Genesis 12:1-3

¹ The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ² “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

(Submitted by:  Bonita Merrill)

I find it very fascinating how we end up where we are on our journey through this life.  If someone would have told me 20 years ago that I would be living in the High Desert AND loving it. . . I would have told them they were nuts!  Being a girl born in the lush green of Michigan and then growing up in beautiful, sunny, Orange County, Ca I saw no possibility of beauty in the High DESERT!  However, here I am and I love it!  God truly moved me from my comfort zone and has blessed me beyond words.  I remember the Sunday morning when I decided to become a member of New Life Chapel. . . I was driving out of the church parking lot and telling God all of the reasons why I DID NOT need to be involved in a church. . . (past hurts, baggage, trust issues, etc.) I could just attend and He and I would be good.  He had a plan that not only was I going to be blessed but He was going to give me opportunities to also be a blessing.  The preacher on the radio was closing his sermon as I was driving out of the driveway and his closing words were “be planted in a church, grow roots and be a part”.  I knew at that moment God was speaking to me that it was a new day and I was at the place He intended me to be.  A place to put down roots (a new country as it were), get planted, get to work and be a blessing.  Needless to say, I went to the membership class the church was offering and immediately joined.  I thank God over and over again for bringing me to this place in life and for all of His marvelous blessings.  I’m glad I went and trusted His ways instead of my own.

GOD IS A GOOD GOD and HIS WAYS ARE PERFECT.

Luke 4:1-2 (NLT) Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.

Luke 4:4 (NLT) But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”

Luke 4:8 (NLT) Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

Luke 4:12 (NLT) Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

Probably one of the greatest displays of the humanity of Jesus is found in this passage.  We know from scripture that Jesus was hungry, and He became tired.  We also know that He had emotions of joy and sadness and as we see here – He experienced temptation.  Every person experiences some type of temptation in their life – whether it be a sexual sin or indulgences like eating too much or even being a shop-0-holic.  The question is though – “How do we deal with that sin?”  Jesus gives us the answer in this passage by showing us how to deal with temptation.  He states that we need to counter the temptation by knowing and using the Word Of God.  Psalm 119:11 tells us that we should hide His word in our hearts that we might not sin against Him.  When faced with a temptation Jesus dug deep and used God’s Word as a weapon against the tactics of the enemy.  May I encourage you this year to read God’s Word with a renewed passion?  May I encourage you to memorize it?  When you are dealing with any temptation in your life – stand on God’s Word.  Read it.  Quote it.  Rely on it.  God has given you an arsenal to use.  You can be victorious today – trust God to help you.  Use His Word today!

Genesis 6:6 (NLT) So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.

Unlike a lot of men today I wear my feelings on my sleeve.  You can look at me and pretty much know how I feel.  If I’m upset or angry – it visually shows.  I have tried to hide those emotions but the reality is this – that’s the way God made me.  I kind of think God is the same way.  You don’t have to guess or wonder about how He feels.  In your heart you (because of the Holy Spirit in you) you will know when He is happy and elated over you and you will know when He is sad and grieved.  Because of the rebellion and sinfulness of man in this passage – God was grieved and had a broken heart.  To me, this is a real revelation about the heart of God.  It takes away this mystical aura that God is out there somewhere and is untouchable by mankind.  This verse shows that God has emotions like we have (remember – we were made in His image).  Like a Father, His heart broke over the decisions His kids were making.  They could have so much more but continued to make the wrong choices and decisions.  Look at what the commentator Matthew Henry says about this verse:

⇒ God is pressed by the sins of man - “Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves” (Amos 2:13).

⇒ God is wearied by man’s sins – “Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities” (Isaiah 43:24).

⇒ God is broken by man’s sins -  “I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations” (Ezekiel 6:9).

⇒ God is grieved by man’s sins. “Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways” (Psalm 95:10).

Meditate on this with me.  Consider what is being said.  Open your heart in this New Year of 2011 and ask God (you will know the answer immediately in your heart) whether He is happy over you or sad.  Make loving and obeying God a priority today and the rest of this year.

By the way, I asked this question over my own life also and here is the verse the Lord gave me:

Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT) For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Luke 2:49 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

