On this day before Easter I want to encourage you to prepare for tomorrow’s celebration by taking a few minutes to read and reflect on Matthew 27-28. May you stand amazed at God’s love for you and come prepared tomorrow to celebrate the life of our Savior and because of his life, our eternal life!
Tim
Today I spoke from Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
If you were not at one of the services, you might want to listen to what I had to say by going to the media center at our web site.
If you would like a taste of what Martin Luther King Jr. had to say regarding Jesus’ command to love your enemy, I have linked to a transcript of his message from November 17, 1957 when he preached a message entitled, “Loving Your Enemies”.
Jesus’ words are similar to the statement in Proverbs 25:21-22, “If you enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”
May we practice authentic Christianity in the radical way of loving those we are inclined to hate!
Tim
In my message this morning from Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:31-32 regarding divorce and remarriage, I reviewed the five basic needs of a wife and the five basic needs of a husband from Willard Harley’s book, His Needs Her Needs. If you are married or think you will be some day and have not yet read the book, I want to encourage you to order a copy and read it.
If you prefer a ‘synopsis’ of the book I have linked to a 92-slide summary of the book. It is well done and it will be worth your time to scroll through it!
Let’s all do our part to live out authentic Christianity in our marriages!
Tim
A friend sent this picture to me a couple of days ago. I responded, “I am glad they chose not to show the follow up picture. I’m sure it wasn’t pretty!” Go, Pack, Go! It’s on to the Super Bowl!
Instinct is defined by Webster as, “A natural or inherent aptitude, impulse or capacity.”
Yesterday our ministry staff went on an all-day planning retreat and we began the day by spending an hour by ourselves to reading and reflecting on the book of Colossians. We followed with a time together sharing our insights and what impacted us. We were all struck by the powerful words of chapter 3 as Paul wrote on Christian character and conduct. I want to encourage you to take 5 minutes sometime soon and read that chapter. My prayer for me, the staff and all of River Oaks is that Colossians 3 becomes instinctive to us!
Tim
I just read something in my quiet time that I want to pass along to you. Ecclesiastes 10:8-9 says, “When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. When you work in a quarry, the stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger in each stroke of your ax.” (The New Living Translation)
I read those verses and immediately wrote in the margin of my Bible, “There is RISK of failure in EVERYTHING worth doing.”
I’m passing this along because some of you might need the same encouragement I do; don’t shrink back from taking God-honoring risks. Call it faith, call it courage, call it adventure but if it is a challenge that has potential benefit and will bring God pleasure, go for it! You might fail, but nothing worthwhile ever gets done without risk!
Tim
This morning as I was eating my cheerios at the kitchen counter and glancing at the Elkhart Truth I noticed a quote Gloria had taped to the corner of the kitchen window. I don’t know where she got it or anything about the person who said it, but I do know it made a real impression on me. Here it is; perhaps it will make an impression on you.
“Enjoy the blessings of the day if God sends them and the evils bear patiently and sweetly. For this day only is ours. We are dead to yesterday and not born to tomorrow.” – Jeremy Taylor
Thanks, Gloria for giving me a great perspective on today and life! May we all rest in God’s loving providence today!
Tim
Today I began a series through the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7 entitled, Authentic Christianity. In this first message I went through the first part of the Sermon on the Mount commonly called The Beatitudes. I believe these are the attitudes that are necessary to fulfill the behavioral standards of the Sermon on the Mount. This graphic is a bookmark that was available at the end of the service. I want to challenge you to read over these paraphrases of the Beatitudes several times this week and do your best to put them into practice.
Tim
It’s early afternoon on Christmas Eve and I’m in my office preparing for this evening’s Christmas Eve services. It is quiet and peaceful here at the church, the noise of activity and set-up completed. I am really looking forward to tonight’s service with the Christmas music, the reading of the Christmas story, communion and concluding with Silent Night sung with the soft glow of candles. It’s a great moment.
The history of Silent Night is that it was originally written as a poem in 1816 by an Austrian priest named Joseph Mohr. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken and was unable to be used. In preparation for the service Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber who he composed a melody for Silent Night. The song was completed in time for the midnight service and sung with the accompaniment of a guitar. Silent Night has become the most famous Christmas carol of all time!
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
I hope you can either join us, attend your home church or find a church in your town or take a few moments in your home or apartment to celebrate this evening and join with Christians around the world to worship the birth of Christ, the Savior!
Merry Christmas,
Tim
This morning I began the series, Faith Prevails. It is a short series where we will look at the different ways that faith was expressed in the lives of some of the primary characters of the Christmas story. This morning I used the story of Mary to show ‘surrendering faith’ through her comment to the angel Gabriel when he told her that she would be the mother of the Son of God, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”
Here are the three quotes I used during the message that you may find challenging and maybe even a little convicting, I know I did.
“The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give God orders, and interfering with His plans in us.” – A.W. Tozer
“The historic church taught that the chief end of man was to glorify God and enjoy him forever; the modern church too often teaches that the chief end of God is to gratify man.” -Larry Crabb
“The question is not ‘how much pleasure am I getting out of life?’ the question is ‘how much pleasure is God getting out of my life?’ Genuine surrender says, ‘Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another’s, please don’t take it away.” – Rick Warren
Tim
