Blog Archives - River of Life Church

Suffering is the Better Choice

9/28/2012

Karen Jobes' commentary on 1 Peter (titled, "1 Peter") is a full 300 plus page study on the short book of 1 Peter. The biblical author writes about suffering and Jobes' makes a profound statement: "Suffering is the better choice over sin."

She acknowledges the brutal persecution that people face when they bear the name of Jesus Christ in countries other than America. Jobes' states that where there is no strong repercussions for being a Christian there is a principal that remains; a person may choose to suffer or to sin.

A lie can save embarrassment or job loss, but the truth would bring economic or emotional suffering. Addictions bring temporary relief and numbness, but soberly facing the facts is filled with pain. A physical relationship with no commitments will momentarily remove loneliness and depression, but keeping a pledge of purity is difficult.

1 Peter 4:1-2Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

What ways will you choose suffering over sin today?

God Gives You What You Want

9/27/2012

Yesterday, I became a first-time grandfather. My son and daughter-in-law had a beautiful girl named Taylor Morgan. They now begin a journey of joy that will last as long as they believe it will last.

In the family waiting room, I heard comments sharing that the joy of new birth is short lived and the remainder of child-raising is a series of troubled experiences. They shared stories of colicky babies, terrible two's, awful adolescents and truant teenagers.

My wife and I heard all the child raising horrors and chose to believe that God had a different plan. With our five children, we loved every stage of development. Not everything was perfect, but God was telling us the truth when He said His plans for us were good.

God gives us what we want. If we believe child-raising will be horrible and choose not to believe God's good plans, He lets us have it our way.

Psalms 81:12
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
living according to their own ideas.

2 Keys to believing different.
1. Know that God's ways work.
2. Do life God's way.

Three Values of the Wait

9/26/2012

I am writing this blog from a hospital waiting area. My daughter-in-law has been in the maternity floor of our local hospital since 1pm and is ready to have her first child today! My wife and I came at 7:30pm and left at 3am for a couple hours of sleep. Each of us headed out for work at 5:30am, but I have dropped some commitments and juggled my schedule to join the waiting.

My son cannot believe it is taking this long and I remind him that good things take time. The arrival of a baby is a very good thing!

I am learning the value of the wait. My prayers as a young follower of Jesus used to be, "Lord, give me patience and be quick about it!" I was foolishly praying for patience when a farm accident injuring my thumb got me time in the hospital from Thanksgiving Day until a day before Christmas. I have learned to be careful what to pray for when I pray!

The Bible records stories of people waiting.
A wife and husband, Sarah and Abraham, waiting decades for the baby God told them they would have.
A suffering man named Job, waiting for justice.
A nation of people waiting for their Messiah.

If you are waiting for an answer from God, a relationship to be restored, a position to open or a return to health - remember these three values that come from wait:

1. Patience - that God's timing is always better than our timing.
2. Confidence - that God is going to come through.
3. Joy - the anticipation brings greater joy when the waiting is over.

Psalms 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in His word I put my hope.

4 Things You Can Do to Help End World Poverty

9/25/2012

I did it! It was not on my bucket list, but I ran 13.1 miles last Saturday. A group of 14 runners from our area joined World Vision in a half-marathon to raise money for clean water in Rwanda. $7,772.10 was raised from our group which will provide clean water for 155 children in Rwanda for their ENTIRE life!

The course was a beautiful trail throughout Theodore Wirth Park. However, what was not beautiful was the 1000 feet of elevation change over the course of the run. One particular stretch was named "Stairway to Heaven". It did not seem bad until I saw that where it leveled off it rose up another stretch, then another stretch and another stretch and yet another stretch.

Some of the course was a mountain bike trail, only wide enough for a single file of runners. Some of the course was on a ski hill and other parts on cross country ski trails.

I made the best time I have ever done in a half-marathon only because it is the ONLY half-marathon I have run. After 1:59:10 seconds of running I was exhausted. I rested the remainder of the day and am still sore three days later.

