ListenDaily: Help me keep the rocks quiet

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(This message is also available at: http://pastorjimdorton.blogspot.com/)

In the church year, this is Holy Week. After a few weeks of writing (somewhat sporadically, I know) about what’s been going on with us, and with me, let’s talk about Jesus, shall we? Yesterday was Palm Sunday.

Jesus was riding into town. He was not on some great and mighty steed, which would have symbolized a king coming to make war, but rather He came riding a donkey, symbolizing a king who comes in peace.

But still a king.

As the crow shouted their praises, the church officials got upset. Funny, they talked about God all the time, and yet in the face of Truth, they still considered their own positions to be most important. We have to always watch out for that, still, leaders who talk about God, but whose actions place themselves on their own thrones. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19: 39-40

Some would suggest this was a little hyperbole on Jesus’ part. I don’t know about that, I don’t see a lot of hyperbole in His demeanor. I think this news was so great that the earth itself would respond if the people didn’t. We’ll talk about this more when we get to Good Friday, when the earth did cry out.

But for today, let us remember this; the Gospel is such an explosive story that a lid cannot be kept on it for long.

Satan tried to keep it quiet.

He had Herod try to kill it off by slaughtering babies.

He tried to talk Jesus out of it.

He thought the crucifixion would kill it.

But the Gospel cannot die.

My prayer for myself, and for you, is that Satan would not be able to use us as a lid to cover up the Gospel. May it swell up so much within us, may it vibrate within us. May we not be able to keep our mouths quiet. Psalm 8:2 says that even as children we were ordained to praise God. May we do what we were called to do!

Shalom, Pastor Jim

Too weak to work

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ListenDaily: Too weak to work
Rest & Recuperation, Rehab & Therapy
(This message is also available at: http://pastorjimdorton.blogspot.com/)

Sometimes our post-surgery time includes physical therapy. A therapist will prescribe a certain routine to help return the injured and repaired part of your body back to optimum strength. On occasions, you might show up at therapy, just plain worn out, weak, and unable to perform the routine. On some of those occasions, the therapist will put you in a relaxed position and, in his capable hands and move your arm or leg or shoulder through specific movements, strengthening you even when you are too weak to do so on your own.

If you have ever read any of my emails, blog, or Facebook posts, you might have seen me quote Hudson Taylor, who said; ” I am so weak. I can't read my Bible. I can't even pray. I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child and trust." I have felt that way for a few days. Between my physical ailments and some other (nothing life-threatening) circumstances, I felt what the great missionary was saying. I started this a few times, without being able to complete it. I guess I’d have to add, “I can’t even write.”

But the Word of God cries out to me.

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This is a common thread through my preaching. Rejoicing for always, whatever else is going on, always are we in the hand of God. Praying without ceasing; not always on my knees but always being aware of His presence. These two things help keep me from forsaking God. And while God does not promise to change my circumstances, but He has promised to never leave or forsake me in any of them.

His response to my circumstance is always the best thing for me, whether I can see that or not.

And in the midst of my weakness, God is never weak. As the prophet Isaiah said, God is never weak or weary, but gives strength to those who are and who wait upon him, then we can walk, run, and soar on wings like eagles’!

” I am so weak. I can't read my Bible. I can't even pray. I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child and trust."
And in His capable hands, I find peace, rest, and strength!

Shalom, Pastor Jim

Calesthenics

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ListenDaily: Calesthenics
Rest & Recuperation, Rehab & Therapy

Remember, throughout this study, that I am neither trying to slow you down or speed you up; these are daily readings but not one day at a time instructions. Some of them might be one time events, some must be revisited on occasion, others, like the principle of rest, must be made a constant in your life.

The principles today are like that. They are the basics. Like a healthy diet and exercise, you can’t live well without them. And, like physical exercise, which, once begun, strengthens you and enables you to do more, so these spiritual exercises strengthen and enable you...and their results are eternal.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8

Our bodies have to be fed or they die. Our bodies have to move or our muscles atrophy. So it is in the spirit.

The Bible is the very Word of God. We have to read, study, learn, continue to learn, and share the Scriptures. The more we learn, the more we are able to

learn. We move from milk to meat! If not we stagnate, worse than stagnate, we atrophy. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Hebrews 5:13

We must pray.

We must grow in our ability to pray. Throughout Paul’s letters, he encourages us to be faithful in prayer, to be devoted to prayer, to pray with mind and spirit, to pray without ceasing, How does our prayer life match up to that?

And consider these words from James 5:

Have you ever been in trouble? “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.”

Ever been sick? “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him…”

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Do your prayers have power?

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.”

Life is hard. Really hard.

But God is your provider, of peace, joy, rest, and strength.

But you have to engage with Him. And you know what? He sees and listens! “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer….” (1 Peter 3:12). Not only does He listen, He delights in our prayers, they are sweet and wonderful to Him! “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Revelation 5:8) That’s you that’s me.

Like physical therapy, or any other sort of exercise, there is much beyond the basics; but you can’t skip the basics, and they are always the foundation of the program.

Read your Bible. Pray. See what happens.

Shalom, Pastor Jim

Tired?

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Rest & Recuperation, Rehab & Therapy
(This message is also available at: http://pastorjimdorton.blogspot.com/)

I am moving on from talking about rest but, please, do not move away from the idea. Resting in God is not something we do once then are done with. We must always go back to Him, always seeking Sabbath, always finding time and place to be still, to know. I have been sharing about my own medical problems, and I hope it hasn’t sounded whiny or self-absorbed, I really feel God is using this time and wants me to speak about it. A right shoulder labrum repair, hernia surgery, followed by this basal cell carcinoma removal. I know a lot of people who are suffering much worse, none of these were very traumatic or life threatening, but I’m tired of it.

