A Big-Hearted Life

Recently someone shared with me about a meeting they were in that had impacted them. During the meeting a name of someone was mentioned and the next thing you know, everyone in the room became as vultures over a dead carcass. They were all chiming in with shots to the character and the performance of this person. Finally, this leader (a real leader) spoke up. ‘Let’s look at the total of this person’s contributions, not just this last performance.’ This leader was then feeling the volley of critique coming at him. This attitude is not unique to his situation but rather rampant in our world. Losing sight of the big picture is the beginning of small-hearted behavior. One of my early pastoral mentors told me: ‘To some people you will only be as good as your last sermon, or wedding or funeral.’ The heart condition present in the meeting  that the leader shared with me and the lesson that my mentor shared are the same. It is a heart condition of pettiness.  It is the exact opposite of generosity. Where pettiness is allowed to grow, it soon takes over the culture of any organization, team or town. It thrives in people who have a propensity of pointing out the flaws in others, and hopes this will shield them from any criticism. In our own hurt and pain, we can be on the attack, rather than protecting one another. Some people have become ‘detectives’ on the search for flaws in others. Pettiness is basically being too fixated on the little things in life, and missing out on the big picture. Pettiness magnifies little things out of proportion. Pettiness lacks the generosity that we so freely receive from God. It lacks grace. Pettiness makes one bitter, not better. It is the result of a small heart. A child comes home and says: “Daddy, Daddy, I got 95 points out of 100 on my Math test” A petty father will say things like, what happened to the other 5 points? Pettiness lets the 5% become so big that it overwhelms the 95% obtained. The parable of the Unmerciful Servant is a lesson on forgiveness on the basis of being forgiven first. Jesus uses this parable to teach the disciples that the essence of forgiveness is to remember that we are huge beneficiaries of the greatest forgiveness ever given to men. A man owes the king 10000 talents. In modern terms, it would be equivalent to several million dollars. This man is unable to pay, so the king orders that he and his entire family be sold to repay the debt. After pleading his case and wanting to be put on some payment plan, the king cancels the debt. Freedom and forgiveness are extended. Unfortunately, the story does not end in gratitude. It ends in greed and ungracious behavior. The servant quickly forgets his canceled several million dollar debt. He pounces on one of his fellow servants over a small debt of a few 1,000 dollars. Imagine someone who just received a several million-dollar gift refusing to forgive another over a few 1,000? Pettiness! Grace is the opposite of pettiness. Like a coin, grace has two faces. The first side receives grace and mercy. The second side gives grace and mercy, gratitude and generosity. Rise above pettiness, live big-hearted and full of grace and forgiveness.

There are people in your life who need an extension of grace and forgivness – go ahead and be the one to bring it.  Be generous.

Grace to you,

Pastor Bernie

 

God’s Has Given Us Gifts

 All the lessons are in the past and all the opportunities are in the future.  –Rick Warren

 If you have ever been given a gift card then you know the value is not the card, but the amount placed on the card. The value of the gift is inside and the reason you have the card is that someone placed their gift into it by putting their money in it. In the same way, God has given us gifts – dreams and ambitions and visions and ideas inside of our hearts. He places us in communities, schools, work places and churches for a very specific reason. If you hold onto the gift card and never use it, what value is it really? The giver may even ask you, ‘did you enjoy the card? And you will be pressed to ignore the question of worse yet fabricate some story.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Cor. 4:7).

These dreams and callings and opportunities He places in front of us are not from ourselves, it is God’s heart that we maximize them for the good of others and for the advancement of His Kingdom.

God places these treasures in us and before us. When these dreams and callings arise, we must make the most of them and be good managers of them. When opportunities arise, we must cease them, for they rarely wait for us.

I want to challenge you to decide what you’re going to do with the treasures that God has gifted you with?  I want to challenge you to make an assessment of the experiences and resources God has placed in your heart and hands. Now ask the hard questions: ‘what are you doing with what you have been given?’ The skills and talents, the ability to serve others and a calling to be generous and add value to others are not to be wasted.

I thank God for the wonderful people around LFC who simply felt the nudge to step out and jump in, who decided to use their God-given treasures for others. Our church would not be where it is today, were it not for these great determined servants.

