I Will Boast Only In The Lord

“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always;

Thou and Thou only, First in my heart,

High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.”

~”Be Thou My Vision”

Ancient Irish Hymn (8th Century)

In this world of vast material wealth it’s easy to see how people can be overcome with the desire to get more and more and never have enough. Boasting is something that many shy away from verbally, but many show in the way that they live. It’s easy for this to happen especially when you begin to believe your own press. You’ve succeeded by the world’s standards and everyone is always telling you how great and wonderful you are. The success may not be financial; it may be in sports, or in your job. Maybe you’ve been a wonderful and proactive parent and your children are very successful.

Whatever our success may be, we must never forget where the ability to succeed comes from. That’s important especially when you realize that God’s standard of success is far different than man’s standard. God in his gracious wisdom and love has given all of us the potential for success. The world exalts the wise, the strong, and the powerful as being the examples of success. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. (1 Corinthians 1:27) He has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He has chosen the powerless people, the ordinary people to proclaim the Almighty One.

That brings great comfort to me. Knowing that I don’t have to compare myself to others gives me great comfort because there is always someone better or more gifted. But thankfully that is not what God is looking for. What He is after is a person who is willing, and has an available heart where He can reside and work His wonders in and through. That takes the pressure off of us to be the “best”. Who came up with that anyway? Where does Jesus command us to be the best? We are told to do our best, and to give of our best, but the difference comes with who is ultimately in control. When we try to be the best it’s easy to boast in our own strength. When we do our best in His strength and rely on God for the results, it’s easier to give the glory where the glory is deserved.

As you worship today, thank and praise God that He is willing and ready to use you to show the world that He is a kind, just and righteous God! Wow, what an honor!

Pastor MJ

The LORD Is My Shepherd

“Even through I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

The 23rd Psalm, what a beautiful and treasured passage which reminds us that as our Shepherd, God loves and cares for each one of us! We are also reminded of the relational aspect of our walk with God. When temptations face us, we can turn to the One who is ever present and who loves unconditionally. Our Shepherd who desires to do far beyond what we can imagine does just that!

Awhile back, I received from a friend, a wonderful way to read through and understand the Lord’s Prayer. I want to share it with you and encourage you to thank God today for being the awesome God He is and for giving us His word not only to comfort us, but to give us strength to live victoriously in the midst of pain and temptation.

“The Lord is my Shepherd…THAT’S RELATIONSHIP!

I shall not want…THAT’S SUPPLY!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…THAT’S REST!

He leadeth me beside still waters…THAT’S REFRESHMENT!

He restoreth my soul…THAT’S HEALING!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness…THAT’S GUIDANCE!

For His name sake…THAT’S PURPOSE!

Yea, though I walk though the valley of the shadow of death…THAT’S CHALLENGE!

I will fear no evil…THAT’S ASSURANCE!

For though art with me…THAT’S FAITHFULNESS!

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…THAT’S SHELTER!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…THAT’S HOPE!

Thou anointest my head with oil…THAT’S CONSECRATION!

My cup runneth over…THAT’S ABUNDANCE!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…THAT’S BLESSING!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord…THAT’S SECURITY!

Forever…THAT’S ETERNITY!

Isn’t God good? That’s something to praise Him for today!
With you on the Journey,

Mark Jones
Worship Pastor

Back In The Day

“Back in the day” I remember arriving at church seeing people exiting their cars with smiles. Hugs and handshakes would be followed by the infamous, “how are you?” and the just as infamous, “just fine”. Just what does “fine” mean anyway? I knew many of these people and knew that everything was not “just fine”. So why the game face? Many days I wondered why we’d gather on Sunday. From my vantage point there was no difference in the way we left from the way we came in. It never seemed like we were on common ground as to why we were there. Why not just stay home?

Think for a moment, what is it about Sunday gatherings that we can’t do at home? We’ve got bibles; we can read them at home. With the availability of videos and the internet we can get incredible teaching. Pastor Jeff’s sermons are online; why not just log-on? Christian music is everywhere; there are recordings of live worship experiences, DVD’s, video’s, and other multimedia experiences. Why not just pop one in with your pj’s on and worship at home? Why rush out on Sunday morning when you can stay at home; avoid the arguments in the car and sleep in and worship at “Bedside Tabernacle”? Why should you be here and not make it a practice to worship on a fishing boat or at the lake house or on the golf course? God it there too, so why gather here with those around you today?

