I want to talk about excellence. The dictionary defines excellence as the state or quality of excelling. Excellence is considered to be an important value, and a goal to be pursued.

Excellence is not perfection. No once since Jesus was perfect. Excellence is very much like being a Christian. In being a Christian we are constantly striving to be more Christ like and in excellence we are striving for perfection knowing that it is something we will really not achieve.

Colossians 3:23-24 (New King James Version)

²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

A few years ago I had job that I really hated. I could not wait to find another job. I had to drag myself in there every day. When it came time for my review I was surprised that I had the top stats in my office. I do not say this to brag but how well I perform at my does not depend on how much I like what I am doing.

More than once I have swept the floor of the Trueblood Family Life Center and I have never thought that it was beneath me nor have I ever thought that I just need to get this done. Each time that I did it I did it as unto the Lord.

I believe that this is the same principle when the Lord places us in charge of small things to see how we handle them. It is when the Lord sees us striving for excellence in the small things that he then can promote us to something bigger.

When I watch the kids play Upward basketball I see a wide variety of talent levels. I have always told my kids when they play sports that it matters more how hard they try then the final result. I would rather have them try hard and fail than be lazy and still manage to succeed. Whatever you do do it as to the Lord not to men.

I can remember when I was playing softball and I saw someone not trying as hard as they could have. That drove me crazy. I am not expecting everyone be able to make all star plays but you have to try. That is what I tell my kids when they play. Did you try your hardest? If they did then that is all that I can ask. Try your best that is all we can ask from our kids and it is what our heavenly father asks of us.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (New International Version)

 ³¹So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Let us strive to glorify God in all that we do.

Be blessed!

If that is true then why do we, as Christians, occupy so much of our energy with fear. Many people live their whole lives bound up in fear to the point that they are crippled. They miss out on what life has to offer them because they fear of what might happen. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes fear can be healthy–stopping us from doing something dangerous. But we cannot allow ourselves to be ruled by fear.

Isaiah 43:1
 ¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—
       he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
       “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

We are His. If we are His why do we allow fear to be so controlling over our lives. Many people miss out on what God wants for them in their lives because of fear. They are not willing to take the bold step that God wants them to do. Since we are His we need to be gripped in Godly boldness not by overwhelming fear.

Keep in mind that as I write this I am with my wife as she undergoes chemotherapy. This has been a scary time for us as even though the prognosis is good there is still the fear of the unknown to deal with. Through this we are relying on God to get us through and we have felt the prayers of so many. We don’t really fear this as we are looking forward to the day that this process is over. If we were allowing to fear to grip us right now we would not be able to function.

Deb and I have talked many times that this trial that we are going through is for His glory. We must focus on what God wants us to receive through this process not the fear of having to deal with the actual treatments. So many people are bound by a crippling fear when in reality they don’t really have anything to be afraid about. My brother-in-law was not able to play football in high school because his parents were afraid of what “might” happen. This was a big kid who probably posed more of a danger to the other kids than they did to him. Again, a healthy fear is ok but not a crippling fear.

There are times in our walk where the Lord will call us to do something. We must not allow fear to grow in us that we miss out on the things of God. We are His. So we need to act like it and walk in Godly boldness.

Psalm 46:1-2
 ¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 
 ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea

There was a time when I really didn’t get it. I came in and I loved to sing the songs but I really wasn’t praising at all. I sang the words but I wasn’t making the connection. I wasn’t allowing the Holy Spirit to work on me so that I would truly enter in to a worshipful state. I don’t know that I can even put a finger on when it happened but somewhere along the way I began to open up more and more and I began to truly praise God in the Praise and Worship time. I remember that I had to forget about me and what was going on with me and concentrate on just thanking God for all the He is to me.

A few weeks ago we had the Superbowl Party at the church and at certain times everyone was getting up and yelling based upon what was happening in the game. Now I am a big sports fan and I have yelled at and for my teams for years and I am sure that many of you have done the same thing. Then why do we find it so hard to show our emotions when we are  supposed to be praising God? Let’s face it, I know that it is not “just a game” but we can’t equate sports with what our Lord has done for us.

