Veneer, Flattery & Righteousness

“We commend ourselves in every way ….. with weapons

of righteousness in the right hand and in the left.”
II Corinthians 6:4,7

The desk and one of the filing cabinets in my school office have the appearance of being made of well polished oak but that’s only until you take a closer look. The wood grain look is in reality the thinnest of veneers, a surface illusion of quality and beauty that cannot stand up to the slightest bit of scrutiny or inspection. You’ve heard the saying that beauty is only skin deep? Well, it’s true of my office furniture but that matters very little compared to when we start to talk about spiritual matters, when a thin veneer of righteousness is covering our hearts, and when our commitment to the Lord and to His kingdom is only skin deep.

Every study out there says that the number one reason for people, and especially young people, leaving the church and not continuing in the Christian faith is hypocrisy, not seeing what is spoken about in public and declared to be right, lived out in the personal lives of those they are closest to. Living out Christianity in a condition where “these people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13) is the most destructive situation we can find ourselves in. David warned of the danger of the person who “in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.” (Psalm 36:2) Self flattery, being so taken with ourselves that we’re not able to see ourselves clearly and honestly, can be an insurmountable obstacle to change and growth and, in the end, to having any real and lasting positive impact on the lives of others.

The apostle Paul made an interesting statement in describing his ministry and its source of strength, saying that he was equipped with “weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left.” There is such incredible power in righteousness, in doing what God has said is right. One man said “God’s laws are parameters to live by – the truths he knows are going to provide blessings, strength, a future and hope.” Spurgeon said that “God’s law is a gift of great kindness for it tells us the wisest and happiest way of living.” Are you looking for a sure formula for success and blessing? How about trying to live out everything God has said is right and true! And add to that requiring of ourselves anything and everything we require of others. Let’s approach the New Year committed to there being no veneer in our lives, to not giving in to a self flattery that fools only us, and to immersing ourselves in a righteousness that is so incredibly powerful that we will find ourselves armed and ready for God’s very best!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Spawned

“Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder

the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
I Samuel 14:6

When I hear the word spawn, I immediately think of salmon swimming upstream, and of the annual salmon run in streams and rivers back in New York where the salmon return home to deposit their eggs. And while the primary definitions of the word “spawn” relate to this process of depositing eggs, the word also means “to give birth to,” or “to give rise to.” You could say, for example, that school shootings have spawned many security changes in our schools. Or that recent terrorist attacks have spawned new concerns around the world.

But my thoughts are turned to Godly men and women whose acts of faith, courage, love and generosity have spawned similar actions in other believers. Some are found in the pages of the Bible and others are modern day believers willing to swim upstream if that was what it took to see a breakthrough and exact change. Phinehas was one such man who, in the face of rampant immorality among God’s people, took a stand for what was right and was honored by the Lord for his actions. Many years later, Jonathan climbed up to a Philistine garrison, with only his servant following behind, with faith in what God was able to do through one man, and brought about an incredible victory. Martin Luther was another who, in confronting the popular religious thought of his day, showed the courage of his convictions by speaking the truth regardless of the consequences. William Tyndale was so moved by the need of the common man to possess the scriptures in a language that he could understand that he risked his life and was eventually burned at the stake for his life’s work.

I can’t help but think that the courage of a Phinehas spawned similar courage in Jonathan and, thousands of years later, helped to inspire Martin Luther and so many others. In the same way, Luther’s stand for the truth spawned and emboldened not just Tyndale but many others to be true to their faith in Jesus Christ. In more recent times, Mother Theresa has spawned an army of people bent on doing good works, on ministering to the poor and relieving suffering wherever possible. Billy Graham has in like manner spawned an army of people whose vision is for evangelism and rescuing the lost from the enemies hold on their lives. And we too have an opportunity – every act of kindness, every stand for the truth, every display of faith has within it the seed to spawn similar actions in others who are waiting for someone to set the tone, to take the first step, to show that it can be done by men and women in our day!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Filled Up

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Matthew 5:6

Powdered sugar covered pizzelles, white fudge covered oreos, frosted sugar cookies in all the shapes of Christmas, and the family favorites with affectionate nicknames such as “the white cookies” and “Aunt Joanne’s cookies” only begin to tell the story of why, this time of year, I am rarely hungry when it comes to sitting down at meal time. My capacity, the room I have for food, whether junk food or that which has real nutritional value, is limited. And so enjoying one unfortunately comes at the expense of the other.

We don’t often look at it this way, but our ability to take in spiritual, mental, and emotional input into our lives is also limited. We have a capacity for the things that we can process in a given day, how much we can take in. If it was a recipe, it would include defined amounts of time used, of energy expended, of thoughts processed, and of emotions juggled. We have only so much time to divvy out, so much energy to use up before we collapse, so much mental strain to endure and so many emotions to control in a given 24 hour day. Take into consideration the absolutes, parenting and family responsibilities and the demands of our employment, and the pie gets even smaller for what’s available before there’s no room left for one more thing.

Two scriptures speak to this issue, having room for God. Psalm 10:4 speaks of the ungodly and says, “…in all his thoughts, there is no room for God.” And Jesus said this to his fellow Jews, “…..because you have no room for my word.” While their issue was motivational, we can find ourselves in the same place. And so we are faced with asking a couple questions. First, what are we filling our lives up with? Is it with junk food, with those things that have no intrinsic value but provide a temporary escape from facing life real issues? Are we putting first things first, as in eating the chicken, rice, green beans and salad of life before downing as many Christmas cookies as we have room left for? Are we finding there’s no room left for God because we’ve put watching our favorite television show, movie, sporting event or home project ahead of him. 

When our personal discipline aligns with our spiritual desires, we come to a place where we use the time and energy we’ve been given in ways that help us grow as individuals and that prepare us for all that life will bring our way. Maybe with every Christmas cookie we eat, there’ll come a reminder that spiritual junk food, time wasters and failed priorities, will cause us to lose our appetite for the true spiritual riches that are reserved for us.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

That's Not A Buick!

“We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we

have been honest and sincere in all our dealings with you.”
II Corinthians 1:12

The television commercials should have been replaced by now, an elderly woman looking out her window at her neighbor’s shiny new car and, upon finding out that it’s a Buick, exclaiming her surprise with the catch line, “That’s not a Buick.” But the reason that Buick continues to air those commercials is that they’re resonating with viewers and with car buyers. Between favorable acceptance ratings and the resulting increased car sales, the message that the stereotype of Buicks being for older buyers no longer applies is hitting home.

