Believe And Be Baptized - Mark 16:16

Today's message might be a hard one for some of you, but I would just ask that you be open to the Holy Spirit's leading and let God's word speak truth to you (John 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth").

On a personal note, this last week has been a long and tiring one for the Rudys.  Jake has been sick most of the week, I have had 5th grade basketball tryouts/draft all week, and Kay has been running around supporting us just as she always does (and she helped organized running a concession stand at the high school football game Friday night).  And then Saturday, our day of rest, was full from 9am - 9pm with school responsibilities and another church function that had all 3 of us on our feet for 6 hours.  So Sunday morning, Kay took Jake to the doctor, and I decided to watch our church service online.  I praise God for how he is using technology in positive ways, as I was really touched by the time the service ended and I just knew God was calling me to write a devotion on this topic.

The sermon yesterday was titled "Obey Today".  In the previous week's sermon, we read in Genesis 16 how we need to heed the Lord's timing and sometimes continue to "Wait on the Lord".  Well this week in Chapter 17, it is all about action. This week's message was that "delayed obedience is actually disobedience".  The main points of the sermon were to Obey Today: 1) No matter how long it takes 2) no matter how hard it is 3) no matter how crazy it sounds.  And one of the examples the pastor used was baptism.  Every example of baptism in the New Testament has these 2 characteristics: 1) It was a believer being baptized 2) the baptism was done that same day the believer confessed his faith.  Some examples of these baptisms are in: Acts 8:36; 9:17; 10:44,49; 16:14-5; 16:32.  I won't go in to these examples, but please read for yourself from God's word and let His Truth wash over you.

For a demonstration of what Believer Baptism looks like, I have two videos for you.  The first is from this week's service - the one I mentioned above.  Go straight to the 1:10:45 mark in the following link (the baptisms only last about 3 1/2 minutes):   http://livestream.com/PurcellvilleBaptistChurch/events/4423093/videos/102258855

And the second, hits a lot closer to home for most of us.  The clip below is from last Sunday where our own Jake was baptized.  Jake had been baptized with the rest of our family in our backyard pool many years ago when he was quite young.  He had confessed and professed his faith at the time, but over the last year or so, Jake has really made his faith his own and recommitted himself to the Lord.  And as an act of obedience to God and as a way to publicly demonstrate his faith, Jake got baptized again in front of the church and his whole family (the girls were home) last Sunday.  It was a powerful sight to see and I am so proud of my son and the man of God that he is becoming. 

http://livestream.com/PurcellvilleBaptistChurch/events/4409558/videos/101691836 (Jake is at 1:13:00; you can also hear Hannah lead a couple of worship songs at 3:20 and 10:10)

Now let me be clear about what believer baptism is and is not.  Believer baptism is a testimony of our faith and a public declaration that we believe in and follow Jesus Christ.  Baptism is NOT a requirement for salvation, as is clear in many scripture references such as Ephesians 2:8-9 and John 5:24.  So, I challenge you to read all the scripture references in this devotion and let God speak to you through his word.  Don't ever take my (and any other fallible human's) words as "gospel truth", but test what you hear against scripture just as Paul commended the Bereans for doing so (Acts 17:11).  And finally our God is a patient and loving God, and it is never too late while we are still in this world, to be obedient to His will for our lives.  So read, meditate, and pray about baptism, and then be bold for Christ and take action! 

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

How Many Times Am I Expected To Forgive Someone - Matthew ‬ 18:21-35

Matthew‬ ‭18:21-35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

"Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.""
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Another week another parable...and today's parable is a tough one for many of us.  This passage in Matthew is often called The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.  Jesus tells the story of a certain king who wanted to settle the outstanding debts that were owed him.  This king had great compassion on a debtor of his though and forgave him all his debts.  But then this debtor then turned around and had no compassion on someone who owed him a much smaller sum!

Jesus tells us that this parable is representative of the Kingdom of Heaven.  The king, Our Heavenly King, has forgiven all the debt we have built up throughout our lives.  I don't know about you, but I have a huge pile of sin debt that has accumulated over the last 50 years and there is no human way that I could ever pay it off.  Fortunately for you and I, our eternal all-knowing God has structured the perfect debt repayment plan for us.  God in his wisdom and providence provisioned for the repayment of our debts through the ultimate sacrifice of his one and only son on the cross at Calvary.  Praise God for this undeserved act of grace and mercy!

Now given the tremendous debt that we have been forgiven by our heavenly father, how small in comparison are the debts and grievances that we stubbornly hold against our brothers and sisters?  How can we hold these petty debts, when our massive debts have been erased by a loving God? And God in His wisdom cares not only about our eternal well-being but he also cares about our temporal lives on earth.  Many studies (eg Mayo Clinic) have shown that unforgiveness or carrying a grudge causes stress, anxiety and depression.  We need to heed God's call for forgiveness so that we improve the health of our lives now and for eternity.  Add if we are truly repentant believers, we will naturally have that spirit of forgiveness in our hearts that God has planted there. 

