Heroes

“The godly people in the land are my true heroes!”  Psalm 16:3 (NLT)

We rightly claim that local law enforcement, firefighters, EMS and military personnel are heroes.  They are heroes, not because of a single act of heroism, but because they show up to work every day.  They are in the struggle day after day willing to face whatever may come.

Life is like that for all of us.  We never know what we will face as we start each new day.  As a believer in Jesus Christ, doing our best to live according to God’s will can be a struggle at times.  The Bible says that Jesus was tempted the same way we are but He never sinned.  We are not so fortunate; we sometimes fail to do the right thing.  But we don’t quit; we don’t give up; and that makes us the hero that the Psalmist describes.

Later in the same Psalm, it says, “I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.”  Knowing that, we can face anything.

So rise and shine and give God the glory. Face the challenges of a new day.  Be a hero!

-pk

PS Stay warm out there.

Hope for a New Year 2016

The Bible says:

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)

Rejoice?  Really?  We can “rejoice” when we run into “problems and trials”?  That’s not what I wanted to hear today, how about you?  But it is logical if you look at what the Bible says here.  There is a progression:  As we endure our struggles it builds character in us as well as confidence or hope.  When we accomplish little things, it builds our confidence (or faith) to accomplish bigger things.  When we look at a past and see what we have been through, it gives us HOPE to face an uncertain future knowing that we have “been there, done that”. 

We also have HOPE because of what God has done for us and what He promises to do. We are reminded by this text “how dearly God loves us”.  Wow!  That gives hope.  God loves YOU!  God loves ME!  God loves US!  And He proves it by giving us the Holy Spirit; Jesus said the Holy Spirit would live IN us and be WITH us and would be our comforter.  Finally, the Bible says that God (by the Holy Spirit) will fill our hearts with His love, a love that we can share with others.

As we enter a New Year, we know that there will be problems that we will face.  But we also know that we have been there before and here we are – we survived.  We have HOPE because God loves us and is with us and fills us with His love.

Happy New Year!!

In light of eternity...

The end of the world is a popular movie theme.  Even Christian movie makers are coming out with a new “Left Behind” movie about end time events.  Well, the Bible has something to say about the end of the world.

In 1 Peter 4:7-11 (NLT), it says, “The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. ¹⁰ God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. ¹¹ Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”

In light of the possibility of the end of the world, we should do three things: 1) We should Pray Earnestly; 2) We should Love Deeply; 3) We should Serve One Another!

Are you disciplined in your prayer life or are you careless?  Christians often say, “Prayer changes things!”  But how many of pray with consistency.  Take time to pray!

Love is arguably the most powerful force in the universe. We are commanded to show “deep” love for each other. The Scripture says to “show” love, not just say it. Actions speak louder than words! Don’t be ashamed; show the people you care about how much you love them.

Finally, the command is serve one another. Jesus said in another place that if you want to be great in God’s kingdom that you had to learn to be a servant of all. Even the best leaders are good servants. Learn to humbly serve others.

In light of eternity, pray, love and serve!

God bless!

-PK

PS To hear the entire message, go here: http://www.hamlinag.com/media.php?pageID=5

Hope!

Where does hope come from?

Romans 15:13 (NIV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God’s top three are faith, hope and love.  We see them listed in 1 Corinthians 13, the Love Chapter.  We emphasize love and we emphasize faith, but what about hope?

What is hope?  Dictionary.com: the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. 

Do you have hope?  To you feel that what you want can be had?  Do you feel that events in your life will turn out for the best?

So many people feel hopeless…they have no hope.

Hope comes from God!  God is a God of hope.  In Romans 15:12, it says that we can overflow with hope by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit brings us hope.

But how can we experience hope?  How can we receive hope from the “God of hope” or by the “power of the Holy Spirit”? 

We have hope because we TRUST in God.  Do you trust in God?  The Bible, God’s Word, is full of God’s promises to us.  We need to put our trust in God.  We do that through prayer and meditation on what God says in the Bible.

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Don’t worry; pray.  Put your trust in God and experience an “overflowing” of hope, joy and peace.

God bless,

PK

(“Pastor Ken”)

Don't Settle for Less

Many of you know my dog Stormie. She is a German Shepherd and will be two years old in May. She recently had a checkup and now weighs 92 pounds. Right now she is laying on the floor chewing on a bone.  She likes to chew on bones.

Sometimes we buy "soup bones" (also called marrow bones) for her from the grocery store.. Apparently, people buy these bones and use them to make soup.  They are bones with some fat and tiny bits of scrap meat and are filled with marrow. STORMIE LOVES THESE BONES!  She tears at the meat scraps and cleans the bone!

One time I was feeling "rich" and in the mood to spoil her, so I bought spare ribs--you know, the ones for humans.  They had some meat on 'em!  And guess what?  STORMIE LOVED THEM!

Given a choice, my dog prefers a meaty bone over an old dried out bone.  There are old bones in the back yard that I have to pick up and throw away because she is no longer interested in them.

Don't settle for an old bone when you can have more.  What do you want out of life?  What do you want from work?  What do you want from church?  What do you want from your family life?  Just before I left for college many years ago, my pastor told me something that I will never forget.  He said, "Ken, you will only get out of school what you put into it.  If you put effort in, you will get more out of it."  (Not his exact words. Thanks, Pastor Harold Smith!)  He was right.  And it is true about everything you do.

Life, work, family, leisure will all be better when you invest time, energy and resources into them.

Don't settle for an old bone--go for the best!

PK

Greatest Challenge Facing Pastors

The Greatest Challenge Facing Pastors:
Getting Along with Others

(And How You Can Help)

The Problem: Philippians 4:2-3 People don't always get along with one other.

The Solution: Ephesians 4:25-32  How to Get Along

Ephesians 4:25–32 (NIV)

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

How to Get Along with Others
 

1. Be truthful

2. Speak encouragement

3. Get rid of the junk

4. Be kind, compassionate, forgiving

1. Be truthful

Lots of human relationship problems could quickly be resolved if people would just speak up and speak out.  Sometimes we fear hurting people’s feelings so we don’t say what we should.  That can lead to confusion, mistrust and frustration.

Martin Luther said, “Peace if possible, but truth at any cost.”

Ephesians 4:15 (NIV) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

Remember that love is the most important of Christian qualities.

2. Speak encouragement

Have you ever heard someone say, “If you don’t have something nice to say; say nothing at all.”  Well, it is biblical.

The tongue is a powerful weapon.

James 3:5–6 (NIV) Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV) But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Your tongue can be a destructive weapon that destroys and tears down, or it can be a powerful building tool helping others grow and prosper.

3. Get rid of the junk

Matthew 12:33–37 (NIV)

³³ “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

I hate it when Christians make excuses for their sin.  We have been set free from sin and therefore should not still be living a life of sin!!

4. Be kind, compassionate, forgiving

“To err is human but to forgive is canine, uh, I mean divine.”

But why can’t forgiveness be “human”?

The Fabulous Five

—  “I was wrong.”

—  “I’m sorry.”

—  “Please forgive me.”

—  “I forgive you.”

—  “I love you.”

Fruit of the Holy Spirit:

Galatians 5:22–23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

How many of these “fruit” pertain to human relationships?  All nine (9) of them!

Conclusion

 

1. Ask God to forgive you.

2. Ask people to forgive you.

3. Forgive yourself.

4. Live differently.

Let’s pray.

(audio version of this message can be found here on Hamlin Assembly of God website)