Psalm 51:12

"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."

- Psalm 51:12

Love Them More...

People have lots of reasons for not sharing the gospel.

"They'll get mad at me." 

"They'll call me names."
 
"They might make fun of me."
 
"They might even yell at me."

But are these reasons good enough? Are they good enough reasons to make it okay that someone dies and goes to Hell because you were too afraid to speak up?

As always, Jesus has the answers. In Mark 12:30-31, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandments are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, we will want to share the gospel (God's "good news"). If we love our neighbors -- and by "neighbors" Jesus means every person, not just those who live next door -- we will want to share the gospel so that Jesus can save them from the pits of Hell.

So, what was the answer to the problem above? LOVE. We have to love them more than we are afraid they will make fun of us. We have to love them more than we are afraid they will get mad. We have to love them more than we are afraid they will laugh at us. We have to LOVE THEM MORE.

With fear and trembling...

The Bible tells us to work out our own salvation with "fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12).  This verse is often quoted and often misunderstood or just not understood at all.  Many people wonder what is so scary about salvation that we should experience fear and trembling?  What God is telling us here is that salvation is not a matter to be taken lightly.

Psalm 51:10

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." -Psalm 51:10

Kneed to Know Information

Have you ever noticed that we don't think twice about getting down on our knees to scrub the kitchen floor or to wash out a stain on the carpet?  Or to hunt down that missing shoe that's hiding under the bed? Or to play with our children? But we don't get down on our knees when we really need to -- when we pray.

Just doing that one simple thing helps me to really focus and connect to God. It strips away the distractions. (There's nothing more embarrassing than getting distracted when you're talking to God because He knows you did. He's the only one you can't fool!) It humbles me and makes me really feel how powerful God is. So, if you haven't tried it before or lately, give it a try. I'll guarantee it'll be the one time your knees won't hurt after kneeling on them!

(Yeah, I know the title is very punny!)

A Pastor is...

...strong
...loving
...forgiving
...merciful
...wise
...joyful
...following God's will
...able to admit when he's wrong
...helpful
...ever hopeful
...shepherd to all in the flock, not just a few
...and, ultimately, human.

A pastor is God's representative on earth. He is held to a higher standard, but he should be forgiven just like anyone else. Being a pastor is hard work. Satan tries to throw stumbling blocks in life's pathway at every turn. That just means that we need to pray even more for our pastors. We need to lift them up in prayer every day. The message the pastor brings is not the pastor's message, but God's message to us. We can't let Satan stand in the way of that special delivery.

ABC

If you are reading this and are unsaved, please know that Jesus loves you so much that he died to save you from your sins. He was beaten, tortured, mocked and betrayed, so that you can go to Heaven one day. He did that because he loves you! He's offering the gift of salvation to you. If you're feeling convicted by your sins, if you're feeling broken and in need of God's saving grace, it's as easy as ABC. 

A - Admit to God (and yourself) that you are a sinner. 

B - Believe that Jesus was the Son of God and died for your sins. 

C - Call upon the Lord to save you! 

Pour your broken heart out to the Lord and He will make you whole!