Pastor Chuck’s Blog

5-24-2024

It’s been said that, “….the Lord works in mysterious ways.” This begs the question: Is this a biblical truth or a myth? Interestingly, there’s not one verse the specifically says this in the Bible, yet, (I’ve been told) that if you search this on the interwebs, you will find 52,000,000 results +/-. You can check that out if you like. I’m going to pass. But while there isn’t a verse that specifically says this, there is ample evidence in Scripture that this is true. For instance, the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah, speaking for God, said this:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV)

As we read passages such as this, we quickly realize that the way God does things, or even the way that God directs us to do things is not always how we would have done them. The matter of grace and forgiveness and Salvation is a beautiful revelation of how different God thinks and acts than we would have.

For salvation to become available for man, God Himself took on human flesh and had to die. Wow! I’m not sure that any of us would have done it that way. I’m a dad and I can’t imagine the thought of sacrificing the life of one of my children so someone else could live. And before you judge me, I’m guessing you feel the same. That goes against everything that is embedded in the parental DNA, right?

That is one of countless examples. C’mon, when someone is hurting or persecuting someone you love, is your first thought to tell them to love that other person? …..to pray for that other person? What about when someone says, “How many times should I forgive someone?” We’d probably say, “Once or twice”. Or we might say, “Forgive? Are you nuts? Punch ‘em!” Yet, Jesus said, “No. Not 7 times, but 70 times 7.” Or what about, “How am I supposed to treat other people?” We’d probably go the, “an eye for an eye” route. Jesus said, “Love others like your Heavenly Father loves you.”

See, Jesus was ALWAYS raising the bar. People would approach Him and say things like, “Look what I’ve done! I’ve kept the law. I’ve followed the commandments,” and even more such things. Then Jesus would say, “…..but I tell you…..”, and then He’d raise the bar. Every. Single. Time. Mysterious, eh?

Not only are God’s ways different from ours but they are on a higher plane. Simply put, God thinks at a level far superior to our thinking. We see the beginning from the end, but God sees the end from the beginning. He knows the outcome before we do anything. I am not saying, He forces us to do His will (that’s an entirely different discussion), but He knows the choices we will make. If you watched a ball game where you already knew the final score, you would watch it differently because you know. That’s the advantage God has over us, He KNOWS!

But back to the question at hand: Does that mean that God really does work in mysterious ways? The dictionary defines, “mysterious” as: “difficult or impossible to understand, explain, or identify.” If we use that definition, then we’d have to agree that, in deed, God works in mysterious ways.

Perhaps this is why Proverbs 14 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but its end is the way of death.” and why Proverbs 3 says, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding”.

Those are wise words, particularly in the confusing and ever changing world that we live in. There is no specific verse telling us that God works in mysterious ways, but the evidence is there. It’s found throughout Scripture, and if we’re honest, it’s found in our every day lives. And here’s the thing:

You WANT the ways of God to be “mysterious”!

Why? If you and I could figure everything out about God, they why bother following Him? He’d be just like any other person on social media. So embrace “the mysteriousness” of our God! Exercise your faith in Him. Embark on the journey, and see where He will lead you…..

4-24-2024

Big Bold Prayers

It’s been awhile back, but someone said this in a sermon (actually, it might have been a testimony), “If I had realized all along that my prayers would be answered, I would have prayed better prayers.” He was being facetious, a little. But there is also some truth to what he said.

We have a tendency to pray safe prayers, small prayers, never presuming to ask for too much. And we’re careful to include the qualifier, “If it be thy will,” just in case nothing happens. Of course, praying within the boundaries of God’s will is a fundamental element of prayer; we know this. [1 John 5:14]

Our problem, however, if we’re honest, is that we often pray for less than God’s will, with something less than an attitude of faith. For example:

*We pray for a cabin in the corner of Glory Land, while God is offering us a mansion of our very own.

*We ask for the ability to accept defeat, so to speak, while God has promised us victory. (Our next message series…..)

*We’re asking for the courage to cope when he is ready to give us the power to overcome.

God has promised us great things. We often respond by asking for small things.

What if we were to zero in on one or two requests that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt are surely part of God’s will for our lives — and what if we made these areas a target of our biggest and boldest prayers of faith? Things such as:
Holiness
Victory
Joy
Courage
Motivation
Patience
Purpose
Power
Self-Control
And so on……

These are the birth-right of every believer. If they’re lacking in any of our lives, there is arguably only one reason:

You do not have because you do not ask. (James 4:2)

So let’s be sure to ask.

This is our challenge: Pray within the boundaries of God’s perfect will — but keep in mind those are huge boundaries.

And then pray big and bold prayers.

And pray like you know your prayers will be answered.

I’m praying for you, LifePoint!

Chuck

4-17-2024

Baseball season is here. Maybe baseball isn’t your thing, but let me invite you to continue reading for a moment if you will.