The God-given treasure inside of you is not just hopes, dreams and potentials, but it is also, if not more important, God’s image. It is God’s image in us that ensures the success He intends for us as we do His will.

God’s Pathway to Success

Not only did God place in us the seeds of calling and dreams and realizing opportunities, but He also provides the strength, courage and pathway to move towards success. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

Not only did God design us beforehand to be His masterpiece, but He also laid out a pathway that we should walk in. God’s pathway for our success has already been laid out because when God creates anything, He always begins with the end result or product in mind.

God’s Design and Purpose

We get to put our lives together His way so that we can become the people He created us to be. The fact that you are alive means that God has designed you with an intent and purpose. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you were born, I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5). The fact that you are alive means you’re very special to God. God has placed in you that treasure in earthen vessels and He has a purpose for your life. Each person has a unique contribution to make and the church only grows stronger and more people are helped when we all use the gifts God has given to us. Don’t let anyone discount your gifts or your contributions. Don’t allow current circumstances and past failures to disqualify you. But the Bible says God looks upon the inner reality and is able to see the diamond in the paper bag, just as He sees the treasure in your earthen vessel. God created you in His image and deposited a treasure in you. You cannot withhold your gift; it was intended to be shared. You cannot love God wholly, live with God daily and obey God fully by taking shortcuts and not embracing each step designed to sharpen the gifts in you and to bring you to the place of being more and more in the image of God.

The Bible says that Jesus is the Author and He is the Finisher. He designs your pathways, walks you through the process and brings to pass your success as you walk with Him. But you must walk with Jesus in His way! You must lay your fears and insecurities aside and allow the seeds of gifting to grow.

We desire to help you find your fit and to grow. Discover your Design class happens on the 21^st & 22^nd of February @ 6:30 pm. We also have many ways you can also go to our website and click on UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION and fill out the form there. There is a section to simply write in what areas of service, ministry or gifting that you would like to find out more about. You can also stop by the Welcome Resource Room after a service or call the office. We desire to help you mine out the treasures God has placed inside of you. God intended for you to use your gifts and that is why He placed the value and treasure right where He wanted it.

Grateful for His gifts in you,

Pastor Bernie 

Are You Hungry?

Love God Wholly, Live with God daily, Obey God Fully.  (Our focus for 2012)

This past Sunday I taught more than a sermon, I provided a reminder to some and a new life skill to others as I taught on the value of daily devotions, bible reading and SOAP. I am getting tons of great feedback. One mom started her three kids on SOAP just this week. She writes; “It was great to see my kids making the scriptures come alive in their own lives!” She writes further; “My four year-old son wrote this in his journal: ‘God gives me tools to be his soldier. He protects me.’ Although he is young, he is getting the idea of scripture observation and application in his life! I am very excited to be adding this to our devotion time as a family!’   

This really excites me. Early yesterday morning, I noticed three ladies sitting together journaling over coffee. This really excites me too.  The following verse was what I shared on Sunday.

 Amos 8: 11 & 12
The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. (NIV)

I believe we are experiencing a great famine these days. If we remain oblivious to it, how many of us will be victim to this famine?  Its time to begin taking our spiritual nutrition into our own hands.  We are the only ones that can be responsible for our growth and daily spiritual well being.  As your pastor, I do all I can to teach you on Sunday’s and to inspire and teach more via this blog. We have classes at our church as well for growth and LIFE GROUPS and more. But with all that, you still need to realize  the value of self-feeding and time with God. He will show you things through His word that He may not show me. He will reveal things to you at times in your life when you need it most – but you must be reading, praying, listening and open. It is terrible to think that we will all remember to feed ourselves food today and that we will remember to drink water when we are thirsty, and we will remember to take care of meaningless tasks much more quickly than we will our souls for eternity’s purpose.  I pray that today, everyone reading this will join me in with this challenge.  FEED YOURSELVES!

The only way to break the spiritual famine is to not sit around and wait for others to feed you, it is to make sure that you have daily time with the Master. Now journaling is not something new around LFC.  Many of us have been doing it for more than a decade. I first learned the principles of SOAP journaling over 15 years ago, when my friend Pastor Wayne Cordeiro taught me. It have become a valuable tool for my life to connect with the bible and with the God of the bible.

