Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Sowing The Word of God

When a person first comes to know Jesus as personal Saviour and Lord, they want so eagerly to share with all what God has done for them. We speak out loud about salvation and death and it's penalty or reward. We want God's Will for our life and we want it now. We sometimes cause ourselves to encounter great reward and also great discouragement. I remember when I first entered into the ministry, how my enthusiasm got me in trouble.
I wanted everyone to know Jesus and I was asking everyone about their salvation and the condition of their souls. I was untrained and unchecked by my own mind, as well as the leaders in my Church. One day, while I was working for James Robison, I was on my way to the Post Office when I was stopped by a Police Officer for running a traffic light (not once, but twice). I was busy talking to a hitchhiker I had picked up on the way and was not paying attention to my driving (imagine that). Well not to create additional problems, I quickly confessed my guilt and promised to cooperate completely if He would allow me to ask Him a question when he was finished. He said "Okay". What a mistake that was on His part. I had Him right where I wanted Him. I could hardly wait, when suddenly He was giving me back my drivers license and a ticket. Oh My God, it was now my turn.
Without any hesitance I opened my mouth, the officer drew His gun, I was spread across the hood of His car, and He was calling for backup. All I asked was "If you were to die today, do you know if you would go to Heaven?" He said that He was in fear for His life, I was in fear of going to jail. All I had done in my mind was care about someone I did not know. Well, I did not go to jail and I did not even get the ticket, the Police Chief showed up and let me go. Yes, a bad question for sure. But, the problem was not the question, it was my expectation. I was trying to reap a harvest without even sowing a seed.
LUKE 8: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
God's Word has the answer to my enthusiasm and my willingness to be humiliated at times. Most of the time I wanted to know what was going to happen to everyone I met. Were they going to Heaven like me? Did they confess Jesus as Lord? I was too busy trying to judge the outcome of God's Word and the answers the Bible provided that I wasn't sharing the Word of God with anyone. I was on a reaping whirlwind. No sowing just reaping. It took a lot of discouragement and heartache to finally discover the truth on God' Word about the seed. Jesus said "A sower went out to sow his seed". This is the last time in this parable that the sower is even mentioned. Nothing is said about where he went or what planning went into His day, or as to how much seed He would sow. Jesus never suggested that His sowing was careless or misplaced. He only said He went out to sow His seed. The sower never judged the soil, or the lack thereof, or never showed discretion about the outcome of His seed. Jesus is the only Judge of the seed in this parable. He explained what happened to the seed to his followers and even gave them a little extra insight. We can examine this passage of scripture and find the answers we may be looking for today.
LUKE 8: 9 Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”
10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that
‘ Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand.
Remember Jesus said "He who has Ears. Let Him Hear".
We need to open our ears to hear God's Word being told from our own mouths. Jesus tells His followers that the seed is the Word of God. We need to busy sowing the Word of God, because this is His Will for our lives. Sow and do not try to predetermine the outcome. Do not look for better fields to sow in. Listen and repeat what God has said. God's Will for me today is to be a Sower.
Today I have found another answer from the Bible. Obedience, remember, brings God's Blessings.
May God Bless you.
Ask Pastor Ron

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Getting Permission from Jesus

