It is so easy to turn on the evening news, check the major networks online, or look at a news paper and get depressed and worried about the state of our world. The economic crisis and depressed housing market has nearly brought our country to her knees. The raging wildfires in California are leaving families homeless. There was a school in Haiti that killed 100’s of students when the walls of that structured collapsed. Bankruptcy seems to be a norm and daily occurrence. We have a president elect who is already facing assassination threats and we also have a very divided government who wants more power. The big industries in our country seem to be slashing jobs and leaving people unemployed, which has been its highest in years.
One does not have to look far in the Times-Gazette to see that Ashland, OH is not exempt from the struggles of the world. Nearly a month ago, Archway closed down, AU cut 48 full time jobs last week and many families I know are struggling to put food on their table. Where is the church’s place in this world?
The church needs to offer sympathy and hope to our hurting world. The church needs to comfort those in need and do what it can to provide the physical and spiritual needs to the hurting and hungry. Most importantly the church needs to offer Jesus Christ. He promises to never leave or forsake his children (Hebrews 13:5). He promises to provide each day our daily bread (Luke 11:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15). It is interesting to look at the Lord’s Prayer and pray it from the perspective of being one in need and not one who has everything. Jesus promises today’s bread.
When the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years, the Lord provided them food each day by giving them bread from heaven. He commanded them to only take what they needed for the day because he would daily supply new bread. Those who did not listen to his command would store up more bread then needed. By mid-afternoon this bread would turn sour and would grow maggots (Exodus 16). He promised new bread each day so there was no reason to worry about having enough bread for tomorrow.
Is this the mentality we are going to have to have in the coming future? Will we have to cling to this promise that the Lord will supply daily, like we never have had to in the past? We must put our trust in Christ and continue putting one foot in front of the other. Christ commands us not to worry and to put our trust in him (Matthew 6:25-34).
Monday, November 17, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Whatever you did for the least of these...
On October 31st we as a youth group headed up to Cleveland for Acquire the Fire. There were many issues discussed and the weekend speakers gave you a number of challenges. One of these challenges was to put your faith in Christ into action. Matthew 25:40 states, "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’ (NIV).
We are called by God to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give a drink to the thirsty, and visit the sick and imprisoned. I was excited to see you all decide to sponsor a child from Thailand who is in need. “Man Thong” will now be able to survive in his poverty stricken country because of your help. Feel good about yourselves, but DO NOT stop there. Daily provide a helping hand for those in need, but do it in the name of Jesus Christ. Let his love for you be the driving force behind why you do good for others. This Advent and Christmas season you have a number of opportunities to serve those in need, which in turn is actually serving Jesus Christ; as scripture says (Matthew 25:31-46).
We have Operation Christmas Child coming up this week (November 23rd). We will be feeding the poor people of Ashland on November 30th at First UMC. We will be Christmas caroling to our church family’s shut-ins on December 21st. These are wonderful ways to serve Christ through helping others. I am proud of you all and the sacrifice you made financially in supporting “Man Thong.” Keep it up! Let’s continue to grow together in the faith and make this holiday season the best one yet.
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:14-17 NIV).
We are called by God to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give a drink to the thirsty, and visit the sick and imprisoned. I was excited to see you all decide to sponsor a child from Thailand who is in need. “Man Thong” will now be able to survive in his poverty stricken country because of your help. Feel good about yourselves, but DO NOT stop there. Daily provide a helping hand for those in need, but do it in the name of Jesus Christ. Let his love for you be the driving force behind why you do good for others. This Advent and Christmas season you have a number of opportunities to serve those in need, which in turn is actually serving Jesus Christ; as scripture says (Matthew 25:31-46).
We have Operation Christmas Child coming up this week (November 23rd). We will be feeding the poor people of Ashland on November 30th at First UMC. We will be Christmas caroling to our church family’s shut-ins on December 21st. These are wonderful ways to serve Christ through helping others. I am proud of you all and the sacrifice you made financially in supporting “Man Thong.” Keep it up! Let’s continue to grow together in the faith and make this holiday season the best one yet.
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:14-17 NIV).
Monday, November 3, 2008
Establish your identity in Christ...
We in the United States of America are calling tomorrow's election the most historical of our times. This may be so, but what troubles me has been how Christian men and women are wrapping themselves up in a particular political party. Pastors and laity alike have been taking sides. "Evangelicals of Obama, or, "You aren't Christian unless you vote Republican," are just two of many bumper stickers I have seen in the past few months. But my question is, should we be taking sides? Can Christians really only vote one way? Should we really be forcing Christ to camp out on one side of the spectrum or the other?
It troubles me how excited and "fired up" Christians are getting over this year's election, but remain silent about their relationship with Christ, who is the only absolute truth in this world. Should we be more vocal about our political views or about the freedom we have experienced in Jesus Christ? What should we be grounding our identity in? Should it be in political parties and their candidates that come and go? Or, should it be in Jesus Christ, who will never leave you or forsake you?
Teens, I challenge you to put your trust in Christ first. I challenge you to ground your identity in him and only him. We are part of a country where we have the oppurtunity to vote and we SHOULD vote. With that said, do not get depressed if your candidate loses or do backflips if your candidate wins, but instead weep for the lost of this world and rejoice that your names are written in the book of life.
Presidents come and go. Taxes, economic reccessions, political parties and their agendas come and go, but Christ Jesus remains forever.
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:16-21 NIV)
It troubles me how excited and "fired up" Christians are getting over this year's election, but remain silent about their relationship with Christ, who is the only absolute truth in this world. Should we be more vocal about our political views or about the freedom we have experienced in Jesus Christ? What should we be grounding our identity in? Should it be in political parties and their candidates that come and go? Or, should it be in Jesus Christ, who will never leave you or forsake you?
Teens, I challenge you to put your trust in Christ first. I challenge you to ground your identity in him and only him. We are part of a country where we have the oppurtunity to vote and we SHOULD vote. With that said, do not get depressed if your candidate loses or do backflips if your candidate wins, but instead weep for the lost of this world and rejoice that your names are written in the book of life.
Presidents come and go. Taxes, economic reccessions, political parties and their agendas come and go, but Christ Jesus remains forever.
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:16-21 NIV)
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