From Now On

From Now On

“From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me.”
                                          Luke 1:47-48

From the moment of Gabriel’s appearance in Nazareth, Mary’s life would never be the same. Every plan she had made for her life, all that she had imagined unfolding in her future, would forever be altered because of Christ being birthed in her. Her song in the first chapter of Luke tells of a young lady who, from the moment of conception, was filled with an overflowing joy, who realized that God was mindful of the life she was living and who had a fresh revelation of the mercy of the Lord to those who feared Him. The “same old, same old,” the status quo in Mary’s life was forever broken because of Jesus coming into her life. Hers became a life filled with heavenly things, from the miraculous she observed in Jesus’ ministry to the intense suffering she witnessed at Calvary, and the glory experienced when she saw the risen Christ. But one thing is for sure; her life was never the same from the moment Jesus came in.

Thirty years later, Jesus made Himself known in Israel to a people struggling with hopelessness, burdened by the chains of the Roman occupation of their land, and wondering if their God had abandoned them. He came a light in the darkness, preaching a gospel of good news, teaching the people about God’s ways, and healing every sickness and disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23). As in Mary’s life, the status quo of the nation, steeped in religious tradition but missing the essentials of God’s great love, was shattered forever. Jesus coming down and entering their world changed it forever. Words like hope, mercy, freedom, healing, and joy were added back into their vocabulary. And their eyes saw incredible things they could never have imagined before Jesus came in and filled their lives with good things.

The beautiful thing this Christmas Day, 2011, is that we can each have a “from now on” moment. We can each see the existing state of our lives, the status quo, forever changed for the better if we will only invite Jesus into our world, into our lives in a greater way. Jesus stands at the door and knocks on every heart, longing for a deeper relationship, wanting to come in and bring hope, to minister His healing to every area of your heart, and to unfold a future bright with promise. He entered Mary’s life and she was never the same. Years later it was the early disciples who forsook all and followed Christ on a journey of faith that “turned the world upside down.” And now it’s our day, this is our time; the opportunity is ours to experience the good things that await the man or woman whose life Jesus comes into.

Merry Christmas,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

A Little Can of Oil

A Little Can of Oil

“….to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
                                                            Isaiah 61:3

 At some time in our lives, we have each been on the receiving end of words of encouragement that bolstered our spirits and gave us renewed strength to keep going in difficult times. D. B. Cowman’s story of a man with “a little can of oil” reminds us that encouraging  others by speaking words of kindness is one of the most noble and Christ like traits we can pursue:

“There is an old story of an elderly man who always carried a little can of oil with him everywhere he went, and when he would go through a door that squeaked, he would squirt a little oil on the hinges. If he encountered a gate that was hard to open, he would oil the latch. And so he went through life, lubricating all the difficult places, making it easier for all those who came after him. People called the man eccentric, strange, and crazy but he went steadily on, often refilling his can of oil when it was nearly empty and oiling all the difficult places he found.”

Cowman went on to say that “your oil of cheerfulness may mean more than you know to someone who is downhearted; your oil may be a word of encouragement to a person who is full of despair.” How ironic that we so often bemoan our seeming lack of opportunity to make a difference in the world, while being surrounded by hurting, lonely and beaten down men and women. Isaiah spoke of the ability that God gives “to speak a word in season to him who is weary”, or as the Message Bible simply puts it, “to know how to encourage tired people.” And Solomon tried to describe the value of encouragement when he penned the verse, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”

Everyone, without exception, has times in their lives when they desperately need encouragement to give them hope for their future. Even today, men and women surround us who are hungry to know that they matter, who are considering giving up under the pressures weighing them down, and who are discouraged by the circumstances of their lives. Still others need to know that they are appreciated, that their work and effort are noticed, are valuable and are important. And in each of their lives, you can make a difference. No special training is needed; all you have to do is care. Start today to pour out “the oil of joy” through your words.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Through the Night

Through the Night

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when
 you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you,
 and when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.”
                                                             Isaiah 43:2

In the story of Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den, as we celebrate God’s incredible protection and deliverance of Daniel, we have a tendency to miss one important point. And I think it’s a point that can make a real difference in our understanding of God’s dealings in our lives. The point is this: Daniel spent an entire night in the lion’s den, trusting God during the dark hours of night, having faith in his God while he endured and waited patiently for the dawn of a new day and for God’s deliverance. Daniel experienced what David wrote about when he said: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

The key word is through. David walked through some valley of the shadow of death times in his life but God was always with him. Daniel spent a night surrounded by ferocious lions but God was with him; and Joseph made the trip to Egypt shackled and in irons, but with a God who had a plan to use Joseph to save an entire people. And don’t forget the three Hebrew young men, who refused to worship an idol and were thrown into the furnace. Before their rescue, they may have spent some time in the heat of the fire but they were not alone. The story tells of a fourth man with them who looked “like a son of the gods,” none other than the Son of God.

We make a mistake when we forget the promise of God that when we go through difficult times, and challenging and trying circumstances, He will be with us. The verse above doesn’t say that you won’t go through the waters or rivers or fires; it says that when you do, God will be with you, watching over you and protecting you every step of the way. As Joseph traveled to Egypt in chains, I have no doubt that God’s eye never left him. Not only did Daniel spend an entire night with lions that could have taken his life with a single blow, but so did God. God was there the whole time, in total command of those lions, keeping Daniel safe and protected.

We need to realize that we will go through troubles and difficulties but that is not a sign, as the enemy would have us believe, that God has abandoned us. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is always with us, caring for us in the battle, helping us as we go through the struggle and keeping an unseen eye over our lives as He builds character and faith in a people that He has great plans and purposes for. May that truth help you to persevere in your walk of faith!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Savor Your Freedom

Savor Your Freedom

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who trusts in Him.”
                           Psalm 34:8

Hearing the story of the martyrdom in Kenya earlier this month of two Christians, 8 year-old Winnie Mutinda and 25 year-old John Kikavu, has struck a chord about the freedoms we so richly enjoy. Living in the vacuum of our Western culture, a person can so easily fall into the trap of taking our blessings, privileges, and opportunities for granted. A sense of entitlement can overtake us, and instead of slowing down and enjoying all that God has made possible in our lives, we run from one thing to the next, never savoring the moment or savoring the freedoms that define our lives.

Another story that was publicized this week was the systematic burning of church buildings in several parts of the world in an attempt to spread fear and intimidation and, in so doing, eliminate any Christian witness or presence in those countries. My reaction was to pray, “Lord, help me to enjoy and be thankful for every worship service I am blessed to be a part of.” No more hurrying through, no more looking ahead to what is the next thing on the agenda and certainly no more taking our freedom to worship for granted. How important, if we are to get everything out of our gatherings that God intends, that we take the time to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” We have freedoms and rights that others do not; we must see them as such if we are to reap the benefit of God’s great goodness in our lives.