Meanwhile, there are still children in Rwanda, Ethiopia, and throughout the world that are walking miles to get water. The closest water they fetch is muddy and will be used for washing and non-cooking uses. They walk further to get "clean" water. It is not muddy, but is unsanitary and brings sickness to their families.

I did a big thing one Saturday. Children that should be in school learning or playing games with other children are placed into adult responsibilities as soon as they are old enough to gather wood, carry water or watch over younger siblings.

They are my heroes.
They are why I ran and why people gave.

I will run again next year. In the meanwhile, what can you and I do?
1. Support someone raising funds for a worthy cause.
2. Support a child through child sponsorships offered by World Vision, Compassion International and other relief agencies.
3. Give a micro-loan to a third-world entrepreneur through Kiva.com, World Vision or other agencies.
4. Pray for the 19,000 families who loose a child every day through preventable causes such as lack of clean water, adequate food, vaccinations or education.

Matthew 6:9-10
“This, then, is how you should pray:“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name,
10 Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

How to Avoid Being Possessed

9/24/2012

The first new car I ever bought was a 1979 Ford Mustang. It was a beautiful, black hatchback with a turbo-charged engine. I was just out of high school and in a relationship with the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth. When I was in my car and with my girl, I felt terrific.

Black is not an easy color to keep clean. Every weekend, I would wash, wax and vacuum my car out. When I was done cleaning the car, it looked fantastic. What I did not realize was the way I worked to keep the car looking tip-top so I would feel good - I did not possess the car, it possessed me.

I felt entitled to having a good car, working hard to keep up with the payments, working hard to keep up with the maintenance and cleaning. I had not learned to view the stuff that I had as things that was entrusted to me by God and not entitled to me by MY efforts.

3 steps to keep from being possessed by your stuff:
1. Remember that God owns it all.
2. We are not entitled to our stuff, but entrusted with it.
3. God expects us to use our possessions for the interest of His kingdom, not ours.

Deuteronomy 8:17-18
You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

PS:
I did marry that beautiful woman over 31 years ago and she is still the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth!
We kept the car until we outgrew it with when our fourth child was born.
The '79 Mustang gave us a lot of great memories, but I have not missed buying a new car since.

A Black Toe-nail

9/21/2012

This Saturday, I will go on the longest run in my life. My one and only big toe-nail is black. Most of my body is sore and I walk funny, especially up steps.
Why?
To help children in Africa on streets I jogged three years ago.

In 2009, I traveled to Kivuruga, Rwanda with three other community leaders from Cambridge, Minnesota. "Our Response" is a community to community movement that began the same year partnering with World Vision.

This Saturday, I am running a half-marathon with Team World Vision to help change lives in Rwanda, Africa. The needs are great, but this is something I can do. World Vision works with communities in desperate need to help provide things like clean water, nutritious food, education, medical care, and economic opportunity.

The run is for water. Every $50 donated provides clean water for one person in Rwanda for an entire generation. I am also running 13.1 miles for a young girl name Joselyn who lives in Kivuruga. I met her three years ago and our family supports her through World Vision. Again, it is something I can do.

1 John 3:17
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

What can you do regarding world poverty?

Recycling and Prayer

9/20/2012

I am a huge recycling fan. My recycling efforts went viral when the "no-sort" recycling came into effect in our area. One container: all types of material. My theory when there is an uncertainty if the material is recyclable or not: "When in doubt, recycle it out!"

The recycling comes to the end of our half mile driveway every other week. The container is quite full by the time it is picked up. Plastic milk cartons are squeezed flat, little cans are put inside of big cans. One day while stuffing a plastic lid in a plastic can in a plastic container I began to wonder what happens at the other end.

There must be some sorting process on a conveyor belt separating the materials for recycling. It is doubtful that the sorting is automated. So, I am picturing someone trying to unpack my space saving, crushed together, mixed material and having to stop the conveyor belt to sort out the mess I created.