So think about anyone you may be holding a grudge against or anyone who you have not fully forgiven.  If we are honest, I am sure each of us is holding back forgiveness from someone in our lives.  Get on your knees now and ask God for his forgiveness for your unforgiveness for your brother or sister. Then pray and ask God to grant you now the ability to have that spirit of forgiveness.  And if a relationship still needs to be healed, reach out to that person and offer genuine forgiveness and express your desire for real healing.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Let Your Light Shine so Your Good Works Glorify God - Matthew‬ ‭5:14-16‬

Matthew‬ ‭5:14-16‬ ‭NKJV‬

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

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As I mentioned in my last devotion, God revealed the power of story to me on our trip to Punjab. So as God leads, I am going to periodically share some more devotions based on the stories and parables of Jesus.

Today's message is based on Matthew 5:14-16 where believers are called the light of the world and that we should let our lights shine before men.  The parable here is that the purpose of lighting a lamp is to provide light.  You would never light a lamp and then hide it under a basket, as you want to give light to all in the house!

As Christ-followers, we are called to do the same.  We need to fellowship with and encourage other believers.  And even more importantly, we need to witness to those who have not heard about Christ or who do not have that personal relationship yet.  So, what is stopping you from being a bold witness for Christ?  What is the root of the fear that is holding you back?  I suggest you meditate and pray about that and ask God to help you overcome this obstacle.

And finally, we are called to do good works.  Good works will not save us but good works are the natural outgrowth of a saving faith.  So, do good works and let your light shine through these good works.  But when people recognize these good works, make sure you point them to Christ and give God all the glory!  Yes, it is important for us to meet the physical needs of our brethren, but it is even more important to point people to Christ for their eternal salvation.  Don't get in the way of God's desire to have all men turn to him and be saved.

And for you President Reagan fans, this passage also reminds me of President Reagan's references to a "Shining City Upon a Hill".  This "city upon a hill" originally came from a sermon by Puritan John Winthrop titled "A Model of Christian Charity".  The message is the same that we should be a model of good works for the world, but always giving God the glory.  Here is a short 2 minute clip to hear President Reagan's reference to this city in his farewell speech in 1989.  You gotta love Ronnie...  Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c32G868tor0

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

You Don't Need To Run To God - Luke‬ 15:11- 24‬

Luke‬ ‭15:11-24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

"And he said, "There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate."

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In my previous devotion about my mission trip to Punjab with Faith, I listed a few things that God taught and retaught me through this experience. One of the things he showed me was the power of story. We shared Bible stories in our revival meetings, as well as in the dozens of homes we visited, and these stories were such an effective method of reaching these people with the gospel.

Now I am sure many of us reading this devotion have heard these stories since our childhood and I think we take for granted their message and what it tells us about our God. But we have to remember 2 Tim 3:16 that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness."  We cannot ignore any of scripture, as God has a message for us in every single word.

Well one of the stories that I shared in several homes in Punjab was the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The story is well-known to all of us and clearly displays God's infinite forgiveness.  No matter what we do in this life that may be counter to God's plan, He will always forgive us if we just turn, repent, and ask Him.  But one thing I find so powerful about this parable is that it demonstrates that we do not need to run and chase after God pleading for this forgiveness.  In the parable, when the father first saw the son far off in the distance, he immediately ran and embraced and kissed the son.  The son did not need to crawl back to the father and grovel at his feet for forgiveness.  In fact, the father treated the son like royalty by putting a robe, ring, and shoes on him and killing the fattened calf and throwing a party for him.  This son had just wasted away half of the father's wealth and now he was treating him like a King!  How much greater will the Lord's love for us be, when we repent and turn toward him!

So no matter what you have done, or no matter how far you have drifted away from God, know that if you just turn he will be right there next to you with open arms.  James 4:8 says "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you".  This is a promise with a very simple condition - just turn toward Him.  The price has already been paid - while we were yet sinners, God sent his son to die for us (Romans 5:8).  I pray today that you would meditate on this scripture and that you would feel and truly know this amazing love that God has for us.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

For the Sake of Punjab

It has been quite a while since my last post, but I wanted to share about a mission trip to Punjab, India that I just returned from.  Below is my trip summary that I hope gives you a glimpse of what we encountered in Punjab.  Also included is a link to a trip video produced by the organization (For All Mankind Movement) that sent us.  The music overlay for the video is a worship song called "For the Sake of the World", so I have titled this blog post "For the Sake of Punjab".  To God be the Glory!  