The bible is filled with great mentors to teach us. Some who walked with God closely and others who ran from Him. Some that succeeded and others who failed. We can learn from their experiences and gain wisdom.

Proverbs 22:17

Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction. (NIV)

If you find yourself grumpy or whiny, it may be that you have overlooked your true nourishment. You could be feeding on things that will never nourish your soul. Make sure that you are filling your time with the right stuff. Dust off your Bibles. Grab a daily reading tab or grab a journal from our Welcome / Resource room and get some SOAP going. It will change your heart.  Take a new  translation of the Bible and give it a read.  Find some partners to journal with once a week and to help keep you on track. And get ready. Feed yourself on the Word of God it will change your life and fill you with the right things.

Grace to you,

Pastor Bernie 

 

3 Keys for 2012

We are just a few days into the New Year. I hope you are moving forward and have not broken too many of your resolutions,  if you actually made any.

This past Sunday was a great way to start the New Year for us. While some stayed away from church, or stayed up too late on New Years Eve to make it to church, others came out. Actually we have a great showing at our two services and Caleb Quaye and Cory Hunter joining the LFC worship team was a great blessing. Caleb is not only one of the best guitar players in the world, but his love for Jesus and his great heart are world-class also. We enjoyed communion and it really was a great site to behold, as our four communion stations were filled with people receiving communion and prayer over their lives. I want to thank our prayer team who really stepped up and made it a great morning.

I am not big on slogans or a word for the New Year.  Some pastors are really into it and rather great at it.  Each year they come up with a new focus or emphasis for the year. Here are some that I have read about 2012:  Focus, Purpose, Joy, Destiny, Grace, Service, Love, Year of Growth, Year of Power, Year of Hope, Year of Generosity, The Year to Choose Joy. The list goes on for sure and includes some great stuff.

This year I sensed a stirring in my heart concerning a focus or purpose for us.  Rather than a word or two, I have chosen instead to give you three simple keys to your spiritual growth. This Sunday we will focus on one that is very important, but you will have to come to find out.

Here are the three keys:

“Love God wholly, Walk with Him daily, Obey Him fully”  

If you are wondering what to focus on for the year, I submit to you that these three things will make all the difference in the world and in the lives of others.
These three keys are really a singular focus that flows out of Deuteronomy 6:5:

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.  (NIV).

Then Deuteronomy 6:6

And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. (NIV)

This year can be our best one ever if we live out God’s principles and truth and not just know them. It will take discipline on our part, but we can do it, especially when our doing flows out of our loving Him and being with Him daily.

John 13:17 says, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” 

It’s easy to come to church where there is a lot of information, but if it just goes into your head and stays there it’s called information.  If it drops down to your heart that is inspiration – it can inspire you, fire you up, even make you feel good about yourself and life. However, it won’t really change you deeply and certainly not change the world. When we love God wholly with all we are and are becoming and spend time with Him daily, the next thing is to obey Him fully. This is when truth flows into your heart and through your body, flowing into the soles of your feet and soon it becomes incarnation.  That’s when things begin to change.

Deuteronomy 4:1

And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live…  (NIV)

‘Do this and live – Obey God fully and live.’  Transformation does not come through knowing but through doing.  Otherwise we’ll know all the things about love and sing all the songs there are of love and quote all the lines from love movies, but we won’t love when it is hard to love.  We’ll know everything about joy and sing songs of joy, and have joyous stories to tell, but we won’t have joy in our souls that will flow to others. We’ll know everything about forgiveness, even Hebrew and Greek words for forgiveness and historical and doctrinal views on forgiveness and even sing all the songs in the key of forgiveness, but out in the world we can’t forgive.  Edgar Guest has a poem that goes like this, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day, I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.  The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear, fine counsel is confusing but example is always clear.  The lecture you deliver may be very wise and true, but I’d rather get my lessons by observing what you do.  For I might misunderstand you and the high advice you give, but there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.”

Let’s love God, be with God and obey God so that others can see a great sermon lived out in us in 2012.

Now that is really living,

Pastor Bernie