Thank You Mom

“When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her:” – Proverbs 31:26-28.

On Mother’s Day each year we acknowledge the unique contributions that mothers make in the lives of their children. My prayer is that we show our appreciation and gratitude more often than once a year, but on Mother’s Day specifically, we recognize the behind the scenes sacrifices and struggles every mother makes. We recognize that, all too often, your contributions as a mom, may feel undervalued, misunderstood and overlooked because so much of your best work is hidden away in the unseen moments of grace with your children. Most people will never see you throwing yourself in the daily chore of cleaning spit-up, cooking another meal, responding to another tantrum, pick up the thousandth crayon, listening to your teen’s concerns or graciously shepherding feuding brothers and sisters. And for all that, mom’s simply don’t get their due. How often does a child walk up and say, “wow mom, you have it all together.” 

Fortunately, that doesn’t stop you from always being there. You are there at all our sporting events. You were there with some good advice when we started dating. You were there on the front row watching us getting married. You were there when your grandchildren were born. You sacrifice and struggle because of love, and selfless, sacrificial love is worthy of recognition.

My hope is that you know that you are valued by your church. We thank you for all the small, the ordinary, and the mundane things you do for your family. Thank you for sowing the seeds of God’s love in the hearts of children. Chuck Swindoll in Strong Family listed some “I owe you’s” which apply to mothers all over the country, all of which are long overdue. “I owe you – for your time. Day and night. I owe you – for your example. Consistent and dependable. I owe you – for your support. Stimulating and challenging. I owe you – for your humor. Sparky and quick. I owe you – for your counsel. Wise and quiet. I owe you – for your humility. Genuine and gracious. I owe you – for your hospitality. Smiling and warm. I owe you – for your insight. Keen and honest. I owe you – for your flexibility. Patient and joyful. I owe you – for your sacrifices. Numerous and quickly forgotten. I owe you – for your faith. Solid and sure. I owe you – for your hope. Ceaseless and indestructible. I owe you – for your love. Devoted and deep.”

So, on this Mother’s Day, take a moment and consider the priceless value of the one who made your life possible – your mother.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you appreciate most about your mom? 
  2. What can we do this week to honor and respect your mother?   

Faith Is Taking That First Step

“This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.– Revelation 14:12

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

This quote by Martin Luther King Jr., is a great analogy for faith. King lived his life by faith and ultimately sacrificed it by serving others. In this week’s message we talked about doing something every day that requires faith. Taking that challenge will inspire you to walk with Jesus. You don’t have to go fast; you just have to take that first step of faith.

Noah took that first step when he started building an ark to survive the flood–and they’d never even seen rain. Can you imagine how crazy that must have seemed to everyone? David was just a young lad when he faced Goliath. But he took that first step of faith and walked out to face him. Abraham took that first step of faith when God told him to travel to find his inheritance–and he didn’t even know where he was going. God gave orders to Joshua to march around the city of Jericho for seven days. Imagine how ridiculous that must have looked while they marched for seven days before the walls fell. It was a step of faith for the children of Israel to walk into the Red Sea–but God provided dry ground for them to walk on. Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego had to take a step of faith to walk into that fiery furnace. I can only imagine how overwhelmed a young orphan girl felt when God told her to stand before the king and beg for the lives of her people, but the Jewish people were saved because Esther took those steps of faith.

We will all have those moments in our lives when we are asked to step out in faith. And we all have concerns about that first step because getting out of our comfort zone can produce stress and worry.  Our initial inclination is to question whether we are ready to put ourselves out there. On the other hand, you are excited about what God wants to do through you and and you can’t wait to see what that is, but…you don’t have it all worked, figured or factored out. That is where faith comes in. God responds to our action, not our concerns. So step out even if you have that unsettling combination of wanting to step out in faith but not feeling completely prepared. God didn’t ask you to get ready to go; He just asked you to go. You can get ready along the way.

Hebrews 11.6 famously says, ”And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” At Northstar we believe that God is who He said He is and as a result we trust Him to do everything that He has promised. He is worthy of our faith and taking those first steps.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the barriers to doing something every day that requires faith?
  2. What can we do this week to overcome those barriers?

Am I Indifferent?

“Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” – 1 Peter 4:8.

How do you feel when somebody seems indifferent to you? Indifference suggests that he or she thinks you are boring, uninteresting, worthless or fill in the blank. Most people find indifference worse than being disliked. But what if we are a Christian? Can we be a follower of Jesus and be indifferent to others? 

God has called us to purposeful living. And one of the threats to living a purpose driven life is indifference- to God and to others. Indifference is the absence of feeling or interest in someone or something. If we are indifferent to others, we will never involve ourselves in their lives, as Christ involved Himself in ours. Instead, we should be loving others.

