The Hope of EASTER

Easter. Time for hiding candy eggs in the yard for the kids. A special reason to dress up and attend church. Dinner with the extended family. 

Though over half of adults consider Easter a religious holiday, a recent poll showed that relatively few of them think of it as the most important one. That’s surprising because Easter celebrates the one thing that separates Christianity from all other religions—the fact that Jesus Christ, who died on a cross, physically came back to life within three days! 

Jesus claimed that he was the Son of God who had come to earth for the purpose of substituting himself for sinners in order to take the punishment for their sins. He even fulfilled his promise to physically rise from the grave (recorded in the Bible, John 2:19-22), proving that he was God’s Son. 

Since Jesus willingly died for you, wouldn’t you like to know how you can benefit by this ultimate sacrifice? 

The reason for Easter: Our separation from God 

God did not create us like robots that automatically love and mechanically obey him. The first man and woman chose to disobey God and go their own willful way, causing a spiritual separation from him. Not only have we inherited their bent to sin, we have added our personal disobedience which all results in our own spiritual separation from God. 

The Bible says… 

“Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.” Isaiah 59:2 

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 14:12 

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….the wages of sin is death.” Romans 3:23, 6:23 

People have tried many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God. But no bridge reaches God…except one. 

The good news of Easter: God has provided a bridge 

Jesus Christ died a cruel death on a cross and rose from the grave. Though he is God’s sinless Son, he became a human, took our place, and paid the penalty for our sin, bridging the otherwise uncrossable separation between God and us. 

The Bible says… 

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us….the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 5:8, 6:23

“Christ…suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” 1 Peter 3:18 

“Christ died for our sins…he was buried…he was raised on the third day.” 

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 

Through Christ, God has provided the only way to be forgiven for our sins and receive the gift of eternal life. But each person must make a choice. 

Your choice: Accept or reject the truth about Jesus 

To be forgiven by God and to receive his gift of eternal life we must agree that every other way is a dead-end, and trust in Jesus Christ alone as our Savior. 

Jesus says… 

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 

The Bible says… 

“To all who did receive [Jesus], who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God….for God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 1:12,3:16 

What is your decision? 

Will you receive Jesus Christ right now and trust in him alone for your salvation? The Bible says that’s the only way to find peace with God! 

* Admit your need—that you are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness.
* Be willing to turn from trusting in anything else for eternal life and trust only in God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
* Believe that Jesus died for you on the cross, came back to life from the grave, and is your only way to heaven. Accept Jesus’ offer to forgive your sins and come into your life as your Savior. 

The decision must be made in your heart, and if you’ve made that decision you may want to tell him in a prayer like this: 

“Dear Jesus, thank you for dying and rising again so that I can find peace with God! I do believe that when you died, You were paying the penalty for my sins. I now receive You as my Savior, so I can have forgiveness and the ability to please you. Thank you for the gift of eternal life!” 

(An Easter adaptation of the effective gospel presentation from the popular tract Steps to Peace with God by Billy Graham.)

An Update On The Benham Family & Shoreline Calvary Chapel

Our first Sunday at Shoreline Church was incredible! We had 59 adults and 24 children, and a great response of about a dozen people to place their confidence in the redemptive work of God on their behalf. Our Serve Team showed up at 8am with willing and joyful hearts to serve and got an entire YMCA transformed from workout to worship space in just under an hour! By 9:00 we were sound-checking for worship and at 9:20 we were praying together for great things.

Many of the attendees were friends and family showing their support for the new church, and had a wonderful time seeing God launch a fresh work in the area. But most of the crowd were people ready to be a part of Shoreline, and it showed. There was a great spirit of excitement and we were flooded with Connection Cards to sign people up for various ministries or to connect them with the church better. We are eager to see God develop this church from the ground up and know He is just beginning!

I taught from Philippians 1:6, which says “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Paul essentially tells the church in Philippi three things about the work of God in Christ in our lives:

1. God’s at work.

Paul says God began a “good work” in you. The phrase has with it the idea of beginning and ending. And it is always used ofsalvation. Sometimes we aren’t sure if God is up to anything, or if He is, why things are happening the way they are. We ask questions and try to take control rather than resting in His artistry. What does the canvas contribute to the artist? He’s the one doing the work, the creating, the painting, the shadowing, the #awesomeness. What does the canvas contribute? The canvas is merely the object that sits still long enough for beauty to emerge from the surface.