Chances are no one on your favorite team knows your name or anything about you. But Jesus knows everything about you. He knows the desires of your heart and He truly cares about every aspect of your life.

So I challenge everyone to try harder to enter into a spirit of worship each and every Sunday. As Dawn said a few weeks ago, you only need to do a little bit more each time. Maybe that means raising your hand. Maybe it means just closing your eyes and just seeking the Lord in a more personal way. But I challenge you to reach harder for the Lord. After all we would do the same if our team made the playoffs.

Be blessed!

James 1:2 says “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” Did you read that? “Count it all joy.” So, we are told by the word of God that in these trials we are to “count it all joy.” I do fully believe that verse but we have to admit that it can be tough to walk out. No one wants to hear when they are struggling, “isn’t this great! This is wonderful!” No, we want to say, “this stinks.” (or worse)

James 1:3 continues by saying, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” There is that word again. Patience. I don’t know why I come across that word so much in my walk. Oh yeah, maybe because that is where I struggle, with my patience. I am sure many of you also struggle in this area as well. We have become a microwave society. We want everything right now and we want it fast. We don’t want to wait on anything. If your microwave takes four minutes to make popcorn get a new one so you can get it done in two minutes.

Verse 4 conntinues, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” The last two words always get me, “lacking nothing.” Meaning that we will be perfect without needing anything else. Yeah, I am not there yet. I am still lacking quite a bit. But he’s still working on me, to make me what he wants me to be.

For those of you who don’t know my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer back in October. She has since undergone surgery to remove the mass and that went well. Last week she began chemotherapy. Through each of these steps we have believed in God’s healing power and we still do. We do not know why Deb has to go through this particular storm in her life but we know that God has a plan. In the past few months we have seen our Elder team hit hard with health issues. This is when it gets tough to “count it all joy.”

The Lord did give me a word for my wife a few months ago and that is through this adversity she will be able to speak into women’s lives more boldly and help women who really need a blessing. And that through this she will use the enemy as a footstool to elevate herself into a position of authority being able to speak over these things.

I have always believed that the Lord does not give us anything that we cannot handle and through each trial we can either choose to just get through it or gain something from it. But even with the knowledge that we are gaining something from this experience comes the thought, “I do not want to go through this.” After all, isn’t that what Jesus said? In Matthew 26:39 Jesus said, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

That is what we really should be striving for. Not our will but His will.

We all have times when we are happy or sad but the joy that the Lord provides transcends all of that. It is the joy of knowing that we are loved by a God so much that He had His son die for our sins. It is the joy in knowing that everlasting life is ours since we confess Jesus as our savior. It is the joy in knowing that God has a plan for our lives and a plan for our children’s lives as well.

So amidst all of that frenzy I could not help but feel sad for the people that seemed to be having a great time. Because their “great time” is so temporary. But because our Lord loves us and we strive to know Him more initmately we can know true joy, not just temprorary happiness.

In a nutshell I believe that is what we are here to do. Through God’s love explain to people that there is more to life than what the world has to offer. That there is greater fulfillment in the Lord than we could ever get at any theme park. So we must press on and show people God’s love each and every day so that one day they might know true joy too.

Be blessed,

Pastor John

It is easy get bogged down with the “big things” and miss the little things. We need to make sure that no matter what stage of our walk we are at that we move forward to grow more Christlike each and every day. We don’t want to wake up next New Year’s day and not have grown spiritually. It is a walk. A journey.

In that journey we don’t arrive until we receive our ultimate reward. So why should we be satified with the status quo? Why should we be content with anything less than the Lord wants for us?

The Lord wants us to grow stronger in our walk so that we will be fully equipped for the work that he has for us.

I challenge each person who reads this with wanting more and more of what God has for us. Be hungry to grow and be strengthened in your walk and don’t be satisfied with mediocrity since the Lord wants excellence in every aspect of your life.

Push forward in your knowledge of the Word. Strive to pray harder and be more available to people that need your love. We spend so much time doing “stuff” that we miss out on ministry opportunities like just being there for someone who needs encouragement or just an understanding ear.

Make this your best year by growing more in the Lord than ever before!