Loving people is difficult. Yet this is what the Bible commands. “This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” (1 John 3:11). We spend time on what we deem important. For many of us these choices are valid: time with family and friends, work, prayer, serving the poor, fighting for rights, protesting wrongs. But as the Scripture reminds us, “If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:3).

Jesus made a point about our priorities in Matthew: “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39). Love, then, is not a gray area. Every thought, response, and act of goodwill must first pass through the fine filter of love. So how can we be indifferent and love at the same time? We can’t.   

In “Strength to Love”, Martin Luther King, Jr., encouraged us to realize that “our responsibility as Christians is to discover the meaning of this command and seek passionately to live it out in our daily lives.” 

So take an interest in others. Concern yourselves. Unintentional living leads to indifference. Live deliberately, not indifferently. Love God and love others.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it easier to be indifferent to people than to God? Why or why not? 
  2. What can we do this week to love people more effectively?

Are You Driven To Distraction?

“I am disturbed when I see the majority of so-called Christians having such little understanding of the real nature of the faith they profess. Faith is a subject of such importance that we should not ignore it because of the distractions or the hectic pace of our lives.” – William Wilberforce

When you are doing something important, whatever that is, it requires your full attention: It is important that you don’t get distracted because typically that is when things go wrong. That is why you don’t text while driving, or you don’t operate heavy machinery when your mind is somewhere else. As followers of Jesus, to be at our absolute best we must be focused, which means we must be focused on what matters most. For Christians, distractions can be a real threat to that focus. 

Jesus sets the standard that we should model on focus. In Luke 13:22-24 (MSG) we read: “He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem. A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?” He said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention.”

Jesus was subject to all the pressures we are and yet remained completely disciplined, always giving His time to what was ultimately most important. He was constantly moving forward to the ultimate goal of Jerusalem. Jesus knew exactly what needed His attention. He knew what He was meant to be doing and where He was meant to be going. He obviously had little time for someone who appears to have come out of the sidelines raising an issue that on the surface may have seemed valid, but on closer examination wasn’t going to bring anyone any benefit. Jesus said to the bystander if He really wants to live the “God life” it’s a vigorous life that demands our total attention. Allowing distractions into our life means we can never give God the 100 percent He deserves.

What really matters most, no matter who we are or what calling we have in life, is our relationship with God. If we allow anything to distract us from our relationship with him we will never be able to be who He has called us to be, or do what He has called us to do. If there is one lesson we learn from watching Jesus it’s the fact He never allowed His schedule to crowd out His time alone with God. He knew no matter what else was going on His relationship with his father had to have top priority.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some distractions that can impact our daily walk with God? 
  2. What can we do this week to keep from being distracted and completely focused on God?

In Me I Trust

“Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” – Philippians 4:13 (MSG)

Is being self-sufficient a problem? Countries, cities and people long to be completely self-sufficient. No one wants to rely on others if they can help it. After all, depending on someone else is often painful. As Christians, self-sufficiency can detract us from pursuing the life that only God can give. The bottom line is I am only self-sufficient, when I don’t believe God is truly sufficient.

We also want that inner confidence that we need to achieve godliness in our lives. Then one day reality hits. The presence of God is like paint thinner, removing the layers of self-reliance that have built up over the years only to disappear when we find ourselves in a mess of our own making. Self-confidence and self-sufficiency is no longer the answer. Self-reliance is no longer the solution. When the layers are removed, all that remains is a broken vessel that cannot beat without the life-support of Jesus and His Spirit in us. It is at that time when you realize that God is sufficient.

At various points in my life I started down the road feeling like the self-reliant Pharisee who walked into the temple, stood by himself and prayed this prayer in Luke 18:11: “…’I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery…”  But somewhere along the journey, I end being the hopeless tax collector who stood at distance and said, “’O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ (Luke 18:13)

Before you start imagining that pastors spend their days as a unorganized mess surrounded by chaos (I do have those days now and then), let me shed a little light on the subject: I have structure, plans, goals, and purposes. They help me because aimlessness is never a good thing.

So yes, I take matters into my own hands. But my intelligence, talents, material possessions, is never a substitute for relying on God alone. In Colossians 2, Paul uses phrases “in Him” or “with Him” six times:  In Him we have been made complete (v. 10). With Him we are buried in baptism (v. 12). With Him we are made alive (v. 13). All I could ever need for the rest of our lives is found in the very person of Jesus Christ.

God is pruning away self-sufficiency and growing faith in Christ in it’s place. I’m learning at a deeper level that self-sufficiency doesn’t honor God. Doing something beyond what you can do through your own strength and willpower brings glory to God.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How do you draw the line between self-reliance and reliance on God?
  2. What can we do this week to place our trust and reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ?

