Moving to New Classroom!

Within the next two weeks (either March 8 or 15) we will be moving to our brand new Educational Building. We will be upstairs in the northwest corner room. I am looking forward to this change of scenery. Our classroom will be exclusively used by Striving Together. We will be able to decorate and make the place feel more "at home" then when were meeting in the school classroom. I will be contacting some of you help us move and get some ideas.

Thank you so much for your faithfulness. We couldn't have a class without you!

Remember this from this past Sunday: "Anyone can love those that love them. It takes a special Christian to love those that hate them."

I look forward to next Sunday. Another dive into the Sermon on the Mount!

Temptation of Jesus

One of the greatest characteristics of our Lord and Saviour is the fact that He came to this earth, not only to die for our sins, but also to endure the same struggles and temptations that we endure on a regular basis. It would be one thing for Jesus to come and immediately go to the cross, but to be willing to humble Himself and fall under temptation is beyond my comprehension.

Text: Matthew 4

Two Early Observations:

1. God was in complete control. (v 1) The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for a time of fasting and temptation. God knew it was going to happen and even led Him into it. Temptation is not necessarily a bad thing. It is merely a test to see our spiritual maturity.

2. Jesus was at a time of physical and emotional weakness and stress. (v 2) Jesus was on a 40 day fast! In my limited times of fasting, I have found that your body will become weak, but your mind and emotions are many times affected more severely.

Steps on the Road of Temptation:

1. Desires. (v 3) The one thing Jesus desired (food), the Devil made it available for Him. This is the most straight-forward method of the Devil's temptation: find out what we desire and offer it to us. Don't be fooled! Keep your desires in check.
*Jesus' response - Scripture

2. Dare. (v 5) The Devil issued Jesus a personal challenge. Much like a child will tell another child, "I dare you..." The Devil does the same to Jesus. Don't be so immature to fall to this nonsense.
*Jesus' response - Scripture

3. Dominion. (v 8) After Satan's failed attempt at tempting Jesus outwardly, he then moves on to the temptation of the inner-man. He goes after that famous yet so often ignored sin of pride. He offers Jesus (Who owns it all) dominion over land! That just makes me laugh! Many times, though, Satan may not get us to fall to the physical, outward temptation, but he will get us through pride.
*Jesus' response - Scripture

Notice how Jesus handled temptation. He handled it by quoting Scripture to the Devil. I was often taught as a young child to recite the end of James 4:7, "...Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." That verse should be quoted at the Devil each time he tempts you to sin. It may sound too simple, not quite theological enough. Well, it worked for Jesus, maybe it will work for you.

Doing Right When You're Not Good at Doing Right

Here is a little help in keeping those New Year's resolutions!

How To Do Right When You’re Not Very Good at Doing Right

Romans 7:15 – 23

1. Making the effort is better than making excuses.
-A poor workman always finds fault with his tools.
2. Attach that which you should be doing but don’t, to that which you always do.
3. Forcefully do it for 30 days without exception.
4. Choose realistic goals.

a. Make the goals visual.
b. Make the goals measurable.
c. Make the goals attainable.
d. Write them down and keep them where you will see them.
e. Set goals on various levels. (week, month)
f. Make the goals require a “stretch.”

5. Do it even if it appears fruitless.
6. Choose a good environment.
7. Choose a good program or system.
8. Schedule more than 1 time a day to accomplish them.
9. Make yourself accountable to a friend or leader.
10. Keep track of your progress.

*Remember, the Christian life is a journey, not a destination.

The Christian life is not complicated, but it is hard work.

Open Heart Surgery introduction

I am putting together a short series on a biblical view of the heart. I am going to try to be as exhaustive as I can possibly be. There are so many verses that deal with the heart, so I will be selective and use the ones that pertain to the overall plot.

I believe that Christian teenagers and adults alike have, for far too long, tried to cure a problem by attacking the FRUIT of the problem instead of the ROOT of the problem. We have disciplined our kids for a bad attitude or disobedience, but we have failed to get to the root of those problems: a sinful and wicked heart. I want to explore than innermost part of a person. The part of the body, both physically and spiritually, that makes us live and can also make us die. Here's my introduction to the series. Several lessons will follow.

Open Heart Surgery

Jeremiah 17:9 – "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

When a flower is withering and unhealthy, no landscaper will dump fertilizer on the flower petals. They know that would do nothing but harm and ultimately kill the plant. All landscapers, even the novice ones like me, realize that the true problem with that flower has nothing to do with the flower itself. It has everything to do with the root system not providing the water and nutrients needed to further the growth of the plant and ultimately the flower. That is the “root” of the problem: the root. It would be foolish for the lawn expert to focus on the fruit of the problem instead of the root of the problem, yet so often we do that with our Christian lives. You see, the problem that the root created was manifested in the flower or fruit. Many times the problems we manifest in our Christian lives are not the real problem. The problem has been an ongoing issue that began long ago at the root…..our heart. It takes time for a plant to show the problem that had been festering inside. It does not happen immediately. It is even worse for those people who have had problems developing from their heart. They are not manifested immediately. In fact, it sometimes takes years for your heart problems to be seen. If you wait until the problem becomes and outward problem to correct it, then you have made it difficult on yourself. Sometimes, it becomes impossible for the plant to thrive and grow again. No matter what you do to it, it will never grow like it once did.

When God gave me this thought, I struggled with which of the 765 verses that deal with the heart I was going to use during this series. The heart is talked about over 800 times in 765 verses! God was interested in the heart. There was a man who had the reputation of being “a man after God’s own heart.” David, the second king of Israel, made some mistakes (some really huge ones in fact), but God called him a man after His own heart. David wrote many of the Psalms, so I decided to study the word “heart” in the Psalms. “Heart” is mentioned 125 times in this book.

I learned quite a bit from this man David. I learned how the heart can affect me negatively. The heart, the Bible says, is desperately wicked. David gives us many occurrences of a wicked heart throughout his writings in Psalms. I also found how the heart can affect me positively. “With my whole heart, I will seek thee” and similar statements are found over and over again. The heart is so important and has such an enormous say in how we live on the outside.

As we take a short journey on this study, I hope you will make this a personal examination time. See what the Bible can teach you about your heart.

It's that time of year....

You know, it's that time of year when we feel good about ourselves. We make sure we think of others. We've been Black Friday shopping, we've taken care of our loved ones, and we cannot wait for a few days off work! We are looking for that perfect high def TV, the new touch-screen Blackberry, or that iPod our kids have been asking for. I love the Christmas season! But many times that is the extent of Christmas for Christians. We are so busy with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, that we completely ignore Jesus Christ our Saviour. I am all for thinking of others. We should be doing that anyway. But this is the season to make Christ's birth into this world the focal point. What an amazing sacrifice....a holy God become a human being! He was tempted, the Bible says, like as we are, yet without sin. What an amazing God we serve! I think of the song our choir sings, "Oh, What a Sacrifice." What a sacrifice our God made by sending His son to this sin-sick world.

I am constantly reminded of this wonderful verse of scripture found in Psalm 90:2 "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Think on that verse as you go along in your holiday, break-neck pace.

May you all have a very Merry Christmas. Not because of gifts or even giving, but because of the miracle birth of our Saviour into this world. I know it has become a cliche, but Jesus is the reason for the season.