The principle goes further and I struggled with titling this “savor your freedom”, “savor the moment”, or even “savor your life.” The time you spend with family and friends should be treated as something precious, time that may never be repeated, time that is guaranteed to no one. And instead of taking things in our life for granted, it’s time we started to take advantage of the time and opportunities we have, wringing the most out of them. It’s time we started to show a deeper appreciation for the people that surround us and savor the time that we have together, getting to know them in a more personal and meaningful way.

The young man and the little girl mentioned above were killed when a grenade was thrown into the Christian leader’s home they were gathering in. Their lives were forfeited because of their faith in Jesus Christ, the same Lord whose mercy and grace we can treat as commonplace if we are not careful. Let’s be sure, going forward, to embrace gratitude at a whole new level, a "savoring" level!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Anticipation

Anticipation

“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with Him in prayer
and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.”
                                                      Daniel 9:3

We can all identify with occasions and situations where our anticipation kicked in and caused us to act in a certain fashion. Maybe we anticipated heavy traffic in winter weather and left a little early for work, or we anticipated the light getting ready to change and hit the gas pedal to make sure we got through without a ticket. At other times, we might have anticipated a problem coming up at work and prepared in advance for the possible eventualities, letting our spouse know that we might be late for dinner. And, of course, you may anticipate Thanksgiving Dinner and have a few extra large meals between now and then to stretch your stomach. The dictionaries’ definition of anticipate says this: “to foresee and act in advance, to thwart by acting in advance, to regard as likely, to foreknow, to prevent by taking countermeasures.”

In Daniel chapter 9, Daniel anticipated those Israelites who had been taken captive to Babylon being released and being allowed to return to Jerusalem, their home and place of worship. How he responded to that anticipation is a lesson on acting in advance to see the promises and purposes of God come to fruition in our lives. When he realized that it was time for God to move, Daniel turned to the Lord and sought Him in humility, with prayer, fasting and a passionate desperation. His response was anything but passive; he didn’t take the promises of God for granted, and he didn’t leave their fulfillment to chance. His anticipation resulted in heartfelt, sincere prayer that moved God to act on His people’s behalf.

The lesson that we each have to grasp and put into practice is not always easy. The bridge between the promises of God and their coming to pass in our lives is nothing less than persistent and passionate prayer. Are you sensing that God is about to do something fresh in your life, your family, or your church? Then it’s time to pray! Are you at a place where anticipation should kick in and cause a corresponding supportive action? Does your response to a promise God is speaking to your heart reveal complacency or anticipation? Daniel’s response showed just how important the fulfillment of God‘s promise was to him – he went all out to see God’s people restored to the land of their inheritance.

God has special and specific promises for your life. When the time comes that you sense in anticipation that “now is the time,” may your heart be stirred to action, causing the Lord to rise up on your behalf, to intervene against all opposing forces, and to answer your prayer.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Stepping Back

Stepping Back

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of
  the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”
                                               Habakkuk 2:14

From the middle of the lake, seated in a small fishing boat, the picture of the lake that you are left with is imposing, daunting, and at times overwhelming. The distance to the shore, the size of the waves and the sheer unharnessed power that the lake represents leave you feeling weak and small by any comparison. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to reconcile that picture with the image gained from looking at the very same lake from the vineyard covered hills that surround it. What stands out is that the journey from hard and intimidating to awe-inspiring and breath-taking only requires that one step back and look at the scene from a wider, broader and more all encompassing viewpoint.

In the same way, looking at the situations in our lives from too close a vantage point can leave us with a personal perspective that is disheartening and discouraging. We can get so focused on the here and now that we lose sight of the big picture of what God is doing over the long haul. We can get so caught up in the everyday that the process of character building and faith development never come into focus. We can be so centered on what is going on today that we fail to see anything in the light of a God whose plan for our life is worked out over a span of time, a span rarely measured in days, weeks, or even months.

As we get caught up in the busyness of life, the need to step back and look at what is happening in our lives from a different vantage point becomes crucial. Try this: find the largest picture in your house; stand with your nose about an inch from the picture and take in the sight. Then step back, one step at a time, observing the change that takes place and how the picture is only beautiful when looked at from the right perspective. So many are discouraged, not because God isn’t doing anything in their lives but because they are so focused on the up close that they are unable to see the big picture of a God who has an incredible plan for their lives.

Step back, away from the temporary trials of life, away from the process of life-building that God must do in each of us, and catch a vision of a God at work in us so that life goals are accomplished, and plans and purposes attained. The result will be greater encouragement, a leap from strength to strength, and an understanding that results in patience and perseverance.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Moorings

Moorings

“You are not restrained in us, but you
are restrained in your own affections.”
                       II Corinthians 6:12

After almost two weeks of studying, meditating on, and preaching about the story of when Jesus told Peter to launch out into deeper waters and throw the nets out again, something was still missing. The proverbial missing piece of the puzzle couldn’t be found. More than I can remember for some time, this message seemed really important to me, moving to deeper waters spiritually, living a life of faith, and, because of that, finding greater fruitfulness in the Lord.  And it has become my prayer: Lord, lead me into the deeper waters of the Christian life. In the midst of those prayers, God spoke just one word:

Moorings – the ropes, anchors, and chains that keep a vessel secure and stable

Quite honestly, I had to turn to Webster’s 3rd for an explanation. The tie-in was clear; for all our desires to go deeper in the Lord and for all our good intentions to be fruitful in the Lord, we have to address those areas in our lives that are like moorings. Those are the areas that keep us tied to a shoreline Christianity, anchored to a life of weak faith, and with little or no fruit to show for our efforts. Eugene Peterson, in The Message Bible, words the verse above this way: “We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small but you’re living them in a small way.” We can have all the possibilities that God has purposed lying open before us, yet be moored in shallow waters that leave us living our Christian lives “in a small way,” frustrated but not knowing how to change things.

The job of identifying and loosing those moorings is left to each of us. For one, it may be an attitude we’ve adopted that keeps us focused on circumstances and not on faith. For another, the rigor of obeying God when he asks us to go the second mile may be something we’ve always said no to. Thinking we have God all figured out, what He would or wouldn’t require of us, is a surefire way to stay tied to the shoreline. And sin issues have to be dealt with, inward sins of the heart, and outward actions that grieve the heart of God and hold us back spiritually. 