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

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Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing this upon our return from Punjab, India.  Although I could not share with you before-hand which country we were traveling to (because of security reasons), I indeed got the chance to go back to one of my favorite countries in the world.  As I shared with you in my initial letter, Faith was called to go on this mission trip through her church in Lynchburg, and she invited me along also!

Let me first say that this trip has impacted me spiritually like no other event in my life so far.  I could write 10 pages of what happened to us in Punjab, but I want you to actually finish reading this letter.  :)  So, I will summarize our trip and then give examples in each category of what I call my four P's of the Punjab trip: Praying, Preaching, Playing, and People-loving.

Our standard day consisted of: waking around 7am, getting ready, team devotion, playing with village kids before school, breakfast at 9am, home visits all day (including lunch at someone's house), compassion kit "gospel revival" parties from about 7-9pm, dinner at the house of compassion kit party, return home around 11pm, lights out at midnight…lather, rinse, repeat….  ;)     We were physically, mentally, and spiritually drained after every day, but God provided everything we needed exactly when we needed it!

Our team included Faith, me, and a guy "Mike" we met from Lynchburg.  We lived in a 3 room, 1 story, 20x20 feet slab "house" with a "hover" toilet and buckets for a shower.  During our trip, the three of us visited 12 villages, held 4 "gospel revival" meetings for 480 people, had 40 decisions for Christ, conducted 44 in-home visits, and individually prayed over and laid hands on about 400 people.  We had a local pastor (Sonu) and local translator (Baljinder) that accompanied us on all visits.  The key part of this effort is that the local pastor then will follow up in the coming weeks with the people we visited.  The pastors love having us here because it creates an exciting event where they can get many more people to attend.

Now to my four P's of the Punjab trip…

Praying: This trip was all about prayer.  I was impacted in a big way by how much the believers in Punjab wove prayer throughout all their activities.  We arose each day with prayer, when we ate we prayed, when we went to bed we prayed, we even prayed over a glass of water or soda we were given in homes.  We never left a home visit without prayer for the needs of that house and that they would know Jesus. Each evening gospel revival meeting was full of prayer, and at the end of the meeting people would line up for us to pray over them.  My most memorable prayer times were over a man trying to overcome alcohol addiction (Sukhwinder), a man separated from his wife, a very sick man who was bed-ridden, and a man who chased and continually yelled at us to come to his house to pray for his family.

Preaching:  The evening gospel revival meetings (called compassion kit parties) were quite the affair. They lasted up to 2 hours and included singing (with drums), a welcoming from our pastor and then speeches from the 3 "Americans".  One of us would give our personal testimony, one would share a Bible story of how Jesus changed a person's life, and the final person would share the gospel story and explain how they can accept Jesus and have their lives changed too!  Then our pastor would wrap up and summarize the messages, give an invitation, and close in prayer.  Then the lines of people with prayer requests would form.  It was a physically and emotionally tiring end of the day, but so amazingly uplifting at the same time!

Playing: The Punjabi people are such a welcoming and fun-loving people.  We sang with kids, played marbles in the dirt, played kickball, and even played a video game (it was literally about 30 year old technology).  Our five-person team also bonded tightly and we joked with each other throughout the week.  The warmness and servant nature of everyone there gave us the energy to keep going when our tanks were running empty.

People-loving:  An important part of our mission was just to love on people wherever they were.  We got to know many people in our host home village, especially the little children who would come around before school.  Faith made a big impact on the kids who showed their love through hugs and pictures and notes they made for her.  On the first day, we met a small girl around 4-5 years old that was screaming at the top of her lungs scared to death of Faith's white skin.  She had never seen a white-skinned person before and she thought Faith was made of cotton (did not think she was human).  But by the second day through the power of God's love shown through us, they were snuggling and hugging for pictures.  We also showed love to the homes we visited by our questions about their lives and always thanking them for their hospitality.  And we tried to love on our local pastor and translator through our words, actions, and gifts.  We have even kept in contact with them to encourage and pray for them through Facebook and WhatsApp (a texting app)!  Technology being used for good!    

As I mentioned above, this trip had a huge impact on my faith walk.  God taught me so many things each day, but here are a few key things I learned and re-learned (and how I will apply them):