Stereotypes are a sad thing because they impose images on people’s minds of what others are like that are passed along from one generation to another with little or no thought for their applicability, relevance or truth. Now, some stereotypes are well earned. For example, in 2006, the average age for a Buick buyer was over 66, the highest in the auto industry by far. (You’ve heard of underage drinkers; so I was an underage Buick buyer all these years. Let’s keep going!) In order to survive, Buick has had to consciously break the stereotypes of their products’ appeal with sporty new car designs and an aggressive advertising strategy, in the process lowering the average age of a buyer to 57 in 2013.

In much the same way, Christianity has some stereotypes that we have to see broken, stereotypes that have only been fed by the political workings of “the religious right” in American. Stereotypes that Christians are one thing on the outside and another on the inside, one thing in church and another at home, one thing to your face and another behind your back, can only be broken with a new and stronger commitment to sincerity and honesty in all aspects of life. Paul had to write to the Corinthians believers and tell them, “We have conducted ourselves in our relations with you in the honesty and sincerity that come from God.” The problem is not new. Spurgeon asked this, “Who wounded the fair hand of godliness? Was it not the professing Christian who used the dagger of hypocrisy?”

Maybe it’s time for a new stereotype of Christianity to be formed, a stereotype of men and women who love their neighbors with sincerity and earnestness, a stereotype of men and women who are compassionate when confronted with the shortcomings of others, and a stereotype of people with unquestioned moral integrity. The task has fallen to our generation to impress on the minds of others a stereotype that is befitting a Savior who came to live among us and who gave His life on the cross that we might have the gift of eternal life.

God Bless
Pastor Joe

Along For The Ride

“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may

be mature and complete not lacking anything.”
James 1:4

One of the bad things for my family after 30 years of driving back home to New York almost every holiday and vacation is their being victim to my love of driving. Sharing driving duties is something I do reluctantly and so my family, especially my poor wife Nancy, ends up as passengers more often than not. In some ways, you could say that they are “along for the ride”, forced to endure my many driving woes with little or no recourse. You can ask Rachel about New York City if you need more specific information to confirm that thought!

But here’s the thing about living life: no one is along for the ride, whatever the circumstances of your life are. No one is a powerless victim of their life. We always get to choose our response to life’s difficulties and, by doing that, we take control of the steering wheel of our lives. James 1:2 tells us to “count it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds.” In a thought that ends with our finding a greater maturity, and being made complete as a person, we’re encouraged to see all of life as situations we can learn from and where we can grow as individuals. And our attitude plays a key role in how well we learn from life’s experiences. We will feel pain, hurt and disappointment; all that is very real. But we have the final word on how we are affected; we choose our response and our attitude. And no matter how much we try to deny it, we each have our hands firmly at ten and two on the steering wheel of our future.

Henry Cloud said this about our part in our lives: “We play a part in where we are, and when we learn what that part is and what we are contributing to being there, new doors and new paths begin to open up.” As the Lord continues to speak about doing a new thing, we owe it to ourselves to make a thorough inspection of our lives, to see what part we are playing in where we are, no matter how small or how great, and give ourselves willingly to change. So often our personal change, with God’s help, is the key to the circumstances of our life changing. If we quit too soon, if we bail out because of the intensity of the difficulty, we never learn the lesson that is meant to catapult us into the next step in our lives. Dealing with our part opens the door for the Lord to do His part, giving strength, wisdom, sending help from above, answering prayers, and opening doors no man can shut! Along for the ride? Not a chance!!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

I Owe It To Myself To...

“The plans of the diligent lead to plenty

as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
Proverbs 21:5

Asking someone to complete a sentence like that above will often bring some rather interesting results. I’m guessing that, in this case, the majority of answers would reflect someone rewarding themselves for their hard work and constant business, along these lines:

• I owe it to myself to have a night out.
• I owe it to myself to have a little fun.
• I owe it to myself to take a day off. 
• I owe it to myself to go out shopping.

Writing this, I can’t help but wonder if David thought he owed it to himself when he sent for Bathsheba to be brought to him. Or if Judas thought he owed it to himself when he stole from the money bag that he held. And we could wonder the same about the decisions of so many others who made short term decisions that ultimately undermined their futures.

“What do I really owe myself?” Here are some examples for you to consider:

• I owe it to myself to think my decisions through before acting so that I don’t live for the moment but lose sight of the big picture.
• I owe it to myself to spend time in God’s Word, on a daily basis, so that I have the guidance that is needed in my life to make wise decisions. 
• I owe it to myself to think before I spend so that my future is not spent paying off old debts rather than being free to follow God’s leading.
• I owe it to myself to develop strong, healthy relationships so that I have others to help me in the situations where I can’t see clearly and struggle to be objective.
• I owe it to myself to pay the price now, in hard work, in diligence, in how I spend my time, and in study, so that my future is not based on a dream or wishful thinking but on the reality of the effort I have expended on growing as a person and as a Christian.
• I owe it to myself to make spiritual matters, time spent with the Lord in prayer and devotion, a priority so that I don’t find myself empty from having built a life on the values and desires of this life while minimizing the life that is to come.

As David wrote, “the plans of the diligent lead only to plenty.” Let’s look down the road of life and do those things today that, deep down in our hearts, we know that we owe to ourselves.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe

Let Nothing Be Wasted

“Let Nothing Be Wasted”

The words were uttered by Jesus after the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” From a solution to a need that started with giving thanks for five small barley loaves and two small fish, came enough pieces to fill twelve baskets with the leftovers after everyone had enough to eat. Five thousand men had been fed from such a meager provision but the focus of Jesus was not on the depth of the miracle but on the aftermath, on nothing being wasted that the Father had provided.

It’s a principal that has many applications in our lives; that no experience we have gone through, that no lesson we have learned (and some have been expensive), and that no truth we have gained would be wasted. How do we waste them? We do that by not sharing those insights into life with others who are going through similar circumstances. The experiences of our lives are precious treasures, regardless of the pain they’ve brought us, that can help another person navigate the potholes of life and make it on their journey.

This past summer, returning from vacation, heading north on I-77 in West Virginia, we heard the news that there was a three hour construction delay at one of the tunnels through the mountains. Word of the experience of others served as our warning to get off the main road and try another route to avoid the backup. And with a sixteen hour drive home, we were happy to avoid three more hours tacked on because of construction. And here’s how it really relates: there is someone, or maybe more than one someone, traveling the same road that you’ve been on. They’re going to face the same discouragements, encounter the same difficulties, and need the same determination to not give up that you needed on your journey. Don’t let one ounce of your experiences be wasted by keeping it to yourself.

Some lessons in life can’t be learned from the pages of a book; we have go through the experience, through the valleys and the storms, over the hurdles and mountains, to gain an understanding of both the depth of human sorrow and the heights of the grace of God. But having another person who has experienced similar circumstances come alongside us? That is strengthening, that is invaluable, and that is what it means to let nothing be wasted.

