Seeking Out The Good of Others-9/12/11

Good Morning,

Well I only posted twice last week but the week I made my commitment to post three times a week I actually posted four so my average is intact. Last night I preached a sermon on seeking out the good of others over your own needs, I won’t put the whole thing up but I will give you the gist of it.

When the school year began a few weeks ago I decided I wanted to do something to help our teens get through their day with an encouraging message. I decided that three times a week I would send a text message to the teens with an encouraging thought to help them get through the day. Parents you can be so proud of all your teenagers, they have all responded well to receiving these text messages and have been grateful for them. One of the scriptures I shared with the teens recently was 1 Corinthians 10:24 which says…

24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others-1 Corinthians 10:24

I really love this passage but it has been eating at me because I haven’t really been doing the best job of seeking out good for others lately. Here are three ways that I believe might be able to help us help other people.

1. Become active in your community-Acts 2:46-47

The early church was always extremely active in their community and they were blessed for it. If you don’t believe me just look.

Acts 2:46-47

46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

2. Care For Widows and Orphans-James 1:27

Another way we can seek out the good of others is to be aware that there are people in our world who are not as fortunate as we are. There are children out there who don’t have mothers and fathers, there are women out there whose husbands have died and they have no one to take care of them. As God’s people we have the opportunity to look after these people and help them live a better life.

James 1:27

27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

3. We Seek Out Those With Sin in Their Lives and Minister To Them-Luke 19:1-10

Probably the best thing we can do to meet the needs of someone else is to find people living in sin and minister to them. I think we hear this one and agree with it and then we just kind of forget about it. All of the community awareness and taking care of widows cannot take care of the sin problem in the lives of people. In order to help people with their sin problem then we must become involved in their lives just like Jesus did in Luke 19.

Luke 19:1-10

1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

It would have been so easy for Jesus to dismiss this sinful tax collector, some probably thought that he should have made an example of him to the people there, but that was not Jesus’ way. Instead Jesus went to the man’s house and that impacted him so much that he changed his ways. Imagine what would happen if showed Jesus to the people you are around on a daily basis through your example and through his word? Not every case would be a Zacchaeus but I believe if you shared Jesus enough times with enough people that you would eventually find someone to respond to the Gospel message.

Think about how you can help someone today. You hace all helped me and blessed me by being my friends.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Back To School

Good Morning Everyone,

Today is that day that you always dreaded as child, the first day back to school. For me this day was always a pretty dreadful experience. I loved summers growing up in Texas. Whether it was going to church camp, area wide devotionals, or spending time on the family cattle ranch I loved every aspect of summer. The first day of school always loomed like a dark cloud on the horizon of my life. The first day of school meant getting up early and not staying up late hanging out with my friends, it meant that I had homework, it meant I had to take tests and it also meant my spirituality was going to be challenged.

The last aspect of my spirituality being challenged was one that I was always aware of, but now that I look back I realize that more often than not I failed. I listened to and told jokes that I shouldn't have been a part of, I gossiped, I made fun of people and in general didn't give much regard to my spiritual appearance. I think it is this part of my spiritual journey that lead me to ministry, specifically, youth ministry.

In my works with teens I see that not really much has changed in schools. Our youth group summers are great! Every Monday night we have a big group of kids that make it out to the area wides, our camps and Bible classes are well attended and the overall spiritual health of the teens is great. Then the first day of school roles around and my teenagers, my babies, are thrown back into a world that could care less about spirituality. So today I want to leave all of you with a few scriptures to help you and help your teens live a spiritual life in an unspiritual world.

1 Corinthians 15:33
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

1 Peter 5:8
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Deuteronomy 31:6
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God's will help you and your teenagers navigate the unspiritual world of Junior High and High School. As always I offer myself as a resource. I hope I have blessed all of you today as much as all of you have blessed me.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Are We There Yet?

Good Morning Everyone,

If you grew up in a family like mine then that means most summers you took some kind of vacation. Whether it was going to Palestine to attend the world famous Crockett Road Church of Christ VBS, or headed up to Nashville so Mom could finish her education, or touring Major League ballparks we usually managed to get away for a little while each summer. The one common theme on whatever trip it was we were on was the question, usually from me, "Are we there yet?".

Yesterday I went to Angleton to attend a monthly minister's meeting and luncheon. I was driving April's car because I was low on gas and my car was sitting at the Church building. As I was driving the forty or so miles to Angleton is occurred to me that exactly a year ago that I was driving April's car on our trip from California to Texas(I'm pretty sure I asked if we were there yet a few times). It then occurred to me that this is the first time in the past two years that April and I have not been moving to one place or another.

I am proud to say that Pearland is home. We have a wonderful church family here, the working environment for April and for me are great, and we have made ,and in some cases, renewed some wonderful lifelong friendships. As I was contemplating all of these things a scripture became very real to me.

James 4:13-16
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 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. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

Life is indeed precious and we definitely not in control. We like to fool ourselves into thinking we are in charge but when all is said and done God is in charge. Sometimes we need reminders of that fact ,and when we do, God is good to give them to us, we simply need to listen. To all of you who have made our first year in Pearland the best year we have had I want to thank you. You took two people who were scarred and broken and helped us to become whole again. Today I want to leave you with the words to a song that speaks to this and will help you to keep walking with the Lord.

If You Say Go

If you say go we will go
If you say wait we will wait
If you say step out on the water and they say it can’t be done
We’ll fix our eyes on you and we will come

Your ways are higher than our ways
And the plans that You have laid are good and true
If You call us to the fire You will not withdraw Your hand
We’ll gaze into the flames and look for You

My prayer today is that we will understand that God's ways are higher than ours and that his plan is the perfect thing for all of us imperfect people. I hope you are blessed today.

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

What Makes You Cranky?

Good Morning Everybody,

Yesterday I took 11 of our golden-agers into the Texas hill country to take a look at the state flower of Texas the Bluebonnet. We enjoyed the beauty that is God's creation and the fellowship amongst old and young. As part of our excursion we took advantage of being close to Brenham and went to the Blue Bell ice cream factory where we all enjoyed our favorite flavors of ice cream. It is at the Blue Bell factory where I saw the shirt pictured above. It never ceases to amaze me how God can use things like t-shirts to give me ideas of things to write and to teach.

Most of you know my primary ministry is working with teenagers. Any of you who have ever worked with teenagers or had teenagers of your own understand what being cranky is all about. It seems that throughout the teenager years that the slightest thing can make them cranky. What is interesting is that we all have our moments of being cranky even as adults. It was as I was reading this shirt that I began to wonder what God thinks about us being cranky.

Philippians 4:12
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

You may read this passage and say that Paul never mentions the word cranky. I would have to agree with you if that is your assessment of the situation. What you do have to admit is that Paul does use the word content. I would propose to you that content is the exact opposite of cranky. If anyone had the right to be cranky it was the Apostle Paul. Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, wrongfully imprisoned and despised by many. In this passage Paul describes almost every aspect of life, both good and bad, and yet he still is able to be content.

As we come to a close I would ask you to think about what makes you cranky. I want you to consider you last experience with becoming cranky and try to decide for yourself how you could have remained content. I hope that we can all learn from our cranky moments and use what we learn so we do not repeat them.

Be Strong and Courageous,
Paul

p.s. I did purchase this shirt and plan on wearing it but don't read into it too much.