you because I know that there are some things that you are faced with right now that you are wondering if they can ever change. There are so many things that need to happen in order for you to have what you believing for. My word to you is be patient & trust God.

Don’t get overwhelmed by everything. God doesn’t expect you to deal with it all right now. Just deal with what is in front of you. Fight the fight that is before you & don’t worry about the things that are out at a distance. God is with you & He will give you victory. Things will change. It will not be that long before you look back & see that God has given you everything that He promised. It comes one battle at a time; one day at a time.

Pastor Richard Schlotter

Unanswered Cry

Today’s Bible readings are Joshua 9:3-10:43, Luke16:19-17:10, Psalm 83:1-18, & Proverbs 13:4

Luke 16:27-31

²⁷ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, ²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

We sometimes fail to realize the importance of evangelism. We can grow very slothful when it comes to sharing the gospel with people. For whatever reason, we just don’t seem to take the charge that Jesus gave us very serious at time. But I want you to know, there is a place where it really matters.

We see a picture here of man who found himself in the place or torment. He was not a bad man. The story tells us that He was a wealthy man. It doesn’t mention that he cheated for his wealth. It lets us know that he was generous on occasions because there was a beggar at his gate. He takes the scene & appears to be a good man, but he didn’t know Jesus.

We must remember that the only thing that saves us is a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not about any of these things:

•        It doesn’t matter how good you were.

•        It doesn’t matter how much money you had.

•        It doesn’t matter how much stuff you had.

•        It doesn’t matter how important you were.

•        It doesn’t matter what church you went to.

•        It doesn’t matter what your title was.

We must call on the name of the Lord Jesus.

This man may not have been that concerned in his lifetime to know Jesus of have a relationship with God. But that day came when it mattered. He soon saw the great mistake he had made. Everything changed in that moment. He started to remember:

•        All of the times spent in the house of God.

•        All of the times the Spirit tugged at the heart with conviction.

•        All of the times that he prayed and someone prayed with him.

•        All of the times that he shrugged off the call of commitment.

•        All of the times that he sat uninvolved and preoccupied during the moments of worship.

•        All of the times that he laughed it off.

•        All of the times that he watched others find spiritual relief and blessing.

•        All of the sermons that he ever heard.

•        All of the Sunday School lessons that he heard.

•        All of the excuses he used about why you could not serve God.

Then, the most amazing thing occurred, he became an evangelist. He was greatly concerned for families salvation. He became greatly burdened by where they would spend eternity. The only problem was that it was too late.

I have made this statement before, but it is worth repeating: 

“Hell is often more missions-minded than we are.”

Let’s not follow in this man’s footsteps. Let’s not wait until the flames of hell bring us to a place of concern for where others will spend eternity. Let’s listen to the call of the Spirit RIGHT NOW & carry the torch. He is calling us to soul winners. It is time to hear what the Spirit is saying.

I pray that each of us will take a new look at where we stand with Christ. Renew your commitment to him & your commitment to fulfill the Great Commission. This is the ONLY thing that will really matter in the end.

I pray for a new breath of wind to fill your lungs so you can run this race to the finish in Jesus name!!!

Pastor Richard Schlotter

Money

Today’s readings are Joshua 7:16 – 9:2, Luke 16:1-18, Psalms 82:1-8 and Proverbs 13:2-3

 Luke 16:13

¹³ “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

The use of our resources is a very big topic.  It can be a blessing or it can bring us trouble and pull us away from God.  Depending on weather we use it for ourselves and are selfishly using it for ower gain or if we are using it to help others and to serve.  Money is a great tool when we use it in the right way, by helping our neighbors, and caring for other’s needs.

  We can sometimes be very inward focused and have a hard time sharing with others.  Try to focus on someone elses needs today rather than your own.  Pray that God would show you someone who’s needs you can meet.  It may be a small need or possibly a large one.  If we are unwilling to help God’s people with resources given to us by God.  God will find someone who will and we will lose the blessing and our relationship with God will be hindered.  We will slowly grow apart from him.  Always be trustworthy of what God has given us.  Follow Gods plan for your finances and listen to what he wants you to do with them.

Kelly Schlotter

The Truth About Who Matters

Today’s Bible readings are Joshua 5:1-7:15, Luke 15:1-32, Psalm 81:1-16, & Proverbs 13:1

Luke 15:1-7

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. ² This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

³ So Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

How comfortable are you around sinners? That is a question that we must answer. I have noticed in the life that there are 2 extremes when it comes to answering this question. One extreme is where a person is so comfortable around sinners that they start to act like one.  The other is where a person is so uncomfortable around sinners that they avoid them. Neither of these is the model that Jesus set for us.

I like the fact that we see that Jesus taught when He was in the company of lost people. We see that He wasn’t just “hanging out” with lost people. He was getting truth to them. This is a great example of what discipleship is. There were followers that were listening & people who were considering following that were listening as well. I love this model.

Church & small groups must be a safe place for both found & lost people to come. Found people need to grow & lost people need to be found. There is a hunger among found people to grow in the faith. There is also a hunger among lost people to experience the God that created them.

Jesus cares for those that have committed to Him. He devoted His life to teaching them. But let us not forget that He cares & is devoted to those who are yet to know Him. He died for ALL humanity. This is a statement that we all know is true. The problem is that many times we fight it when it is time to put it into practice.

We can get like the Pharisees. We get mad that the lost are getting more attention than we are. We get angry that new converts are getting more than us who have been around for years. We can even say things like, “Why are they getting all the attention?”

I am a father of 6. We go through this a lot at the house. There is always one kid who thinks the next one is getting more attention than the other. The fact of the matter is that there will be times when somebody is getting more attention than you are. It is required in parenting.

For example, who do you think needs & requires more of my attention; my 17 year old son or my 3 year old daughter? The answer is obvious; my 3 year old daughter. It doesn’t mean that I love my son less because my daughter receives more of my time. It simple means that my love & guidance has already brought my son to a place where He is grown & matured. Really, it is time for my son to start caring for the needs of my daughter WITH ME, instead of, crying that she is getting all the attention. That is what Jesus meant when He said:

 

Luke 6:40

⁴⁰ Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.

Then enemy works to divide a house. He knows that if he divides it he can conquer it. We have to make sure that we refuse to fall into His trap. Let’s remember, we are a family. Don’t fall into the deception that the Pharisee’s fell in to. Know that God loves you. Know that your church loves you. Know that your pastor loves you. Then, get in the game & start helping with the kingdoms business.

Pastor Richard Schlotter