That there are deeper waters for you to live your Christian life in should be a great encouragement. That there may be moorings to cut loose so that you can launch out into greater things in God is a challenge you will have to face. My prayer is that you will have the courage to address those areas inside you that are holding you back from all God desires.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Footsteps of Faith

The Footsteps of Faith

“…who also walk in the footsteps of the
faith that our Father Abraham had.”
                            Romans 4:12

By far the most difficult climb up the Turk Hill Road toboggan hill went to the person who had the unenviable task of blazing a trail through the freshly fallen snow. Those who followed after were blessed to be able to follow in the footsteps of another on the many trips up our favorite hill. The same was true on my early morning paper route during the 60’s in Upstate New York, especially on those mornings when delivering papers meant trudging through a knee deep snowfall. The first morning was the hardest; the next few were easy by comparison, nothing more than following in yesterday’s footsteps.

Maybe those memories help to make it easier to understand Paul’s encouragement that we “walk in the footsteps of the faith that Abraham had.” Abraham trusted God to fulfill the promise He had made to make Abraham the father of many nations. He trusted despite his circumstances; he trusted despite Sarah being past the age of childbearing; he trusted with eyes fixed on a God who is faithful to His every promise. The fruit of his faith was it happening “just as it had been said to him” – Abraham became the father of many nations and, in so doing, left a trail of footsteps we would be wise to follow in.

The tracks those footsteps leave behind are easy to recognize. Some tell of the importance of obedience in the face of contrary circumstances. Others have the words “never give up” emblazoned on them with a boldness that only a hope fulfilled could write. The message “God can be trusted” can be seen next to footprints all along the path and paving stones with the words of Jesus, “only believe” clearly mark the way. The footsteps of the faith of Abraham tell the story of leaving all behind for the Lord, of fighting for and rescuing others in need, of offering up a promised son to God, and of living a life marked by a determined faith in God.

Having footsteps to follow in is a blessing we should never minimize. The faith stories of those men and women who trusted God, who hoped against hope, and who saw their every promise and dream realized to the fullest, are to be anchors that keep you and I on the road of faith.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

A Passport to God

A Passport to God

“In Him and through faith in Him, we may
approach God with freedom and confidence.”
                                 Ephesians 3:12

Our trip had taken us first to Baltimore to help Linda get unloaded, up to the cottage on Seneca Lake, and then on to Rochester for a short visit with family. We were on our way home, heading toward Niagara Falls to cross into Canada, when I realized that I had not remembered to bring my passport along. The passport that had gotten me into Japan, the Philippines, Honduras and countless border crossings between Canada and the United States was nowhere to be found, and panic set in. The new law seemed to be clear: no passport meant no entry into the US.

Quite honestly, I had forgotten that story until this week when I heard this quote from J.C. Ryle:  “The name of Jesus is a never failing passport for our prayers.” Now I know the scriptures that express the thought Ryle is trying to convey. Ephesians 2:18 says, “For through Him (Jesus) we have access to the Father,” and the scripture above beautifully declares that we can approach God with boldness and confidence because of our faith in Jesus. Because Jesus made a way for us by offering Himself in our place, we have access to God and need never be afraid to go before Him with our deepest needs, presenting our every desire to God in prayer.

Wondering if I would be allowed into the US without my passport, I called a friend who is a customs agent and his response to my situation was noteworthy: “As a US citizen, you cannot be denied entrance into the United States.” The choice had been taking the long way around Lake Erie through the States, and adding three hours to the trip in the process, or chancing it by going through Canada without a passport. His words were all I needed to hear; we crossed the border into Canada, and a short time later I was declaring my citizenship, without the necessary passport, to the customs agent in Port Huron. A few questions later, a huge sigh of relief breathed, and we were back in the United States, heading down I-94 towards home.

The parallel couldn’t be clearer. You and I have access to God for all our prayers, to present our needs, to come before Him for help in time of trouble – and all because of Jesus. We have full access to the Creator, to our Refuge, to our Rescuer, to our Provider, to the God who loves us enough to send His Son to die for our sins. Confidence and boldness are words that rightly describe the freedom you should feel in approaching God whenever you pray. You have a passport to God, the precious name of Jesus, that grants you access to the throne of grace, an access that cannot be denied as you come before him with a heart filled with faith!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Limitless

Limitless

“I realize that everything has its limits, but your
commands are beyond full comprehension.”
                                         Psalm 119:96

They are found everywhere, while driving a car, in our personal finances, and even in our national government: limits on what a person can do. From the 15 mile per hour speed limit on the Lewiston Bridge over the Niagara River to the 70 mile per hour speed limit on Interstate 94, the speed at which we are allowed to drive is limited; we can’t go as fast as we want, as fast as our schedule dictates, or even as fast as our car is capable of going. Let’s face it, when it comes to driving our cars, we are limited.

Credit cards present us with a similar situation; they have a limit on what we can spend and how much in charges we are allowed to accumulate. Some cards might have higher limits than others and some might be usable in more places than others but the phrase “credit limit” is known to all. Even getting a money order last week presented the same problem; there is a limit to how much you can get a money order for. Try cashing a check at a bank you don’t have an account at. No matter how much money is in your account, you won’t leave happy. When it comes to finances, we are limited.

We don’t usually think of the President of the United States as being limited but our form of government limits the power of each branch of government. Our government’s recent fiscal crisis, when the debt ceiling desperately needed to be raised for the government to continue to operate, reinforced the limits on presidential power. He may have a position of great power and he may be the highest elected official in our nation but when it comes to taking certain actions, the president’s power is limited by the Constitution. And we may pay taxes and take part in elections but we have a representative government in which elected officials wield power. In government, we are most certainly limited.

But thankfully, there is someone whose strength has no bounds, and whose power has no limits. There is a God in heaven for whom nothing is impossible, for whom no problem is too difficult, and before whom none can stand. We serve a God whose power is limitless, a God who has promised to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” That a limitless God is on our side and has only our best interests at heart should help us fend off discouragement and hopelessness, and by faith pursue God’s best for our lives.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Sands of Time

The Sands of Time

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise
but wise, making the most of every opportunity…”
                                          Ephesians 5:15-16

As the scene unfolded, the actor set the hourglass down on the kitchen table, firmly declaring “You have 48 hours. When the sand runs out, I want your decision.” Without knowing how many takes it took to get the scene just the way they wanted it, I started to picture them stopping, turning the hourglass over, waiting until the sand had all run to the bottom of the hourglass and starting the filming over. And I pictured them repeating the process of turning the hourglass over, time and again, as they searched for the perfect balance of drama and intrigue in the scene they were filming.