People often ask me about why I do what I do.  They want to know about my calling and whether I enjoy being a pastor or not.  Unlike many who try many things until they find what they want to do in life – I’ve always known that this was my destiny.  Some would say that I chose pastoring just because my parents were pastors. Now…  I’m not saying that they had no influence over me but it is much deeper than that.  At an early age – I was actually called by God personally into ministry.  For me, it was a vision – a very real experience, a life-changing moment.  I couldn’t have been more than about 6 or 7 years of age when Jesus showed up in my bedroom in the middle of the night.  It was a vivid and real experience as I remember waking up to see Jesus surrounded in a very bright light standing at the foot of my bed.  In His hands was a ball which I knew to be the world.  He simply turned toward me and said these simple five words – “I give you the world.”  Then it was over and I went back to sleep. The next morning I got up and shared the experience with my mom and I have walked in that calling my whole life.  I strive every day to be “about my Father’s business” and not my own.  I live each moment to serve other people and to see God’s kingdom established in my life and family.  I look back now, after 56 years (57 next week) and realize that God has more than fulfilled His promises to me.  He has allowed me to be in 33 countries and has allowed me to pastor some of the most amazing churches.  It’s overwhelming.  And, to think that He is not finished with me – my best years are ahead.  John 5:19 tells us that Jesus did nothing but what He sees His Father doing.  That should be the goal of each and every one of us – to keep our eyes on God the Father and to emulate Him in everything we do.  I like the song that says, “I don’t know about tomorrow but I know who holds my hand.”  Let’s make that our goal for 2o11 – to walk with Jesus and to keep our eyes on our Heavenly Father.  It is only then that we will find God’s richest blessings and rewards in our lives.

John 19:1-3 (NLT) Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.

I was immediately struck by this passage this morning – Christmas Eve 2010.  “Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip.”  Some have referred to this whip as a cat of nine tails.  Out of curiosity – I looked this up on the internet to get more information of what it was.  Basically… It was a whip that Jesus encountered before He got crucified. It was called cat of nine tails because there were 9 strands and on the end of those nine strands were bits and pieces of metal or bone. These were placed there so it would dig into the skin and rip it as it was pulled. Jesus got whipped 39 times. 39 x 9… do the math.  I can imagine that it was a very painful experience.  This hardly seems like the message that one would be writing about on Christmas Eve but I think it’s important because it is the reason why He came in the first place – to suffer and die for our sins.  We must remember what He did for us lest we forget the intense suffering He endured for each and every one of us.  It’s a wonderful thing to think about Jesus as a baby but the reality is that He spent His life with one purpose in mind – to eventually die upon the cross as an atonement for our sins.  As you celebrate His birth today – stop and ponder what His birth ultimately meant for you.  Lift your heart in thanks and give Him praise today because He loved you enough to ultimately die for you.

John 15:16 (NLT) You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

Most of us remember what it was like to play teams as kids for a number of different games which were always a lot of fun.  It could have been for football, baseball or throwing grass bombs at each other.  The list could go on and on.  Two captains would be chosen who would then pick the teams.  Unfortunately,  I always hated that unless I was the captain because I dreaded being chosen last.  As a Christian though – it is just the opposite because Jesus chose me first.  Let those words sink in – Jesus chose me first!  Before the foundations of the earth – JESUS CHOSE ME!  He knew ahead of time that I would choose Him so He chose me first.  Here’s the fact:  You and I are special to God.  We are His kids and we are loved by Him.  I am chosen by God and I am appointed by Him and called into ministry by Him.  I have purpose today.  I have a leader who is leading me and a mission to accomplish.  I’m not His step child or someone He has to put up with.  I am His today!  I am approved by Him and I am a son in whom He is well pleased.  His hand is upon me and He is watching over me to help and protect me.  I can come to Him with anything that is on my heart and in my thoughts because He wants to bless His kids – me!  As my father – He wants to give me good things today and all I need to do is ask – using the name of Jesus.  I feel blessed.  I feel special today.  I am a child of the King!

John 13:14-17 (NLT) And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

Last week I had the privilege to be amongst some 50 or 60 volunteers from the church who were serving those less fortunate than others.  Our church provided groceries for approximately 200 families from the High Desert area – as we do every month.  As people went through the line – I tried to reach out and hug and bless every person that walked by.  I tried to give them a word of encouragement or to offer them a prayer for their situations.  As I was doing that – one lady came up to me with tears in her eyes and said that she wanted to give me something.  I opened it up and saw that it was a card of thanks expressing what a blessing the church has been to her and her husband every month.  She was filled with tears and so was I.  What a blessing.  What a joy.  Two times over the last week – different people gave me an envelope filled with money to be given anonymously to different families in the church.  Overwhelming.  As I passed the money on to the people in need – tears of great joy were seen on their faces.  Priceless.  Jesus, teaching his disciples about serving took a towel and began to wash their feet as they entered the house.  He tells them, as well as to us – if you do this, then you will blessed.   Jesus teaches us in other passages that if we take care of the orphans, prisoners and the poor – that we will receive back many times more.  I’m a blessed man – many times over.  I can’t count the multitude of blessings that have come my way.  God has healed me and restored me and has shown great favor on my life and on my family.  I serve one of the most awesome churches in the world.  I am excited about life and all that God has in store for me. But, as I ponder these things – I can’t forget the mandate that God has given to all of us – to love and to serve those less fortunate than us and always be a servant and blessing to others. I must be like Jesus with one knee to the ground and a towel in my hand bending over to wash the feet of others around me.   If I do those things – I will continue to walk in His blessing in my life.