Don’t take my word for it. Over and over God tries to explain this in the New Testament, that He is doing a work within us and we need to allow Him to have His way (Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 2:4-6, Phil 2:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Titus 3:4-7, Hebrews 13:20-21).

2. God will finish the work.

If you grew up in the 80’s or 90’s I’m sure you’ve heard ofIndiana Jones and his “Temple of Doom”, but chances are you probably haven’t heard of the ‘Hotel of Doom’. In North Korea in 1987, construction started on the Ryugyong Hotel, a 105-floor pyramid-shaped hotel that reminds you of a spaceship rising out of Communist North Korean soil. In 1992 the funds ran out for construction, and the hotel stayed unfinished until 2008, when construction began again. It remains incomplete even today, with most floors still at their concrete stage of the process, and stands as a huge reminder of what Jesus said in Luke 14:28:

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

Unlike the 105 Building, God doesn’t start something and then abandon the work. In the NFL there is a penalty for doing this: it’s called a false start. Someone on the offensive line makes a move as if they are going to start the play, but then pull back and are penalized for not finishing what they began. 

We often can be concerned that like this offensive penalty, God began a work but won’t finish it, and we will lose yardage.

As we launch this new church, I’m reminded of three things:

He is beginning it. 

He will complete it. 

We are merely along for the ride of our lives!

3. We can be confident in God as a competent worker.

Unlike you and I, ignoring the honey-do lists we perpetually have calling out to us to finish each weekend, God won’t leave a work undone. 

The great artisan Michelangelo was said to have been commissioned to sculpt “David” and  found the piece of marble he used outside of a town in Italy, thrown aside. The story goes that a previous artist had attempted a work of art with the same marble but couldn’t do the work and neglected the stone. When Michelangelo found it, weeds were growing on it and it had a reputation of being a neglected object that “could-have-been” a wonderful masterpiece.

There may be something in your life that seems forgotten or neglected by the Lord. You’ve relapsed, or sinned, or you have made a mistake, and you think you are beyond saving or beyond recovery or beyond hope. Whenever you think of your future, or ministry, you just look at yourself as a “could-have-been”.

Paul said he was fully persuaded, fully confident that God will finish the work. And I am as well. What He began in us won’t be forgotten or set aside. God is a master Artisan who always creates something breathtaking and beautiful. And what He begins He always finishes. So don’t despise the day of small beginnings. Don’t be discouraged if you look around on a Sunday and it doesn’t seem like there is much happening. He’s doing a work in you, and He won’t get any penalties for false starts. He promises to do exceedingly abundantly above what we can ask or imagine. 

The question remains: are we asking or imagining great work to be done?

Visit thisisshoreline.com for more details about Shoreline Church.

We Are One by Cameron Barber

Take a look at your fingerprint.  Go on look at it.  Now look at another one, and another one.  Can you see the difference?  Fingerprints are part of what makes you, you!  No one has your fingerprint.  You are unique.  Each of your fingers are unique to that finger, on your person.  No one can take that away from you.  They are one of the ways that we differentiate between people.  We have a unique pattern on our fingers.  Now think of fingerprints.  Everything you touch leaves a mark, a print, or impression on what you are touching.  We leave a trail of where we were and what we touched everywhere we go.  Good or bad the evidence of what we touched is there.  

See, it’s built into our DNA, another thing that shows us we are unique and unlike anyone else.  It is the essence of who we are.  We were meant to be unique.  Meant to leave an impression.  This goes far beyond anything that is just physical.  It is spiritual as well.  We are uniquely gifted to be someone that God can use to bless His creation.  We cannot get away from the fact that it will take each and every believer to accomplish the will of God.  Whether that means writing, preaching, encouraging, giving, studying, or just being there for people, we are all gifted to further the kingdom.  Jesus in His great wisdom gave a variety of gifts so that we would work together.  

While Jesus was physically walking the earth, he was like a super gift.  He had it all.  In the book of Ephesians Paul talks about the gifts that Jesus gave to us.  In chapter 4:11-12, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors, and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (NKJV)  Do you see the way that Jesus intended the ministry to continue.  He gave a manifold of gifts to work together.  We are not just one, we are united.  