And although we sometimes forget it, real life isn’t like that. We may get second chances from the Lord for which we are so grateful, but we don’t get to turn the hourglass of our lives over and start again. In one sense, the Lord turned over the hourglass of our lives on the day we were born and the sands have been running uninterrupted ever since with only the Lord knowing the measure of our days.  But we do know that one day the sands of time will run out for each of us. And that makes it even more important that each one heed the warnings of God’s Word to make the most of the time we have been blessed with.

The verse above talks about “making the most of every opportunity.” The opportunities we are afforded to affect other lives can be dismissed as inconvenient and bothersome or they can be taken advantage of despite the cost and sacrifice. We can make the most of every life opportunity; we can make good use of our time being careful that it is spent on the things that matter most to God, or we can flitter away our time on vain, self-centered pursuits. The choice is most certainly ours but the hourglass doesn’t get turned over, no matter which direction we choose to go. The sands of time keep running in the hourglass of our lives.

The verse begins with “be very careful” and carries the thought of our being exact, precise, and accurate with the use of our time and with how we live. God has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives that we are to live out in our daily walk. How we use our time does matter and what we do with life’s opportunities does matter. The challenge is to make the most of the sands of time we have been given, to turn each and every opportunity that arises into the most good in ways that give the most glory to God.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

At God’s Disposal

At God’s Disposal

“Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two small
fish; but what good are these among so many people?”
                                               John 6:9

As Jesus looked to feed the multitude of people who had followed Him to a remote location to hear his teachings, He wasn’t concerned with the size of the need; He only wanted to know what the disciples had available for Him to work with. They placed “at His disposal” a few loaves and some small fish and the rest is history as they say. Five thousand men, plus women and children, were fed that day providing us a lesson that still rings true: our little is more than enough in the hands of God.

That lesson was reinforced to me last night as I sent off $240 to Operation Smile to provide cleft palate surgery for a poor young child somewhere in the world. Little children in a small church brought their pennies, nickels, quarters and dimes and placed them in a change jar for most of the past year. The individual offerings were small by any comparison but, for the child who will receive surgery through their gift, it will be anything but little. Maybe we could all learn something from the little child who was still humble enough to put their $.32 offering to work to help another child in need. Maybe it’s time to realize that little can be a mindset that we have to overcome in making all we have and all we are available to God.

The woman whose husband had died went to Elisha deeply concerned about paying her creditors lest her sons be sold into slavery. Elisha responded to her with a question: “Tell me, what do you have in your house?” She may have only had one jar of oil but, in God’s hand, that little amount of oil met the widow’s every need. It’s interesting: in her hand, it was a jar of cooking oil, but in God’s hand it was her family’s provision for many years to come. So many people spend time worrying about what they don’t have while God is interested in taking what you do have and using it for His purposes and His glory. The old refrain still rings true: little is much when God is in it.

You may not have much, by your way of thinking, but if you will place what you do have at God’s disposal, you will see that God has proven time and again that He can take our little and make much out of it. Your talent and ability is not too little for the God who created you; make it available to Him today. A few loaves, some small fish, and a jar of oil – stop doubting who you are and what you have. In God’s hands and at God’s disposal, it’s more than enough to meet the need. And if you have a little change, I know a place ………..

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

A Call to Love

A Call to Love

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life
 for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
                                                                     I John 3:16

Woven like a thread through every aspect of the gospel and of the Christian life is love; a word used interchangeably to represent such a wide range of feelings and emotions. Think of it; on any given day, you might use the word for a McDonald’s menu item like Diet Coke, in talking about your favorite music group or store at the mall, and in expressing your feelings and affection for your husband or wife. Maybe that’s why Paul had to spend an entire chapter of the Word telling us what the love we are called to live out looks like.

Living a life of love and answering the call to love one another is certainly one of the greatest challenges of the Christian life. The pattern has been clearly laid out – love as He loved, love others as Jesus loved us. But the outworking of that call to love in our daily lives, to love not just in words easy to be spoken but in actions that often cost us something, requires reminders much like we’re getting this morning.

The call to show genuine kindness, concern, and consideration to others includes the co-worker who annoys us, the neighbor whose faults are so bothersome, the fellow believer who God is still in the process of changing, and the family member who should know better. The list includes everyone from the driver going too slow on the road this morning to the friend who has hurt you deeply. The one who stepped on your toes is there along with the one who you couldn’t believe would have the nerve to say that to you, about you, or involving you. In fact, if there is someone you need to forgive, I can assure you they are on the list of those you are called to love unselfishly, selflessly and wholeheartedly.

If you look at the opening verse, you’ll see that the standard is pretty high: laying down our lives for each other, parents for children, friend for friend, believer for fellow believer, co-worker for co-worker, and neighbor for neighbor. Live as Jesus did and love as Jesus did, live a life of love that always forgives, that thinks of others before yourself, that seeks to make others’ lives better by the care, concern and affection you show toward them. Live a life of love, you’ll make a difference in other lives, and God will be well pleased with you!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Reflecting

Reflecting

“Let your light so shine before others, so that they may see
your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
                                                     Matthew 5:16

The drive to school on Monday morning was highlighted by the beauty of a full moon shining brightly and clearly in the western sky, reflecting the light of a sun that had not yet made its appearance for the day. And I was doubly blessed that on the ride home later that day, the same full moon was rising in the eastern sky just as the daylight was fading from sight.

The absolute beauty of the sight made it hard to imagine that what I was looking at was only a reflection, that the light I was enjoying wasn’t really the light of the moon but merely a reflection of the light of an unseen sun. And it made me consider the fact that we too are a reflection to those around us. We reflect who we believe in, we reflect the core set of values that govern our lives, and we reflect the level of commitment and dedication we have to the varied interests that vie for our attention.

As simple as this might sound, the moon has no choice in the matter; it reflects the light of the sun that is exposed to its surface. And really, no matter how hard we try, we have no choice either; the place that Christ has in our lives, how important He is to us, and how much serving Him and honoring Him dictates the priorities we live by are all clearly reflected to others. Jesus encouraged us to let our lights shine before men in a way that glorifies the Father in Heaven because clearly there are ways that we can let our light shine that do not glorify the Lord, and that do not reflect positively on the One who gave His life for each of us.