• Prayer is powerful:  Don't limit my prayers.  I need to pray for people's needs regardless of whether my human mind believes God can answer them. When I see a prayer need now, I am going to pray over that person right there, and not just put them on my prayer list.
• We are to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ: The Punjabi people were always taking care of and serving us.  By the end of the trip, this servant nature was rubbing off on me.  I need to find ways to cultivate and apply this spirit of serving at home and in my community.
• Story can be an effective tool in any culture:  I really enjoyed telling Bible stories to the Punjabi people and God may have given me a gifting and desire for story-telling.  I am going to read over the gospels and memorize parables and other stories of Jesus' ministry.  I will share those stories with my friends and other people I meet in the US.
• Through Christ's strength, we can handle anything:  Even after just one day, we found ourselves very comfortable without western "necessities", and more confident in an environment where we were being stretched mentally and spiritually.  I think comforts and entertainment distractions keep us from seeking God.  I will try to organize a mission trip with other family members.  I will also consider what God wants me to do after my current income needs decrease (4-5 years).
• Memorized scripture means you always have a Bible in hand: I will continue to expand my memorization of verses that I can use to encourage fellow believers and share the gospel with non-believers.  "The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword."  (Hebrews 4:12) 

I cannot thank each and every one of you enough for your financial and prayerful support.  We felt completely bathed in prayer and that is what helped to sustain and encourage us through the long days.  Both Faith and I have grown so much from this trip and we are committed to living changed lives back here at home also.  Check out my pictures and videos at the Flickr link below and let me know what you think of our experience!   https://www.flickr.com/photos/therudys/sets/72157651320439906/

Also here is a link to a video of our trip produced by the organization (For All Mankind Movement) that organized the trip.  You will find both Faith and me in here a few times.  https://vimeo.com/123464519

Finally, I would challenge each of you to consider the words of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 9:37-38 "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."  There are many to be reached around the world and even right here at home.  I urge you to seek and pray that God will convict and direct you to your mission field.   But whatever you do, remember to give God all the glory.  We are all just instruments in the hands of the Master Builder.

Again thanks everyone and blessings to you all,

Kevin Rudy   

Think About These Things - Philippians 4:8, 9

Philippians 4:8, 9
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
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I started writing this devotional in India sitting in the Bangalore Airport waiting on a flight to the neighboring state of Kerala. My travels are all-consuming and I pretty much just eat, sleep, and work, so I did not get to finish this until I got back home. But while in India, we did go on a little team-building outing with some of my employees there over the weekend. The attached pictures shows you the houseboat we stayed on and a short canoe trip we took with a local. I really had a great relaxing time with the team and we also formed some good relational bonds over the weekend.

Today's devotional verse is from my daily readings. At this point in Philippians, Paul has been talking about false teachers and the need for unity but here he is wrapping up his letter and wanting to give encouragement to the faithful. In these verses, Paul is simply exhorting them to think about good and righteous things.

Given all the secular messages we see and hear through our work, school, and media, our minds our often full of a lot of garbage that Jesus would not classify as lovely and pure. How do you think this affects our daily decisions? How do you think this affects our relationship with Jesus? I firmly believe that what we see and hear does have an impact out our minds and our actions.

But Paul does not stop with just focusing on our thoughts. He says that we also need to practice these things. So not only do we need to avoid "garbage in", but we need to take the pure things in and actually get off of our sofas and do something with them! And if we practice these these things of the Lord, then he promises to send his peace to dwell in us. I pray that wherever you and I are, we will think about lovely, excellent and honorable things, put these things into practice, and then be blessed with that peace that passes all understanding.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

The Lord Is My Shepherd - Psalms 23

Psalms 23
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever."

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Well I am off to Bangalore, India tomorrow (Tuesday) night. I will arrive in Bangalore early Thursday morning after transiting through Frankfurt Germany. I always love visiting India and my team there, but a little part of me is also hesitant to leave my home and travel to the other side of the world. Additionally while I am there, I need to be "on" the entire time as I meet with and present to the 300-person office. For you fellow introverts, you know this is always a somewhat draining experience (mind you we have learned how to do it well, but it is still draining).

But just like the pilots of the planes I will be traveling on, we have a map of how to get to our "final" destination. And not only do we have a map, but unlike the pilots, we have direct access to the map maker to help explain any problems in our interpretation. As I was meditating the other day, Psalms 23 just popped into my head, and when I read it, a real peace came over me. Read the entire passage above again, and just list out all the promises that God has for us if we just put our trust in him. Here's a quick list of what I came up with: guidance, comfort, solace, confidence, protection, healing, abundance, righteousness, goodness, mercy, and best of all - Eternal Life!

As I travel this week and next, I pray I will remember to put my trust in the Lord and allow him to be my shepherd and to guide me where he will have me go. I pray I will find comfort and solace and confidence knowing that I am within his hedge of protection. I would also pray that wherever you will be this week, that you too would put your complete trust in the One who can protect and guide us through anything on this earth.

Please pray for my travels and if you have time, let me know you are praying for me and if the Lord is speaking to you! Thanks for your encouragement!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

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Check out the performance below by Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney). If you have never been to an African American church, you need to go just for the music alone - let alone the on-fire preaching and free worship!