In Love With Indifference

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:8-9. 

“Whatever” — pronounced “WHAT’-ehv-errr” is a slang term meaning “whatever you say” or “I don’t care what you say.” The term is used most often to dismiss something somebody said, signal apathy or express indifference during a conversation. It is also annoying as a poll found out. The poll found “whatever” to be consistently disliked by Americans regardless of their race, gender, age, income or where they live.

The question is do we ever find ourselves saying “whatever” to God? Every follower of Jesus Christ will go through a time of spiritual indifference. It is difficult to keep one’s excitement and enthusiasm at a really high level. We all hit a wall or get distracted, plateau, and temporarily lose our spiritual passion.

We cannot and should not expect that spiritual indifference is anything more than a short period of apathy. The shorter the better. If our goal in life is to bring glory to God, we cannot accomplish that by being indifferent, even though there will be times when we feel like our apathy and lethargy are justified. But if we spend a few moments thinking about it, we will come to the conclusion that there is no real justification for taking Jesus Christ for granted, for indifference.

Can we really say “whatever” when Christ redeemed us on the cross, when we have been given the Holy Spirit, when we have victory over sin, joy, a purpose in life, peace, to name a few. There are so many more privileges and/or benefits to being part of God’s family.  When we are “indifferent” we are saying that we are taking everything God has dome for us for granted. Jesus says this to the Ephesian church in Revelation 2:4, “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!”

We should never lose sight of the overwhelming sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. In addition, God is a God who can be known, and the more we know of Him…and the more time we spend with Him…the less likely spiritual indifference will creep into our lives.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you ever say “whatever” either intentionally or unintentionally to God?
  2. What can we do this week to find and eliminate any indifference in our lives?  

Worth The Wait

“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.” – Habakkuk 2:1

If you have been a Christian for a relatively short time you have probably never heard about the prophet Habakkuk. He is definitely not a household name, even for the church. Habakkuk, one of Israel’s minor, or lesser, prophets, steps into the scene at a time when God’s people were in serious decline. They had abandoned following God’s will. Habakkuk loved God, he loved God’s law, he loved God’s people and he wanted to see God’s people obey and glorify God.

Despite his prayers, Habakkuk sees things getting worse. Apparently, Habakkuk had repeatedly called upon God to act, to intervene, to set things right, to just do something. Yet there was silence. Finally, out of a deep sense of frustration and confusion, he cries out to God, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help?” (Habakkuk 1:1)

Remarkably, he takes God at his word, and commits himself to wait on God rather than taking matters into his own hands. Habakkuk trusts that God is already at work, even if he can’t see it. Habakkuk assumes a position of waiting with confident trust in God. So Habakkuk waits. Waiting is perhaps the hardest discipline of the Christian life. Most of us hate to wait. I know I do. Probably all of us are waiting for something at this very moment. We must remember that waiting may answer some of the “why “ questions. Questions such as “why doesn’t God answer our prayers?” Or “what does God want me to do?” 

We often view waiting as passive, but is it? In Scripture, to wait is to be active, to do something. That something is faith. And faith is is entrusting ourselves into God’s hands as God speaks and acts in all the circumstances of our lives, since God is already busily at work. To wait and to be patient is to trust that God is at work even if we can’t see or understand what God is doing at any given moment of time. 

God did answer Habakkuk but it was not the answer he expected. God’s solution to the sin of Judah was to have them invaded by the Babylonians. Habakkuk complains a second time to the Lord about the solution being drastic, but God assured Habakkuk that He would also deal with the Babylonians (Habakkuk 1:12–2:20). In the end, Habakkuk acknowledged that God is sovereign. He is good and whatever happens we can trust in Him:

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

Even though Habakkuk couldn’t see it, God was working the whole time. He is doing the same in our lives as His followers. We simply need to watch and wait.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you argued with God? Is arguing with God ever a good idea?
  2. Do you think it is possible for God to be doing good without us even realizing it?  Why or why not?
  3. Do you think God ever does good, wise, and perfect things that are beyond our present circumstance or understanding to even see?

How Can God Use Me?

“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” – Jeremiah 29:13-14.

If I asked the average Christian if they believed that God loved them, most, if not very single one, would respond “Yes.” Most if not all would probably add that knowing and understanding His great love for them is one of the greatest truths they have ever come to know. But if I asked that same group of believers if they believed God could use them or would even want to use them, I would probably get some hesitation and some shrugged shoulders rather than an exact yes or no. So why do we have this spiritual paradox? Why do we believe God loves us and can do anything, yet we have a hard time believing He can see past our short temper, our lack of discipline, our lack of motivation and any other flaw or insecurity? 