God is looking for a people whose every action, whose every attitude, whose every priority in life will reflect to the world around us that our God is worth our all, and that our God “has earned our loyalty and complete devotion by His love and death on the cross.” I pray that the reflection of Christ and of Christianity that others see when they look at our lives is one that glorifies God and that inspires them to seek and follow after our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe

Get Back

Get Back

“And you are to say to them, These are the words of the Lord of hosts:
Come back to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will come back to you.”
                                                                          Zechariah 1:3

Later this morning, students all across Michigan will be returning to the classroom, getting back to the routines of waking up early, taking notes in classes, solving Math problems, laboring over English papers and tackling the homework assigned to them by teachers. But none of that is the reason why I’ve found myself thinking about the words to an old Beatles song with a chorus that simply says:

                                “Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.”

For one person, the getting back that the Lord is quickening might be to a life of prayer and to being disciplined in setting time aside each day for personal prayer. As someone who would know firsthand, Howard Taylor could say of his father, missionary Hudson Taylor, “these 40 years have not seen the sun rise in China without my father kneeling in prayer.” The relationship with the Lord that is nurtured during times of prayer will become the foundation of the strong, fruitful, fulfilling life you long for.

To another, there might need to be a getting back to the Word. I hope we are all mature enough to realize the truth of God’s Word when it says that “man does not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” God’s Word is our source of hope and strength, of guidance and direction, of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, of vision and of courage. No matter what distractions have filled our summer days, getting back to the Word is necessary, in fact, crucial to the man or woman who wants to live a life blessed by God.

The call is to getting back to doing what we know is right and pleasing to the Lord. I had started to list out some others areas where there is a definite need to “get back” in the body of Christ but I was reminded of what Jesus told the Ephesians, “do the things you did at first”. To the one who really wants their will to line up with the Lord’s, no list is necessary; only a call, as the prophets declared, to come back to God, to return to the Lord and to a life of walking in obedience to His will.

For me, getting back to sending out weekly devotions is only one of many disciplines that I hope to live out by God’s grace and mercy. My prayer is that God will place a strong desire in each of your hearts to get back to doing those things He has called you to, those things that we know are only for our good, those things that will lead to a deeper union and communion with a God who truly loves us.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe

Gateway Church

Impressed

Impressed

“Wherefore glorify the Lord in the fires….”
                                     Isaiah 24:15

It wasn’t the words that were spoken in chapel this week and it wasn’t the eloquence and delivery of his message that stood out. It wasn’t the film clip of his years playing quarterback in the National Football League and it wasn’t his success as a professional athlete that drew my attention to our guest speaker and what he had come to share with the teens in our high school. What impressed me was the life response of a man who had experienced the personal tragedy, many years ago, of his 15 year old son committing suicide.

Facing hurt and overcoming loss, experiencing difficulty and battling disappointment are realities that we will all face, to varying degrees, at some time in our lives. But how we respond, as we seek to glorify the Lord in the fires of life, is what matters most. Some end up caught in the trap of guilt and sorrow, never finding the grace to move on from their crisis moment in life. Others fall victim to bitterness, giving in to the blame game (a game we always lose), blaming God and others for the hardships they have endured. For these, the remedy of trusting in God’s love and providence is too difficult to accept as a foundation for finding healing. But there are those whose response inspires us to live out our faith with a holy determination to make a difference in the lives of others.

Our guest speaker, 25 years after his son’s tragic suicide, was addressing our students, many of whom were the same age his son was, on the subject of depression and the causes of teen suicide. His message was focused on warning signs that we each need to be aware of, on the need for each person to take an active interest in the lives of those around him, and on the fact that depression can be treated early on and overcome. This was not a man holding on to sorrow and loss; this was a man giving his life to help others teenagers not make the same mistake his son did.

And that’s what impressed me; he made a conscious decision to make the very best of his tragic situation. Standing in front of our teenagers, he was willing to share his heart, hoping to turn his loss into another’s gain. Paul Billheimer wrote a book entitled “Don’t Waste Your Sorrows.” Our speaker that day, Eric Hipple was living this out, not wasting the sorrow of his personal loss. And that is our challenge, to find the courage to do the same, to take our own personal life experiences and turn them into opportunities to share the amazing grace of God with others around us.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Having Done All

Having Done All

“Put on the full armor of God so that you may be able to
  stand your ground, and after you have done all, to stand.”
                                                   Ephesians 6:13

If ever a story was to inspire us to give our all to the things of God, to seasons of committed prayer and fasting, and to going after God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, David’s intercession for his ill child is certainly one. The Bible gives us this account, in II Samuel 12, of what David did when his son became sick:

“David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted…. he spent nights lying on the ground…refused to get up from the ground….and would not eat.”
 

That David was willing to do all that for his child is not the surprising part; we would expect that from a “man after God’s own heart”. But still it stands as an incredible example of how we are called as believers to respond to the deepest and most difficult trials we face. “Having done all” is a phrase taken from Ephesians 6:13 above; it is a place of peace that enables us to stand confidently knowing that we have done all we could on our side of the equation of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, that dividing line between our part and God’s part in dealing with life’s problems. In the face of difficult circumstances and discouraging odds, David prayed and interceded with all his heart for God to be gracious to his little child.

The child died on the seventh day of David’s intercession and David’s “having done all” opened the door for him to see the loss of his child in the light of eternity. His servants were worried about him, saying, “he may do something desperate” but he got up from the ground, changed out of his mourning clothes and worshipped before requesting food and eating. His simple explanation of his actions after the death of the child culminated with “I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” Having done all, having given his best, David was able to stand again, living in the light of eternity.

In every situation we face today, let’s set right priorities so that we too can say that we have done our all, and from that, find the strength that comes from a life of no regrets, a life that is focused on eternal things.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Patient Continuance

Patient Continuance

“To those who by patient continuance in doing good seek
for glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life.”
                                                  Romans 2:7

Earlier today, in a very special memorial service, we paid tribute and said goodbye to my mom who passed away last week at the age of 95. The memories we shared will not soon be forgotten and the legacy she left our family will stand as an inspiration for many years to come. Without a doubt, if one phrase from the scriptures could summarize her life, it would have to be a quote from the above scripture in Romans 2:7 which talks about “patient continuance in doing good.” The consistency of her living out her values is an example that we can all learn from.

We see and hear of many acts of hospitality in the body of Christ and my mom was no exception. Her home was open, to family members and friends alike, every Sunday for brunch. But it wasn’t just for a year or two and it wasn’t in response to a message on the subject preached from a pulpit; it was for as long as I can remember, many decades to be sure, and it continued up until the week before her 95^th birthday this past September. There are acts of hospitality and there is a lifestyle of hospitality where such good works are core values that we practice on our own without reminders or encouragement as an outflow of what we believe is important. Such was my mom.