The Lord Is My Shepherd - Cissy Houston
http://youtu.be/1iql92NWt30

The Heart of Worship is Surrender - Romans 6:13

Romans 6:13
"Give yourselves to God... Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes."

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Chapter 10 of the book Purpose Driven Life is called "The Heart of Worship". It simply states that the heart of worship is surrender. What do you think when you hear the word surrender? Do you say "Never Surrender!" like a wartime battle cry? If winning is everything, why would be surrender?

Well God's word says that unless you empty yourself, and fill yourself with Christ, then you are ultimately defeated. And Romans 12:1 calls us to offer ourselves as a "living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer". C.S. Lewis even says that "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become - because he made us." So if we are going to truly honor and worship our God and follow his will for our lives, then we need to surrender to that will and that plan.

Sometimes, especially in contemporary services, we make worship all about the music. In fact, we even call the music "worship" sometimes. I am sure many of you are already humming the song "Heart of Worship" by Matt Redman. Well Matt Redman's church was known for great worship music. But his pastor observed that many people were getting too hung up on how the music sounded, rather than what the song and lyrics really meant. So the Pastor banned all music for a period so that the people could focus on Christ and just approach the throne and truly worship him. During this time, Matt wrote this song and you can see from the first lines of the song how it impacted him ("When the music fades...and all has slipped away...and I simply come. Longing just to be...something that's of worth...that will bless Your heart.")

In our worship, we need to simply come to Jesus and pray that we will bless his heart. The next time you are in a service and you are singing a praise song or a hymn, stop singing for a minutes or two. Just listen to the words and repeat those words back to God as a prayer. And remember that worship is all about surrendering to our Jesus. As the song chorus says" It's all about you, it's all about you, Jesus".

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

"Heart of Worship" video
http://youtu.be/a1X_ev2OILA

"Heart of Worship" lyrics
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/mattredman/theheartofworship.html

Greed is NOT Good - I Timothy 6:7-10

I Timothy 6:7-10
"For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
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Many of you may remember the 1980s movie "Wall Street". It was a top grossing movie and one of the most famous lines from the movie was "Greed is good" (http://youtu.be/PF_iorX_MAw). I would bet that almost 30 years later, many Americans would still view greed as a good thing. Webster defines greed as "a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (especially money) than is needed. So is greed, in any form, good?

Well, let's see what God's word has to say about greed. Greed is mentioned in our verse today and it draws a direct connection between greed (the love of money), and straying from your faith. It also more pointedly says that the desire to be rich, will cause you to fall into temptation and harmful lusts and lead to destruction. In Luke 11:39, Jesus even exposes the greed of the Pharisees and calls it wicked. Note to reader: You don't ever want to be on the side of the Pharisees in Jesus' parables. ;)

The topic of "your" money is probably one of the sermons topics that many ministers avoid the most (maybe only second to sexual temptation). Since we have already covered sexual temptation and purity in my devotion on Aug 18th, I thought I could jump right into this topic as well! So does the Bible, and Jesus especially, talk about money that much? Well, money is mentioned literally hundreds of times in the Bible (about 1/3 of the parables discuss money, and Jesus talked about money more than heaven and hell combined). If Jesus spent so much time discussing money with his early disciples and followers, don't you think we should give it some of our attention also?

For me, the teachings of Jesus on money come down to this. We need to realize that everything we have on this earth is a blessing from God - it is all His and just on loan to us to steward and use to His Glory! In the Old Testament, the tithe was the standard of giving. But with Jesus, he wants it all! He wants all of our heart and if we have an inflated love of money, then we crowd out the space intended for him to dwell in us. You cannot serve two masters! Who are you going to serve?

At the risk of offending anyone (and we should all be "offensive for Jesus" more often), I ask each of you to honestly evaluate what place money holds in your life. How much of your income are you giving back to God? Are you hung up on whether God wants you to give based on your net income or on your gross income? Do you think that donating your time is a worthy substitute for donating your dollars? Do you keep saying that once you get your finances in order, then you will give more? Do you rationalize lower giving goals because you say the kids or grand-kids need it? Do you think you are too young to give more, or too old? Do you need to save "enough" for retirement first, and then you will give more to God? Do you use the 10% tithe as an ultimate and final goal to give, or do you strive to give even more than the tithe?

Ouch! Some of those questions may have hit home and stung a little for you - I know some did for me! We need to be convicted and stung a bit though sometimes and I know God will use that sore and softened heart to speak directly to you. Study on this topic, meditate on his word, talk to your pastor or spiritual mentor, pray about it. And after fervent prayer, I challenge all of you to step up your giving to your church and other Christian charities. Step out in faith and God will meet you there. I cannot tell you how many times we have increased our giving in faith and he has blessed us both financially and spiritually. So, don't hold back God's blessings, give of yourselves and your money to further his will and his kingdom.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Lord, Help My Unbelief - Mark 9:24

Mark 9:24
"Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!""

