Forgiveness, For Every Mistake

Not being a pageant watcher at all, I did hear through social media of a mistake that was made by host Steve Harvey.  After the many interviews and catwalks (if that is what they call them), the ladies were judged by a panel over their appearance and performance.  Now these ladies have made it through local, state, and national competition and had been chosen to represent their country in this contest.  With having two daughters compete in the Henry County Miss Pre-Teen Pageant, I can only imagine the money, time, and stress involved at the level of Miss Universe.

Well during the climax of the 2015 competition, Steve Harvey incorrectly read the card and awarded the wrong contestant the title of Miss Universe.  Now imagine the implications of this mistake, they had to remove the crown from one beauty queen and place it upon the other as millions (minus me) were watching. Not to include the embarrassment of the countries and sponsors of the candidates involved.  The competition as a whole lost credibility for some who regularly watch.  And what about Mr. Harvey?  The prestige and eloquence of this competition carries much responsibility, and during the climax of the competition was not a moment for such a mistake.

Two things, one Mr. Harvey owned up to his mistake and took full responsibility for it.  This was very credible on his part, but one mistake his professional career will struggle from because of.  Being a comedian, Harvey will probably cover this mistake with humor; however, it will not be forgotten by Miss Colombia.

ooo...you almost had it, ya gotta be quicker than that.

Second, despite our mistakes - the magnitude and repetitiveness of them - the blood of Jesus Christ can cover them all.  If we admit our mistakes and trust in the perfectness of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.  This forgiveness requires that we turn from those things in which we have been forgiven and place blockers to keep us from repeating those sins.

Although Harvey's mistake will receive much media (as I am sure it already has) and be discussed, analyzed, and changes placed in the competition in order that such a mistake will never be repeated, let me remind you that God feels the same way about our sins, and He sent Jesus.

Evangelism

During a meeting between friends and colleagues, the style and approach to doing evangelism was breached during their conversation.  The pastor that started the conversation laid a very awkward process for doing evangelism.  The other pastor had nothing to offer but a critique of his colleagues’ way of doing evangelism.  The initiating pastor was a bit saddened by his friends’ quick critique, but then after a few moments he turned to his friend and said, "I may not have the best way of doing evangelism, but I would have an obscure way of doing evangelism rather a non-existent way."

I am not sure where I heard this story the first time, but for a Christian/Pastor, this is one of those stories that is not easily forgotten.  In fact, for me it is very motivational and a clear reminder of our purpose as Christians.  As I have said numerous times that God created us to worship Him - and I still believe that statement - but as redeemed and forgiven children of God, our worship is resulted through our evangelism.

Hear me out, in our worship of God; either personal or corporately, our hearts are reminded of God's goodness, love, patience, and sacrifice.  As a result, sharing this message seems to be the only logical response.  God's goodness is that good, God's love is that loving, and God’s sacrifice is that sacrificial, that we want others to share in it.  His goodness and love is transforming through the realization of the sacrifice that was paid for our sins.

I can't imagine not getting to tell someone about God's love and His sacrifice for us.  This was realized one Sunday morning during a sermon when I said, “They would have to cut out my tongue to keep me from sharing Jesus Christ.”  At the moment of sharing this, I got emotional from the weight of not getting to share the glorious news of Jesus Christ.

We are called to be the witness of God’s love through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, by the leading of the Holy Spirit.  To be a witness, we trust and follow the Scripture’s mandate of being conformed to the image of Christ by surrendering ourselves to God’s will.  Through self-sacrifice, we are making ourselves available to the leading God by the Holy Spirit.

Just remember, we will have an eternity to worship God, but only a lifetime to share Jesus with others.

The Reflections Of A Servant

It has been a little bit since my last post; and with a lot happening over the last few weeks, I would like to share some of the thoughts that have been collecting.  The recent unexpected passing of Mrs. Donna has enlisted some thoughts that I feel strongly about sharing.

Having met Mrs. Donna on many occasions within the environment of the school, I was always impressed with the way she controlled the room with patience, compassion, and great joy.  She loved her job as well as everyone she interacted with on a daily basis.  But this love and respect wasn't a one way street, everyone felt the same way about her.

After spending a little time talking with her husband, it is clear that her outlook on life was transposed to her position at the school.  Having often said, "Every child deserves a hug"; this motto was not only frequently heard and acted upon, but became contagious.