First of all, because God’s Word tells us to (see Hebrews 10:25). God uses people. If you are a believer, you don’t have the option to be a spectator today. You are here to bring, and to respond. We are to bring praise, thanksgiving, adoration, needs, joys, pain, sorrow, success, failure, etc. and together present them to the Lord. We bring Him all that we are because He is worthy. We are to respond to Him and all that He is and allow that to make a difference in the way we listen, sing, and relate to others. One of the reasons we do that together is for encouragement. As I see you, hurts and all magnifying Him, I am encouraged to do the same. As we listen to the truth of God’s Word together and I see you struggling during the week, we can remind each other of the truths we’ve learned. As we gather together we represent that we are family, a community of believers with the same purpose of glorifying God with our “everything-ness”. To love the Lord our God with our whole being and to be encouraged to do that together and be equipped for the week ahead. To proclaim together that He is good and that no matter what our week brings that He is still good and that we’ll be there for each other. Let’s never allow corporate gatherings to be just something that we do when we want. It’s a command; it’s a privilege; let’s make it a lifestyle.

He is worthy and we won’t regret it.

Pastor MJ

The Path of Life

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:11

How many of us live with a heavenly perspective on life? By heavenly perspective, I mean seeing life through the lens of eternity. I remember as a young boy, I prayed and talked with my family and friends constantly, about my hope that the rapture would not come before I got married and had the opportunity to experience being married and all that marriage had to offer like being a dad. I remember hearing messages and religious leaders, especially in the late seventies talk about how imminent the return of Christ was, even setting dates. I remember praying desperately and asking God to “wait” until I got married. Well, I can’t say that the fact that I’m married and am a dad 4 times over (one is in heaven) is a direct answer to my prayers, but it has happened and I’m glad that God has blessed me in this way.

However, as I’ve grown in the Lord and come to understand His word better I now see things a bit differently. Not that I would change my situation at all, but as I see and understand it now, if the Lord had come back prior to 1991 when Rebecca and I got married, I would have not only not missed being married, but in heaven I would not even give it a second thought, as being in the presence of God would be my delight, my focus, and my pleasure. How different would our lives be if we walked day in and day out viewing everything through eternal lenses?

We face difficulties, pain and suffering and vast uncertainties each and every day. Left to dwell on what life brings us along, we travel a road of hopelessness and fear. But when we allow every aspect of our daily circumstances to be filtered through the truth of God’s Word, we are able to act and react in a way that is not only pleasing to the Lord, but that allows us to walk in freedom from fear and anxiety. The old hymn puts it this way,

“When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory he sheds on our way! While we do His good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other
way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” John H. Sammis

My friend, no matter what today will bring, ask Father God to help you to see your situation through His eyes and whether it’s sickness, debt, relational problems or even death may His Word give you hope for not only a new day, but a better day “tomorrow”! Remember, it may be today!

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself,
that where I am you may be also.”—John 14:1-3

I Will See the Goodness of the Lord

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14 NIV)

Have you ever had “one of those weeks”? You might be saying, “Mark, I have one of those lives!” I often feel bad about expressing how I feel about different life circumstances. I know I’m not supposed to complain or be anxious. I know there is always someone worse off than me. I know that a better day is coming, but to be honest, sometimes I’ve just got to let it out and tell it like it is when life really hurts.

That’s what I love about the Word of God. Father knew what my week would be like and He had the testimonies of Elijah, Job, Habakkuk, Joseph, Thomas, Jesus and especially my fellow worship leader David, and their experiences included in His Word so that I could see that it’s okay to tell Father how I’m feeling. It’s okay to scream out, to cry to agonize and to hurt. However, although Father accepts us as we are, He loves us too much to leave us there. Because after we’ve had our say, He is there like he was with Habakkuk in chapter 1 verse 5 where he answered, “Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” God’s Word not only gives us the freedom to be honest it gives us the hope to endure.

David, after realizing he was up against many things, even death, took comfort in the realization that the Lord was his salvation, his shelter, his helper. Also, David was not content just to say, “a better day is coming”, he stood bold in God’s faithfulness and proclaimed that he’d see God’s goodness here, realizing that in that even in the midst of pain God’s faithfulness shines through; that even in the moments of doubt and fear, God’s presence and promises are near. He refused to forget in the dark what God had already reveled in the light.
Join me today in thanking God for the timeliness and strength that His Word gave us yesterday and gives us today and tomorrow. He is so good!

With you on the journey, MJ