God Helps

There is an old phrase that goes like this, “God helps those who help themselves.” This phrase is not found in the Bible. Anywhere. Not in one book or verse.

Most believe this phrase was first written in Aesop’s fable, Hercules and the Waggoneer, where the moral of the story was, “the gods help those who help themselves.” In the 17^th century, Algernon Sidney, an English political theorist, quoted the version we say today. 

It’s been said so much, many people believe that it really is in the bible, but if we think about that line, we should see that it goes against scripture. 

First, God is faithful even we are not faithful to him. 2 Timothy 2:13 says “if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for He cannot deny Himself.” God is honest and whatever He says will happen, will happen. So if we reject Christ, He is faithful to carry out what he says will happen. Remember, there is always a response when God’s word has been read or heard.

Second, we should be fully reliant on God. For everything. According to scripture we should cast every anxiety on Him (1 Peter 5:7), trust Him with all of our heart (Proverbs 3:5), know He will fight for us (Exodus 14:14), supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19) and provide a way to eternal life (John 3:16). 

And then there is the fact that we are taught, though scripture, not to be selfish, but to help others. 

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” – Hebrews 13:16

Being selfish is not an option in the life of a Christian. Watching out for others, helping others, that is one of our missions in life. John writes in 1 John 3:17, “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?” 

If we abide in God, nothing is ours. We recognize that God provides us with all things. Therefore our “stuff” will sometimes benefit others. That requires us to have an open mind to see those who are hurting around us and having the passion to help in any way possible. 

You can help others by donating items to our Brighter Days Basket campaign, which helps women coming out of the battered women’s shelter, fill a baby bottle with change to benefit Aspire Women’s Center, or bring gently used clothing to benefit members of our community.

Let us not try to help ourselves, but to help others. 

See you Sunday!

Pastor Glen

Be the Light in a Dark World

Recently, Joe Don Baker passed away. Some of you may remember Baker who was an actor and starred in films like “Cool Hand Luke”, “Tomorrow Never Dies” and lots of other movies. I know him because of a movie he made in 1973, a favorite of my parents that I watched every time it was on TV .

The movie was called “Walking Tall”, based on the real life sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, Buford Pusser. Pusser, played by Baker in the movie, was a former wrestler turned lawman, who used a large hickory club to enforce the law in his county. In the movie, the Pusser character frequently destroys property and injures the bad guys while cleaning up the corruption.
Pastor

Sometimes, as believers, we probably have our moments where we wish we had those hickory clubs so we
could clean up the world. It gets frustrating for us to see the dark path the world is heading and where it is
leading others. In those moments we want to be like Jesus in the temple, run the money changers out so the light of God can be seen and heard, while waving this big hickory clubs.

But that’s not our jobs. The temple no longer exists. The temple is us, where God, Christ and the Holy Spirit reside. That’s what Paul is telling us in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?”

We don’t walk around with large pieces of wood to knock someone on the head, but we do walk around with the word of God, which the writer of Hebrews 4:12 says is better than a bat, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The only way to clean up the world is to clean the dark hearts that exist out there and the only way to do
that, is to share Jesus Christ. Again, Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” When we turn our eyes to Jesus we are changed and that change first takes place in the heart. The heart is the reflection of who we really are.

I am often reminded, that before we can change hearts, we have to make sure ours are changed. Once it is
changed, we have to daily go to God and ask for protection, so our hearts don’t turn back to the old way of
life. Be changed, then seek to change others.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Glen

What is the Right Proportional Response to God?

Anyone who knows me knows that ‘The West Wing’ is one of my favorite TV shows. I think it gives a solid look at politics in Washington. In one episode, the President must decide a proportional response to an American military aircraft being shot down. He wrestles with the idea if what has been proposed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff is enough or if it should be more.

This is something we should all wrestle with when it comes to our relationship with God. What is my proportional response to God, His love, His grace, His mercy, His provision, etc.?

I try live by the scripture from 1 Samuel 12:24 “Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”

When I think about all the things God has done for me, I am in awe of Him. God gave me life, God gave me eternal life through the sacrifice of His son on the cross, God gave me Mindy, He gave me my kids, He gave me the opportunity to serve, He gave me a second chance at life, He gave me a grandchild, and I could go on and on and on. God has done everything for me. Knowing that then, I must decide what is the right proportional response to all He has done. 