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This past weekend, we traveled to Ohio for Faith to tour the University of Akron and to spend time with our families there. It was a great weekend of watching the nephews play football, hanging out with family and also worshiping together on Sunday. Linda asked me to sing at her church and God laid on my heart to sing "Give Me Jesus" by Fernando Ortega. Through our trials this year, God has retaught me that I cannot solve all our problems, and that I need to turn every part of my life over to Jesus. Simply put, Jesus is all we need.

The passage today was one of the scriptures that the Pastor used in his Sermon. His message was on a broader theme, but I as read these verses from Mark again today, I was reminded about how we all struggle with unbelief sometimes. This world we live in bombards us with so much that is against our faith. We are continually told to put our faith and our trust in so many other things. But we know that there is only One that will always come through for us and will always be there for us.

So, why do we let unbelief creep into our lives sometimes? Well first, I don't think we should be too hard on ourselves. The disciples (who literally walked with Jesus) also had unbelief. In Matt 17:14-21 Jesus explains that they could not heal an epileptic boy "because of their unbelief". So, we should not feel less of a Christian if we have bouts of unbelief.  And we should more often share our doubts with other believers and allow God to speak through his body to grow our faith (you can always send me emails or call with any doubts you want to share!).  Ultimately, I do think the primary reason that Satan gets a foothold of unbelief in our lives is because we are not continually hearing God's word and we are not spending enough time in relationship and conversation with Jesus.

So, yes we need to cry out to our Lord and ask for him to help us in our unbelief. But we also need to help ourselves by studying, praying, fasting, fellowshiping with others believers, and communing with our Lord Jesus Christ. I'll close today with a song lyric by Alison Krauss from "A Living Prayer" (full song linked below). In the song, she says "In Your love, I find release, a haven from my unbelief". Remember that Jesus is your haven from anything that will attack you from this world. Seek Him always!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

"A Living Prayer" - Alison Krauss
http://youtu.be/5gmVzbjxwl4

I know nothing but Christ crucified - I Corinthians 2:1-5

I Corinthians 2:1-5
"And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

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Before arriving in Corinth, Paul had been beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, run out of Thessalonica and Berea, and scoffed at in Athens. I imagine he was a bit tired physically and probably even emotionally drained also. But in the first chapter of I Corinthians, he comes right out of the gate praising and thanking God. Here was a man hated, rejected and abused by the world, and yet he was not discouraged from his mission.

In 1 Cor 1:18, Paul wasted no time in pointing directly to the cross when he said "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God". In our passage today from the second chapter, Paul goes on to expand on this theme. He states that he possesses no eloquent speaking abilities, or deep wisdom apart from God. He also says that he was weak, fearful, and even trembling. And Paul continually points us to God as the source of his wisdom and regenerated soul.

And so it is with us. We don't need to be master presenters and speakers to share the word of God and the gospel message with seekers. We just need to talk about how we were lost, and that now we are found in the cross of Christ. I believe that the most effective sermon we can give is our personal testimony. Your testimony highlights your weaknesses (you are not better than the seeker), and at the same time it focused them on the saving and transforming power of the cross. Seekers most often don't need to hear a theology class, they just need to understand and really see the cross.

So, I challenge you to share your testimony from your heart. Just talk about where you have been and where you are now. Talk about how important your faith is and how you would be lost without your relationship with Jesus. And if you bare your soul completely, don't be surprised if you see a receptive heart in the seeker. Then it is time to share the gospel message of Christ crucified on the cross.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Previous Bible Trivia: Both Kay and Sue found the verse (v11) in Ecclesiastes 3 that talks about how God has put eternity in our hearts. And Kay was the only one to identify the 60s song that was based almost solely on Ecclesiastes 3. The song was "Turn, Turn, Turn" written by Pete Seeger and made famous by the Byrds. Great job guys and keep that eternal perspective!

Family Update: We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Ohio this weekend!

Find Your Purpose - Colossians 1:16b

Colossians 1:16b
"Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him."

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It's not about you. It's all about Him.

This past week, Kay and I started rereading "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. As many of you know, we got the chance to attend Pastor Warren's Saddleback Church in the LA area when we were on our family vacation in California last month. After that visit, I was reminded how impactful that book was to my faith life, and I felt led to reread it. I often tell people that The Purpose Driven Life is the 2nd most important book in my faith life, and it is truly that important to me. I also found an inexpensive Kindle version of the book that includes chapter videos from Pastor Warren, and is also updated "for a new generation" as Pastor Warren describes. I will probably share other highlights of the book over the next 40 days as Kay and I make our way through the text.