There is such a difference between the two.  It allows for uniqueness of people.  For different people, with unique gifts and personalities to work together, for one cause.  See, to advance the kingdom of Christ, we all are indispensable.  It may go forward without you, but it won’t be the same.  You offer something that no one else can.  Yourself.  

During life we may go through stuff that, let’s be honest, really hurts.  We may wonder why, or how things could go so wrong, but the truth is, it forms us.  It hurts, but changes always do.  We are to be refined.  That process requires turning up the heat in life.  Enduring through events that cost us, shape us, and if we fall onto the grace of God, refine us.

So, what does that mean.  If Peter doesn’t fall in complete denial of Jesus, he might not be as open to going to gentials and sharing meals.  If Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, who wrote our famous definition of love used in almost every wedding today, was not Saul the persecutor of the church, maybe he loses the perspective of what grace is.  We are all given a life that, if we let it, can be refined into something more.  Something that is indispensable to the kingdom.  

The fact of the matter is that we are all uniquely qualified to serve.  We all are given gifts to be used to build of the body of the church, and strike a blow at the kingdom of darkness.  Without you, it’s just not the same.  So, when you think that you are under qualified, or ungifted, you are wrong.  Your whole thinking is wrong.  If we will let God choose our path, and follow that, whatever it may be, we are the most qualified, and sometimes the only qualified person.  You are gifted.  Don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re not, even if that person, is you.

Update from The Henderson Family

ANCHOR CHURCH SYDNEY In Community

As a church we believe we were created to be in community. Before Anchor launched in May last year, we began what we call our 'Gospel Communities'. Weekly we meet together in our home to do 6 things.

LISTEN: to God, each other, our neighbours and our culture.

PRAY: being completely dependant on God to transform us and our city.

PARTICIPATE: in the life of our community.

EAT: together with our family and the lost around us.

SERVE: one another and our community in practical ways to live such extraordinary lives that they demand an explanation.

GOSPEL: one another and the lost. 

Our GC's are the DNA of who Anchor is and we encourage everyone to get plugged in to a family on mission.

Being In COMMUNITY

Being in community, has been such a great time of realness, rawness, learning together, serving our community, loving and encouraging each other to remind ourselves of who we are in Christ and the consequences of this for daily life. We have been able to encourage each other to daily live lives that demand an explanation.

It has been exciting and encouraging to see what this looks like for us as a family within a community! We are excited to do life with the people God has placed in our GC.

Since launch last May, we have seen God do some amazing things in and through Anchor. God has been blessing the work and we have seen the number of people attending, triple from our launch team to about 150 regulars. For those of you that know Australia, this is amazing!! and we are so grateful to the Lord for bringing people along to be fed and then to go and live out the Gospel in their daily lives.

Because of this growth, Anchor will be putting Bry on to work 1 day a week, overseeing church gathered teams, amongst other things! We are excited to see this happen and are so thankful for the leadership team God has brought together, such a brotherhood of guys that love each other, Jesus and this city!!

PRAY FOR US 

For the last 5 weeks we have been doing a series on prayer at Anchor, and it has been so good to be reminded that we GET TO commune with God, all because of Jesus! It has been such a great time of falling in love with prayer all over again and a great reminder that our God is powerful and sovereign. "Our prayers are not an interruption to God's plans, but an instrument in them"

Please continue to pray for us! We covet your prayers and know that they are powerful and effective. Please let us know if there are ways that we can be praying for you too, we would love to do that!

OUR NEEDS

As always, the mission to love the city of Sydney, Australia is a venture of faith for our family. Please consider linking arms with us through prayer and financial contributions. 

ONLINE GIVING This is our preferred method of receiving tax deductible gifts. Please click on the link below and designate the gift to Bryan and Tara Henderson. Through this platform you are able to give reoccurring gift

https://refugecalvarychapel.givingfire.com

Support Us

Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa/Refuge Huntington Beach: You can either give through your regular contributions by placing a memo with how much you would like to go toward out family or you can write a check with 'the Henderson's' in the memo section and drop it in the offering box, or send it to:
 

Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa

3800 South Fairview St

Santa Ana CA 92704

OR

Refuge Huntington Beach
7800 Edinger Ave
Huntington Beach CA 92647

Submitting To Authorities by Jason Sanchez

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1).

