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