Notes From Pastor Jim

My Way God

“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:1–2).

My Way God, Part 2

Arthur Golden said, “Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we truly are.”

When I had recognized Jesus as Lord of my life and asked Him into my life, many things began to happen. First was the fact that Christians began popping up everywhere. It was as if God had watered His garden and I was caught in the middle of it.

Listening to God's Word

“Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes. Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:17–24).

Christ Our Peace

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

Ugh! What Do You Mean “Give it to God?”

Early in my Christian walk, I would seek counsel with pastors, brothers, and sisters about personal issues that I struggled with. Come on, we all have issues. Some of my issues were anger or the way I dealt with perceived people problems. Some of my issues had to do with bondages such as marijuana and cigarettes. Other issues I had were familiar habits such as cursing or most of my thought patterns. The one answer that everyone told me was, “Just give it to God.” It got to be whenever I heard that I would want to say ugh! Now whenever someone says that to me, I am inclined to say something like, “What does that look like? or “Can you give me an example?” Unfortunately, that usually ends the conversation, or the conversation becomes strained and uncomfortable.

Gathered Together In My Name

Many times as we read, pray, or just discuss God's Word with one another, the Holy Spirit seems to all of a sudden reveal to us a truth. The truth may be in a situation we are encountering or may be just enlightenment on something that we have heard taught or prayed on. As we hear these words of Jesus or the prayers of others, we pick up a language that begins very humbly as we learn what we perceive spiritual talk should sound like. Maybe it will be a word of wisdom or a prophetic word (God's encouragement using His Word) that will inspire you to speak to someone. As we grow in our own spirituality, we begin to talk and pray at times what we believe sounds spiritual, or we repeat a Scripture that we have heard.

The Value of a Smile

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.”’ “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them” (Numbers 6:22–27).

It amazes me just how complete the Word of God is. Any question about circumstance or example of faith in an area is answered in the pages between the covers of God’s Word.

Jesus Our Model

We all have heroes. A hero is defined as a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for their brave deeds and excellent qualities.

While I was growing up, one of my heroes was Sinbad because he saved the crew and princess from being eaten by the Cyclops. Another was Geronimo for his fierceness and bravery. As I grew older, my heroes evolved to the characters in books by Louis L'Amour and Edgar Rice Burroughs. All these heroes had traits and qualities that I admired. Some were soft-spoken and of strong character; others were full of life and adventure. These characters helped shape who I am today, although some of the traits that I desired have not been as forthcoming as others. Even when I picked out the character traits that I wanted, my mind would be at war with my self-discipline or values that had already shaped my character.