Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect

"But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly
and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
II Corinthians 9:6

The interesting thing about the story of the man who drank 6 energy drinks in a relatively short timeframe and ended up in the hospital with chest pains, some paralysis and a few other sympoms was that he immediately realized the cause of his problem as the drinks he had taken. Most of us can remember not getting up from a really good meal soon enough and experiencing the resulting discomfort in our stomachs that comes from overeating. No one had to tell us that we ate too much; we were fully aware of the cause of the problem.

Unfortunately, the realization of cause and effect in our lives is often very lacking. As we face difficulties and challenges, we have to be able to look back and weed out those situations where we have to take some responsibility for causing what has resulted. Paul talked in our opening scripture about reaping and sowing, a principle firmly established in not only the Word of God, but in most people's practical life experiences. Malachi talked about the fruit of the blessings that come to those who are faithful in tithes and offerings and Isaiah 3:10 says this:

"Say to the righteous it shall be well with them
for they shall eat the fruit of their doings."

We eat the fruit of what we plant and what we sow in so many ways, some that are rewarding and fulfilling, and others that are sad and discouraging. That fruit is seen in our relationships, in our finances, and in the degree of blessing that is upon our lives. But the key is not really in what we have been reaping. What has already been sown has been sown and we can only hope in God's mercy as we reap the fruit of our actions.

The key is in being honest with ourselves and not complaining about the effects while ignoring that we may be the cause of our own problems, or has been said too often, "our own worst enemy. In realizing the cause of where we might find ourselves, we will also find the key to sowing a new crop, sowing seeds of righteousness and of faithfulness in our relationship with the Lord and sowing seeds of love, kindness and mercy in our relationships with others.

It's then that we will see the cause and effect principle from the other side, as we reap the good fruit of the good seeds we have sown.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

"Out With The Old..."

"Out With The Old..."

"Get rid of the old yeast! Then you will be like fresh
bread made without yeast, and that is what you are."
I Corinthians 5:7 CEV

The preparations for the cold of winter, for a Siberian Husky like Diefenbaker, are in full swing with shedding taking place at a rate that only the owner of a Husky could fully appreciate. It's not individual hairs here and there; Dief is losing clumps of hair found in the garage, in the backyard, throughout the house and along the route of his daily walks as shedding season, much like fall colors, is at its' peak.

For a dog that loves lying in the snow on a below zero day, this process of shedding and a strong new coat coming in is essential to the breed's survival. The loss of the old makes way for the new, or as the more coming saying puts it, "out with the old and in with the new". It's a lesson on making room for the new that is important for anyone looking for the Lord to do something new in their life. It's a lesson that will be oft repeated in the lives of those who are not satisfied with the status quo and who have fixed their eyes on nothing less than, as Paul says "the high calling of God in Christ Jesus".

Diefenbaker's new winter coat will not come in until last year's thick coat is gone, helped along by occasional raking (the word "brushing" just doesn't do the process justice). And it is a principle that will apply in our lives as well. Whenever God is about to do something new and fresh, there will first be a prompting by the Holy Spirit for us to, as Paul told the Corinthians, "get rid of the old". "The old" can be anything from entrenched attitudes that have no place in a believers' life to long established habits and routines that rob us of our time and focus. And the key is that they stand in the way of what God wants to do; occupying a place in our lives that should be free for God to pour into.

Out with the old and in with the new; it is in the resisting of this process that we often rob ourselves of the blessings and breakthroughs intended by God for our lives. If you need a visual, stop over and see Diefenbaker. If not, you're on your way to something new, fresh, and incredibly rewarding in your life.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Launch

The Launch

"His divine power has given us everything that
we need for life and godliness through our
knowledge of Him." II Peter 1:3

From the first orbit of the earth to the moon landing by Neil Armstrong and crew, the space program and the sense of adventure associated with it has long captivated the American public. What were once national events watched by everyone have now become commonplace but the launch of a space capsule or a shuttle is a display of power that is rarely seen and always exhilarating.

My thoughts wandered recently to the scene of the space shuttle sitting on the pad at the Kennedy Space Center waiting for clearance to launch, waiting for all the factors necessary for a successful launch to line up. The winds have to be the right speed and the weather has to be within certain limits and even the rotation of the earth has to be within certain "launch points". The potential sitting on that launch pad is incredible, enough power to thrust a rocket and its' cargo through the atmosphere and into orbit around the earth. But it is only potential until the ignition switch is turned on; in an instant it goes from harnessed potential to released power.