This is one of those verses that can be much debated and difficult to understand, especially in the corrupt world in which we live, where much of the corruption stems from governing authorities.  We might ask the question, “Paul, what are you saying here…how can I obey or be subject to those lying scoundrels?”

Well, Paul actually makes things very clear.  First of all, ALL authority comes from God. Secondly, those who are in authority that we might view as ”lying scoundrels” exist because they have been appointed by God.  That raises another question directed to the Lord.  “God, why in the world would you appoint a guy like Nero [who was ruling while Paul penned this letter) or, “How does a maniac like Hitler get placed into power?”

I know, it seems crazy doesn’t it? And at times, impossible to believe. However, if we believe and trust God and His word, then there is an exact plan and reason our Lord divinely inspired this verse!  Rather then being angry or frustrated or letting it confuse us, we must pray through it, meditate on it and seek the Lord and His heart behind it. We must trust that our God knows exactly what He is doing and we must surrender to that.

Paul said, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1).  Do you ever read about Paul bad mouthing and rebelling against Nero? No, and that’s because he sought to imitate Christ. Do you ever read about Jesus bad mouthing or rebelling against Pilate?

“Remember your Savior suffered under Pontius Pilate, one of the worst Roman governors Judea ever had; and Paul under Nero, the worst Roman Emperor. And neither our Lord nor His apostle denied or reviled the ‘authority!’” (Newell)

I share these thoughts with you because I have had to apply them greatly in the last year.  It all started as I sat in the office of the new president (mayor) of Bachiniva. He came into office in January after a much heated, corrupt and very intense election.

We were preparing to start a big project of building a security fence around the orphanage. It’s was huge undertaking that cost a lot of money and Pastor Luis had been talking with the government to see if they would help donate or discount sacks of cement.

I drafted up a letter with the official request and we (Nieves, Ayantu and little Luis and myself) went to drop it off at the office.  I was surprised to see the president there, and even more surprised when he invited all of us into his office. Of all the days to bring some kids while you’re running errands, I choose this day.  Things were a little rough at first and Antu and Luis were putting their feet and bodies all over the Presidents nice couches, however they calmed down and actually did great.

So, as we sat there, for probably 10 mins or so, we were able to talk about our children’s home, the ministry and some of our needs.  He was aware there was an orphanage in his town, but didn’t know much about it. He was very polite, listened intently, and ended the conversation letting us know that they would help us.

From there we headed over to the DIF and met the new director and her assistant. They too came into office in January.  Having heard a lot about the children’s home, they were excited to finally meet us and told us how much they wanted to help. I must say it was a breath of fresh air, but again I was a little skeptical. As I’ve shared with you before, there are a lot of “words” but not a lot of “action”.  Communication is not good down here and it can be very frustrating. However it appears that this administration is different and they back up their words with actions.  Already they have built a new sanitary dump, repaired roads and built a beautiful new park.  And now, they were committing themselves to coming alongside our children’s home and helping wherever and whenever they can.  Praise The Lord, from the meeting we left with soccer balls for the kids and new playground equipment. Well, not new :”new,” it’s actually from a school that closed down, but, new to us because it’s something we needed and had been praying for!

After this excited day, we had some more visitors from the government, but this time it was the director of police and one of his body guards.  Jackie actually met him when picking up Ayantu and Sandra from school.  He was asking all kinds of questions like who she was, what we were doing here and about the children’s home.  Then, the next day he shows up at the children’s home.  It also happened to be when I wasn’t there.  Now, the way things work in Bachiniva (which some would say is the biggest hub for a drug cartel), is those in authoritative positions have either been placed there by the drug cartel, or simply, submit to their authority.  Some say that the director of police is the cartel leader’s right hand man.

When you hear something like that, and especially when you’re not there, if unnerves you a little.  You don’t want these kind of people on your property and you definitely don’t want to submit to them.  However, they were very interested in the children’s home, wanted to know if we needed help OR if they can bring children to our home if needed.

So, definitely an interesting week full of government and police officials, who fall into the very thing that Paul is talking about in Romans.  Brothers and sisters, be encouraged this day, as I have been, that God is in control and knows every detail or everything that is taking place, past, present AND future.  Just this morning I read this in Job…

“Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:9-10).