Each of us has far more arrows in our quivers than we’ve realized. A door God opened, a season you made it through, a victory won – someone out there needs to hear about it and receive the strength that comes from someone else’s experiences. I’m guessing that, like Jesus’ disciples, you might gather up far more than you’d ever have expected. Now it’s time to share them!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

I Run

“I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.”
Psalm 119:32

In one sense, I always envied the pet owners whose dogs were so well trained that they would stay in their yard or by their side without a leash or any other restraint. Some would respond so obediently to the sound of their owner’s voice that even another dog passing by would not entice them enough to get them to exercise their freedom. Others would bark incessantly but their training paid off time and again as they remained where they were told no matter what the temptation, be it a wandering cat passing by or a playful squirrel just out of reach.

But not Diefenbaker, not once, not ever, in fact, he never gave it a second thought. Our beloved Siberian Husky took his freedom very seriously. That’s why I laughed when I read the above scripture last week. David said that because God had set his heart free, he was running after God in his life. When Dief’s chain wasn’t secured right, he ran. When the screen door was left open for even a second, he ran. Lost your grip on his collar? You guessed it; he ran! We did take him to obedience school but you get the idea of how well that worked out. With a world of adventures awaiting him, Dief had a very simple philosophy on life – I run!

Unfortunately, people can end up in one of those two situations themselves. We can become so conditioned by life’s events, and have the routines of our lives so ingrained in us, that even when God sets us free, when God releases grace for something new and fresh in our lives, we stay in that same spiritual place, unmoved and unchanged. I’ve been trying to imagine what David’s “I run in the path of your commands” looked like on a daily basis. Was it going after something seen in scripture that he had never experienced? Was it seeking the Lord for more of His presence, more of his wisdom, or some previously unseen answer to prayer? Did David go beyond the borders of his faith in his running after God, stepping out of the boat he found himself in, or stepping out of the battle line, set free to run after the Goliaths in his life.

While the trained dogs were experiencing their backyards, Diefenbaker had woods and fields to explore, new neighborhoods to discover, and friends to make in the canine world. And if you think he slowed down, nope! Twelve years old, eighty four in people years, and he maintained the same philosophy – I run! And I’m hoping each of us will adopt that same outlook. Every opportunity that God gives, every new freedom that we experience in him, with every breakthrough that comes and every stirring of His Spirit, a purposeful and determined “I run!”

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Chasing Your Tail

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to

me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’”
Exodus 14:15

The picture that comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘chasing your tail’ is of your pet dog spinning in circles, sometimes at breakneck speed, trying to catch his tail, no doubt hoping to deal with a bothersome flea that has taken up residence there. And every time, at some point in the exercise, the dog always gives up and ambles away, moving on to something else that’s caught their attention.

But ‘chasing your tail’ isn’t a saying used only in the world of dogs and cats; so often it is applied to us humans also. The idiom is defined like this: to be busy doing a lot of things but achieving little or nothing. And I would think we could all relate to times when we find ourselves spinning our wheels and going nowhere, or going in circles only to end up right back where we started, having accomplished little or nothing.

Sitting here at the computer, I’m guessing that that was the first tree that Zacchaeus climbed in all his years as a tax collector. And how often do you think Peter and John took fishing instructions on where to cast their net from a carpenter? And I wonder if Mary always left the dishes to her sister Martha or if just this one time, she saw an opportunity and went for it? Consider this quote about change: “The truth is that walking with God requires an ongoing, ever-changing experience. One of the sure signs that God is doing something in your life is that change is involved.”

Chasing your tail can be the pursuit of something that will never pan out, routines in our lives that consume our time but never yield any fruit, or going through the motions on the wrong assumption that there’s nothing you can do to change your life. How ironic that God, who calls us to prayer, told Moses to tell the people, “Stop praying and get moving.”

Stop chasing your tail might mean doing something you’ve never done before, or going somewhere that makes you uncomfortable just thinking about it. It might mean picking up the phone and dialing that number, or sitting at the computer and typing that email. Or maybe it’s picking up the Bible after years of frustration over God not speaking to you. But whatever the case, Moses got it right; it’s the call to stop chasing your tail and go forward in life.”

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Tethered

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

II Corinthians 3:17

Growing up in the 1960’s, every playground in Irondequoit, New York, had a tetherball pole: an eight foot steel pole with a seven foot chain or rope attached at the top with a ball attached to the end of that. The goal was to get the ball wrapped around the pole in your direction before your opponent did so in the other direction. And no matter how hard you hit the ball, it stayed attached, or more accurately tethered, to the end of the chain.

We too can find ourselves tethered to a life that is without joy, peace or fulfillment. Here are some areas that we can all too easily find ourselves tethered by:

• By the fear of failure or of not being good enough
• By fear of the future, and by the fear of man
• By wrong expectations put on us by ourselves and by others
• By guilt over things we’ve done in the past or by past failures
• By wrong assumptions about our own ability and potential
• By a wrong understanding of God and his working in our lives
• By sinful habits that have gotten control of us
• By attitudes that are negative and destructive

Far too often, I’ve seen good, sincere people try their best to go forward in their walk with the Lord only to hit the end of the tether rope, to get to that place where they need to experience the freedom that is promised in Jesus, “For whom the Son sets free is free indeed” and as we live in the Spirit, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” God wants to break the limitations of a life lived where these, and other areas, leave us tethered and bound. David wrote that “entrance of thy words bring light.” Reading God’s Word can make such a difference! Paul prayed that “the eyes of our understanding would be opened” to see not only the things holding us back and leaving us tethered, but the hope and power that are ours in Christ. And that too is my prayer for you this morning, that the Lord would allow you to see that He has more for your life, and that you’ll be untethered, set free to serve the Lord with a new joy, a new peace, and a renewed sense of his grace and mercy in each of our lives.

(And thanks to Cindy M. for encouraging me to start up sending out these devotions again!)

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

A Watershed Moment

“From this day on I will bless you, says the Lord”
Haggai 2:19

The term watershed is used to describe the geographical area from which rain and precipitation of all kinds flow into a particular body of water. Watersheds are marked by a unique dividing line from which water flows in one direction or another, such as the Rocky Mountains here in the United States with rain falling on one side of the Rockies heading to the Pacific Watershed and rain falling on the other side making its way to the Mississippi Watershed.

But enough for our geography lesson because from the term watershed, a phrase has come to be used to describe moments in time that mark a dividing line in the history of nations and in the lives of individuals. That phrase, a watershed moment, describes “an experience or event that has profound effects on a nation or individual’s destiny going forward.” The signing of the Declaration of Independence here in America would certainly be considered a watershed moment in American History as would the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in European History.