We can see that type of potential in so many of God's people: those who lived many years ago and those we sit next to in church every Sunday. God had a plan for Moses' life but it had to wait 40 years before it could be launched, 40 years that Moses spent in the wilderness developing character and learning to wait upon God for direction until the day that God spoke from the burning bush and Moses was sent forth. Joseph had a rocket's worth of potential; Potiphar saw it, the prison warden saw it, and God saw it (not in that order) but that potential sat unrealized until the very day that Pharaoh called Joseph forth, received the interpretation of his dreams, and made Joseph second in command in all of Egypt.

God has given us, as Peter said, "everything that we need for life and godliness". And so much of what He has given us is sitting in unrealized potential, like a rocket on the launch pad, waiting for the right conditions and timing. What God is doing in each life is different. The work He did in Moses was very different from what He was working out in Joseph but the potential was the same, the waiting was the same and the end result of a person accomplishing God's will was the same.

NASA has a launch window for all of it's flights, a window of time when a mission can be launched into a successful flight and orbit. I want to encourage you that God has a launch window for your life and the purposes He has for you. There is a work going on right now, invisible to most, unseen in part but with a definite purpose that is essential for the potential God has placed in you to be realized in its' fullness. You can rest assured, the day will come when God will give the command and there will be a launch a lift-off to great things in your life.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Names

Names

"Therefore God has given Him a name which is above every
name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of
those in heaven, and of those on earth and under the earth."
Philippians 2:9-10

If you went to a Detroit Tigers game this past year, you would have seen lots of people with a Tigers jersey with the name of their favorite Tiger on it. And now that it's the fall, sweatshirts with university names are everywhere with people proudly displaying the team they root for and support the most. And here in Michigan, it won't be long until the red and white Red Wing hockey jerseys of the most popular Wings are being worn everywhere supporting the local team.

In Bible times, names carried significance and a name revealed a person's character, heart, and purpose in life. The ultimate name is Jesus which means "He shall save His people from their sins" but there is also Isaiah meaning "God is salvation", Nehemiah which means "God is comfort", a ministry seen in Nehemiah's life as he returned to Jerusalem to lead the people in rebuilding the walls of the city and a host of others whose names carried weight and destiny.

Other names spoke of character as seen in Jacob's life. He was named Jacob which means "deceiver", had his name changed to Israel meaning "prince with God" and later was named Jeshurun, or "straight one", each name reflecting what God was doing in his life and carrying a message of encouragement and hope to those who are still looking for God to change and refine them.

I probably should mention a little idiosyncrasy I have. With one exception, I don't wear anything with a sports figures' name on it, whether that be a hat, sweatshirt or jersey. Years ago, I went to buy a hat and I could have sworn that the Lord said "no, that person's life isn't right, you shouldn't be wearing their name". It made sense to me and I've kept to that for almost 20 years now. It's not something I recommend to others but it's a reminder that names have significance.
But back to our main thought today.

As Christians, we carry the name of Jesus with us and so much of what we do is "in the name of Jesus", whether it be praying for healing, or baptizing a new believer. The early church, in Acts 5:41 "rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name" and Paul exhorted Timothy to live a life that brought honor to the name of the Lord. For anyone who knows that you are a believer, you are carrying the name of Jesus wherever you go and in whatever you do. That name should radically affect the way you live, your attitudes, your words and choices, and the love you show others.

Let's all make sure that our lives live up to the name that we were baptized into and are living for. Let's make sure that we can proudly wear the sweatshirt with the name Jesus boldly embroidered for all to see!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Erosion

Erosion

"We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to the
things we have heard, so that we do not drift away."
Hebrews 2:1

Already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is referred to by some as "The Eroding Nation". Haiti's well documented poverty is rooted in many areas but one of particular note is the erosion of the soil that has resulted in the land being unable to produce even close to the amount of food needed to sustain the Haitian people. That erosion did not happen overnight and the story behind it provides valuable lessons for each of us.

To meet the needs of the charcoal industry, trees were cut down in Haiti at such a rate that the forests in the mountains disappeared. The result of the almost total deforestation that occurred was that rains coming down from the mountains swept away the topsoil of the land, destroying the land's ability to produce food. The topsoil washed into the sea, in turn polluting the ocean off Haiti, decimating the fishing industry, and reducing one more source of food crucial to the survival of the Haitian people.

None of this happened overnight; it was a process that occurred over hundreds of years until the effects became obvious, clear to all, but unfortunately, irreversible. The same is too often true spiritually; believers don't run away from the Lord all at once but they slip away a little at a time until they find themselves far from God not knowing where to turn for help and how to get themselves out of the pit they've fallen in. Paul was addressing this problem with his warning in Hebrews 2:1 to "pay more careful attention" to what we have been taught so that we don't let the truths of Christian living that meant so much to us at one time "slip away".