I enjoy going to see the I-Cubs play once in awhile, and I’ve seen a couple of professional games, but the truth is, I’ve never been a huge baseball fan. Nonetheless, I became fascinated by Cal Ripken as he approached the game that broke the record for most consecutive games played. Ripken played his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles. He was a 19-time All-Star and was twice named American League Most Valuable Player. Ripken holds the record for consecutive games played at 2,632. This surpassed Lou Gehrig’s streak of 2,130 that had stood for 56 years and that many deemed unbreakable. His record of 2,632 straight games played may stay in the books forever, and he will certainly be remembered forever as a legend in the game.

Most sports records are set when a player gets on a hot streak — he has a good game or a good month or even a good season. Ripken’s record is the result of a “hot streak” that lasted more than 16 years. Day after day he simply took the next step in the right direction, one game at a time.

I watched a short documentary on his work ethic and how he would diligently practice during the off season to be better prepared for the upcoming season.

Something many people don’t know about Ripken is that during his first year as a pro — while playing minor league ball in West Virginia — he made his mark in a different way: he committed a league-leading 33 errors at short-stop.

It wasn’t a good start, and since his dad was already well-known in the world of baseball, critics said he was just an over-rated kid, not good enough for life in the big leagues. But Cal kept taking one more step in the right direction, one game at a time. Later in his career he went 95 consecutive games without making an error, and committed only three in an entire season — another record he holds. Ripken’s habit of taking one more step took him on a journey from worst to first.

The thing about that kind of journey is that you don’t have to be a “star” to take it. It’s a journey that all of us can take, with God’s help.

God wants to pour out His grace in your life. He wants to change you through and through. That habit you’ve struggled with…..He wants to help you overcome it. Those dreams that haven’t come about yet…..He wants to help make them reality. The struggles you have……He wants to give you victory over them, along with the power to live the life of your dreams. Today, if you feel like you’re the worst, He wants to help you move in the direction of becoming first.

Psalm 121:2 says: My help comes from the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth!

So go ahead…….ask Him for His help. He’s ready and waiting to give it to you!!!

3/25/2024

There are hundreds of religions in this world. You read that right, hundreds. I’m sure you’re aware of many of the larger, more prominent ones, but there are hundreds of smaller organizations as well. All of these religions, with the exception of Christianity, have one thing in common. Regardless of what they believe, how big or small they are, where they exist…..the all believe in “do”. They all believe that they have to earn their way into paradise (or whatever they refer to eternity as).

The difference Christianity? The difference is, Christianity believes in “done”……as in, the work has been done. Jesus went to the cross as the supreme sacrifice for our sins. He paid for every one of mine, yours and everyone else’s. But as you know, that’s not the end of the story.

Yes, Jesus died.
Yes, Jesus was buried. (Which was highly unusual, as we’ll learn this weekend.)

At this point, everyone thought it was, “game over”. Everyone. Even His disciples, who had been with Him for so long, went into hiding because they feared that they would be next to die. But then came Sunday and something no one expected:

An empty tomb.

JESUS HAD RISEN!!! Just as He said He would, Jesus had risen from the dead. He had conquered death and taken the keys of death, hell and the grave.

This is what Easter is all about!!! This is what this coming weekend is all about: celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ; celebrating the victory that was won; celebrating the freedom from sin that is ours when we put our faith in Jesus and what He did on the cross. This is what we will celebrate this weekend.

And this is why it’s so important to invite people who are far from God to come and sit with you this weekend. Maybe they’ve heard the message many times, maybe this will be the first. Regardless, we want them to hear. The reason is because, as we’ll see a few weeks later in this series, Jesus’ invitation is the same now as it was nearly 2,000 years ago:

Follow me.

So between now and Sunday, would you join me in praying for everyone who shows up this weekend? We want them to have open hearts to hear the message as the Holy Spirit speaks to them, and we want them to respond to the invitation to trust in Jesus.

I’m looking forward to being with all of you and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

I love you, church!!!!

3-21-2024

To Honk! Honk!

If you’ve been paying attention over the past few weeks, you’ve probably noticed more birds in the trees, along with more and more geese returning from their winter away.

As you are probably aware, geese typically travel long distances together in a V formation, with one flying in front of the rest, designated as the leader. This formation serves to minimize wind resistance, making it possible for the flock to conserve energy.

Since the one in front is prone to tire from the burden of facing the wind alone, the group will rotate flight leaders from time to time. After the change, the one who has taken the lead – who had previously been moving in momentum with the rest of the group – now suddenly feels the full force of the strong wind.

This is where the honking comes in.

Ornithologists say that the geese honk during flight to support and encourage the one currently in front, as in: “We’re behind you. You’re doing a great job. Keep it up. We’ve got you!”

You and I need to honk a bit as well…..not at the person who doesn’t move at the crack of a green light, but at the ones we work with, those who are leading (especially those serving in an area new to them). Everyone from the janitor to the mechanic to the store clerk to the school teacher to……well…….everyone……they need a supportive “honk” whenever we can. They’re working hard, and we should be a people of encouragement.

When someone steps up to do their part, it’s not enough for the rest of the team to coast. Let’s offer up a honk or two in support of those who are making the greater effort. The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews wrote this:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

So, this is me “honking” at you……..I love you, church and I am so honored to be part of an incredible group of people who are making a difference in this world. Keep up the great work!!!