I had the stitches out of my neck yesterday. Finally, a step forward. Then came this morning, when I found out I had developed an infection at the incision site.

But God says “be still and know”. Be still and know; know that “The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40: 28-31

Can you imagine a more beautiful image or promise of recuperation?

We all get tired, and we all get weak.

People outside the faith have no idea of the toll this world is taking on them, and we need to do all we can to lead them to the source of peace, rest, hope, and strength. But it is an entirely different story when those of us who follow Christ, ignore or refuse or just don’t pay any attention to the fact that we are in such great need and that God is calling out to us with an offer of strength and power.

We are all prone to stumbling.

Life is hard. Really hard. We wade, every day through the morass of this world; on the best days we are surrounded by a world refusing Christ. From atheism to addiction. From Sunday sports schedules for our kids to war around the globe.

On the worst days we find out someone we love has cancer, a friend’s teenager is cutting herself, our children can’t raise their children.

Life is hard. Really hard.

And oh, my, we’re getting older every day. And if “even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall” what about us?

Life is hard. Really hard. But…but…”but those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

No matter how tired, how weak, how depressed, how devastated we are, God’s strength never fails, and He is offering His strength to you.

Be still. Know Him. Then walk…run…soar!

Peace be with you, Pastor Jim

Ahhhhh....

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Rest & Recuperation, Rehab & Therapy
(This message is also available at: http://pastorjimdorton.blogspot.com/)
"I am so weak. I can't read my Bible. I can't even pray.
I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child and trust."
Hudson Taylor

Often, when one has been through some sort of surgical procedure, it is followed by a period of rest and recuperation, then rehab and therapy.

Let’s talks about rest first.

God gave us the gift of rest and called it “Sabbath”.

In Mark 2:27 Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man.” The church folks of that time had gotten so wrapped up in their own rules and activities, that Sabbath had become just another oppression; it was not used for the God-given gift that it was.

Without rest we, of course, become tired. Without rest we become stressed. Without rest anxiety builds and peace is diminished. God says too much about peace and rest for this to be His plan.

Without rest, we can forget who God really is. Oh, we still go to church, we sing, we might even pray. But without rest, without being still, we are in danger in losing a right perspective of Him.

Psalm 46:10 records God’s direction to “Be still and know that I am God.”

Centuries ago God told His people to “Be still”.

Today He tells us “Be still”.

You may have heard me say this before. I look at this verse as a mathematical equation:

“being still” = “knowing God”


Do you remember the rule from algebra class? In an equation, whatever you do on one side you have to do to the other. If you make one side negative, the other side becomes negative. So then, if

“being still” = “knowing God”,

and we make one side negative, such as:

“not being still”

then by rule, we end up with:

“not knowing God”

“not being still” = “not knowing God”,

Have you been working hard at the things we have been discussing these past few weeks? Have you allowed God in to do some work?

Then take some time, be still. God has commanded it. But it is not a labor and it will not make your life more difficult. It is a gift. From God.

Be still.

Pastor Jim

He came to call on you...

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Surgical Repair

I have asked a question twice during this study, and now will again.

How has sin hurt you?

This week we have talked about different ways of turning oneself over to God in the same we would to a surgeon, so that we might feel better, be healed, and live.

Jesus referred to himself as physician twice:

"But when He heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, I desire compassion, and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Matt. 9:12-13

Jesus came to call on me, for I have been, as the old hymn says, a “sin-sick soul”.

But, I’m getting better. How about you? Please consider, again, some of the Scriptures from this week and reflect over the closing questions. Lord willing, we’ll begin talking about the next steps starting Monday. Shalom, Pastor Jim

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13

“Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” James 4:7-8

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” Romans 8:26-27


How has sin hurt you? During this season of Lent will you look for that damage, and look to God for repair?

Stuff you don't know...

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Let it go – there’s stuff you don’t know
Lent as Surgical Repair
(This message is also available at: http://pastorjimdorton.blogspot.com/)
Patient: “My neck hurts.” Surgeon: “You have two completely ruptured discs.”

Patient: “My side hurts.” Surgeon: “You have appendicitis.”

Patient: “My elbow hurts.” Surgeon: “You have a nerve that’s exposed.”

Patient: “My wrist hurts.” Surgeon: “You have an entrapped nerve.”

Patient: “My shoulder hurts.” Surgeon: “You have some torn cartilage.”

Et cetera…

We have pain. Sometimes we know what is wrong, sometimes we don’t. We go see a doc, who through x-rays and MRIs, ultrasounds and the like, comes back with a picture of the problem, a diagnoses, and, hopefully, a plan for repair.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Paul was not disregarding the pain and suffering in this world, in our bodies. He was just saying how much better life will be in Glory. But what about now? What about the aches and pains and suffering we have right now? Sometimes we know the cause, but other times we don’t. We just know it hurts.

Let it go. Turn it over. Cry out to God.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”

Can you imagine? When you cry out, the very Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit who hovered over the waters of creation, the Spirit who freed Christ from the tomb, listens to you! Listens to me! The Spirit who, as a mother knows a baby, knows us better than we know ourselves, then carries our wants, needs, pains, and desires to the throne room of Heaven.

Let it go. Turn it over. Cry out to God.

God willing, see you tomorrow. Pastor Jim