Psalm 119:133

"Direct my steps by your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me" (Ps. 119:133).

Pastoral Ministries

I remember when I was younger that the preacher would visit our home every now and then. He came to have fellowship and check on our spiritual needs. When was the last time a pastor or elder was in your home or invited you into theirs?
The pastor would come on his own initiative. Sometimes he would not even announce his coming! This was not a bad thing. We were glad to see him.
If you had a problem at home, he was there, if you had to go to the hospital, he was there, if you lost a loved one he was there, if you wanted to get married he was there. I have even seen a pastor take off his coat and help dig a grave after the funeral sermon because the family could not afford the burial. Ever seen that before?
When did pastors get so important and busy that they could not minister?
Today talking to a pastor is like being at some city office and having to take a number or wait in line in order to be helped.
I am not saying they should be busy doing the work of a deacon or any thing like that. Nor is it my intention to point out any church in particular. I am talking about this matter in a general sense. And I know there are many faithful pastors.
I understand that there are books to be written, personal, devotional, family time, and sometimes the nine to five on the side must be undertaken.
It just seems to me that a pastor is always on the go and I ask my self where to? The sheep's shepherd is so busy building fences that he has forgotten that there are sheep to attend to.
When is the last time you were able to have fellowship one on one with your pastor apart from there being an organized time of fellowship? What ever happened to mentorship?
I miss the days when you could ask the pastor over to the house for Sunday dinner after church, and he would come! I am saddened to see that pastors have become so "important" and busy with "ministry," that they have over looked some of the basic practical aspects of ministry. They are off to do ministry but where and to who is my question? An abstract congregation?
"And he (Jesus) went in to tarry with them" (Lk.24:29). Notice in the text he would have gone further but made time for them.

a Kempis Quote

"You must not be disturbed, then, by fancies foreign to your real self, whatever it may be that causes them. Keep bravely to your resolutions, hold on to your good intent towards God. It is no illusion if sometimes you are suddenly caught up in ecstasy and immediately return to the usual frivolous thoughts that crowd your heart. Such thoughts you put up with rather than encourage, and so long as you find them distasteful and struggle against them , you may count them as gain and not as loss" (a Kempis, Imitaiton bk.iii).

Election

"Election according to the foreknowledge of God" (1Pet.1:2).
The most humbling pride striping doctrine in all of Christian theology is the doctrine of election. No other doctrine sets off as much controversy as election. Eschatology(the study of the end times), baptism, the Lord's supper, or even justification by faith alone do not cause the distention and disdain among Christians that election does in today's church.
Rather than being prideful and wanting to add our two bits to the work of salvation, we should be thankful that God chose to save us rather than leave us to die in our sins.
The scriptural evidence for election is almost superfluous. Yet man fights against it tooth and nail. We are saved by "grace and not of works." It is unfortunate that we can't seem to grasp this because of our pride.
Some say that God merely looks in to the future to see who will have faith and who will not. This belief is known as foresight. It is true that God foresees--he is omnipotent. But not only does god "foresee" he "foreknows!" This is an intimate causal form of knowledge. It is a saving knowledge.
In epistemology (the theory of knowledge) there is what is known as propositional knowledge where one knows "how" and "that." I know how to tie my shoes. I know that I live in Orlando. Another form of knowledge that is not propositional is immediate knowledge. This is a model of knowledge that illustrates "foreknowledge." There is no mediation but a direct link from the knower to the known. God did not have to learn to tie his shoes in this matter. He knows us intimately and directly. For propositional knowledge one has to know that you know, but for immediate knowledge one simply knows. So it is with God he doesn't have to learn of who will have faith or not he "foreknows."
Setting philosophy aside, we should praise God for saving us even before the foundation of the world. Let us not be prideful and want to hold on to some merit of our own but be humble giving God the praise and glory he deserves. Let us thank him also for giving us knowledge of his plan and design of election for us. What we know has been revealed to us by him and not because of our reasoning abilities. Praise his holy name.

Words do Hurt

Ever heard the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" when you was a kid growing up? Well as you probably soon realized there is not an ounce of truth in it! R.C. Sproul in a sermon on the family illustrates this. He was being bullied, and given his mother's advice he quoted to the bullies this child hood phrase, and in so doing, he began to realize what he was saying wasn't true. The words did hurt. I use to sing the cliche when I was growing up and now am dealing with similar issues in the lives of my children--"Your hair cut looks funny;" "You are fat." etc.
When I was the pastor of a small church a lady had me over to her house and wanted me to listen to her in-home police scanner. I could not believe what I heard. The scanner was picking up phone conversations. And the topic of discussion was me! Ever heard of having the preacher for Sunday dinner? Well I was the main course! I knew I should not listen to people's private conversations but I could not help hearing some of the conversation. The things said about me by the people of my flock hurt me and I will never forget them.
Words cannot be taken back once they are out. Even if said in secret they fly away. "A bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the whole matter" (Ecc. 10:20) They never knew I had an insight as to what they really thought about me. As far as they were concerned their conversations were confidential and private.
Let us be careful not to say things to or about our family, friends, and colleagues, that we cannot take back--things that will make a permanent scar for them to carry in their souls all of their lives. Words such as: "I hate you." "You are no longer my son." "I don't love you anymore." "You will never amount to anything." "You are stupid." "I wish you would die" should never uttered. They cannot be taken back.
Furthermore, to be a busy body and a gossip is to preach the gospel of Satan! When the tongue is used for destruction it is as if the fires of hell have kindled its work. (James3:6) We should avoid circles of gossip where the tongue loves to do its work. And we should resist the temptation to get in on the "drama" at school, work, and church. The only contribution that can be made is one of an untamed tongue.

Romans 8:24

"Hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees" (Rom. 8:24)?

Esteeming Others Better than Ourselves

In philosophy (logic) an error/mistake in reasoning is called a fallacy. There are a number of fallacies. My favorite is a fallacy of irrelevance the ad hominem (to the man). This is when something is said about or to the "opponent" that is completely irrelevant to the argument or point of discussion, whether it is true or not. There are several ad hominem arguments. One is the abusive ad hominem. This is when there is a verbal attack on the person not the argument. "You are a no good lying lazy cheat and thief." (words by the way that were addressed to me personally last week by a disgruntled worker.) May be a person is but that does not prevent them from making a legitimate argument for or against something. Then there is the Tu QuoQue (pronounced "kwo kway"). It is my all time favorite logical fallacy. This fallacy is committed when the person argues that they are right because their opponent has done the same thing or something even more objectionable. "How can you tell me to quit smoking tobacco when you chew tobacco!"
I say all of this because this is what we do to one another when we do not esteem the next person better than ourselves. I don't know about you but the list of all my short comings are ad infinitum (more Latin to sound smart). One would get very tired of pointing out what is bad in my life! But this is not the point. The point is that a lot of problems in our relationships can be solved not by pointing out what is bad about the other person in an attempt to rationalize and justify our position, but by building up the other person. I have never won an argument by name calling and trying to point out how much in the right I was, and how much better I am compared to you--and I would be willing to bet that you haven't either.
But the objection might be raised "I am right!" Well what would be so bad about taking a hit for the team? Don't you believe that love covers sin?
I am ashamed to say that I have said things to my wife and children that I would never say to you and all because I did not esteem them better than my self. Let us think about that today.
"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself" (Pil. 2:3).