The book starts off with the question, "What on earth am I here for?" The first section's chapters cover the topics of "You are not an accident", "What drives your life?", "Made to last forever", "Seeing life from God's view", "Life is a temporary assignment", "The reason for everything", and today's topic "It all starts with God".

As with any creation or invention, if you want to know why something was created, you need to go to the creator! In contrast, our culture today is very "me-centered". We are all about what makes me happy, how I can be fulfilled in life, my rights, my things, and so on. Even the thousands of books written to show you a better, more successful, more satisfying and happy life, are very self-centered. But God's word (Matt 16:25 MSG) says "Self-help is no help at all, self-sacrifice is the way." We can have incredible wealth, and be extremely successful in the world's eyes, but still never find and fulfill the purpose that God created you for.

My hope for you is that you will seek out the purpose that God has destined for you. Go to his word and pray that God will reveal his design and purpose for your life. Read "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren (only about $13 in paperback and kindle). Listen to Pastor Warren's complete sermon series on the book here: http://www.purposedriven.com/day1/ . Or seek out a spiritual mentor or talk to your pastor to help guide you. God designed the plan and purpose for your life long before you were even conceived and brought to this earth. And God not only has a plan for your life on earth, but he has "planted eternity in your heart" (Ecclesiastes 3 NLT) and is preparing you to spend it with him in heaven.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Previous Bible Trivia: Both Kay and Hannah found the chapter (Chapter 4) in Proverbs that talks about being careful with your eyes. Great job guys and be careful with your eyes everyone!

Bible Trivia: In the closing paragraph above, I made a reference to God placing the yearning for eternity in our hearts. Read Ecclesiastes 3 and see if you can find the verse where this truth is revealed. As a bonus, tell me the 60s hit song that was based almost solely on Ecclesiastes 3 (You guys who grew up in the 50s and 60s better get this one!)

And a special Happy Birthday today to Scott for being the best brother a guy could ever have!

Protect Your Eyes & Protect Your Heart - Psalms 101:3

Psalms 101:3
"I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar."

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Last Sunday when Jake and I were by ourselves (the girls were at Liberty), we spent a nice day doing chores, reading, eating, and just hanging out. At one point, the conversation turned to browsing the web and I reminded Jake that we need to be careful what we come across on the internet and that we have a monitor on our home network, so be careful. This reminded me of today's psalm that has been an important life verse for me. When the kids were little and we had a family computer in the study, I even printed this verse out and pasted it on the computer monitor.

So today's message might be a little edgy, but it is an important topic both outside and even more importantly inside the church. So many lives have been ruined through missteps on the road to sexual purity. And especially for men, the first wrong turn on that road is usually made with the eyes. I attended a great men's group study many years ago and the book that we studied was called "Every Man's Battle". The key turning point in the book is a chapter called "Victory with your Eyes" and it emphasizes how important it is to keep our eyes from impure things. This is the first step on the way to victory in our minds and ultimately victory in our hearts. If you care about protecting your heart, you need to fortify your first line of defense at your eyes.

I think the problem is especially acute today with our young people because impure things are so easily available through the internet. We have to be constantly on guard for pictures and links popping up that entice us to look at or read things that are off the pathway to purity. Even our pastor has shared in the past that he was addicted to sexual material and only through the grace and strength of Christ was he freed from this bondage. If our greatest leaders who are dedicated to God and in his word every day can fall, how much more careful should we be? We need to be on-guard and avoid temptations and when confronted we need to flee like Joseph with Potiphar's wife!

Psalm 101 is a psalm from David where he is explaining how he will love, serve, and praise the Lord. To worship and fellowship with the Lord, David says he will strive to be blameless and live a life of integrity through: protecting his eyes, not associating with dishonest people, avoiding perverse ideas, not tolerating people who slander/lie/deceive, and seeking out people who are faithful and above reproach.

My prayer for us today is that we would be convicted by this message and God's word and that we would pray that God would give us his strength to overcome. We can only find true victory in and through Jesus. And even if we have fallen badly in the past (just as David did), we can make a fresh start now and be made whole and pure through his cleansing blood. Praise God for his power and forgiveness!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Previous Bible Trivia: I heard from Nancy and my mom that they had read and enjoyed the book - thanks for the replies! And Kay identified the verse and message I was looking for. It was Phil 4:11-13 and key closing message was "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

Bible Trivia: For today's trivia, try to find a Proverb that also talks about the wisdom of being careful with your eyes, so that you will guard your heart. Hint: My NIV Chapter heading is titled "Get Wisdom at Any Cost" and the key verse on the eyes is verse 25. There are only 31 Chapters - happy searching!