We would probably imagine most watershed moments to be acts of great courage and determination, which would fit in most cases, but we want to look at a watershed moment in the life of David that was nothing more than a simple decision to do what’s right. David had been running for his life from Saul who was determined to kill David and keep him from becoming the future king. After many years of evading Saul’s pursuit, David found himself, with a spear in his hand, standing over a sleeping Saul. The opportunity to end the years of living in caves and hiding in the mountains was there for David; one blow and this incredibly difficult time, this confusing part of his life considering all that God had spoken to him, would be over.

But David’s watershed moment was the opposite of what we’d expect. He decided that he wouldn’t touch the Lord’s anointed, that he wouldn’t take matters into his own hands, and kill King Saul. David’s watershed moment was a firm decision to leave the matter in God’s hands, to not take vengeance where we would all agree it was well deserved, and to establish going forward that he would trust the Lord to fight his battles. And David’s life was never the same.

You may be facing situations that are very difficult, situations where you’re tempted to take matters into your own hands either through words or actions. But rather than establish a pattern that you’ll late regret, take a page from David’s life, leave the matter squarely in God’s hands, and experience a watershed moment from which God can bless your life going forward!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

It Has To Translate

“But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and His grace to me was not without effect.”
 I Corinthians 15:10

The success our group of 26 students and chaperones had on our recent trip to Nicaragua would not have been possible without having people around us who could translate what we were saying to the Nicaraguan children and what they were saying to us. Without those translators, their Spanish and our English would have been nothing short of worthless gibberish. And while I’m sure what was being spoken had value and a purpose, without understanding what was being said, those words had little or no meaning to the hearer.

In that setting, while walking on the beach shortly after the children left on the bus to return to their homes, I heard the Lord speak softly but clearly, “It has to translate.” The experience of spending three days with 56 underprivileged children at Camp Allegro had to translate into my life back home, and into our lives back home. Being able to make a difference in their lives, as we poured out the love of Christ and invested in them as individuals, had to translate into making a difference back home. Seeing those mired in poverty had to translate into a life filled with gratitude and generosity. Clearly, if it was only an experience to be remembered and not a catalyst for change, the end result would be far less than the Lord intended.

But the Lord wasn’t done explaining “it has to translate” to me. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ has to translate into our everyday lives, how we interact with people, the effort we put into building relationships and our willingness to share what the Lord has done in our lives with others. Our knowledge of the Word, gained through reading the Bible, has to translate into lifestyle changes where our priorities reflect eternal values and where our choices line up with what pleases the Lord. And further, our awareness of problems and needs in other’s lives only has meaning if it translates into time spent in prayer to see God move in those situations.

To have meaning, our Christianity has to translate into our everyday lives. To have meaning, our faith has to translate into action, into “going about doing good” as was said of Jesus in Acts 10:38. The love Jesus showed us has to translate into our loving others; the sacrificial giving of His life on the cross has to translate into our being generous givers, and not just of our finances but of our time, energy, gifts and talents. So let’s start today to apply “it has to translate” to our individual lives, making sure that we aren’t left with experiences and knowledge that don’t make an impact on the way we live out the precious gift of life we’ve been given!

God bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church 

Touch All The Bases

“In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:6

Putting together a message for an elementary and middle school awards ceremony, with an audience ranging from second graders to grandparents, can be a daunting task. And so I was incredibly thankful when the Lord quickened the theme to me, Touch All The Bases. Using the baseball analogy, I quickly came up with 1^st base being paying attention in class and listen to your teacher. 2^nd base would then be doing your homework every night and giving your best effort and 3^rd base would be going the extra mile, looking up words you don’t know the definition of and going beyond the minimum. And then, for effect of course, I’d hold up a home plate borrowed from the gym to wrap up with hitting a home run in your academics.

But I couldn’t leave the parents out, not with the tuition that they pay for private school. So the parental 1^st base was staying involved in their children’s education, proofing papers and helping with homework. 2^nd base for the parents was praying for their children faithfully with 3^rd base being a willingness to say no once in a while. (In the second version, 3^rd base became setting a Godly example of Christian living for their children to follow.) And, of course, being a grandfather to three beautiful granddaughters, the grandparents were easy. Just their being at the grandkids’ awards ceremony had them rounding 3^rd base and heading for home.

But the message, and the conviction on my own heart, didn’t stop there. Meditating on it, and sharing it with our church, the truth resonates that we’ve got to “Touch All the Bases” in our Christian lives if we want to find success in the Lord. My 1^st base for believers is staying in God’s Word. We can never overemphasize the importance of the counsel, the direction, and the wisdom that comes from God’s Word as we faithfully read and meditate on it. We could put so many truths to 2^nd and 3^rd base to make it exhausting but forgiveness was the 2^nd base this time around. People will hurt and disappoint us but we must forgive others, for the freedom it gives, and to receive the forgiveness we need from the Lord. 3^rd base was trusting the Lord in the hard areas of life, and speaking words of faith that reflect a growing faith in the Lord and in His goodness towards us.

No doubt, we can each come up with the bases that we find key in our Christian walk, and define touching home plate in a way that is challenging yet fulfilling. But we’re all competing for a prize and we all have a race to run and to win!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Domino Effect

“I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because
you have done this thing, I will surely bless you.”
Genesis 22:16-17

Setting up dominos with my granddaughters recently reminded me of the elaborate designs that people create, all with the goal of knocking down one domino, and setting off a chain reaction that knocks over hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of perfectly arranged dominos.

The domino effect is a phrase used for situations where one often small action sets off a chain reaction of events, often in rapid sequence. Let me give you a very present example. Yesterday’s storms throughout the Midwest disrupted air travel setting off a series of events that have left me sitting here at my laptop typing this devotion. The storm caused the plane we were supposed to take off on at 5:50 am today to never make it to Detroit last night, resulting in our flight this morning being cancelled. Once that happened, students had to be notified, rides had to be rearranged, new flights are still in the process of being scheduled, the pick-up by missionaries in Managua, Nicaragua had to be put on hold, and afternoon plans there scrapped. And all because of domino number one, the storm that passed through yesterday.

