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