No matter what you’re going through, what difficulty you might be having understanding the scriptures, wondering how God works, or wanting to rebel against those higher than you, may you rest today.  Know that you are held in your Maker’s Hand!

WHAT JESUS KNOWS THAT CHURCH PLANTERS DON’T by Cameron Barber

John 1:1 tells us that, “In the beginning was the Word.” 

Now any person in ministry has probably done some kind of study on this passage and found it a well of theological truth.  In the beginning of John's gospel, we know that he was presenting Jesus as God, creator, self existent, all knowing, all loving, part of the triune God, and so on, and so on.  We could all go on with the richness of this passage and spend many hours talking about the implications of this verse.  I don't want to talk to you all about the intellectual implications of this passage, but of a simple truth that I almost missed.

As a church planter, I find that I am often trying to take large theological concepts  and break them down into bite sized pieces to feed hungry sheep and understand them myself—as well as present the gospel to lost people.  I was once again looking at this passage in that light when I almost missed something that Jesus was telling me.  Jesus knows more than I do.

You're probably thinking that this is not new information.  It's not.  I have always believed that Jesus knew more than I do, although I have not always acted that way.  It was not that I was learning something new.  This simple truth that is sometimes overlooked cut me, convicted me, and comforted me all at the same time.

Jesus often speaks simply.  “I'm in control, I know more than you do.”  This was significant because I was afraid of change.  Our church plant is in a season of change.  New location, new time, new schedule, all are in the mix.  What this means for me is, more time spent out in the world earning a paycheck so we can pay for a new space.  It means time away from home, more demand on my schedule, and learning to be organized, which has always been a challenge for me.  

So as I sat there reading, studying, praying, Jesus simply spoke through the Gospel of John.  He knows more than I do.  He's been at this a lot longer than I have, He is in control here.

Am I still afraid?  Yep!  Are there lots of things that need to take place for this to work?  Yep!  But, I know Jesus has got things under control.  Don't miss these simple things about Jesus.  Don't get so far up in your head about the things of God, that you miss that Jesus is the one in control.  He knows more than you do, more than I do.

Isn't that a good place to be?  To be submitted to a loving God that is in control of our journey.  One of the greatest pieces of advice I have ever heard was that God wanted to do something in me, more than He wants to do something through me.  This gets lost in our busy weeks preparing to storm the gates of Hell with the Gospel.  Sometimes we can be in danger of thinking we can do this on our own.  Jesus was clear, He said, “I am the vine and you are the branches, apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5 paraphrase.  It's easy to get sidetracked in church planting.  From motivating the core team, to getting in the trenches, to all the busy work that no one likes.  We can forget that this is really simple.  Jesus knows more than you do.  Jesus is in control.  This is not your church, It's His.  Stay connected to the vine.

Taking steps out on faith never really changes.  It never really stops, or becomes easier.  It may look different, but it boils down to the same thing, Jesus knows more than you do.  Trust Him.

Guard Your Mouth by David Baldwin

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. —Psalm 141:3

Everyone has had the experience of saying something they wished was never spoken. You long to take those words back and forget them. Unfortunately, once words are expressed there is no tape to rewind and start over. You can see why the Scriptures refer to the tongue as a weapon:

Reckless words pierce like a sword…. —Proverbs 12:18

Being the weapon it is, the tongue must be handled with care and aligned with the Scriptures. Sadly, when untamed the tongue can leave in its wake divorces, broken friendships, wars, destroyed confidences, job losses, crushed spirits, etc. The unharnessed tongue of a believer damages the kingdom because no untamed tongue can represent the love, mercy, and glory of Christ.

In contrast, a spiritually inspired tongue is one that spiritually heals others as revealed in the second part of Proverbs 12:18:

…but the tongue of the wise brings healing. —Proverbs 12:18

In its entirety this scripture reads, “Reckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Now when you add Paul’s teaching about the fruit of the Spirit (…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, Galatians 5:22-23) to your speech, the Lord becomes glorified; His healing is revealed. To do otherwise is just loitering in the evil one’s playground of hate, joylessness, unrest, pressure, lack of sympathy, unfaithfulness, harshness, and lack of control.