Abraham set off his own domino effect when he decided to obey God in offering his son Isaac to the Lord as a sacrifice. God saw Abraham’s obedience and responded with this: “Because you have done this thing, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.” That promise was fulfilled in pure domino effect fashion; Abraham’s one act of obedience set off a chain reaction of God’s incredible blessing on Abraham’s life and family. So consider this:

• You can set off a chain reaction of blessing in your own life by one act of obedience.
• You have the power, if you’ll take the initiative, to greatly bless your own life.
• The domino effect is waiting for anyone to experience who’ll do the little things, who’ll take the first step, pick up the phone, approach someone outside your inner circle of comfort, make a coffee date with someone you haven’t talked to in a while, send an email to a friend who’s been on your heart, or more.
• Your action, your part, is knocking over the first domino; God will do the rest! And as far as when to get started – the best day is always today!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Courage of Our Convictions - Part 2

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen
your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”
Psalm 31:24

When we start to talk about the importance of having the courage to live out our convictions, maybe looking at what happens when the needed courage is missing will help us to understand. In every situation where there is a difference between what we believe and the reality of our lives, a gap forms, a dangerous gap that can get filled in with the wrong things over time.

Kyle Idleman said this on the subject: “When actions violate convictions, a general sense of fatigue and frustration begins to mark one’s life.” When a gap exists between how we are living and the convictions of our heart, frustration with ourselves and fatigue because of the internal struggle come rushing in to the gap that exists. Jesus said something very similar about deliverance when He warned that if a person delivered didn’t fill the void left in their life, then the enemy would return in even greater force. The gap between action and belief cannot be the status quo in our lives because that gap will eventually get filled in.

And it’s not only us who are affected. Idleman went on to say, “If your life isn’t aligned with your convictions, it’s only a matter of time before your frustration with yourself spills over onto others and you become a hard person to live with.” The courage to live out our convictions, our core beliefs, is essential to our well being and to the well being of those around us.

God stirred Joshua to “be strong and very courageous” for his own good. And Joshua years later stirred the people in the same way saying, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous.” Billy Graham said, “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.” And C. S. Lewis added this: “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but courage is the form of every virtue at its testing point.”

The courage to ……….. I’ll let you fill in the blank, but find the courage in any area of life where your convictions and your life don’t line up and you’ll be the better off for it. Even the American Heart Association, a secular group, agrees, saying, “Examine your values and live by them. The more your actions reflect your beliefs, the better you will feel.” Let’s start to close any gaps that exist between convictions and reality, and close the door to frustration and fatigue.

God bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Courage of Our Convictions

“Be strong and courageous; do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

What enables the Iranian housewife to step into the river to be baptized knowing that persecution, and quite possibly death, might well await her?
The courage of her convictions.

What moves the Chinese pastor to withhold the location of their secret church in the face of torture and imprisonment by government authorities?
The courage of his convictions.

What was behind Eric Liddell giving up his chance at an Olympic gold medal in the 100 yard dash, his best event, rather than run on a Sunday?
The courage of his convictions.

We could talk about the husband or wife who refuses to leave their spouse despite mounting difficulties, and in the face of feeling abandoned and betrayed; or the man or woman who refuses to lie, cheat or deceive at work knowing it might cost them their desperately needed job. And the teenager who would rather spend Friday nights at home alone than be with school friends who are drinking and doing drugs would be another all too real example. And the reason why, in each case and in the untold examples that dot our lives, would be “the courage of their convictions.”

We could define it as having enough courage and determination to carry out one’s goals and stay true to one’s beliefs. The courage of our convictions is having the boldness and the confidence to do or say what you think is right regardless of who disagrees with you and regardless of what the consequences might be.

The conviction part is easy – we should all have “firmly held beliefs or opinions.” But that conviction is only as valid as the cost we are willing to pay to live it out. And that’s where courage comes in. The Iranian housewife, the Chinese pastor and the Scottish runner all have one thing in common -  they each needed courage to live out their Christian beliefs.

The courage to stand, the courage to fight, the courage to suffer if need be, the courage to not give up, and the courage to say no are the marks of those who have faced a challenge to their beliefs and not relented to the pressure. My prayer is that we’ll find strength today from the encouragement that the Lord gave Joshua, “be strong and courageous – I’ll be with you” to live out our beliefs, and to stand for the convictions of our heart.

God Bless

Pastor Joe

Gateway Church

A Priceless Painting

“The Lord within her is righteous; He does no
wrong. Morning by morning He dispenses His
justice, and every new day He does not fail.”
Zephaniah 3:5

Look through a list of the most expensive paintings ever sold and you’ll be staggered by the value placed by collectors on some of the rare treasures adorning canvases around the world. Take for example Paul Cezanne’s ‘The Card Player’, finished in 1893; this famous masterpiece, holding the distinction for topping the sales chart, was purchased by the royal family of Qatar in 2011 for an astounding $250 million. The values might go down from there but sales of artwork at exorbitant prices, in the tens of millions of dollars, have become commonplace in our day.

In reality, we are all painters but our canvases are our minds and the subjects of our works range far and wide. We paint pictures of what people are like, of how they’ll respond to us, of what is motivating their behavior, and more. We paint pictures of our future, how certain events will play out and what the end result of our actions will be. But by far the most crucial, and potentially the most valuable, picture we will ever paint is the one we paint of God.

What I want to propose is that if you paint a right picture of God in your mind, it will become the most priceless treasure you’ll ever possess, able to keep you through the most difficult of times. And without a doubt that is one of those ‘easier said than done’ propositions. You’ve got to get the love of God and the mercy of God just right, not to mention having the justice of God and the righteousness of God in just the right proportions. And you’ve got to rightly depict the heart of God, using His Word, without letting the circumstances of life distort the picture you’re painting of God. Not enough love and the picture won’t sell at Wal-Mart. Not enough justice and the picture will sell like hotcakes but the value will plummet over time. Not enough greatness or goodness, and even you won’t want to put your God on display for all to see.

On this Easter morning, we have a beautiful vantage point from which to create the most precious painting of all time. The empty cross, the ultimate symbol of selfless, sacrificial love, still stained by the blood of a Savior, is perfectly visible; the empty tomb of a Risen Christ, whose righteousness death could not overcome, offers us life, hope and unending joy; and the power of God, seen this Resurrection Sunday, is on display for all to see and lay hold of!

Happy Easter,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Speedwell

“The dangers were great, but not desperate; the difficulties were many, but not invincible …. their ends were good and honorable …. and therefore they might expect the blessing of God.”

William Bradford

The painting adorning the walls of the Rotunda in the Capitol of the United States is entitled Embarkation of the Pilgrims and depicts the Pilgrims, with knees bowed, and Bible in hand, preparing to depart for the New World and the religious freedom it offered them. The date was July 22, 1620; the place was Delfs Haven, Holland, but the ship was not, as most would expect, the Mayflower. Hidden on a plank in that painting, viewed by tens of thousands annually as they tour The Capitol, is the name of the ship the Pilgrims sailed forth on that day, the Speedwell.

