leaving a legacy

 

So I know it's Tuesday and I normally post "Sermon notes" on Sunday, because that's when I go to church. However, I've been crazy busy the past few days so "Sermon notes" on Tuesday will just have to work. :)

I went to my parent's church on Sunday because it was Father's Day and boy, am I glad I did?!
Pastor Brian gave the message and it is now in my top 3 sermons that I've ever heard.

As a church, they've been journeying through a sermon series over "legacy". I believe this sermon was the last of the series, but even though I came in on the last, it was still wonderful!

Since we'll be talking about leaving a "legacy", I think it is only appropriate to know the definition...
According to Webster's dictionary, a legacy is "something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past".


 I think of legacy as leaving a lasting impact...influencing those who follow after you.

 

Have you ever wanted to make a difference in the world?

If you have, I would say you want to leave a legacy. I think that's a wonderful thing! However, what kind of a legacy do you want to leave?

 

A legacy of materialism?

A legacy of charity?

A legacy of judgment?

A legacy of acceptance?

A legacy of hatred?

A legacy of love?

 

As Christians, we should strive to leave a legacy.

Not just any legacy, but a legacy of worth.

A lasting impact that is life-giving.

 

Pastor Brian outlined it in this way...

 

1) To leave a legacy of worth:

A) we must widen our circle

*we should get past ourselves, our families, our friends and reach out to others...people who we normally do not associate with.*

B) imagine the end

*Remember that God is always on His throne...this can relieve the stress that we may face.*

 

2) There is a war raging! And the battle ground is the hearts of God's, image bearing people.

*We are all made in God's image (Genesis 1:27 - So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God he created them.)*

*It is in our hearts where we face struggle."

 

3) Moses knows that leaving a legacy of worth means love for the hearts of people.

*Love people for who they are...for what is in their hearts, instead of what you think they're about.*

 

4) Fighting for the hearts of people is always better than fighting with people.

*When we fight with people: we want to win, we build up walls, we don't listen, and we act out of selfishness.*

When we fight for people: we want them to win, we break down walls, we listen, and we act out of selflessness.*

 

Pastor Brian used the story of Jesus and the adulteress in John 8.

[Check out my post Are you a stone thrower or stone dropper? ]

Many theologians have questioned what Jesus was writing on the ground, but Pastor Brian encouraged us to focus on Jesus' posture. He knelt down to the ground, just as the woman did in shame and fear of being in shame. Instead of Jesus standing and pointing his finger at the woman, He got down on her level and fought for her.

That is exactly how we should live. Instead of pointing the finger at someone, we should step in their shoes and fight for them.

 This point was my favorite out of the whole sermon...talk about convicting!

 

5) When it comes to communicating rules, regulations, and obedience, it's always best to do it with love.

*I think it is so easy for us to tell people what they should and shouldn't do, with a judgmental demeanor. Instead, we should always act out of love, because that is life-giving.*

 

"Love is the way to a legacy of worth."

 

So what kind of legacy are you going to leave?

 

Don't forget to pray for the unreached people group of the day!

 

Reading plan for the week:

Monday: 2 Chronicles 6-8

Tuesday: 2 Chronicles 9-12

Wednesday: 2 Chronicles 13-17

Thursday: 2 Chronicles 18-20

Friday: 2 Chronicles 21-24

Saturday: 2 Chronicles 25-27

 

 

longing to be home

Hey everyone!

I'm so sorry it's been awhile since I've come to chat with you!

Life sure does get crazy...I'm sure you can agree.

Anyway, I'd like to share my sermon notes from this past Sunday with you!

I don't know about you, but after a long, busy day, I can't wait to be home in my pajamas where I can relax.

There is nothing like being in the comfort of your own home, where you know where everything is and you're free to roam around without a care. 

The sad reality is that not everyone has a place called "home". 

Maybe they have a house, but they don't have a "home".

You see, there is a difference between houses and homes.

When you look up the definition of "house" you will find...

"a building in which people live".

When you look up the definition of "home", you will find...

"a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual 
residence of a person, family, or household" and "the place in which one's domestic affections are centered."

 

A house is simply a building, while a home is where "affections are centered."

A house is cold, while a home is warm and inviting.

A house is empty, while a home is full.

I don't know where you reside, whether it be a house or home or neither, but I do know that God has a home for you. Jesus says, "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:23). You see in the Greek translation, "house" translates to oikos, which means "household establishment".  "Dwelling places" translates to mone actually means "staying, abode". I think it's safe to say that it is in our homes where we stay.

 

Home resonates within the heart. When I think of my home, I think of my family, my pets, pictures on the walls, and where I am most comfortable. I don't think of the walls or the ceiling, I think of what is truly important to me-relationships.