A pan of soup for someone under the weather, a meal for a family member recovering from surgery, or a birthday card for one of her 22 grandchildren and 44 great-children were the rule not the exception. No visitor was ever sent away without having been fed properly and no request to knit an afghan was ever turned down, a pattern continued until only a few weeks before her passing into eternity. Showing constant concern for everyone from close family members to a young boy in our church with special needs were part of that “patient continuance”, a lifestyle of doing good, of showing love, of caring concern and compassionate kindness.

We can be challenged in our own lives to think of others first, to show the love of Christ to others in practical, sacrificial ways, and to make those values so second nature that no one need remind us of their importance. A legacy of mom and grandma opening her home and her heart, of sharing all she had, and of loving those dearest to her with her whole heart is what our family is so grateful for this evening as we settle back in at home. My prayer is that each of us will find the grace to leave such a wonderful legacy to those who share in our lives.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Father’s Heart

The Father’s Heart

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father
has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
                                     Luke 12:32

Sitting in the hospital for long hours watching someone you love suffer can be very difficult. That was my experience this week as my mom battled some health issues at Rochester General Hospital. Lots of reading was done in the times when she was sleeping, lots of coffee was consumed to stay awake, and much prayer was offered up for the Lord to be merciful. In the midst of waiting and watching, I was reading about the events of Easter Week and, in particular, about the sufferings of Christ recorded in Isaiah chapters 52 and 53:

“See, my servant will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted
Just as there were many who were appalled at him – 
His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man, 
And his form marred beyond human likeness.”

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed 
for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace 
was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer….”

As I watched a loved one in the hospital, my mind wandered to what it must have been like for the Father, for our heavenly Father, to watch his Son suffer the agony of the cross as He gave His life as a ransom for you and I. It was the Father who had sent the Son on this mission of salvation and now the Father had to watch each of the events from the scourging to the crown of thorns, from the mocking and reviling of others to the nailing on a wooden cross. He heard the cry of “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me” when our sins were laid upon Jesus, and the prayer of “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing” as Jesus showed compassion to the end.

The pains of watching a loved one suffer were experienced by the Father that morning in ways we can only begin to imagine. But His love for us, His desire for us to walk in salvation and life and hope allowed it and enabled Him to endure it. That is how great the Father’s love is for you and I that He watched Jesus suffer an excruciating death on the cross that we might experience eternal life. There is no doubt - God loves you and I.

Happy Easter
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Record

The Record

“I will not die but live and proclaim
what the Lord has done.”
                          Psalm 118:17

In Gettysburg, statues with well defined meanings, markers to denote where troop lines were, and a restored battlefield down to the trees being removed because they weren’t there in the 1860’s tell the story and declare the record of the bravery of men from both sides in our nation’s civil war. In Washington, the record is told at every turn and in every building, the record of a nation founded on the mercy of God and built by the dedication, hard work, ingenuity and sacrifice of men and women of many succeeding generations. It is a record that we need to have; it’s permanence contradicting modern claims of a separation of church and state never intended by our founding fathers.

That God is found in the record of our nation should not surprise us. That God’s providence and grace, mercy and favor are the very building blocks of the modern nation the United States has become is a record that time would erase were it not for the marble and granites halls, stone monuments and memorials on which our nation’s history is engraved. We owe a debt of thanks to those who thought it important to record and to memorialize for future generations those heroes who established a Christian nation in the wilderness of America as well as those soldiers who protected our freedoms and those of so many other nations on other continents around the world.

The significance of the Holocaust Memorial has taken on new meaning in much the same way as leaders of certain nations deny that the Holocaust ever took place. The pictures and films taken by our soldiers when they liberated the occupants of concentration camps throughout Germany provide a record that says otherwise. The testimonies of survivors also paint pictures that no denial can erase; their story is recorded for future generations to learn from and prevent.

The many books in my library provide another kind of record, the record of men and women whose lives of faith have changed the world, Finney, Wesley, Kuhlman and Graham to name a few. And now it’s our generation’s turn to provide a record of faith and service, dedication and commitment to our nation. What is memorialized, recorded and written about us will tell a story; what we do will make up a record of the sacrifices we were willing to make to advance the cause of Christ in the nations of our world.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Certainties & Uncertainties

Certainties & Uncertainties “I know whom I have believed and am convinced that He is  able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.”                                                     II Timothy 1:12 On a daily basis, we face uncertainties in so many areas. The price of gas was $3.73 this morning when I filled up at Sam’s Club. What it will be when we go on vacation this summer is anyone’s guess. For our public school teachers, the battle over the state budget and what school funding will be set at next year has left many uncertain as to what the future will hold for them and whether they will still have a job. Students graduating from college face similar situations, with the uncertainty of job prospects clouding many a future. For graduating students, making plans for life after high school opens up a whole new set of questions about what lies ahead. And the list could go on to include the elderly and the uncertainties many of them face in considering their future care. The children of parents in the midst of divorce would surely make the list, wondering each day what life will be like without the stable home they were accustomed to. The families of soldiers fighting overseas, the mom waiting for biopsy results and the dad wondering what happens when unemployment benefits run out all find themselves in the same quagmire of uncertainty with the many worries that accompany it. But thank the Lord, the coin has another side; the side that has “In God We Trust” clearly engraved for all who handle it to see.  Our God is “the same yesterday, today and forever”, an unchanging Savior in an ever-changing world. In our times of need, He is our certain help. In our storms and trials, He is a certain shelter from the attacks that come against us. When everyone else fails us, we can be certain of one thing; God will never leave us or forsake, never give up on us and definitely never let us go.  When the writer of Hebrews likens our hope in Him to “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure,” he’s painting the picture of a life that with God as their anchor, can rest in the certainty of His love and care. If the battle of uncertainties versus certainties was an election, the certainty that comes from trusting in God would be the clear landslide winner. If it was a boxing match, uncertainty would be laying on the ground knocked out by the God who tells us that “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” We can safely say that, as we draw near to God, no uncertainty can stand in the presence of a certain God, or in the minds of those who put their trust in Him. God Bless, Pastor Joe Gateway Church

Over the Round

Over the Round

“For a man’s ways are in full view of the
Lord, and He examines all his paths.”
                                             Proverbs 5:21

Looking out towards the horizon is a sure reminder that the roundness of the earth keeps us from seeing too far into the distance. Even from the observation deck on the 86^th floor of the Empire State Building, Europe still remains invisible, impossible to see over the round of the earth. The same is true from the window seat of an airliner cruising at 35,000 feet over the Atlantic seaboard; England, France, Portugal and Spain to the east are still too far over the horizon of the vast Atlantic Ocean for us to take in. As for God, now that’s a different story; His vantage point is heaven, He sees all things. To our God, there is no such thing as a horizon, there is nothing “over the round,” and nothing, absolutely nothing is hidden from His sight.

