Coffee with The Pastor - The Tongue and What it Says

Our tongue defines us. How we speak truly defines who we are. What people think of us is almost completely defined by what we say. The truth is that years of kindness, kind words and kind acts can be utterly destroyed and even erased in mere seconds by harsh words. Yes our tongues define us!

We all know someone who just cannot seem to find one nice thing to say. They are foul-mouthed and critical. They are abusive and condescending. They seem to speak in anger, bitter tones, and they use words that are consistently cutting, biting and negative.

Think for a moment. How do you feel about this person?

Well, if you're wise you would do well to not let your guard down around such a person. Quite frankly, you likely wouldn't want to spend large amounts of time around such a person.

Now, the truth is that our mouths define us. It reveals us to be someone that others can trust or someone that others should avoid.

Whatever is true of your tongue today does not have to be true forever. God can forgive that filthy mouth of yours and The Holy Spirit can change it! You just have to let Him.

"For we all often stumble and fall and offend in many things. And if anyone does not offend in speech [never says the wrong things], he is a fully developed character and a perfect man, able to control his whole body and to curb his entire nature." (James 3:2 AMPLIFIED)

Pray Church!

CHURCH, what we need from you is to put away our denominational differences, our doctrinal differences and our worship differences. RIGHT NOW IT'S TIME TO COME TOGETHER AND PRAY!!

Lord bring peace to our cities and stop the violence. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Coffee with The Pastor - Faith and Deeds

Society changes when real people with real faith do real works that make a real difference in the real struggles of real people in our society.

Believe...and then do something about it!

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:14-17 NIV)

ALL GOOD!!

Yea, It's "All Good" because God says so! Yes, im thankful for these folks!

"For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." (I Timothy 4:4-5 NKJV)

Coffee with The Pastor - It's Okay to be Different

So you say that you weren't the same as the other kids in school. Your clothes fit a little different than  some of the other kids clothes fit them because they were "hand-me-downs". You wasn't the top athlete or perhaps you weren't athletic at all. Perhaps you never achieved the grades to be an Honor Student or never scored good enough to even once make the Honor Roll. You wasn't popular. You weren't  accepted. You couldn't afford what others have and you doubt that you ever will.

Well, if anyone feels like this or has felt like this, let me tell you...YOUR PLACE IN SOCIETY HAS ABSOLUTELY NO BEARING AT ALL ON YOUR PLACE IN THE KINGDOM!

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, "But God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him."

God uses the weakest, poorest, most unknown, and ill-placed people to accomplish great things in His Kingdom. He does this so that the world will clearly see that it is His greatness, His grace, His power, and His goodness that brings all of these things about.

As Kingdom People, we should use our influence as Christians to be the arbiters of what is right and true and fair and good. We should be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. We must be the ones who give. We must be the ones who give and not take. We must be the ones who serve, not demand. We must be the ones who bring freedom, not bondage.

Some in this world who have means (position, reputation, finance, prestige and social status)...and place everything that they are into these things (worshipping worldly things), serve a model that calls them to preserve their existence.

BUT Jesus says, "For whoever wants to save their life  will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done." (Matthew 16:25-27 NIV)

Notice the last few words of Jesus in this Scripture, "He will reward each person according to what they have done"...NOT for what they have (possessions).

IT'S OK TO BE DIFFERENT...in this life, in this time and in this world. You must know that God doesn't view you lessor than someone else, He wants to give you the Kingdom!

"Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?" (James 2:5 NIV)

This IS the Day that The LORD has made!!

I took this picture on the 16th Tee-box while golfing with my Brother Ken. This scripture says it all.

Our "Driving" ahead is indeed The Lord's doing and it is Marvelous in our eyes as we look down range aiming to advance, move and to continue in Him.

What's more is the knowledge that He's doing Marvelous things again today...but not like yesterday, today is brand new with new grace and new mercy and He has set "Marvelous" before us yet again.

So we start this day knowing that "THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE; WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT."

Coffee with The Pastor - JUST DO IT!!

Apart from reading the Word, there is something else that we must do, which is very important. Once you read the Word, you then have to obey it. It’s like a contract between you and God: you do your part and obey the Word, and He does His part to give you all the advantages that the Word promises.

This is why the apostle James said, “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). James goes on to say that if anyone is only a listener of the Word but not a doer, he is like someone who observes his natural face in the mirror. He may observe the kind of person he is (because of studying God’s Word)—patient, kind, respectful, giving, etc.—but when he walks away from that mirror, he forgets that he is that person. But if he instead looks into the mirror of the Word and reflects the Word, he will be blessed in all that he does (James 1:23-25).

But even way before James, God was telling His people to obey His Word. Check out what God told Joshua when he took over the leadership of Israel, after the death of Moses:

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law (this was the Word of God for His people in that day) shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

God was telling Joshua that he and the children of Israel need to remind themselves often of what the Word says and to do what is written in His Word, because that will make them well off and successful.

The same goes for us as Christians in this day and age. We must do more than just hear the Word; we’ve got to follow through...JUST DO IT!!!