Arriving in England, this group of determined travelers met up with others who were to make the journey and set sail from Southampton on August 15th aboard two vessels, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. Barely out of sight of the shoreline, the Speedwell began to leak, however, and when timely repairs could not be made, the Mayflower gathered both ship’s passengers and sailed alone for the shores of North America.

History has been kind to the Mayflower while effectively ignoring the Speedwell’s contribution to the journey of the Pilgrims. And perhaps a lesson can be learned from that because it is not in the beginning of any effort that honor is given but in its completion. David wrote, “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me” and Paul penned “He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion.” We don’t take note of the star marathon runner who drops out of a race for whatever the reason but stories abound of those who cross the finish line hours after others because of their dogged determination to finish what they began.

In many ways, beginning is the easy part; finishing the journey is what takes heart, character, and commitment. We’re each on a journey; and finishing strong has to be the goal we set for ourselves. The Speedwell is unknown to the vast majority of us for one very simple reason: it didn’t finish the journey it began. Maybe it’s time to plug up some leaks; deal with some things that we know deep down will eventually catch up with us; and continue on in our journey of faith with a renewed determination to grow into the man or woman God has called us to be.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Missing Dinner

“He brought me to the banqueting table,

and His banner over me was love.”
Song of Solomon 2:4

 

Imagine being invited to a top-of-the-line banquet, the best food possible with no expense spared, hosted by the wealthiest person around, yet, when the time comes to attend, making lame excuses why you wouldn’t be able to attend. That was the exact story Jesus told with the end result being people missing out on something that could only be described as the opportunity of a lifetime.

 

An excuse is an explanation given as a pretext for our doing or not doing something. The dictionary gives us this sentence to help us understand: ‘He used his poor health as an excuse for evading all responsibility.’ We may try to convince ourselves that our excuses are valid reasons for what we’re hoping to justify but, like the men in the story, they’re often without validity and cause us to miss out on some needful and valuable life experiences. Consider the following points:

 

• Excuses are the enemies of change.
• Excuses are the enemies of growth.
• Excuses are the enemies of sacrifice.
• Excuses are a way out of paying the price being required of us.
• Excuses try to cleverly disguise themselves as reasons when they are not.
• Excuses are silent, unlikely enemies out to hold us back from all the good things that the Lord desires to do in our lives.
• Excuses are a clear, unobstructed path to selfishness and laziness.
• Excuses are like sugarcoated lies that we hope the Lord will not see through and others will not call us out on.

 

A seat at the Lord’s banqueting table, the opportunity to partake of His grace and goodness, and an invitation to greater fulfillment and satisfaction in life is waiting for each of us. But any penchant we might have for making excuses when things get tough and when the price gets steep has to be dealt with and exposed for what it is. The banquet the Lord’s prepared for us is just that incredible, far too valuable to allow our fondness for making excuses to stand in our way.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Sad Story of Kitty Genovese

‘And Isaiah answered, “Here am I Lord. Send me.”’  

Isaiah 6:8

Some anniversaries provide time for reflection rather than an opportunity to celebrate and yesterday’s 50th anniversary of Kitty Genovese’s murder on the streets on Queens was one of those. Her stabbing death in the middle of the night on March 13th, 1964, stunned a nation, not because of the senselessness of the violence but because of the number of people who witnessed the attack and heard Kitty’s cries for help, without anyone coming to her aid or calling the police.

The Kitty Genovese murder has become the focus of many case studies over the years on the subject of how, why and when people get involved in the troubles of others. One study coined the phrase ‘The Bystander Effect’ based on it, summarizing their findings that as more people witness something, the less likely each one is to help because they believe someone else will intervene or call the police. In the early morning hours of that spring night, no less than 38 people went to their windows, turned on the lights in their apartments, and, in tragic silence, witnessed the murder of the 28-year-old young woman. And a nation was forced to grapple with the question of why would civilized people, behind the safety of their locked doors, turn away from another human being in dire need of assistance.

In reality, we all face many problems in life that need fixing and require addressing, in our personal lives, in our marriages, in the churches we attend, and in the places we work. But, as this story reminds us, the existence of a problem is not the real issue we have to confront. No, the challenge we face is whether apathy and fear will win the day, as they did with Kitty Genovese’s neighbors, or whether we will choose to respond with action. We can hide from problems; we can run from situations where something not of our doing is clearly wrong, or we can choose to be the solution. Gandhi is often quoted for his short statement confronting the reticence of so many, simply saying, “Be The Change.” His was a call to model the behavior that we see missing in our circle of influence. His was a call to be the solution to the problems that have become obvious to us. His was a call to be the answer to the situation that needs someone to step forward and be the vessel of change in your home, your marriage, your church and your workplace.

We cannot afford to be like the 38 silent witnesses that night in 1964 who felt no responsibility to act because there were other witnesses. We have a God given responsibility to be part of the solution. Hiding, running, staying silent, and remaining passive can never be our options. Change has to start somewhere and my prayer is that it will begin, at this sad anniversary, with you and I.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Midnight Ride of ... William Dawes?

“A friend loves at all time and a brother is born for adversity.”

 Proverbs 17:17

Imagine my surprise, in reading recently, to find that Paul Revere was not the lone rider that fateful night of April 18th, 1775, as he made his famous “midnight ride” to warn colonists that the British were on their way. After becoming aware of British plans to arrest the colonial leaders in Lexington and then seize the guns and ammunition they had stored up in Concord, two men had set out to sound the alarm and to hopefully raise a defense. Two men carried with them the identical message; two men traveled just as many miles and through just as many towns as the other.  Yet only one of their names has been recorded in our history books and only one of the men has been given credit for the warning that was such a major turning point in the colonists stand against the British.

Paul Revere and William Dawes both set out from Boston late that night but the effects of their rides were vastly different. Those who heard the news from Paul Revere quickly responded, gathering the local militia, beginning preparations, and spreading the news further throughout their towns. But the same was not true of those warned by William Dawes, as history records a very subdued response in the towns Dawes rode through that night. What made the difference? And what can we learn from the midnight rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes?

One history writer tried to sum up the reason for the different responses to the two men by saying this: Paul Revere had far more “personal connections” than William Dawes, in effect saying that Paul Revere built far more relationships with people over the course of his years. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book The Tipping Point, said this about Paul Revere: “He would have known exactly whose door to knock on, who the key people in the town were as he would have met most of them before. And they knew and respected him as well.” Paul Revere’s success had nothing to do with the sound or strength of his voice but everything to do with the place people had in his life.

