Go Out on a Limb!

Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law."

I was raised on a ranch.  On that ranch they grew grapes, oranges, lemons, apples, pears, and other sorted fruits.  I learned a valuable lesson while living there.  If you want the fruit, you have to go out on a limb. 

The same is true in our spiritual walk.  To be all that God wants you to be you must go out on a limb.  It is on the limb where the fruit grows.  It is on the limb where you will find the evidence of what type of fruit is growing.  I don’t mean to test your intelligence here but orange trees grow oranges, and lemon trees grow lemons and grape vines grow grapes, right?  It is by their fruit that you know them.

Jesus said the same of us, “It is by our fruit that we are known?”  What type of fruit is growing on your tree?  To say that you are a Christian and have hatred in your heart, or be joyless, or lack peace, or be unkind, or lack self-control, or show no gentleness is like saying you are an orange tree but on the limb hang lemons or to say you are an apple tree but on the limb hand grapefruits. 

Let’s make sure we are showing the evidence of who we claim to be.  Dare to go out on a limb!

Pastor Rick

Which Do You Choose?

1 John 2: 9: "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them." 

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench.  At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.

When the child saw his father . . . with painful eyes he asked, 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?' 

The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.  Devastated by his own actions . . . sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'. The next day that man committed suicide.

Anger and Love have no limits; you can choose which one will control your life.

Things are to be used and people are to be loved, but the problem in today's world is that, people are used and things are loved. Let's be careful to keep this thought in mind: Things are to be used,but people are to be loved.  Can I please say it one more time; "Things are to be used, people are to be loved."

Pastor Rick

Gold and Silver!

"How much better to get wisdom than gold, and understanding than silver."  Proverbs 16:16

There is a lot of talk these days about gold and silver.  You have people clamoring for it, hording it, and negotiating for it.  Its prices are volatile and it rises and falls on a daily basis.  But the Bible tells us that there is something that we should be more desirous of than gold and silver and that is wisdom and understanding.  How much better off would this world be if it clamored for wisdom, how much better off would a person be if they horded understanding.    Which of the two will help you have a better marriage, gold or wisdom?  Which will make you a better parent, a better spouse, or a better friend, silver or understanding?  You know the answer to those two questions don’t you, yet which one are you seeking the most? 

Pastor Rick

Loving Deeply From the Heart

1 Peter 1: ²² “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. ²³ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

The New Testament is filled with scripture after scripture telling us to love one another, build up one another, care for one another, encourage one another, forgive one another, and here Peter gives us the greatest scripture of all, “love one another deeply, from the heart.”

Oh how we long to be loved, it is man’s deepest desire. Each one of us longs to be loved unconditionally and to be accepted for who we are. The church should be a sanctuary of love a place where we find people who look beyond our faults and see our needs…a place where we can rejoice in our Savior Jesus Christ, apart from personal preference or having a “me” mindset.

When we love ourselves more that we love others, it becomes very apparent as it has to be about me…my wants…my desires…my likes and dislikes.  But, when we love others deeply from the heart, it becomes about them…what they need…what they like…and their desires.

Oh God, please let us love with action and not with words.  I want to love like that… I want to love others deeply from my heart.

Pastor Rick

Rejoice in Your Trials

1 Peter 1:6-7: 6 “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 

There is a lesson to be learned in our griefs and trials.  I think we get so busy ranting and raving about our trial and the grief (at least I know that I do) that it causes me to look inward instead of upward. I don't stop complaining long enough to see the good in every situation.  Of course, sometimes there may be nothing good at all in our current circumstance, but God can cause good to come out of it if we patiently wait on Him.

I know that is a scary thought, asking God for patience, because patience only comes through fiery trials, but the end result is far better and truthfully, where does all the ranting and raving get us anyway.  Exactly....nowhere!

Pastor Rick

Good Friday

Isaiah 53: "But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed."
Today is Good Friday.  The day that Jesus was crucified! When I think about it I have mixed emotions, emotions of both joy and sadness.  Joy because God loved me so much that He was willing to send His son Jesus to this world to be a living example for me as well as a living sacrifice.  Isaiah says "He bore my sins..."   In other words, I was on that cross with Him 2,000 years ago. 

That is the sad part to this equation.  When they raised Him to the heavens, they raised me with him.  All of my sins and failure were there.  That He had to die is bad enough but that He had to die because of me, well that's a lot to think about and a lot to take in.  So what is my response to that?  It is to give Him all I have in total gratitude for all that He did for me.  I should have died on that Cross...wait a minute, I did, I died to myself.

Pastor Rick

Family Day!

James 4:14 - "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
I have had the great privilege of hanging out with my two grandchildren the past 4 days.  I always have a great time with them.  Drew will be 11 in about 20 days and Carlee is now 8.  Sandy and I have been vacationing every summer with them every year since they were small children.  As a matter fact, Carlee was 3 and Drew was 6 when we spent our first week with them.  Over the past few days we have been recalling all the things we have done together and all the places we have visited.  We are taking them to Pinetop and Bison Ranch Arizona in June for 10 days.  I can't wait!  We spent some time on the computer yesterday looking at pictures of the area and getting excited about our upcoming trip.

Life is short.  James says it is a "vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes."  You and I rush headlong from birth to death without giving much thought for the little moments in life.  Let's you and I make the most of every moment.  Let's determine not to move so fast through life that we forget to make the memories that will last a lifetime.  I was amazed at how much my grandchildren remember from out first vacation together and as I said they were only 3 and 6, but they remember every detail in vivid color.  No one will be able to take that away from them and I am glad.

Pastor Rick