Yesterday Made Whole

Throughout scripture, God shows us the importance of looking back on yesterday through Memorial Stones. These are times in which we remember His blessings and miracles in our lives through His sacrifice and the sacrifice of others.

We celebrate Memorial Day in America with this same spirit of honor and reverence. It is a day of reflection as we gather as a nation and remember those who fought and died for the freedom of our country.

Remembering yesterday, in this sense, is a Godly thing because it seeks purely to honor God and others and doesn’t get bogged down in our own guilt and personal past sins.

Unfortunately, many in the church live in their yesterdays perhaps because they feel condemned and guilty from what they’ve done in the past. They refuse to let go of their mistakes and then spend their time dwelling on their personal failures.

God’s admonition to you is to stop dwelling on your yesterdays and dwell with Him in a place of peace today.

God is not in the condemnation business. He is in the redemption business. The past is the past…we need to leave it there. As Psalm 118 says, “this is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

We also need to be careful in our memory of past successes. There's work to do today and talk of yesterday's good work has little to do with the task set before us today.

A box full of trophies is just a box full of trophies, isn't it? Do trophies really add to our sense of self worth?

Remember, "nows" quickly become yesterday and tomorrow is only a possibility.

Yesterday is only made whole by what you do today.

Dwell with the Lord today…and put your past at rest in Him. TODAY is the day the Lord has made.

Love,

Pastor Steve

"Why?"... Made Whole

Over the next six weeks we are going to be looking at areas in our lives that often get scrambled. Last Sunday we asked the question, "Why?" This is probably one of the questions Pastors dread the most. Even Rev. Billy Graham didn't feel like he could provide satisfactory answers to the "why's?"

It is a question that has been asked for centuries and one that reflects who we are as flawed human beings. We want to know the reason things happen and often want to confront God about why "bad" things happen.

I believe as Christians, our goal shouldn’t be to know why bad things happen; instead we should seek deep understanding of our own spiritual condition

I believe that suffering is the result of a fallen world through the original sin of Adam and Eve. Suffering is part of this world because of the fall of man and the evil found in man's heart (Jeremiah 17:9, Mark 7:21-22).

That would be condemning news if we didn’t have the saving knowledge and grace of Jesus in our lives. Even in the midst of suffering, we know God is present and His message of grace, mercy, and love is always with us. Suffering may be a part our lives but the power of God’s love and hope comes to set us eternally free.

Saints, when you feel alone, when you feel like you're suffering, that is when God is closest to you. In the midst of your trials, the shepherd's staff will comfort you.

Scrambled eggs in life should never be a surprise to any believer. Rest in the knowledge that God’s will is to make you whole today and give you a peace that passes all understanding.

If we know Jesus, really know Him, we won't need to know "why?"

Love,

Pastor Steve

Giving or Keeping?

The Ponca Indian tradition of giving away all material possessions of the deceased, throughout the year following death, is a great example of giving in a way that few of us understand.

Yesterday was our last lesson in the series, The Corinthian Connection. We looked at Corinth's heart behind their giving. Paul didn't want to guilt the Church in Corinth into giving. He challenged them to give out of love and devotion to God instead of their own selfish wishes and desires.

I believe Paul's encouragement to us is the same as it was to the Corinthians. He’s challenging us to change our perspective and begin to see giving and the passing of the offering plate as something spiritual, not worldly.

We have to understand what an opportunity we have each time we give to God. The act of giving is supernatural and can help us in our own healing and restoration in every need.

Maybe you have heard it said that we should "give until it hurts." Saints, I've searched throughout the Bible and I cannot find that concept in God's Word! It is not about giving until it hurts… it is about giving until it heals.

Think again about the Ponca Indian tradition and understand the healing of grief that occurs over a year of giving. Can't we apply this concept of giving to every need for healing? I sure think so.

True giving never hurts and keeping never heals. So, until He calls us home, until He returns for His bride, as long as the need is there, we must keep giving until we see healing!

Next week, I will begin a new series called "Scrambled Eggs" in which we’ll be looking at a number of things over the next 5 - 6 weeks that answers the question, "Why bad things happen to good people?" Come expecting an encounter with God.

Give until it heals.

Love,

Pastor Steve

Being or Dissing?

In our study of Corinthians, Paul taught the church that most of their problems were caused by lack of respect. It was a pleasure for me to teach about respect on this past Mother's Day. Learning respect in our home is the key to developing respect in our work, relationships and certainly our church.

I challenge you to go to any grocery store, mall or playground and see if you think respect is being taught in homes today. Not only do children often not respect their own parents, they show little respect for authority of any type in their lives.

We could fill up a notebook of excuses on why kids behave the way they do, but the fact is…children must be taught to respect. Respect is a matter of being. You have to choose to be respectful.

It's no surprise that honoring your father and mother was written as one of the 10 commandments in Exodus 20. It’s a tenet of God’s law because it’s so vital to the family unit as a whole. Respecting our parents is a critical part of showing our honor to God.

Saints, we have to lead the next generation by example. We have to give those in our lives the respect due them, with our hearts, because of who they are and because God has placed them in our lives.

Respect begins in the home, and it begins with our parents. This week surrounding Mother's Day, show respect to your mother and the mothers in your life with your listening, your words and with your actions.

Appreciate every moment you've had with her, and go make more opportunities to demonstrate your love.

I have one more week in our study of the Letters to the Corinthians. Our next series is titled "Scrambled Eggs." I'll tell you more about it in Church Sunday.

Be blessed this week as you are BEING respectful.

Love,

Pastor Steve

Calm or Confusion

Confusion was a way of life for the people of Corinth, and to no surprise…it’s a problem we still experience in the Church today.

Much of our confusion and most of the storms we go through are not the result of some outside influence in our life or some other spiritual force. Confusion enters in because of a belief, which leads to a decision and an ultimate outcome that leaves us confused, hurt, and afraid.

Think of what could be different if we rejected confusion in our thoughts. What would happen in our lives if we began to seek God for clarity and use Him and His Word as a compass in our life?

God meant for His Word to be a compass in our lives. He gave it to us so we could find peace in the midst of confusion and hope in the place of despair. Consider if you were stranded in the middle of a forest, what tool would you want in order to help guide you to civilization? Would you want your cell phone or day planner? All you need is a compass to give you direction, to show you where true north is. The problem is, we often use our cell phones or day planners to guide our day when we should be using God's Word instead.

Corinth became confused because they began to do things man's way instead of God's way. They put the needs of their day planner above the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Maybe you're feeling confused, lonely, or like nothing you can do will make a difference to your circumstances. Maybe you feel like you're just trudging through life. Well it doesn't have to be that way! God is not the author of confusion but of peace!

Saints of Bixby Community Church, even at your lowest point, God is ready and willing to pour blessings into your life. In fact, there’s no better time for Him to speak to you to help you regain your focus and purpose. Sometimes all we have to do to get rid of confusion in our life is to allow God's presence to settle over us and calm us down.

Whatever you do, enter His presence. Go to church, listen to podcasts, pray, participate in the Daily Bible Reading and honor God with a sacrifice of praise.

I believe you’ll begin to experience a calm and peace like never before. You’ll learn how to shut off all the noise and confusion in your life…plus, you’ll instantly recognize the whisper of God’s voice even in the midst of a storm.

Love,

Pastor Steve