Burns Church of Christ

“If it is the Lord’s will, We will live and do this or that.” James 4:15

Tomorrow may never arrive. Yesterday is gone. We have only the present. This last statement is not absolutely true. We have more than the present. We have God!

It is always good to say “If the Lord is willing.” It reminds us that we are the Lord’s people and He is ours. We are the sheep of His pasture: Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. (Psalm 100:3)

In 1643 the Westminster Assembly met to reform the English church. The assembly was led in prayer by a self-willed cleric whose petition was, “Lord, we beseech Thee that Thou wilt guide us aright, for we are determined.”

Did you notice the last statement, “For we are determined”? Exactly what does this mean? Had he not already made up his mind? Why beseech the Lord when he is already determined? Let’s not be too accusing. There are times when we go to the Lord in prayer and we already know what we are going to do and we just want him to place his stamp of approval on what we have decided. It is a bit like the old boy who prayed “Lord please give me a Christian wife who will help me to live a good Christian life, and please let it be Mary Ellen.”

It would be good for us to back away for a bit and let God work in our minds and hearts. Before we make up our minds about the direction for our lives, we should say, “What is your will O, God”? When we start with our minds already made up we can get ourselves deeper into the mire of our own making. But if we wait on the Lord, He will help us to mount up with the wings of eagles and move ahead in life. (Isaiah 40:31)

We can live and accomplish much tomorrow because God is there but we need to seek His will. If it is the Lord’s will.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Romans 12:3 NIV

How do you think of yourself? Is the way you think about yourself even close to the way God thinks about you? What ideas and concepts are different than the way God looks at you?

Either God knows who you really are or he doesn’t. Playing games with God is useless. It also leaves us vulnerable to the Devil’s schemes. Another part of the above verse is but to think with sober judgment.

We need to experience the reality of who we are. Once we experience this we can move to what God envisions for us. We have all sinned and God knows this.

That’s why He sent His son to bring us back to Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (I John 4:10)

If you think of yourself differently than God thinks, who is mistaken, you or God? Now God looks at us as sinners but never undervalues us. But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6)

If you undervalue yourself and say you are just a bunch of bad DNA, you are not looking at yourself as God looks. You are marvelously and wonderfully made and you should never look at yourself as junk or think that God made you junk.  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knows right well. (Psalm 139:14 KJV)

Photos from our 2008 Sweethearts’ Banquet. It was a wild Western Night! :)

In 1 Samuel 1 there’s a story about a woman who had one more prayer than she had answers. She was her husband’s favorite wife, but her rival taunted her by constantly reminding her of her barrenness.

Had her faith been weaker, her barrenness might have become a stumbling block, but it was not so for Hannah. Instead, she fled towards the presence of God. Like a small child, she made her request over and over again, even while weeping bitterly. Her fervent prayer was so outstanding that the priest Eli observed her and was convinced that she had one too many before coming to the tabernacle that day.

You may know the rest of the story. God intercedes on Hannah’s behalf and grants her a boy, Samuel. (Samuel sounds like the Hebrew phrase heard of God.) Hannah did what she promised and dedicated the boy’s life to the service of God.

Samuel had an amazing “career” as a minister. It got off to a difficult start when he had to rebuke the last great judge, Eli, on account of his worthless sons. He anointed Israel’s first and second kings, and he made a begrudging post-mortem appearance to set the then-apostate Saul straight.

It’s fitting then, to know that even before his birth, he was the subject of intense prayer. Jeremiah’s prophecy had a similar backstory. God told him outright, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

Prayer is powerful. I saw a note the other day that said “Do you want to change your preacher? Pray for him.” Jesus said we should pray for our enemies. He prayed for his disciples, for the church, and even for the city that rejected him. Who are you praying for today?

Life is more than food, clothes, cars, and cash, right?

Jesus thinks so. He once warned a man who was upset about his family’s inheritance to “take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15).  He offered this teaching right before telling a parable about a rich man who hoarded his good and looked forward to a luxurious retirement. Do you remember what Jesus called this man? A fool! (12:20).

Almost every news story I saw this week talked about the economy. Gas is approaching $4 per gallon. Rice and flour are rationed in some stores. Homes are in foreclosure and the stock market has been wavering. Is this news bothering you? For most Americans, the answer is “yes!”

Being light in a dark world means that we should be different. Remember when Jesus said “Seek ye first the kingdom of God”? He meant that our focus should be on kingdom-building instead of keeping a worried eye on the evening news.

If we’re truly different, and if we truly have the comfort and peace that passes understanding, we can learn to “consider the lilies of the field” (Lk 12:27) and learn to be content in whatever situations we find ourselves in (Philippians 4:11).

We’re getting “economic stimulus” checks sometime in the next month. Have you thought about what you’ll do with yours? The government is giving you an opportunity to glorify the name of Jesus. (That doesn’t happen every day!) Will we build bigger barns, lay up treasures on earth, get new toys, and try to buy contentment OR will we build up the kingdom of God? This is a great opportunity to help our missionaries or the needy…or even begin a new ministry!

So, think about how the world and the Savior will see your actions. The choice is ours: economic stimulus or spiritual stimulus? Let’s seek first his kingdom.