For Paul Revere, the seeds of success were sown not in the spirited ride on horseback, but in the years of relationship building and in the personal connections he established over the years. Showing an interest in people paid dividends that night as he hurriedly rode from town to town. Taking time to develop friendships paid dividends as he sounded the alarm that the British were coming. Relationships developed over years paid dividends in the dark of the night as those hearing his voice knew that the warning came from someone who cared and could be trusted. What a lesson on the value of building relationships in our lives, and on the importance of making those genuine personal connections with those whose paths our lives cross. People are always the best investment we can make; relationships pay far greater dividends than anything this world offers, and taking the time to make “personal connections” open doors like nothing else can!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Dirty Dishes

“There is really only one thing worth being concerned about.
Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her.”

Luke 10:42

The story is about two sisters who had very different priorities: all Mary could think about was getting to spend time with Jesus while Martha was consumed with all the preparations that were needed. As the story goes on, Martha’s frustration boiled over and she went to Jesus expecting to find a sympathetic ear to her plight of doing all the work by herself while her sister just sat around. Instead, she was given a lesson on perspective that we all could use a refresher course on.

Perspective is defined in the dictionary as this: a way of regarding situations, facts, etc, and judging their relative importance; the proper or accurate point of view or the ability to see life objectively.

Jesus response to Mary could be summed up this way: Mary, you’re worried and troubled, you’ve gotten yourself all worked up and all because you’ve lost your perspective on what is most important. The germ for thinking on perspective was planted Saturday here in Manila as I looked out over a packed sanctuary of people who had come for a seven hour seminar to hear a pastor from Chesterfield Michigan speak on the Lord’s Prayer. Tack on an hour before and after battling Manila traffic and they were investing nine hours of their Saturday to hopefully learn something that would help them in their walk with the Lord and in their desire to be fruitful in their families, local churches and communities.

People who had dirty dishes waiting for them in the sink at home, laundry that needed to be done and meals to be prepared had a perspective on the relative importance of how they spent their time that caused them to choose spending the day learning more about prayer. Here’s the lesson: perspective determines priorities, how we spend our time, finances and energy, and our perspective can be wrong. Let’s make sure that our perspective focuses on what is really important in life!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Taking Up Running

In an effort to encourage you to take up running as an everyday practice, I have no delusions of grandeur. I realize that it’s going to take some pretty powerful imagery to get us off the couch and into the habit of running. So let’s get started:

The most recent International House of Pancakes commercial is for their endless stack of pancakes, all you can eat pancakes. The camera zooms in on 4 pancakes stacked high, fluffy and golden brown, the vestiges of melting butter clearly visible with the maple syrup glistening as it covers the pancakes. The stack is cut into quarters, with one missing piece on the top, having been consumed by the lucky patron of your nearest IHOP Restaurant. Is it any wonder I’ve had a craving for pancakes for two weeks now?

The second picture is from the World Series of Poker and is of the lucky player sitting behind stack after stack after stack of poker chips, chips of every color and value that are out there. Those chips tell the story of someone who is beyond lucky, drawing three-of-a-kind, straights, flushes and full houses hand after hand. And for every euchre player out there who complains of far too many Farmer’s Hands, those stacks seem too good to be true.

The third example is found in Eugene Peterson’s rendering of Psalm 31:19 in The Message Bible:

“What a stack of blessings you have piled up
for those who worship you,
Ready and waiting for all who run to you
to escape an unkind world.”

So maybe it’s not the kind of running you envisioned as you decided whether this devotion just might be better placed in the junk mail bin of your email account. But it is the kind of running that lays hold of God’s strength for today, it’s the kind of running that finds comfort and encouragement in the daily struggles of life, and it’s the kind of running that gets you through the roughest of times. Running to God doesn’t always come naturally; we all too often turn to other people or to other outlets first to ease our pain and frustration. But that pales in comparison to the stack of blessings that God has ready and waiting for those who run to him for strength, support and help in their times of need. This turn to God first kind of running is a habit that has to be developed, one that takes a certain kind of spiritual discipline to master, but it’s the kind of running guaranteed to leave you in the best shape of your life!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church
 

No Drinking

“Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it,
but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.”

Deuteronomy 4:2

 

The warning label for the latest antibiotic I’ve been prescribed comes with the all-caps caution, ‘DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL WHILE YOU ARE TAKING THIS PRODUCT’ followed by a long list of woes that might be caused if the patient chooses to ignore the warning. Despite assuring the doctor that I don’t drink alcohol as he wrote out the prescription, he proceeded to caution me twice again, the last time as I was opening the examination room door to leave, of the dangers of mixing alcohol with this particular medicine.

To be honest, I never once thought that the doctor was out to spoil my fun, that he was taking away my freedom of choice, or that he was worried about the appearance of what it would look like if one of his patients was found drinking alcohol. No, I left there convinced that he was clearly educated on the effects of combining this particular drug with alcohol in any form and that he was looking out for me in giving me the repeated warnings. In fact, it would be pretty sad to have a doctor that didn’t warn you about something that could seriously hurt you, that didn’t look out for your best interests and have your back on something as profound as this. And it would be equally sad if, in our own pride, we ignored the warnings and followed what we thought best or what we felt like doing.

The Bible contains God’s warning labels, His cautions and admonitions, but so often He doesn’t get the respect or obedience that we so willingly follow in the natural realm. God’s cautions on every area of life can be counted on to be for our good. Now, I’ve never studied the effects of combining the 13 letter long antibiotic with anything but I’m going with the professionals on this one. And the same holds true with God only infinitely more so. His commands are flawless, His law is perfect, His statutes are trustworthy and His precepts are right. No need to add to them, or subtract from them; if God’s Word calls us to do something, or to not do something, it’s a guarantee, it’s a sure thing! Be encouraged that you will never go wrong by following God’s commands and walking in obedience to the divine prescriptions found in His Word!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Unbridled

“You are not held back, restricted and restrained by us 

but you are held back, restricted and restrained by your own affections.”

II Corinthians 6:12

The newspaper article was not impressive enough that I even remember the subject matter but what stood out was the use of a single word as the writer spoke of the unbridled optimism that existed in some area of business. It was the word unbridled that caught my attention, the reference being to the bridle that is used to restrain and control a horse. Probably a few of us have been told at different times that we need to bridle our tongues, a pretty clear reference to our need to restrain ourselves before we say something we’ll later regret. Or maybe you can remember hearing the statement “someone needs to bridle that young man” as someone is running wild and about to get into trouble.


And so a bridle is anything that holds us back or restrains us from going forward. Our fear of what other people might think is certainly one of them. Timothy was being held back in his flowing in the gifts of the Spirit when Paul admonished him that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Timothy’s fear was acting like a bridle, holding him back from launching out, holding him back from acting on what the Lord was telling him to do. Our task becomes to identify and weed out any priorities, affections, habits, areas of sin, or even relationships that are bridles in our walk with the Lord and in our living out God’s plans and purposes for our life. The horseman would search his barns when a horse needed to be bridled; now we have to search our hearts to get the bridles back in the barn.