The same principles apply in life. None of us really know what lies ahead in our lives. We can surmise what awaits us based on our current circumstances. We can worry and lose sleep over our own assumptions about the future but the truth remains that we cannot see over the round of our lives; that perspective, that ability remains exclusively in the power of our God. Though many will try, no one can predict what tomorrow will bring. We’ve been taught many principles for living that are based on God Word and we rightly understand that certain choices have an end. But at the end of the day, the only certainty we can bank on is that only God sees over the round of our lives.

And so when the wind blows in our lives and we face trials with uncertain outcomes, we can rest in the fact that God sees the direction those winds are blowing us and, as the scripture above states, He is examining the path we are on. From His viewpoint in heaven, He sees clearly and exactly the end of our struggles, where they are leading us in our character development, how they will prepare us for our future, and what part today plays in our preparation for the many tomorrows still ahead. He sees what we cannot and, because of that, we can trust Him to orchestrate our futures.

We so often have to make conscious choices to trust the Lord. Knowing that He sees over the round of my life, past the limited horizon in my field of view, is a very settling thought. Being assured that He has only my best in mind, I can trust in a God who sees the beginning from the end out of eyes of love, mercy, grace and compassion. Today, I can leave it all with God!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Fiber of Our Character (Part 2)

The Fiber of Our Character (Part 2)

“And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit
within them ….. and give them a tender, responsive heart.”
                                                     Ezekiel 11:19

In the midst of having the many fibers that keep out the cold, the wind and the rain, materials that insulate us from the harsh weather conditions we face here in the Midwest, we have to guard against a mindset that keeps not only the weather out but people too. Ingrained in many of us is a self-preservation mode that keeps out anyone or anything that might threaten us, a hard shell that develops over the years because of offences, rejections and hurts. And it all too often ends up keeping not only people at arms length but the Lord Himself.

We play a vital role in each other’s lives whether we want it that way or not. In fact, I have come to believe that the Lord created each of us with weaknesses, deficiencies and voids that can only be filled by other people. Call it a “built-in” need that, no matter how hard we try, we can’t meet ourselves. And so the mindset that we can do it ourselves, that we can go it alone, leaves us in the place of trying to accomplish something the Lord never intended or equipped us for. No wonder so many are frustrated in life as, in reality, they’re fighting against the very way the Lord created them.

The scripture teaches us that “as iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens his friend.” If your desire is to be a better, “sharper” person, the input of trusted friends, family members, and fellow believers is essential. For those who battle self-esteem issues, a conscious effort to allow others in has to be made. Forget what the world says; he is the stronger person, not the weaker, who can accept suggestions, advice, and even correction from other people. The notion that something is wrong with us if we need others’ help is so contrary to the Word of God. Moses needed Jethro’s wisdom and advice when he was doing too much himself, David needed Nathan to speak the truth to him about his sinful actions and Peter needed Paul to warn him about his hypocrisy when he refused to eat with the Gentiles. We all need other people, people God-sent with the right word at just the right time to help us in our Christian walk.

Knowing that the enemy will say otherwise, we want to have hearts and minds that are “able”. Try and remember it this way, God wants us to be teachable and adjustable, tender and open to being sharpened by those whose motives are right and whose love is sincere.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Fiber of Our Character (Part 1)

The Fiber of Our Character (Part 1)

“We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God
We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”
                                        II Corinthians 10:5

Walking to the car in a driving rainstorm last weekend reminded me of the advances that have been made in the development of man-made fibers. We now have materials that are incredibly lightweight, wind resistant and water repellant, able to withstand temperatures that I hope I never find myself in. Because of those breakthroughs and the progress of technology, in situations where years ago we would have found ourselves cold and wet, we can now stay warm and dry. The cold does not get through the layers we have on, and the rain never makes it past the outer defenses that our coat represents.

Having those same fibers in our character would be an even greater blessing than the Columbia and North Face fleeces and parkas we wrap ourselves in to stay warm.  The ability to repulse wrong thoughts that attack our mind is invaluable. The ability to identify thoughts and ideas as either coming from the enemy or as the product of our imagination is an aspect of character that must be developed in the life of every believer. Those thoughts and the imaginations of our minds can be seen in several easily identifiable areas:

·         Wrong thoughts about your future, lies that nothing will ever change in your situation, and lies that your future holds no hope or promise.

·         Imaginations that other people are in some way against you (when, in reality, they are facing their own trials and difficulties, struggling themselves.)

·         Pervasive lies about God, minimizing His love for you, denying that He is on your side and that He has your very best in mind in everything He does.

·         Subtle deceptions that something or someone other than God is the key to your happiness, fulfillment, and contentment.

Many have rightly termed it “the battlefield of the mind”, the struggle to take control of our thought life, and to reject and repulse those thoughts that are contrary to what God has so clearly revealed to us in His Word. My prayer is that the natural fibers available to us in our clothing will remind us of a fiber that God wants to develop in our character, a fiber that will withstand every attack, that will repulse the lies that bind and the thoughts that defeat, freeing us to live the life God intended with a mind that is clear, alert, and focused on the things of God.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Oxygen Masks

Oxygen Masks

“Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from
the fire and save them, to others show mercy ….”
                                  Jude 22-23

Four flights, four sets of instructions that we are all familiar with: “your seat cushion may be used as a flotation device in the event of a water landing”, “please note the location of exits in the event of an emergency evacuation”, and “oxygen masks will drop down if we lose cabin pressure”. None of these were very comforting considering our flight’s route was over northern Canada, Alaska, the Bering Strait, and the uninhabited frozen wilderness of Northern Russia before we landed at Japan’s Nagoya airport. But a magazine I read while away helped me to see one aspect of these instructions, putting on the oxygen masks, in a new light.

The instruction to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others with theirs contains a lesson for each of us in our quest to make a difference in the lives of others. Are we the one God wants to use to encourage someone else to trust the Lord? Maybe we even quote a scripture or two in our effort to stem the tide of worry and anguish in a friend’s life, something life “commit your future to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act on your behalf”. But we have to put our own oxygen mask on first; we have to have that trust worked out in our own lives to effectively minister trust to another.

Name an aspect of Christianity that you would like to see the Lord use you in and you will find that your message is effective only to the degree that you are walking in that truth yourself. Encouraging someone to walk more closely to the Lord, stressing the importance of faithfulness in the Christian life, pleading with a family member that God, not the world, is the answer to their problems, and teaching on a host of subjects from holiness, character, and love to forgiveness, humility and seeking the Lord – our own oxygen mask has to be on first. One by one, we have to make sure that these traits are a part of our Christian walk, or our words will be empty words, likely to have little or no effect on others.