First, I only fear God. As we serve God in our lives, there will be times that we have a fear of how people will respond to us. Either because of our actions or words that are driven by our faith. But I am not to fear those things, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” – Psalm 118:6

Second, I am to serve Him faithfully. One of the definitions of faithfully is “in a manner that is true to the facts or the original.” What does scripture say about God’s faithfulness? 2 Timothy 2:13 says “If we are faithless, He remains faithful – for He cannot deny Himself.” Just like love, faithfulness is who He is, He cannot be anything but faithful. Therefore, it must be who we are too. 

When we see the phrase, “with all your heart”, like we see in that verse in 1 Samuel, it’s not talking about your organ. It’s talking about your inner being. Serving Him with such faith that people see, it’s just who you are. 

Can people say that about you? Are you serving Him with the right proportional response? If not, what changes can you make in your life to serve God for the betterment of the kingdom?

See you Sunday,

Pastor Glen

Have No Fear, God is Here

Our congregation has been facing a lot of challenges lately. From injuries to illnesses and losing loved ones, we’ve been feeling, what feels like, tough times. But as we know, these things happen in waves. Just like life itself, somedays, weeks and even months, are better than others.

Because we are human, we tend to look to put a negative spin on these moments. We start to fear or have anxiety about what is or could happen next. This is not the way God wants us to live. 

Have you ever wondered what was going through Moses or Joshua’s minds when bad things were happening? Or when the Israelites were anything but faithful to God. They were continually going to bat for the nation, either by encouraging them to be obedient or pleading to God not to destroy them.

When God transferred responsibility over to Joshua, he reminds him not worry. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

It’s so easy for us to forget that God is with us. When we face times of sorrow or strife, times of anxiety and pain or time of uncertainty, we often feel we are facing them alone. We may look around us and see no one sanding by our side. 

But God is by our side. Not only by our side, but in front of us. Leading, protecting, guiding us along. When the Israelites left Egypt, God didn’t say, “see you guys when you get to the promise land.” No, he was there, guiding them in the day and night. Guarding them as they made the trip. Even when they were disobedient, God was still leading the way.

While we forget that He is there, we also forget what God is capable of doing. As if creating all things wasn’t enough, does God really need to do something else to prove He can do anything? Paul was pretty clear, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13

If there was anyone who knew and understood the capabilities of God, it was Paul. Who went from persecutor to persecuted and never let up. He fought for the cause of Christ with more passion and zeal than his fight to destroy it. He saw how God saved him and protected him throughout his ministry. Especially in those moments when all hope seemed lost.

So have no fear, God is with you through every moment of your life. Lean not on your own understanding, but lean on Him who is faithful and true.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Glen

Be Encouraging with More Positivity

Do you know what word babies tend to learn before any other? The word no. By nine to eleven months old, babies learn or at least understand no means stop. Babies hear “no” several times a day. Some scientists believe it could be as much as 400 times a day. 

They also understand the need to stop by hearing the tone in peoples voices. Babies are sensitive to the rhythm, pitch and intonation of speech, which makes up a persons tone. Babies will often times respond to the tone of someone’s voice more so than the word that was used.

We learn negativity at a pretty young age and it continues to ring in our heads through adulthood. Research suggests that 75% of our daily thoughts are negative and 95% are repetitive. That means our brain tends to work against us.

We need to be more positive, especially with each other. We receive enough negativity in this world. We don’t need our fellow believers to add on to the negativity we are already receiving from the world or from our own brains. If anything, we need to be helping each other by giving more public praise.

I want you to read how Paul opens his letter to Philemon; 4 “I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.” – Philemon 1:4-7

Wow! Can you imagine being Philemon and getting this letter from Paul? What encouragement Philemon must have felt as he opened up the letter and mfound this at the beginning. Unfortunately, no one talks or writes like this anymore.

When we see our fellow brother or sister, our first words after hello aremkalmost always, “how are you?” Why not shake it up a bit? Let people know what they mean to you, your class, your church, your deacons, your whatever. Let us be more like Paul and lead with kind gestures. More positive, less negative.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Glen