You know sometimes it seems every thing I want to do these days requires me to have to get permission from some sort of government agency or bureaucracy. Even simple tasks require making sure I don't upset someone in the family, so you clear it with the spouse. I wonder what I could get done if I didn't have their okee-dokee before the next endeavor. Well, maybe I don't have to wonder what would happen. I have been married now almost 31 years and I know that did not happen by not clearing things with her before I acted. But, there is one decision that I made where I did not require their permission, and that was to serve God. I had even once went so far as to tell, with or without you I am going to serve God. I believe that decision is one of the main ingredients to our long successful relationship. That is why I am writing this, so I can remain in service to God, with or without you.
Not long ago, it was popular to wear a wrist band, or necklace, or put a bumper sticker on your vehicle that asked simply What Would Jesus Do (WWJD). Knowing what Jesus would do when we come to a decision making crossroad is very important, but having permission to proceed can be just as critical.
Let's together look at Simon called Peter, one of Jesus' disciples.
When Simon called Peter first met Jesus, he had been fishing with his comrades all night long and had caught nothing. If you are a fisherman you understand that this happens, my cousin John told me "that is why it is called fishing and not catching". If my profession is fishing I fish even if I do not catch. I watched this TV show called the "Deadliest Catch" and these guys sometimes bring in their traps and they are empty. They don't stop fishing and ask for permission to continue, they throw their traps back in the water and try again. But Simon who was called Peter was calling it quits for the night had been long and he knew when to quit because he was the professional fisherman. He knew there was no need to throw their nets in any more. Tomorrow, would be a better day.
But this was fast becoming no ordinary fishing expedition for Simon and his fellow fisherman because Jesus was standing on the shoreline and was about to tell them to do something they knew was totally futile just moments before Jesus spoke. He tells them to push out a little deeper and throw their nets in one more time on the other side of the boat. I am sure that most men would have scoffed at this request, seeing they knew nothing of this man on shore, and he probably didn't even look a fisherman or where was his boat and nets they might ask. But, Simon said “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:5 NKJV). Now when this happened their nets were so full they could barely bring it all in. Jesus then called Simon to follow him and he would make him into a "Fisher of Men". Looks like Jesus has changed Simon's profession because he followed and left his nets behind.
Now it so happens that after Jesus had been crucified all the disciples were gathered together discussing what to do next and somehow Simon who was called Peter decided he had heard enough and said to his fellow disciples “I am going fishing.”
(John 21:3 NKJV)and a couple of the others said they would go with him. I wonder sometimes why the others thought going with him would be okay to do as well. Oh well, maybe they remembered how good Simon was at fishing and since Jesus was now gone and most of their faith as well, just might as well go fishing. but they fished again all night "They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus." (John 21:3,4 NKJV).
You see this where permission comes in. Yes, Simon was probably a very good fisherman and it was legitimate for him to fish, but if you will recall, Jesus had changed his profession. Simon was a "Fisher of Men" now and Jesus had not changed his mind about that. I believe that is why Simon and his friends caught nothing until Jesus called out to them from the shoreline and gave them permission to catch fish this one more time.
So you see, If God has called you to do something like write a daily Bible verse or dig ditches you have his permission to proceed. But if we just decide to do something else, it will seem futile and unprofitable no matter how good it looks or how practical it may be or even if it is what might be expected of you by others. You are going to need His permission. You see God's calling is without repentance. that means he will not say I am sorry, I was wrong, I made a mistake. Jesus qualifies who he calls, and does not take it back. We have his permission to follow his calling, what we do not have is his permission to stop.
May God Bless,
Ask Pastor Ron

Monday, May 11, 2009

My Mother

I heard one of the best Mother's Day messages this week about mothers in the bible. I was particular enriched by the story Pastor Hargrove presented about Mary and the qualities he attributed her.
First he said she was able to hear God's word. (Luke 1:38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. NKJV) "Let it be to according to your word" is the same thing that we should daily say to God to remain in obedience to His will. My Mother wanted nothing less for Her children than to have everything they so desired, but She may have sometimes had a hard time in conveying this truth to us. You see we were sometimes sure that we could handle everything ourselves and who needed God, much less who really needed their mother telling them how to live their life. It is difficult to take advice from a loved one, especially your Mother. Even though we are so enlightened by our own traditions and understanding of the Word of God, sometimes a simple word of correction opens our spiritual eyes."Let it be according to your word" sometimes meant Mother had to allow God deal with us on His own. She could pray and hope for us the Best but allowing God's will to function in our lives meant also letting go. My Mother did this well. She was hard sometimes to understand, but I believe now she knew more than I gave Her credit for. She got what she wanted for me according to God's word for my life. I choose today to rededicate my life to His Word and like my mother allow things to happen God's way. I want it to be said I honored my Mother and thus My days would be long because of it.
Second my Pastor said Mary was obedient to God's Word. When the wedding at Canaan suddenly had no wine She instructed the servants to obey Jesus. John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” This sounds so easy for a Mother to instruct others to obey when you know she is talking about the Son of God, Jesus. We sometimes would like to able to justify the disobedience in our life and say Mother did not know what she was talking about, or we just believe she was totally wrong. But on further observation i discover that according to God's Word instruction comes to us and we must yield to it no matter what if it is not out of line with His Word. I rebelled against my Mother. I spoke harshly to her many times and sometimes to Her children as well. But She was obedient to God and showed me how God sees me, through Her words. She could be asked about my childhood and she said only good things, one time she even told the congregation I was perfect in every way. And if you really know me in a human sort of way, you would say she was out of her mind. But I would have to tell you she had taken on the mind of Christ when it came to Her children. When she would speak to you, it was not always peaches and cream, but when she talked about you She became our best advocate, even willing to take our transgressions with Her in death.
My Mother. I miss Her. You see this was the first Mothers Day she spent with Her Mother in Heaven. I am sure they would love to be here to tell me everything I have done wrong in this little message, but before heaven's congregation, I am just perfect.
Sounds a little like Jesus and what He does for us also. He promised to separate me from my transgressions and never to remember them against any more if I would only repent.
I repent Dear Lord Jesus and seek your will for my life, amen.
May God Bless you,
Ask Pastor Ron

