Pastor Mary Haley

A spirit of kindness is a great gift; a fruit of God’s Spirit.  Do you value kindness and make it a goal to share some everyday?  Barbara Johnson reminds us, “the attitude of kindness is everyday stuff like a great pair of sneakers.  Not frilly.  Not fancy.  Just plain and comfortable.”  We need to put on kindness each day and get comfortable sharing it. 

Grateful hearts know the value of kindness; therefore, they are generous with their time and praise.  Smiles and thoughtful deeds are a part of each day.  It is important that we realize our relationships suffer when we do not use kindness.  Making others feel important is a great step towards making strong connections; sincere appreciation can move relational mountains.  Christ is our “kindness” role model; kindness is an expression of love.  So, let’s imitate the kindness of Christ and touch some lives, today.

“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all.”  I Thessalonians 3:12

I love to laugh; I believe our laughter pleases God.  God, afterall, created laughter, right?  Some folks are pretty serious; and there are times to be serious. We don’t always feel like laughing.  Yet, laughter is good for the soul.  Think of it as exercise.  Is that a stretch? 

Barbara Johnson said, “Laughter is jogging for the insides.  It increases heart rate and circulation, stimulates the immune system, and improves the muscle tone of the abdomen.”  Sounds like exercise to me.  

A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not.
      
      Shortly after, along came a man who had recently completed some studies at a local university. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth and very eager to show this enlightenment, he asked the boy about the source of his joy.
      
      “Hey” asked the boy in return with a bright laugh, “Don’t you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle.”
      
      The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the “realities” of the miracles of the Bible. “That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10-inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across.”
      
      The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible laying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor, naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight, turned to go. Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.
      
      “Wow!” exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of water!”

I have noticed that learning to laugh at ourselves takes a little longer than learning to laugh with others.  Maybe that is an indication that we are taking ourselves too serious.  Let laughter lift your heart.  Be grateful for God’s gift and give yourself a workout; laugh!

“It is often just as sacred to laugh as it is to pray.” Charles Swindoll

Have you ever had one of those days when you just had to have a nice long talk with God or you wouldn’t make it?  Well, God would like you to have one of those “talks” everyday.  In fact, it is a perfect way to start the day. Mornings with God…

Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated, “Wasted time of which we are later ashamed, temptations we yield to, weaknesses, lethargy in our work, disorder and lack of discipline in our thoughts and in our interaction with others–all these frequently have their root in neglecting prayer in the morning.”  We serve a God of order; our God desires that we order our lives.  The best way to get things in order is to spend time in the morning with God; gain a vision for your day that includes the love and provision of God.  Our vision is limited; God sees eternity.  Our understanding is finite; God in omniscient.  Jesus brings us the ability to connect with heaven; so, express your gratitude and make a connection by starting your day with prayer.  And while you are at it, thank God for the people who rise in the morning and pray for you!

“Rejoice always! Pray constantly.  Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  (I Thes. 5:16-18)

Life is just packed with lessons; some of those lessons are whoppers, aren’t they?  “Life is simply hard.  That ‘s all there is to it.  Thank goodness, the intensity of difficulty rises and falls.  Some seasons are far more bearable than others, but none is without challenge.”   Beth Moore

We need to pay attention to these life lessons; times when Jesus calls us to use our faith and ascend the Mount of God for help.  Wisdom is gained and developed in the difficult places.  We need to invite the Holy Spirit to bring revelation and understanding so we can grab hold of that wisdom and apply it to the next season of our lives.  As we each go around, over, or tunnel through life’s many mountains, let’s make sure we are learning some valuable lessons and principles in the midst. That wisdom will continue to bring deliverance into our lives and the lives of those around us.  Thank God for the Wisdom He makes available to us by His grace.

“Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.”  Psalm 90:12

Everyone would like to think he or she have a corner on truth, but that is only possible when we connect with Jesus because truth is a person.  The way we gain truth is through a personal and loving relationship with Christ, as well as in community with others who have a connection to Christ.  Truth is revealed and shared in the love of Christ.  Do you know the truth?  Do you know someone whose life testifies to the truth?  People who know the truth are great examples of love.

We all bring a biased filter to our thinking, so it is difficult to remain free in our perception of the truth.  That is why it is so important to spend time in the Scriptures, because it helps us remove that biased filter to find the loving reality of God.  Remember the Word of God is alive; living and revealing truth.  I want you to really think for a minute about the people around you.  Does someone come to mind who models “selfless” love? These folks are not perfect by any stretch–we all need grace–but, the motive of these folks is to apply the Word to every day life and give the love of God to others.  Truth is love that is “other” focused. Christ came to connect and save others not himself.  Take time, today, to thank the people around you who seek to live in the truth of God’s love.  He or she are role models of the truth and, therefore, treasures in your life.  Pick up the phone, drop them an email, or send them a note and tell them how grateful you are for the truth he or she models for you.

Anne Graham Lotz said it this way, “Only Jesus Christ is the truth for everyone who has ever been born into the human race, regardless of culture, age, nationality, generation, heritage, gender, color, or language.”  Truth–Jesus–is love that is universal.  Live and proclaim the truth of God’s love in Christ! 

A recent reading in the book of Psalm was a great reminder to me of the importance of praise.  I am not talking about the praise of mankind that we share building up one another.  Rather, I am talking about the expressions of our lips that should bubble over and articulate the amazing goodness of God in every moment.  What are your lips saying?