Erosion, the process of wearing something away, is as real in the spiritual realm as it is in the natural and the results are equally devastating. It might start with our not having enough time to ever read our Bible until we find ourselves too distracted to pray.

Eventually, we end up having lost our desire for the things of God, not being interested in attending church or, at the very least, using any excuse to not go. Haiti is a barren land of poverty and there is a corresponding spiritual barrenness that God wants to warn us about and keep us from ending up in. One key is found in Ephesians 5:15 which says "Be very careful how you live". Get control of your life today!

Make sure nothing is slipping away without you realizing its' importance. Make sure that you are guarding the things that result in fruitfulness and growth, spending time with the Lord, and making your relationship with Him your number one priority.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

Inventory Control

Inventory Control

"So then each of us shall give
account of himself to God."
Romans 14:12

Fresh out of college, my first job at Kodak was as an inventory control analyst, with responsibility for making sure that what we said we had in the warehouse, millions of rolls of film, was actually there and ready to be shipped to customers. From x-ray film used in doctor's offices and labs around the world to good old Kodachrome film, used in cameras since way back in 1935 and sung about by Paul Simon in his 1973 song by the same name, Kodachrome, we had to check the inventory. And we didn't just check it once or twice a year, we did it constantly with daily alerts, weekly print-outs, monthly summaries and on and on and on.

In addition to making sure we had the product available to ship to customers, we also had to certify the financial records of the company, verifying their accuracy for the sake of shareholders, investors and auditors. In thinking back to those days, the process we went through helps me to understand better the need for each of us to take a constant inventory of the state of our hearts.

The Word of God makes it very clear that we will all stand before God and give an account for how we have lived our lives, how we have used the time and talents, the gifts and abilities that He has blessed us with. That is the reason for the encouragements to "redeem the time" and "make the most of every opportunity". That is why the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 has such a significant message for Christians in every generation. We have each been entrusted with 'talents" to use for God's glory and to build up His Kingdom. And we will all give an account of our faithfulness, or lack thereof, in using those talents as God intended.

On a regular basis, we should take inventory of our lives, looking at its' direction and our fruitfulness. We should take inventory of our faith level, of our joy and whether it is driven by circumstances or by faith, and certainly of the love we show to others when someone has hurt or disappointed us. We should take inventory of the way we use our time, of our investment in reading the Word of God, of our prayer life, and of our commitments to the Lord, to people, and to sharing the gospel to others, no matter how hard that might be. The end result will be a life lived purposefully.

Kodak devoted a department of 12 people to inventory control, out of a company that, at that time, employed over 62,000 people. Surely each of us can devote a little of our time to make sure that we are on track for our lives, living life as God intended.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church

The Keys of the Kingdom

The Keys of the Kingdom

"I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of
David; what he opens no one can shut and what he
shuts no one can open." Isaiah 22:22

In the years when I had more time for personal reading, one of the books that I read many times over was entitled The Keys of the Kingdom, written by A.J.Cronin. That was the late 70's when this story of Francis Chisholm, a Catholic missionary to China captured my imagination, in the days before I was a part of God's kingdom. The phrase "the keys of the kingdom" now has a whole new meaning to me, much more than the title to a favorite novel.

We all know the importance of keys having misplaced them, locked them in the car at the wrong time, or just plain old lost them. That happened to me this summer when I lost the master key to our school locks, the only copy of the key that opened all the book lockers. It was a real problem to say the least. And I'm a card-carrying member of AAA for the same reason, I seem to lock my keys in the car on a regular basis. This devotional really started on Sunday morning when John said to me "Dad, did you know there's a key taped to the inside of the pulpit?" It was the long-lost key to my office at church but it got me started thinking that the Lord has keys for our lives, that there are missing keys for each of our lives that will unlock doors to not only God's
blessing and favor, but also to His plans and purposes for our lives.

The key for one person might be a relationship. My summer jobs after high school and throughout college, from delivering mail for the Post Office to building sidewalks for the City of Rochester, were all the result of knowing the right person. For another person the key might be an attitude that the Lord has been working on. Paul and Silas sang praises in prison and at midnight, the darkest hour, and that was the key to the Lord opening prison doors for them. Elijah's determination to not leave Elisha was the key to him receiving a double portion of the Spirit and a ministry of miracles that still speaks to us today, 3,000 years later. And it is said about Jesus that the key to His life was his early morning prayer and devotional life, time spent with the Father.

God has a key for your life that He wants to reveal to you at this time. You job is to seek the Lord by faith and with a heart of expectation. God has the key, the right key, the perfect key for your life and He can't wait to take it off His key ring and pass it on to you. He holds the true "Keys of the Kingdom".

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church