 

Here are some quotes from Pastor Kevin:

"When God talks about home, the place He tells us about and calls us toward is a person (Jesus) and a relationship we can share."

"Home is something we truly resonate with."

"Home is where you gain comfort."

"A relationship with God builds a sweet home with you."

"You belong in the home/comfort of God."

"God's love is like a father/son relationship, it is not conditional...there is always a place for you."

 

I love this verse because it is a great reminder of God's big, loving heart that yearns to be in relationship with us. Each person matters to Him and to prove that, He has prepared a place for each and every one of us. How amazing is that?!

 

 I hate that I'm late in giving you the schedule for our Bible reading plan, but hey, better than late than never, right?!

 

Monday: 1 Kings 1-2

Tuesday: 1 Kings 3-5

Wednesday : 1 Kings 6-7

Thursday: 1 Kings 8-9

Friday: I Kings 10-11

Saturday: 1 Kings 12-14

Don't forget to pray for the unreached people group of the day!

 

 

Life or death?

Life or death?

Which one would you choose?

I would think you would choose life, but you may not realize that you are actually choosing death.

Let me explain...

 

Yesterday, my family and I went to hear one of my good friend's preach.

He brought a very convicting message and we were blessed to hear it.

 

Our reading was Galatians 5:16-24:

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. ¹⁹ Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who  belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

 

A little fact about me: I can be very indecisive. Sometimes it's very hard for me to make decisions. It's a problem that I'm working on, that's for sure.

My friend, as he was preaching, made me realize that decision making can be quite easy.

He said, "reduce it down to the simplest form...does it feed the spirit or the flesh?"

I had never thought of it that way.

When I am making a decision, I should focus on my motive.

Am I doing this for me? Will it bring me closer to God or will distance me from Him? Will it feed the Spirit or my flesh?

 

He said something else that really stood out to me...

"Choose the spirit...it frees you from the law...it's impossible to be perfect."

A lot of people think that Christianity is all about rules. You can't do this, but you can do that. Actually, it's not that way at all. Jesus has freed us from the law (10 Commandments). The 10 Commandments prove that we can never be perfect and we desperately need Jesus, only Jesus was perfect. Being a Christian, is not about doing good works, it's about being in relationship with God and following His will. When we choose the Spirit, then good works should become natural to us.

 

I can't wake up one morning and say,

"Okay, I am going to be kind, patient, gentle, good and have self-control today."

It doesn't work that way, because I don't have the power to do that since I am imperfect. I am sure to mess up at some point, because I am sinful creature. BUT when I make a point to be in the Spirit (meaning reading the Bible, praying, being in community with other believers, worshiping), God will help me to be all those things because those are the fruit of the Spirit. Those are things that can only come from being in Christ.

Just like watering an apple tree....you have to give it all the nutrients it needs in order for it to bear fruit, but if you don't it is sure to die.

I have to water myself with God and He will bring the good out of me.

He is the only one that can.

Does that make sense? I hope so.

That is living in the Spirit, but what about living in the flesh?

 

Well, "living by the flesh leads to unintended destruction/consequences."

If we choose to live by our selfish desires, consequences are sure to follow and not good consequences either. When we live in the Spirit, we produce good consequences. When we live in the flesh, we produce bad consequences.

These consequences are unintended because I doubt that anyone wakes up in the morning saying, "I want to go to prison today." I highly doubt that people seek a life of bad consequences on purpose.

I'm sure if you were to ask a prisoner if he/she wanted to end up there, they would probably say no, but because of a selfish decision they have found themselves in a prison cell. Whether it be drugs, alcohol, lying, cheating, stealing...these are all choices of the flesh, not of the Spirit. Doing those things may satisfy you at the moment, but in the long run, it can only lead to destruction. When you choose the flesh, you are heading for death. Maybe it's not physical death, but more importantly it leads to spiritual death.

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 

So when you go to make a decision which will you choose...

Spirit or flesh?

Life or death?

 

Who will you serve - you or God?

 

 

This week's reading for the year long reading plan:

Today - Leviticus 14-15

Tomorrow - chapters 16-18

Wednesday - chapters 19-21

Thursday - chapters 22-23

Friday - chapters 24-25

Saturday - chapters 26-27

Sunday - catch up day, if needed!

 

 

Just a doubtin mind

Well I'm back as I promised I would be! Another crazy week is over. I'm hoping it will start getting back to normal so that I'll be able to come chat with you more like I used to!

 

 

Well after this crazy week, I woke up this morning in a lot of pain so I wasn't able to make it to church today, however, I watched a sermon on TV and on webcast. I figured I'd share with you what I learned!