The bottom line: your speech is intended to plant seeds of hope and healing into those around you. Never forget that your speech is part of your testimony, which has a direct impact on your ability to reach others for Christ. So with your speech comes the choice to say either spiritually wise words that heal and bring hope or unwholesome words that pierce the kingdom. Sounds harsh, but it’s one way or the other. Either your words will lift others’ spirits up and draw them closer to the Lord for restoration or they won’t. Words represent your testimony, so I encourage you to choose your words wisely so they align with the Lord’s holy testimony.

Takeaway:

Allow your speech to be a fruitful testimony of God’s love, mercy, and grace. Do not allow your tongue to transform you into a spiritual hypocrite by praising the Lord with one side of your mouth while the other side is spewing untamed piercing words.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. —James 3:9-12

Reflections:

• How well are you in control of your speech?
• Does your speech always represent God’s love, mercy, and grace?
• Do you need to reconcile with someone regarding words harshly spoken?
• Take a few minutes to pray to the Lord asking Him to reveal the areas of your speech that do not represent His love, mercy, and grace. Afterward, sit quietly and listen for how the Spirit is guiding you.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. —James 1:26

Serve the Lord with Gladness by Pilgrim Benham

Psalms 100:1-2 

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

Recently I found myself exhorted to serve more in the body of Christ with the motive of thanksgiving and gladness, not out of a sense of guilt or pastoral pressure.  My mind scanned through old Bible memory verses and I suddenly stumbled upon this verse in Psalms 100, a verse that my grandparents taught us to sing on a mission trip to Honduras and that hasn’t left my memory since.

The Idea

I love the idea of serving the Lord not out of compulsion or force.  God isn’t the commander that has enforced the draft!  He’s not the angry employer that is demanding we do the dirty job that is normally relegated to the new hires.  He isn’t giving us a stern command but rather a loving invitation to come and join Him in the work He is doing on the earth in the hearts of men and women.

When we pray, “Your kingdom come” we know we aren’t talking about a kingdom that is contained within political or geographical borders, but the kingdom of God is His rule and reign in the hearts of His people.  When we desire to see that kingdom forcefully advance, there must be those who are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the gospel.

Joy, not Guilt

Service is not just a command, it is a joy.  It gives us spiritual zeal (Romans 12:11) and is a test of our stewardship (Matthew 25:23).  And the psalmist implores you and I to check our motives at the door of the church.  Are we serving the Lord with gladness?  Are we motivated by guilt, or by competition, or by envy, or by a genuine desire to see His kingdom come?

Over 15 years ago I heard an announcement from the pulpit of a church I was visiting calling for a week of prayer for the direction of their youth ministry.  I remember coming to pray, and feeling a deep sense of God’s call and an obvious need.  I didn’t have training, I certainly wasn’t experienced, and I was pretty intimidated.  But as I poured out my life serving the Lord and ministering to HIM, I found a joy and a place in ministering to His young flock.

What Now?

Has the wind left your sails?  Are you like David, discouraged and overwhelmed in the battle?  Maybe it’s time to encourage yourself in the Lord, to remind yourself to make a joyful shout the Lord, and to serve Him with gladness.  Maybe you aren’t yet finding a place to fit in.  Maybe you are that puzzle piece that hasn’t found its place yet.  Seek the Lord, find a need, and then serve the Lord with His strength and His resources, giving Him the glory, and amazingly, He’ll reward you for it!

Have Perspective by David Baldwin

…there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. —Revelation 4:1-3

Here you see the Holy Spirit giving John a glimpse into heaven. This scripture prompts me to sit still long enough to put my life in proper perspective—to focus on my purpose for this gift of life, to reflect on my ultimate destination, and to avoid being constrained by any shortcomings of this world. Doing so, I am reminded not to allow life’s tough circumstances and disappointments to enslave me. 

This world is not bigger than your God, so there is no reason to allow this world to knock you off balance and disrupt your faith. Since we all will have to deal with unpleasant situations during our lifetime, it is important to have the perspective that this world is only temporary—so why be dragged down by it? The good news is you can rely on the very power of Christ, who overcame death, and God’s love to keep you uplifted.

Your perspective on life is so important because it fuels your actions. The wrong perspective can cause anger to stir, it can cause you to lash out, it can cause darkness to fall on your faith, etc. However, the right perspective on your final destiny leads to hope, peace, understanding, forgiveness, and a healthy faith. Most importantly, it leads people to the Lord. Be careful not to allow your perspective of this precious life to become contaminated. Focus on your final eternal destination, and ask the Lord how to use your experiences, both good and bad, to advance His kingdom.