If you have any questions about direction and God's word please respond and I will give you what I believe is God's Word for you.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

God can not Bless you past your last act of disobedience.

Job 42:7-10 (New King James Version)
7 And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD commanded them; for the LORD had accepted Job. 10 And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

I start this day with these words about Job and his friends to speak about something that is very dear to me, God's Blessings. Most of the time we decide that God has chosen not to bless us because we are not good or because he possibly just does not care or He just does not know who I am. I believe that this kind of doubt coupled with a lack of understanding of God's word leads us to believe that God will just Bless someone else and not me.
We get angry at God and begin to make an argument that maybe God does not exist. We ask God to help us and nothing happens, which leads us into further doubt and disbelief. We determine within ourselves there is no God. We begin to believe our own Eliphaz's, and Bildad's and Zophar's and reason amongst our friends that there is no hope and we should just give up.
So enough about the problem, let's take a look at the solution. I first want to tell you that the problem is us. We are the ones who live in disobedience and denial. I have stated and believe that "God can not Bless you past your last act of Disobedience." that's right can not. We sometimes confuse this as will not instead of can not. it is totally God' will to bless you, but he can not if we continue to live in disobedience.
Everyone likes to look at Job and see that God considered him a good servant, a just and upright citizen. We believe that these qualities will bring God's blessings and nothing else matters. But, it was not his life that brought the blessing in the end it was ONE act of obedience (v.10) when he prayed that God restored or multiplied or however you would like to consider the increase, He was Blessed because he obeyed.
Now if you have been living in disobedience and God's blessings have been cut off from you, Repent from the disobedience and allow to God to direct your path and instruct you into a course of action that leads to obedience. You are probably right now beginning to see things that you can do. i say do them and stop withholding God's Blessings. Remember it is totally God's will to bless you, but He can not Bless you past your last act of disobedience.
May God Bless,
Pastor Ron

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Revolution or Evolution?

As I look today at the news and see all the loss and suffering, I also see the confusion that is set into the lives of Americans and their families. Journalist and talking heads want to cloud our judgement and fill our minds with fear and doubt. It is disheartening to wake up each day and wonder what should I expect today.
I have created this blog to try and help people just like me who are discouraged and do not know what to do in the middle of their crisis. You can ask questions and, or make comments as the responses found here each day. I am a fan of the New King James Version of the Bible, and will quote from it at all times. You can disagree with that and you just might be right. But, I have always said that everyone has a right to their own opinion, but with that right, the also retain the right to be wrong. Please feel free to enter into civilized debate about what is bothering you and what gets your dander up.
I am not afraid to put my opinions up for examination. I believe that the Word of God will defend itself and remain just to every situation. I hope that you will find this blog informative, stimulating and helpful.
I also understand the history of our country and how it was founded on Biblical Principals and Godly Attributes. I am not a liberal, I consider myself a reformed conservative (not always as enlightened as I am now). The only thing liberal about me is the application of lighter fluid to the charcoal before lighting the match. I am sure that some topics of the day will strike a match under your charcoal and cause some heated debate. But remember, this is about Bible Answers to Today's Problems.