But it’s the word unbridled that represents the place we want to get to. A faith that is unbridled by circumstances in our lives, or by the past, is the kind of faith that will see mountains move, miracles occur, and the promises of God come to pass. A courage that is unbridled by the opinions of others, or by the fear of failure, is the kind of courage that prays bold prayers and receives answers, that defeats Goliaths in our lives, that is willing to step out of the boat into uncharted waters, and that won’t take no for an answer. And a love that is unbridled by the fear of rejection, or by what the cost might be, is the kind of love that will meet the needs of hurting people, that will open hearts and that will change the world. Let’s make it our goal in the days ahead to discover where we are being held back and to make the transition from bridled to unbridled, released into a life of unbridled faith, hope and expectation!


God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

A No-Name

"‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, 

I will reimburse you for any extra expenses you may have."  

Luke 10:35

He is part of a group of people, joining the woman Jesus met at the well, the widow whose two mites represented all she had, the thief on the cross who begged for mercy and so many more, whose names we will never know. Where he was traveling to that day has not been told us, and what plans he had that were interrupted were not part of the story. But so noteworthy was what he did that the story was told by Jesus to those who were questioning him. And so impactful were his actions that, in our day, a host of ministries and charitable organizations incorporate into their names the story of a no name who we know as the Good Samaritan.

We live in a day and age of staged events. Even this week, as one of our football players is signing a letter of intent to a state university, the media will be present to take pictures and report on the young man’s accomplishment. But that day, on the road leading down to Jericho from Jerusalem, there was no notoriety to be gained, no ulterior motive to be satisfied, with not even an onlooker to record his name for posterity. The unnamed man saw a need, he had pity in his heart, and he felt compassion for the man suffering. So moved was he by the man’s condition that he was willing to inconvenience himself (remember that not only did he bandage up the man’s wounds by the roadside but he took him to an inn and spent that entire night caring for the man at the inn.) Someone no different than us was willing to interrupt his plans because he saw someone in need and decided he couldn’t just pass by and do nothing.

Most of us live incredibly busy lives but have we become too busy to notice the hurting around us. One man said that “sometimes the pace of life can crowd out God’s place in our lives.” Have our schedules, our plans and how we want to spend our time and money become so regimented that there is no room for divine interruptions and divine appointments. Have the needs and requests for assistance and aid become so frequent that, like the priest and Levite who passed by the wounded man, they automatically fall on deaf ears. I am thankful for the example of a man whose name isn’t known and whose name isn’t important – but who left us more than an example, really a standard, of not passing by and of caring for one another, whether that be in the major crises in life, or in the times when a shoulder is needed to cry or lean on, an ear to listen, or a hand to pull us up. Now it’s our turn, with no desire for fame, acknowledgement or recognition, to show that kind of love and compassion in our generation!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Muster

“The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.”  

Isaiah 13:4

Stories of individual accomplishments, fictional or true, whether in battle or against seemingly overwhelming odds, have a way of thrilling and inspiring us like nothing else. Who doesn’t enjoy John Rambo wreaking havoc on the Vietnamese captors of American P.O.W.s or John McClain, of Die Hard fame, single-handedly taking on an international gang on Christmas Eve? And the Bible provides us with so many stories that show us what God can do through one man or woman willing to trust the Lord and step out in faith.  From the lesser known stories like that of Shammah, who took his stand alone in the middle of a field of lentils and won an incredible victory, to that of David who as a teenage boy was unafraid to stand toe to toe with the giant Goliath, we find courage in the heroics of others.

But the reality is that, no matter how strong their faith, how deep their commitment or how courageous they might be, the job can’t always get done by one person standing and fighting alone.  Sometimes it takes an army. In fact, more often than not, when we talk warfare, we’re talking gathering an army to engage an enemy force in battle. It’s been a week since the phrase from Isaiah, taken out of context, jumped off the pages of my Bible, “The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war!” To be honest, I couldn’t read any further; God was shouting something and He wanted my attention. God was going to gather an army of believers, an army of what David Ireland called “Kneeling Warriors”, and use that army to fight battles too big for any one man or woman. And with me, as with you, He is calling us to be a part of that muster.

Joshua mustered his army for battle because there was a stronghold standing in the way of God’s people. David mustered his troops for battle when an enemy threatened the inheritance God had given His people. And God, in our day, in our generation, is mustering an army. There are strongholds in so many lives that need to be brought down, strongholds that keep good, sincere, God fearing men and women from all that God has purposed for their lives. In our churches, in our cities and around the world, we have husbands and wives, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters under prolonged attack from the enemy. Will we answer God’s muster? Will we say like Aragorn, as he faced the gates of Mordor, “This day we fight!” and be a part of loved ones near and far experiencing the long fought victories they have so desired? I hope so!

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Undefeated

“Now thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in
Christ, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
                                         II Cor. 2:14, I Cor. 15:57

As impossible as it might seem, picture for a minute your favorite sports team, maybe the perennially hapless Detroit Lions, the 4-time Super Bowl losing Buffalo Bills, or the pride of the Corn Belt Iowa Hawkeyes, going undefeated!! Yes, I said undefeated, a perfect record, holding high the championship trophy for all to see, the victory parade through the city streets, appearance on all the morning talk shows, and all the acclaim that accompanies such an outstanding accomplishment in the world of sports. Even at just the thought, hearts begin to beat a little faster and imaginations run wild!

And while such a feat falls into the ‘too good to be true’ category in the natural arena, our going undefeated in this life, as we face the struggles and the hurdles that come our way, is promised to those who are in Christ. Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers that God always causes those who are in Christ to triumph, and to be victorious in life through their relationship with Jesus. Our challenge is to discover what it means to be “in Christ” and to remain in that place no matter how great the storm that we find ourselves in is.  And as we learn to face life’s difficulties as an outflow of our relationship with the Lord Jesus, as opposed to taking them on ourselves, we will begin to experience the joy of living the victorious Christian life promised us.

Last night’s champion in college football fell behind in the first half, and we too may fall behind sometimes as we react to the hard things that come our way. But as we turn to the Lord for help, and as we get to that place of trust where we find ourselves “in Christ”, the score will turn in our favor and the victory will be ours when the final whistle blows. The thought of this devotion, undefeated, is that you will never lose when you live your life in intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. You’ll never lose when you trust the Lord with all the hopes and dreams you have for your future!  You’ll never lose when you show tangible love to another human being who will never be able to repay you! You’ll never lose when you surrender your life fully to Him and walk in obedience to all that He asks of us in His Word! And so as we start a new day, it can be the first day of your undefeated season, of your finding victory in Christ!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church