John 10:27 (NLT) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

I’ve had the privilege of going to Israel twice in my lifetime. Both times proved to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As I read the Bible now – the pages just come to life as I envision the places where each story was lived out 2000 years ago. As I read this mornings scripture reading – I was taken back to the first time I went to Bethlehem. I was fortunate enough to watch 3 or 4 shepherds bringing their flocks to a water hole that was designated for their sheep. There was a covering over the well and each of the shepherds helped to pull the covering off and then began to drop a bucket into the well to bring up and pour in troughs alongside the well. The sheep were all mixed together by this time with multitudes of “baa’s” coming from all of them. As their thirst was satisfied I began to wonder how the shepherds would be able to separate his sheep when they would leave the watering hole. What I thought was going to be a difficult process turned into a very simple and easy process. The shepherd simply walked away and each shepherd had a specific whistle or call and the sheep immediately began to follow their perspective owners. They recognized his voice when he called. It made me wonder about my own life and how I respond to my shepherds call upon my life. Do I hear His voice when He calls? More importantly, do I follow His leading when He asks me to do something? I woke up around 2:45 AM this morning. I was a little restless. After tossing and turning for a little bit – I finally stopped and asked my Heavenly Father if He was trying to speak to me. He was. I spent the next hour or so just talking to Him about my life, my family and about many of you who are reading this today. Eventually, I slipped into a deep sleep for about ½ hour or so. Very refreshing. Today, my life is filled with many appointments and places to be. I am also speaking to a group of professionals who have asked me to come and direct them in a prayer for their lives and business. I don’t plan to do any of those things without the help of my shepherd today. He is guiding me as I write this today and He will be guiding me throughout this day. My life is totally in His hands. I am very dependent on Him to get me to the water on time and for Him to fill the thirsting of my soul. I look forward today to how my shepherd is going to lead me and how He is going to minister to and through me. It’s going to be a good day!

John 8:12 (NLT) Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Something to think about: The speed of light is generally rounded down to 186,000 miles per second. That is equal to 186, 287.49 miles per second.  It takes 8 minutes 17 seconds for light to travel from the Sun’s surface to the Earth. Every second around 100 lightning bolts strike the Earth.  Every year lightning kills 1000 people. Red, green and blue are the primary colors of light. Mixing them in various ways will make all other colors, including white. Light is a form of energy which our sense of sight can detect. It is made of electro-magnetic radiation and travels in a straight path.  I could go on and on but here’s the point – Jesus states that He is the true “light of the world.”  John 1:4-5 states that His light shines in such a way that darkness can never put it out.  To be honest, at times when I look around – darkness seems to be winning.  If I take at face value what I see – it seems that darkness is spreading and becoming more entrenched.  People are becoming more evil and more and more people are living in the darkness of this world.  But then, when I remind myself of the words of Jesus and the lives that I’ve seen changed – I KNOW that darkness is in a losing battle.  I get to see change in people’s lives from darkness to light all the time.  I get to see lives, formerly in the pit of darkness, now move into the light of God’s Word.  I like what Romans 5:20 says… “But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.”  Satan would have you believe that He is winning but He is not.  There are limits to what he can do and limits to how long he will prevail.  Jesus won – period.  Darkness will not prevail.  Keep your eyes on Christ and stay close to Him on a daily basis.  His light will lead you through every dark place that seems to be coming your way.  He is our light and He is the one that leads us to light.  Trust Him today.

2 Peter 3:13-14 (NLT) But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

I did a funeral this last week of a 94 year old woman who was a Christian.  To be honest – I was kind of envious of her.  I can just imagine what it was like for her to slip from this world to that glorious place in heaven.  But the reality is this – I still live here on earth and I still have to go to work and make a life for myself  in this day by day life.  However, I get to choose how I live my life and how I serve my God.  Some people choose to live in isolation – away from being connected with people.  Others like myself, choose to live life to the fullest and to engage and help people along the way.  That is not always a clean process.  It is sometimes messy and awkward.  It has its ups and it has it downs.  There are people I get along with really well and there are people… well you know.  Peter helps us with this dilemma by encouraging us to do some things while we’re waiting for our appointment in heaven.  He tells us to make EVERY effort to be found living peaceful lives and to be pure and blameless in God’s sight.  For Peter to even mention this to us indicates that we could choose to live another way.  I have tried to live my life and to be at peace with all men.  I have tried to live a pure and blameless life.  I know I have made many mistakes and failed miserably along the way.  Yet, I have chosen to keep moving forward – to keep hoping for better things – to keep believing that I can change and that others can also.  I think the key here is that I will make every effort.  I will do the very best that I can.  God, in His providence will always see me through and will always bring His best in my life if I am faithful to do what He has asked me to do. I haven’t arrived and I have a long way to go but I am looking forward to all that God has in store for my life and I know it is good because I serve a good God today.