Where Did The Time Go?

Psalm 39:4-5; Psalm 102:25-27; Hebrews 1:10-12; Hebrews 7:23-25; Revelation 1:17-18

When we are young we tend to pay very little attention to eternal matters. We think that our time is unlimited. We tell ourselves that we can take care of those things later. But as each year passes, our prospective changes more and more. 

In 1 Peter 1:24, Peter quotes from Isaiah 40, “All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off...Sounds kind of depressing if you ask me... until you read a little further. Verse 25 says But the word of the Lord endures forever.” And he goes on to say... And this Word is the good news that was preached to you.

So just what is this good news that Peter is speaking of? We can back up a couple of verses and get a good glimpse of it...1 Peter 1:18–19 says "knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ."

My friend, those who have trusted in Christ Jesus as savior have been restored to a right relationship with God. Our sins have been paid for IN FULL! We have been made sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26). Jesus says in John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. 

Thank God for the good news! If you have put off making a decision to follow Christ, thinking that you can take care of those things later, take heed of the wisdom in God's Word - The Good News! As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION.” Why not make Jesus the Lord of your life, and let the Good News of the Gospel transform your life... today!

Isaiah 51:6 (NASB) “Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane.

Pastor Mike Deese

Be Right Back

Matthew 16:27; Matthew 24-25; Luke 12:35-40; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; Hebrews 9:28; John 14:3

I'm going to bet that I am not the only parent that has left the house with one or more of my children at home alone and told them I would be back in a little bit, not really wanting them to know how long I was planning to be gone, thinking that if they were expecting me at any time they might stay out of trouble. Bosses do the same at work, to keep their employees on their toes. A fifth grade teacher never leaves her classroom full of students without someone in charge or leaving the impression that she will only be stepping out for a few seconds.

In Matthew 23, Jesus prepares His disciples about His soon departure, the end times, and His return. In the next chapter He tells them to be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:42) He then speaks to them in parables that would be a reminder to be ever ready and watchful, eagerly anticipating His return at any given moment. Even as they watched intently into the sky as He was being lifted up into the clouds in the first chapter of Acts, they were reminded that He would return in just the same manner. It would be the last time that they would see Him this side of Heaven, but they certainly didn't know that. They were not meant to. 

It's obvious that the writers of the New Testament believed that Jesus' return could have been during their lifetime, even expecting that to be the case. They worked desperately to reach as many as they could for the cause of the gospel. The same should be true of us. We should be ever ready and watchful, keeping the thought of His return fresh in our minds. We should treat each day as if it were our last. We should be making disciples as if there were no tomorrow... because that just might be the case. Are you ready for His return? It just might be today!

2 Peter 3:10–12a (NASB) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.

Pastor Mike Deese

Letters of Commendation

2 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 4:6-7; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 13:20-21

Most of us have either received or written a letter of recommendation for a job or school application. Maybe you've had to have one for a mission trip or some type of event that you attended or assisted in. They usually contain things like work ethic or academic performance, reliability and responsibility, ability to work with others, personal character, etc.

Common practice in the first century, letters of recommendation were carried by the opponents of the Apostle Paul as an effort to offer credibility, despite their incredible falsehood. Paul also followed this practice, as shown in Romans 16:1-2 commending Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchrea, and in 2 Corinthians 8:22-24, commending Titus and a couple of other brothers he calls messengers of the churches. But in 2 Corinthians 3, Paul argues that he doesn't need a letter of commendation to or from the Corinthians, stating You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; (v.2) He then goes on to remind them that they were a letter of Christ... written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (v.3) 

No greater letter of recommendation exists than that of our creator. And best of all, as Paul points out in verse 5, our adequacy comes from God Himself. Our letter of recommendation is based on His performance, reliability and character, and not that of our own. Paul's confidence was founded not on human sources but on God's. His confidence in the Corinthians was based on the Holy Spirit working through them. 

Let us be mindful as we go about our daily business that we are a letter of commendation from Christ. This lost world is looking for the answer and, if you are born again, the very answer they need lives inside of you. Will you let His character shine through you today?

2 Corinthians 3:2–3 (NASB) You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Pastor Mike Deese

Listening For The Cues

Psalm 81:8; Proverbs 8:32-34; Matthew 7:24; Luke 11:28; Romans 10:17; James 1:22; Revelation 3:20

I have an app on my phone that I use when I go running. It keeps my stats and will give me cues while I run. I can set it to call out my distance, time, average pace, current pace, split pace (since last cue), etc. 

Sometimes when my mind goes wandering, I miss my cue. I catch myself thinking "I just missed what she said." If I am trying to beat my best time or just trying to keep a certain pace, it really helps me to hear those cues. I don't like it when I miss them.

We also get cues from our GPS devices or apps. Turn by turn cues keep us on the right path to our destination. But again, if we are busy talking or in deep thought we can miss those cues... and the correct turn.

I wonder how many cues we miss from God? The times that He wants to whisper a word He knows that we need or action He wants us to take? Maybe a rebuke, or warning. I think we would all agree that we would fare much better if we were attentive to His every cue. 

In Jeremiah 7:23, the Lord, speaking to Israel of their fathers said “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ 

God knows and wants what is best for us. He longs to have a relationship with us. He wants to converse with us and have us respond. Just like in any relationship, it is only worth what you put into it. Are we listening to the voice of our Father or are we too busy to hear from Him? He wants to speak to you today. Will you be listening?

John 10:27 (NASB) “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

Pastor Mike Deese

Once Upon A Time

Isaiah 43:18-19; Ezekiel 36:26; Hebrews 8:13; Revelation 21:5

We all love second chances. How many times have you needed a new beginning or fresh start? You just wanted to wipe the slate clean and needed a chance to start all over. Maybe you would like to reset your life story back to once upon a time. 

A new year can give us renewed hope as a time for starting over. Of course there is nothing magical about January 1 that takes all of your bad habits or actions and does away with them. But we can have a sense of renewal when the calendar resets to day 1 of 365. It's a good time to set some new goals, or to fix things that we may not like about ourselves.

In reality, there is only one way to truly wipe the slate clean with a genuine, legitimate, and absolute new beginning. It is through the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for you on the cross. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. God truly does make all things new. He doesn't just overlook your sin when you come into a relationship with Him. He paid for it. He gave His life so that you could live.

If you have not given your life to Christ and know Him as your savior, I pray that as this new year begins you will not hesitate to accept His offer, the greatest gift ever given to mankind. This is your chance at the greatest once upon a time you could ever live out... for all eternity.

Ephesians 4:22–24 (NASB) that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Pastor Mike Deese