We chat with others about many things every day; but let’s not allow that chatter to replace the praise of God that should continually spring forth from our lips.  God is good; our faces should reflect that glorious truth operating in our lives.  We are loved, healed, and restored through our connection to Christ. Our words should be filled with thanksgiving; the world needs to know our immense gratitude.  It takes courage to tell others about our Source from whom all blessings flow; the Living Hope and focus of our eternal praise. 

The advice of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a famous preacher and theologian, to all Christians was to “Wash your face every morning in a bath of praise.”  Share your praise of God with others.  Our faces–countenance–and our words must be bathed everyday in the praise of God.  We were created to bring glory and honor to the Most High.  Christians, courageous ones, are praisers.  Did you wash your face this morning? 

“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.  Let the whole world know what he has done.  Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.  Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.  Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord.”   Psalm 105:1-3   

John Wesley, a courageous and famous 18th century preacher and theologian, was passionate “fiery” for God.  Sometimes he turned religious people off with his passion for God; he wasn’t allowed to preach in some organized churches because of that passion.  Wesley believed that Christians should give themselves wholly to God; God should “own” us.  Are you owned by God?

If God is our source and delight, His love will permeate our being.  That passion cannot be shut up within us; it must be released.  Have you ever watched a pressure cooker?  That little weight on the top just dances with excitement from the building energy and power within the pot. That’s the excitement we should have as containers of God’s love.  We will be passionately looking for ways to love and serve God (by loving others) when He possesses all of us.  May our prayer be to yield more and more of ourselves each day to the holy work of Christ–Anointed love–in us.  Courageous spirits know our goal is to become more like Jesus; live for God’s glory.  Give yourself over to God’s love; allow Him to “own” you.  Here is a famous Wesley prayer for you to ponder:

Lord, I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will.  Let be employed by You or laid aside for You, exalted for you or brought low by You.  Let me have all things, let me have nothing, I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.  And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine and I am Yours. So be it.  Amen.

Did you know that Jesus offended people?  He offended the religious leaders, his neighbors, his family, and friends.  Oh, and get this, He did it without apology. The reason Jesus offended others is because he was unwilling to compromise the truth of God’s heart.   Jesus says, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of me” (Luke 7:23).

Did you know as a follower of Jesus, if you seek to obey the Spirit of God you will offend people?  We better pull out that courageous spirit!   If we are committed to the will of God; we will not be able to fulfill the agendas of humans.  A tension is created.  It is why Jesus suffered; because he would not compromise.  Unfortunately, some people feel they have an “in” with God; religious people like the Pharisees Jesus encountered.   He loved the religious leaders enough to tell them the truth when they were wrong; they crucified him.  Offended.  When the truth of Christ in us pops out, the real motives of others start surfacing.  People don’t like to look bad; but Jesus sets them up by the power of truth, anyway.  He wants to save them.  I guess we need to ask ourselves, “Are we no compromising disciples?”  Don’t be afraid of speaking the truth Christ places within you and sends you to say.  Take a deep breath and obey; don’t grieve the Spirit.  It’s not worth the compromise. 

Jesus modeled a courageous spirit; He was always moving forward in His ministry of doing “good.”  As followers of Jesus, we are seeds of “good” potential.  Sometimes God will take us out of a certain location, because the soil is not conducive for our “good” potential.  In other words, we may not be able to fulfill the “good” God has placed within us in that location; location and spiritual temperature matters when it comes to the work of Christ. Everything needs to be aligned with God for the seeds to produce.  It may be necessary to leave some comforts in order to follow Jesus in doing “good.” If you spend time in the Word of God, you will notice Jesus was seemingly always moving locations; coming and going.  The Master was making good moves…

Jesus was moving from place to place and meeting new people as He flourished in His purpose to do good; salvation is change and if we want to be instruments in the hands of a holy God we will need to move to influence and bring change. It may be necessary for us to go to others to do good as they may not come to us.  It is really a picture of outreach; reaching out to people in other environments to do good.  As we follow Jesus, this might mean a change in attitudes, jobs, friends, geographic locations, ministry, etc.  God desires for us to flourish in Christ; burst forth with much fruit of “good” (John 15).  Only God knows what is needed in our lives for us, as seeds, to produce the good that Jesus desires to do through us in the power of the Spirit.  If we are not moving forward, chances are we are not in step with the “good” moves of the Master.  It is better if we don’t get too settled in life; otherwise the Spirit might come and unsettle us to encourage the production of every “good” thing.  When Jesus calls you to make some “good” moves what will be your answer?

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?  Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:8

What comes to your mind when I say the word “worship?”  Do you picture a gathering of people in a religious building?  Perhaps you think of a style of service or maybe your thoughts move to music?  Just what does the word “worship” conjure up for you?

A courageous spirit understands worship to be ascribing worth and value to the Most High God.  In fact, the word “worth” is the root of worship.  That means worship calls for us to make a decision, with our lives, as to God’s worth.  God gave His Son’s life; so that we could give our lives back to Him. One for all; all for One.  In this one act of love, God was saying “you are worth my life; am I worth yours?”  

It takes courage to worship God with our lives.  We would rather worship by singing a few songs, reading some Scripture, listening to a sermon, and praying; than to actually turn our lives over to God by making Jesus, Lord.  God is always changing and shaking things up inviting us to make a stronger “connection to Christ,” and it would take a courageous spirit to surrender in true worship.  But, that is exactly what Jesus is calling us to do; courageously connect in worship.  He wants all of us; He wants us to give Him every nook and cranny of our being. God calls it worship!  If we are going to be courageous worshipers, we need the power of the Spirit and a surrendered heart that is willing to bow to the Word of the Lord.

“Because He is your Lord, worship Him.”  Psalm 45:11