A great example of this is found in Acts 16, the story of Paul and Silas when they were falsely accused, stripped, severely beaten, thrown into prison, and shackled. Now that would be one horrific day. Were they bitter and angry? No, as we see them around midnight praying and singing hymns to God while the other prisoners were listening to them, including the jailer, who in the end gave his life to Christ.

Every time I read this scripture I think WOW! What great perspective and faith they had, amazing vertical alignment. I want that for my life, what about you? Even though they personally suffered greatly, there was purpose that needed the proper perspective. A big question: are you willing to suffer at the gain of someone else’s salvation or as encouragement to another believer?

So there can be a great testimony in your suffering, but the testimony requires the right perspective. When you are sometimes joyful, sometimes prayerful, or sometimes thankful, then your eyes have become horizontally focused on the world, which is spiritually unhealthy and unaligned. A healthy spirit is one of constant vertical focus, one that embraces the gift of one day living in eternity with our Lord. The temporal things of this world must never weigh you down. There may be situations where you receive an earthly blow that knocks you down. Just don’t let it knock you out. Rise back to your feet knowing that God works for the good in all circumstances. 

You may not understand, but that’s okay because faith does not require understanding. Faith knows you have a loving God. After all He allowed His one and only Son to die for your sins. How was that fair to Christ? Faith is not intended to equal fairness. Faith does require vertical perspective. Because of Christ, you can give thanks in every circumstance knowing that you have eternal security. So hold on tight to the right perspective on your life—live with vertical focus. 

Takeaways:

Your final destination is not within this world; it is in the heavens above, so put your focus there in order to keep whatever events are thrown your way in the right perspective. Focus on the final destination and not on the bumps in the road.

Align your spiritual perspective vertically, not horizontally.

Reflections:

• Have you ever lost the right perspective for your life?
• Lately, has your perspective been more horizontally focused or vertically focused (eternal)?
• Take a few minutes to pray to the Lord asking Him to filter out any contaminants of this world that are hindering your ability to focus on your ultimate destination. Ask for the perspective of Paul and Silas. Afterward, sit quietly and listen for how the Spirit is guiding you.

Love One Another Deeply by David Baldwin

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. —1 Peter 1:22

If you had the choice of being loved versus having great wealth without the ability to love or be loved, which would you choose? I can’t fathom any greater satisfaction than being able to love and be loved. A loveless life with great wealth would be fruitless, meaningless, and lonely.

Love is so valuable and so important that Jesus addressed it as our greatest commandment.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” —Matthew 22:36-40

Jesus reveals that love is the foundation for everything you do and believe in. 

Peter inspires us to “love one another deeply.” He did not stop at “love one another.” He added the word “deeply,” which adds such richness to the way we love. To gain even further perspective on how to love deeply, go to 1 Corinthians 13, which describes love as:

Love is patient.

Love is kind. 

It does not envy.

It does not boast.

It is not proud. 

It is not rude.

It is not self-seeking. 

It is not easily angered.

It keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

It always protects.

Always trusts.

Always hopes.

Always perseveres. 

Love never fails.

It is amazing how this scripture concludes with “Love never fails,” which is the bottom line to loving deeply. Natural love has a chance to fail, to disappear like the morning dew, and thus natural love has no lasting value. However, God’s love and His inspiration for love are perfect. His love has no boundaries, it has no contingencies, it carries no judgments, it possesses no timetable, it harbors no selfishness, it does not get entangled, and it does not get exhausted. Showing love God’s way has no capability of failing—ever. So, to love one another deeply, including those who seem undeserving, you are to move beyond natural love by taking it to a majestic level.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. —Ephesians 5:1-2

Takeaway:

Failure to embrace God’s law of love only brings poverty to one’s soul—a life without the ability to love and be loved deeply.

Reflections:

• Lately, how have you demonstrated the depth of God’s love to those around you?
• If your ability to show love fails at times, how does that resonate in your soul when you are guided to love everyone “deeply”?
• Take a few minutes to pray to the Lord about how to love God and others deeply. Afterward, sit quietly and listen for how the Spirit is guiding you.