The Bible makes short work of that thinking. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (ESV) The word condemn has several meanings one of which is “to declare to be unfit for use.” (Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster Dictionary) That definition makes perfect sense and brings to mind old buildings that were no longer inhabitable, usable, needed, and were condemned.

Is that the way we feel, unwanted, unusable, unneeded? So we put out the yellow “keep out” tape that is found at demolition sites to both warn God and to keep Him back. Better stay clear of me Lord, I am flawed.

If that is you, I challenge you to go beyond your own limitations today. Give God your flaws. The flaws and insecurities you are worried about are the perfect message of His grace. He is able to use the mishmash of your life and turn it into a message of hope for other people.

You have unique talents and abilities to contribute to furthering the message of Jesus Christ. When you become transparent about God’s love and acceptance in spite of your flaws, it inspires others to believe. So go beyond your own limitations today, because someone is waiting on what you have to offer.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your motive in deciding how to spend your time?
  2. What can we do this week to be available to God for His use? 

Great Expectations

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” – Colossians 3:17.

Sometimes it feels like God has great expectations for me. God wants so much from me. What do I need to give up? What should I do more? Do I need to read the Bible more, pray more, invest more of my time, money, and resources?  Do I need to volunteer at church more, lead a small group, or mentor others? Basically, I need to do more. But doing a lot more is a lot more. Serving God seems to come with some strings attached. I want to serve the Lord. I want to feel like I have made a contribution, even small, for all God has done for me. But how can I meet God’s expectations for my life? 

It is easy to think in those terms and equally easy to think that God expects and wants a lot from each of us: time, money, energy, focus, worship, passion, to name a few. Our life in Christ does cost us something – everything. God does want our best, but our best won’t ever be good enough. If you are wondering if you measure up to what God wants from us, pause and ask a simple question: what does God really want from me? 

The Bible gives a pretty clear indication that God doesn’t so much want things from us. God actually wants things for us. God doesn’t want much from me: God wants so much for me. There is a difference. God is for you, because He loves you. Jesus came so that you could live a full life empowered by His wisdom, principles and God’s Spirit. “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10)

God is for us. Never against us. God wants you to know and understand Him, God doesn’t just want you to wonder about Him.  “But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 9:24) 

So the next time you think about expectations and having the skills needed to do what God is asking for you to do consider this: I’m not working for God. I’m working with God. We are working with a God that can do anything that wants to work through each one of us. Or as Oswald Chambers said, “work out” what God “works in” you.

God expects us to do His will, but He is in us to do it.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think God has unrealistic expectations for us?
  2. What do you think God wants to do through you?  What can you do this week to accomplish what God wants to do through you? 

Are You Everybody, Somebody, Anybody or Nobody?

“Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:27-29.

Who can God use? Who should God use? Whose job is it to be used by God, anyway? Everybody was sure that somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was everybody’s job. Everybody thought anybody could do it, but nobody realized that everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that everybody blamed somebody when nobody did what anybody could have done. Confusing, yes it is. And while this is obviously a story, it is a story that plays out often in churches and followers of Jesus all over the world. 

We are all everybody, somebody, who often thinks we are a nobody when God knocks on our door with something He wants done. Our response is often, “Lord anybody but me.” After all, we did not go to an Ivy League school like somebody we know; we can’t sing beautifully like everybody does in church; Anybody you point to has more skills and talents than I have. Nobody has less confidence, is less bold than I am. So…why me Lord? And the older I get, the more it seems like everybody has something going for them. Everybody has things figured out. Everyone but me that is.

I want to be close to God. I want to make a difference in the lives of somebody, anybody in fact. But how can I do that when I am a nobody? The fact is God made you exactly the way you were supposed to be. Flaws and all. Insecurities and all. No “special” abilities and all. And God can use anybody, everybody and nobody if they have a desire to be used by Him. Because that’s when God steps in.

I am continually amazed at the work God has done in people not because they are the most confident or talented, but because they were willing to fulfill God’s plan for their life. The “no, I can’t do that” changed to “Ok God, if that is what you want.” Things that were tough in the beginning now come easy to them. They look back and wonder why they were so afraid. No, they were not magically changed into somebody who had it all together. They were not somebody who learned how to preach or how to sing. They were not suddenly somebody without any doubts and insecurities about having the abilities they need to do what God wants them to do. Over time they learned that God can do amazing things when they surrender their desires, weaknesses, and abilities to Him.

They stopped pointing their fingers at everybody, somebody and anybody else, and asking “God, why isn’t that me?”

Discussion Questions:

  1. Who are some unlikely people you’ve seen God use in big ways? What can you learn from the way God has used them?
  2. God can do anything so why is hard to believe that He can do things through us?