So, what are some of the thoughts that have been collecting.  Everyone can make a difference in someone's life, if only we are able to see everyone else as a deserving recipient.  This can be quite simple actually, if we allowed Scripture to penetrate our lives.  Luke 6:31 tells us to treat others as we would like to be treated.  This is profound wisdom that is not dependant on anything or anyone else.  We can wake up every day making the decision to treat each other as human beings.

There is always a place to serve others.  Mrs. Donna took her position at the school eleven years ago for the income, but as a result of her compassionate heart, she noticed a simple hug made a difference in someone's life each day.  We can all find a place to serve others if the above is being applied to our lives.  And as Christians, a servant's heart should be the result of what Christ has accomplished on your behalf.

Christian In The World...Even Public Schools

I have often been asked the question regarding the limits that Christians have when it comes to their faith in the public schools.  Having typically answered with, "As long as you don't force anyone to pray with you or converse with you about your faith, then there is nothing that can be said."  This answer is a display of my ignorance of legal jargon, but I was very encouraged when I run across this post by The Gospel Coalition regarding this issue.  But before I let you go, let me remind you that too often we have let the threat of offending someone silence our proclamation (Joshua 1:7, 1 Cor 16:13-14).  So...how far can we take our example for Christ in the public school?  Read this article for the answers.

A Little Good News Today

Having observed several years ago the vast negativity and gross moral behavior that plagues our news media, it had become very difficult to continue watching the news.  After being asked my opinion of recent event reported in the news and being caught off guard, I decided to include news consumption as a part of my regular routine.  Having watched the news the last couple of weeks, I have decided that my initial assessment has not changed.  With an average total of thirty stories every news cast (including weather and sports), most of the stories were about murders/major crimes, others were over major trials, with drug/gang issues and child/animal neglect receiving equal attention.  Several stories pertain to political issues that seem to be the same issues that were discussed when I quit watching the news fourteen years ago.  And the rest were sports and weather.

As Christians, with hearts burdened for the lostness in our world, Ann Murry’s 1983 hit song, “A Little Good News Today” would be a breath of fresh air.  We prefer reports of people doing good to others, or people celebrating victories in life other than personal achievements that are often found in sports.  In the last two weeks, I heard only four stories that really encouraged me out of an average total of 400 stories.

Just as each newscast is accustomed, I have started this particular post on a negative note. But now I will quickly turn to the more positive side of things by reminding us of the sovereignty of God and His work within His creation.  Even though we live in a fallen world that promotes self-pleasure, self-gratification, and a long list of other self's; as growing followers of Christ, we begin to notice the lostness even more.   But the lostness – although a burden to our souls – magnifies the Holiness of God.

Now stay with me; when the Apostle John writes about the light and darkness in 1 John 1:5-7, he suggests that we keep using the light of Scripture to see the darkness in the world.  When the light penetrates the darkness, nothing can hide.  That is how it happens, as we walk with Jesus – who is the light – our sins are identified by the light and we cannot hide in them.  As we are in the light of Jesus, we see the lostness of the world and we become burdened.

The solution, rejoice in the fact that we see the darkness of the world because of our relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit.  This is the hope, in that the world is temporary, yet by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we have a promised eternity.  Secondly, rejoice in the successes of this world, even though the news will not report it.

Even though the norm of our media system today neither edifies nor encourages Christian morals; when in fact, they refuse to inform the public of good news in fear of offending someone, God is not finished with His creation.  Although God may be disappointed with how things are, He is never caught off guard nor surprised when things happen.  And as the rock of morality continues to be chipped away at, know that God preserves His remnant.

The Night Before Sunday

My first blog post, and this post just so happens to be on the eve of Sunday morning worship.  With that thought, I wanted to share with you that after 14 years of ministry, some things have changed, while others have not.

Reflecting on the fact that I am concerning myself with blog creation rather than gorging myself on sermon preperation is one of the major changes to a typical Saturday night. Watching football instead of having worship music softly playing in the background for inspiration is another difference.   But other things have not changed.

Spending time in family worship is always a blessing; however, Saturday nights are supercharged.  Although family worship happens every night, Saturdays seem to be extra special, because we pray for our worship service the following day.

Another thing that remains the same is the excitement of the next day.  After preperaing throughout the week and the blessings that come from worship through study, the anticipation of sharing this with the hearers gets my blood pumping baby.  It is a tremendous blessing to speak on behalf of our great God.  While preparation during the week has changed the dynamic of my Saturday night, the emotion and excitement of the next day remains the same.