 

Do you ever catch yourself doubting? Maybe you doubt yourself or maybe you doubt God? I'm not afraid to say that I'm guilty of both. I'm human and I face trials...I think it's safe to saay that you can agree. Doubt can creep into my mind and create a distance between me and God. That's not a good thing, but it can be overcome.

 

In the first sermon I heard, the pastor explained that we can be held responsible for that doubt for 3 reasons.

 

1. When we are unfaithful and are separated from the light (God). We place ourselves in darkness. For instance, we find ourselves in sin and don't do anything about it, except stay in it. Sin can create doubt because it can separate us from God. Now we will never be sinless (because we are human and imperfect...only Jesus is perfect), but we should try our best to stray from sin.
2. When we respond negatively to situations. It's always ideal to find the positive in everything. This may be easier for some people and harder for others. The situation may make it extremely hard to respond positively, but when we let negativity rule, doubt in God is sure to follow.
3. When we need tangible proof. Thomas, one of the apostles, desperately wanted tangible proof of Jesus' resurrection. When the other apostles had told them that Jesus had been resurrected, Thomas responded, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe" (John 20:25). A few days later, Thomas and Jesus were reunited and Jesus said to him, "Reach here with your finger and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing" (John 20:27). Thomas replied ,"My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). Jesus then said, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed" (John 20:29). When we need tangible proof, doubt can creep in, when really faith should creep in. Paul says, "while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). Don't demand sensual truth. Be obedient in faith.

So when you are start doubting, don't beat yourself up, but turn to the truth. Ask God to remove that doubt, increase your faithfulness, and respond with positivity.

Since I haven't been consistently posting, I figured I'd let you know where we are in the year long reading plan. We should be caught up to Exodus 18. I'm sorry that I haven't been reminding you of the plan, but I'm going to try harder to be more consistent!

 

 

Are YOU possessed?

It's that time of the week again..."Sunday's Sermon Notes"!

 

No, silly, I did not mean possessed that way...let me rephrase....

are you possessed by your possessions?

In other words, does your stuff take over your life?

Don't worry, you don't have to tell me your answer.

Think about it for a minute or two.

 

Here are a couple more questions:

Look around you, are you surrounded by stuff?

Do you find yourself buying stuff often?

Why do you buy stuff?

(By the way, my definition of stuff are things that aren't really essential to live.)

 

Pastor Barry talked a lot about stuff today. He related his sermon to King Solomon, the son of David and a philosopher who lived before the time of Christ.

We find in the book of Ecclesiastes that King Solomon has a lot of stuff. He had tons of concubines, slaves, irrigation systems, all sorts of the "cool" stuff back then. He was always wanting more, because something was missing from his life...

Joy. Happiness. Peace. True love.

 

Pause-I've got another question for ya.

Do you feel like you're missing something in life?

Well just like Solomon, when we feel like our life is incomplete or we aren't content,

we seek to to find something to fill it. Most of the time, we fill it with stuff.

 

The latest, biggest tv we want....because our's isn't big enough.

The latest, smartest phone...because our's isn't "smart" enough.

The latest, eco-friendly car...because our's isn't "eco-friendly" enough.

The list could go on. And on.

 

We may not realize it, but we our filling our lives with stuff that does not bring us true happiness. If it did, why do we always have to upgrade?

Or why do we have garage sales to sell our old stuff to get new stuff?

Obviously, we aren't content enough.

 

King Solomon shows us that every material thing holds no meaning. It took him awhile to realize that true joy does not come from the latest, greatest thing, but it comes from having a relationship with God.

 

Pastor Barry said, "God does not keep score on how much stuff you have." He continued to say, "If you think God loves you more because you have more stuff" you're wrong. God does not care if you drive a Mercedes, own an iPhone, or have a 3 story house.

 

I have been involved in a homeless ministry and have been amazed at how happy the people are. They have nothing. Zilch. Nada. Yet they are praising God for their lives. They are thankful. I wonder why...their lives aren't possessed by possessions.

They have time with God! They have time to take in their surroundings, talk to God, and most importantly, listen to God.

 

We find true joy when we are in a devoted relationship with God. No matter how much stuff you own, know this, it does not give you joy. It's much cheaper and richer (at the same time!) to be in relationship with God, than spending money on stuff that is never going to satisfy you.

 

Hebrews 13:5 says, " Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." It is clear from scripture that all we need is God."

 

Challenge for the week: turn off or get away from your favorite possession (stuff) for at least 30 minutes and read your Bible, pray, or sing worship music.

What are you going to give up to work on your relationship with God?

Let me know how it goes!