I am not certain that my thoughts are accurate, but I no longer stuff mixed items into each other.

I am equally uncertain how God handles prayers from the entire world. Is there a conveyor belt of prayer post-it notes going by and His angels are helping sort them out. Prayers for healing, prayers for finding a lost pet, prayers for fixing a bad boss and a bunch of post-it notes stuck together - those would be my prayers.

My prayers can get like my crunched and mixed up recycling. A prayer for my friends healing, prayer for the well-being of my family, prayer for victory over failures, prayer for our church, prayer for our nation and then things I am reminded to pray about in various emails and blogs. Some prayers have been recently answered and I gave prayers of thanks to the Lord for His answer that I liked. I am not so happy when God answers differently than I expect.

Do my prayers stop the conveyor belt of prayers in heaven and bring all conversation with God to a grinding halt?

Pretty certain that is not the way it works. God is infinite and He has the ability to hear every prayer around the world as though it is the only conversation He is having. God personally hears and answers every dialog that you have with Him. When our prayers get crunched together, the Holy Spirit brings clarity to the jumble. When we do not even know how or what to pray, the Holy Spirit looks into our hearts and brings what we are unable to articulate to God.

Romans 8:26-27
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

When Life Gives You the Squeeze, Make Lemonade

9/19/2012

When we feel like we are squeezed by the challenges of life, we often ask God the "Why" questions.
"Why is this happening?"
"Why me?"
"Why now?"
"Why?"

Michael Hyatt in his blog 'A Question That Changes Everything' writes that one of the best questions to ask when tough times hits is, "What does this experience make possible?" (read the entire article at http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=52d5c7778a3adfda535c3b349&id=bbfaa299a8&e=c4c0332e93).

What does this experience make possible?A job loss, an illness, a change in a relationship, a car that will not start; what does this experience make possible? This question moves you from something you cannot change - the past, to something you can change - the future.

You cannot choose the circumstances that happen to you, but you can choose how to respond to challenging times. You can make lemonade out of life's lemons.

Philippians 4:12-13
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.

On the Calendar; Not on the Calendar

9/18/2012

The mornings are darker and the evenings are notably shorter. Autumn begins this Saturday and I am expecting daylight savings time to end soon. I looked at the calendar this morning to see what weekend the time change will occur. The time change does not happen in September; not in October either. It is not until the first weekend in November that we fall back one hour.

Even though I am surprised by how late the time change occurs this year, now that I know what weekend it happens I am okay with the date. Not that I have any authority to change the date if I did not agree with the scheduling of the time change.It is on the calendar, it is in my head and somehow that settles it much more than when I was wondering and unaware.

When Jesus Christ was on this earth there was no such thing as daylight savings time. Jesus told his followers about a much bigger event that was to come: His return to the earth. Jesus said He would be crucified, be in the tomb three days, rise from the dead, ascend to heaven and return again. The people saw all those things happen except one: the return of Jesus.

We cannot put the date of His return on the calendar, but it is as certain as the seasons change and no person has the authority to know when that day is or to make any changes. Knowing that Jesus is coming back must be in your head and more importantly in your heart.

Matthew 24:36
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Hunting for God

9/17/2012

This past Saturday was deer hunting opener for bow hunting and it was also grouse hunting opener in our state. I think it was a quiet deer opener because I did not hear much shooting going on. You do not have to laugh because I made that joke up and I think it is funny!

The leaves are turning colors, but will not drop for a few more weeks. For both deer and grouse hunters, you are not able to see too far into the woods. It takes extra keen senses to spot what you are looking for.

There are times when God is difficult to spot. He seems far away when life is falling apart. It takes extra keen senses to see the Lord when the foliage of life is blocking our view. At times God is intentionally elusive in our lives. It is as though He is playing hide and seek with us.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find me when you seek Me with all your heart."

God wants you to seek Him with all your heart. If you are not intentionally looking for God, you may not see Him. God assures you that when you look for Him with all your heart, you will find Him.

Happy hunting!