Be Thankful In All Circumstances - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

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I just finished reading "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom.  Wow, what an amazing story about an incredible Godly woman in an awful period in our history!  Some of you probably have read this book (tell me if you have read and liked it also), but I will give a brief background to this story.  The short synopsis is that the Ten Boom family lived in Holland during the German occupation during WWII.  They ran a safe house and underground transit operation to protect and shelter Jews who were being rounded up, imprisoned, tortured and killed by the Germans.  Well eventually the Germans uncovered their operation and sent most of the family to a concentration camp.  The conditions there were deplorable and the passage I want to cover today, takes place in one of those concentration camps.

The situation was this...  Corrie and her sister Betsie had just been moved to a new camp in Germany from Holland as the allies were closing in.  The living quarters were extremely crowded and were dirty, dank, and the straw on their beds was infested with biting fleas!!!  Betsy immediately began to pray to God to show them how they could possibly survive in these conditions.  Then she suddenly exclaimed "He has given us the answer in the passage we have just read this morning!"  They had just read today's passage that proclaimed that they ought to give thanks in ALL circumstances for that is God's will for them as believers.  So to the surprise of Corrie, Betsie started giving thanks to God for the biting fleas!  Betsie firmly believed that God had put them in this place so that he could work through them and reach prisoners and guards alike for his kingdom.  

If you have read the book, you already know that they changed thousands of lives for Christ.  In the barracks, Betsie and Corrie held Bible studies with the little Bible they had smuggled in.  And they always wondered why the guards never checked on them in the living quarters.  One day they found out that the reason the guards would not come into the living quarters was because they did not want to be infested with fleas!  So the fleas were protecting the women from the guards and were allowing them to witness to large numbers without harassment.

Sometimes it is hard to imagine what that generation had to endure.  For those of us who grew up post WWII, we can only guess at some of the hardships and burdens that they had to carry.  This story though, really hit home for me.  How many times do we go through tough times and pray to God to take us out of them?  How many times do we call out and feel like we just cannot go on?  Yes, we can and should ask God for deliverance from our trials, but we also need to stay keenly aware of the fact that God has probably put us in this situation to show his love to others and to further his kingdom.

I pray this week that we all will be ever joyful, never stop praying, and be thankful every day no matter what the circumstances.  Sharpen your senses to listen and see how God is going to use you this week!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!  

Family Update: I am back from my travels and my meetings were very successful.  Yesterday, Hannah went back to school, and Kay and Faith drove her there.  Today, Kay and Faith are visiting 2 colleges near Liberty to take tours and see if they are a fit for Faith next year.  Take care everyone!

Bible Trivia Question: (reply to me with your answers and I will give out gold stars in the next devotion. :)  )  In another of Paul's writings, he talks not about being thankful in all circumstances, but being content in all circumstances.  Which verse is this? And what is the important well-known closing message of that passage?

   

Hannah: The Faith to Cry Out - I Samuel 1

I Samuel 1:5, 10, 11, 17, 20, 27, 28

"But to Hannah, Elkanah would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. ... And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." ... Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him." ... So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the Lord." ... For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord." So they worshiped the Lord there."

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The passage today is from the sermon preached in our home church yesterday by our Pastor Janney.  This passage is very special to Kay and me as this was one of the passages we read and prayed over right after "Baby Rudy" was born.  Kay and I had decided that we would not name our first child until we could see her and then meditate over some verses and turn over our first decision about this new life to God.  So for the first 90 minutes of Hannah's life, she was known simply to the hospital staff as "Baby Rudy". The name Hannah means "God's grace or favor" and God sure has given us great grace and favor through her life so far.

The main message this morning was that if we have the faith to cry out to God in all situations, he will hear us and awesome things will happen. The five situations in this passage that Hannah cried out were when she was empty (physically barren and emotionally dry - v1-5), provoked (when she was ridiculed by Peninnah because the Lord has closed her womb - v6-11), judged (Hannah was accused of being drunk - v12-19), torn (Hannah had to give up Samuel to the Lord - v19-28; we also need to give up our children for adoption to the Lord), and blessed (Samuel grew in the Lord and Hannah had 3 more sons and 2 daughters - Chapter 2).

Just like Hannah's example, God wants us to cry out to him for all our needs.  And after Calvary, we now even have direct access to our savior Jesus to talk to. I have learned to cry out to Jesus in many of the situations above, especially as my kids have grown and experienced troubles and rough patches in their lives. I know through first hand experience that if we have the faith to cry out and depend solely on our Lord for deliverance through these times, that he will exceed our requests! I challenge you to cry out to Jesus today for those burdens you are carrying.
 

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!  

"Cry Out To Jesus" - Third Day

http://youtu.be/JmVxRl5bc4Y

Family Update:  The Rudys are still doing well.  I am traveling again on business this week to Dallas, and 3 locations in California.  I will be visiting 4 offices in 3 days so please pray for my safety and energy!  Love you all!