The Christian life is a series of choices that define our lives and mold our future. Some define the hope, the confidence, and the life we have in Christ while others affect our ability to minister to those around us. Because our lives matter to God, and because so many others depend on what we do, the time to live out our Christianity fully engaged, totally surrendered, and with a willingness to sacrifice for the cause of Christ has never been so great. May God’s life overflow from you to many others in the days ahead!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Clouded from View

  Clouded from View

    “I pray that the eyes of your heart being opened, you
       would know the hope to which He has called you.”
Ephesians 1:18

Looking out from the veranda of the Bible school one morning this week, the city of Manila, an expansive metropolis of 15 million people, was entirely clouded from view, enveloped in a thick cloud of black smog that covered the city like a blanket. The many skyscrapers which on a clear day dot the skyline were invisible on this morning, the victims of many years of aging vehicles pouring out diesel fumes in a third world country fighting to modernize. The scene had taken over my morning devotion and caused me to ask the question: What is clouded from my view Lord, about you, about myself and about the way I look at others?

The tendency to see ourselves in a better light than we look at others with is well documented. Other people’s faults, weaknesses, and problems take on a life of their own in our minds and cause us to shrink back from them, while our own similar issues are understandable, excusable and tolerable. I think it was Jesus who said that with the same judgment we judge others with, we will be judged ourselves. It is time for each of us to take off the rose colored glasses that we use when we look in the mirror, and begin to see ourselves more honestly and clearly. In so doing, the goal of becoming more and more like the Lord will become a greater possibility than might ever have been realized.

The second benefit to doing that, seeing ourselves as we really are, is that we will look at others with new mercies and understanding. We won’t be any different and they won’t be any different but we will have a new willingness to accept others and pray for them because we see in them the same weaknesses and struggles, in different forms, that we ourselves face. If God has already given us a breakthrough in an area, it should cause us to be compassionate, trusting Him through prayer for the same victory in our brother or sister’s life.

When it comes to God, He is not to be the product of our imagination but the God revealed to us in the pages of the Bible. Our God is a God who loves to show mercy, to forgive, and to pour out His grace. But He is also a God who is looking for a people who will serve Him on His terms not their own, a people who will love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. And I wonder if we sometimes convince ourselves that we are giving God our best when the reality of our Christian walk is clouded from our view. I pray, therefore, that the Lord will cause each of us to serve Him with a vision that is clear, a heart that is open and a life that is being changed.

From the Philippines,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Non-negotiable

Non-negotiable

“Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed,
giving thanks to his God, just as  he had done before.”
                                       Daniel 6:10

The question is ‘Just what in your walk with the Lord, in your personal set of beliefs, is absolutely non-negotiable?’ What is it in your life that you would absolutely refuse to compromise on or negotiate with anyone else about, no matter what the circumstances or consequences involved?

In Daniel’s day, moved by jealousy, the other leaders had a law passed that forbid anyone in the kingdom to pray to any god or man for a period of thirty days, except to the king. And the penalty for anyone who broke the new law was being thrown into the lion’s den, a fate that meant certain death. For Daniel you would think that this would be a big problem. Here was a man who made it his habit to pray three times a day, with windows open no less, to his God. What would he do in the face of the consequences of continuing to pray? What would God realistically expect of one of his followers? God wouldn’t really expect someone to risk their life, probably lose their life over prayer, would He?

For Daniel, this area of his life was non-negotiable. After the law was passed, Daniel went home, opened his windows, got down on his knees and gave thanks to the God who had shown Daniel such mercy, favor and protection. His time of communion with God and of acknowledging God in his life was non-negotiable, even at the risk of the lion’s den. We talk about being radical in our faith and commitment to the Lord; Daniel lived it out in real life. God meant far too much to Daniel for him to compromise and dishonor God by stopping his prayer and devotion time for thirty days. If it meant being thrown into the lion den, then so be it.

For Joseph, committing immorality with Potiphar’s wife, and sinning against his God in the process, was a non-negotiable area; at the expense of his position and the risk of prison, Joseph fled as fast as he could, lost everything and ended up in jail. John the Baptist lost his life because he spoke the truth to Herod. For him, speaking the truth and obeying what the Lord called him to do was absolutely non-negotiable. And so we return to the opening question, ‘Just what in your walk with the Lord, in your personal set of beliefs, is absolutely non-negotiable?’ Daniel’s refusal to compromise his values spoke volumes about what God meant to him. My prayer is that your stand for Christ, your list of non-negotiables, will do the same.

From the Philippines,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Preparations of the Heart

Preparations of the Heart

“The preparations of the heart in man, and
   the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.”
                                         Proverbs 16:1

While some shopping has been done, and my office floor is disappearing with bibles and other supplies for the Philippines, last minute preparations will begin in earnest as soon as service is finished later this morning. Stops at the Christian bookstore, Kroger and Target are already on the list. The scale will be needed to attempt to get under the 50 lb limit per suitcase. And “making a list, checking it twice” will take on a whole new meaning so that nothing is forgotten, not clothing or a toothbrush, not Bible notes or our passports, and certainly not the cookies that are essential for late night studying.

But the Lord spoke to me this week from the King James Version of Proverbs 16:1 about the most important preparations needed in each of our lives, and those are “the preparations of the heart”. If we are hoping to be used by God to touch other lives and to fulfill the things He has called us to, then nothing compares to having hearts that have been prepared under the watchful eye of the Lord. We are to serve the Lord with humble hearts that realize “there go I except for the grace of God” and with tender hearts filled with compassion for the hurting and needy. Pride has to be worked out of our hearts so that we are brought to the place where God gets all the glory, for anything and for everything that is accomplished in us and through us.

The refiner sits and watches carefully as the fire causes the impurities to come out of the silver and gold and rise to the surface. We too have a Refiner and He too is watching carefully as we go through the fires that reveal areas in our hearts to be cleansed and purified. The Lord’s goal is to be able to say, at progressive stages of our lives, that we are ready for the plans and purposes He has for us. Our job is to acknowledge the process and yield to the preparations so necessary in each of us.

Coming into God’s presence is never one-dimensional; we have so much to thank Him for and so much that we still are hoping to see Him do in our lives. But there is the God side about being drawn into His presence, what He wants to do in each of our hearts. God doesn’t just go through the motions; He has a plan and He is purposefully at work in your life to accomplish his good purpose. He is preparing your heart because He has so much more ahead for you, a future that is making you ready for even today.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church