Why Not Now

Stop, Reflect and Win

2011-10-03T09:37:00.003-04:00

A while back I listened to a great sermon by Will Pavone, a pastor at McLean Bible Church. In this sermon he talked about "fighter verses". A fighter verse is a one that we reflect on during times of need. This truth comes from Psalm 119:11 "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." This verse gives us two very important things to look at. First we are to read God's word. Second, we need to think upon it or recall it during times of temptation.

Think about a farmer and his crops. There is a reason he plows his field, plants seed, and works the fields.. This is the hard work that produces the harvest. And at the time of harvest the farmer will store up some of the crops for future use. If not, then they might starve. This is what we see with reading God's word. If we do not read it, then how can we store it in our hearts? Reading and mediating on the scriptures is the leg work. When doing this we are able to store or memorize His word. If we do not, then we might starve (SIN).

This is where "fighter verses" come in. Once we begin to read God's word, passages and individual verses will come to mind in times of need. I have refelcted upon this alot recently after finishing up the book of Romans. The last verse of chapter 13 combined with the sermon regarding "fighter verses" and another sermon has resulted in much meditation. Romans 13:14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. This is a fighter verse for all occasions and sins. The other sermon I mentioned stated that when we sin, at that moment we are putting our own desires ahead of God's. Combine that with Romans 13:14 and you have an amazing revalation.

When you are tempted, think that your are putting yourself above Him and making a provision to satisfy self. It is extremely convicting.

While He may be found.

2011-07-14T21:42:00.002-04:00

I was blessed to hear review truth tonight that is hard to think upon. As a society we don't think about the end often, it's not pleasant to most. We think we have more time than we actually do. I won't beat this drum and longer, but just want to point out this: Our time is short and our days are numbered. Psalm 31:15- My times are in your hand. This should be comforting, but it can also be hard. My reason for saying this is this: Isaiah 55:6-7- Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon Him while he is near, let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Please read all of Isaiah 55, but my point is this. We only have a certain amount of time to make a decision and live for the Lord. Did He grant you another day today? Have you realized your sinful nature and opposition to God? Do you have a thirst for Him? Have you accepted Him as your savior and pardon for your sins? Are you a believer who is not seeking Him? Do you continue to struggle with the same old stuff? Isaiah 55: 10-11: For the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. So as the rain will bring for sprout and vegetation, so God's word will grow the Christian. How else can we know His thoughts, but by reading His word. So as a drought will dry up and kill all the crops, so neglecting the word will dry up the Christian and the fruit will be few.

Stay focused, Stay sharp

2010-02-21T17:25:00.002-05:00

I sat down last night and just asked God to tell me where to read. Proverbs is where I felt led and went to Proverbs 24. A few sayings jumped off the page at me, the first two were, Proverbs 24:13-14 which tells us that wisdom is like honey to our soul. Then Proverbs 24:21-22 tells us to keep good company. But then verses 30-34 really stood out. "I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man." A little cause and effect if you will and a very serious effect at that. The cause is laziness as you can see you term "sluggard", which is a term for a habitually lazy person. The effect is the vineyard has become overgrown with thorns, and we know what thorn can do. Matthew 13:7, Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

This reference is so prevalent in our lives today and not just our spiritual lives. You see it everyday, but probably don't even think about it. It happens at work, at home, in our physical conditioning, and to our favorite sports teams. We get comfortable and get lazy. Once we get in a groove and things seem to be going smoothly, we put it on cruise control. And what happens when we put the car on cruise, we sit back and lose focus because the car is doing most of the work and all you have to do is keep it between the lines. At work, we are getting by, doing what needs to be done and nothing more. The next thing you know it you're being wrote up or replaced. Another prime example is the 2004 New York Yankees losing to the Boston Red Sox after being up 3 games to none. No team has ever come back from 3 down. The Yankees got comfortable and got beat.

You don't want to get comfortable in any of these situations, but more importantly we don't want to get lazy in our walk with the Lord. Every day we need to find a way to challenge ourselves and grow in our faith. Notice I said "grow", not stay the same. 2 Peter 3:18 tells us to, "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." You may be saying, how do I do this? Most importantly we need to be in the Word, deeply in the Word. Don't just skim through and mark it off the to-do-list. Really seek God, seek to know Him more. Another recommendation is to diversify yourself. Listen to good, Bible preaching pastors online or Podcast. Some examples, Matt Chandler, Todd Phillips, Lon Solomon, John Piper, just to name a few. Read books about God, not just self help books. Get involved in your community or share the Gospel with someone. Finally, get involved with a small group. It is vital to have a group of people that you can talk to and can challenge each other. Being in Biblical community is extremely important and should not be underestimated.

In summary, stay focused on advancing the Gospel. Stay sharp in your faith.

Fasting

2010-01-19T13:42:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to drop a quick note on something that I feel God is challenging me and some others with. Last night my small group was talking about our vision and how we think God is working in us to do great things for His Kingdom. One of the guys referenced our spiritual battle like that of Normandy. As we start on our journey and strive for Holiness, the devil and his cronies are taking pop shots at us, trying to kill our will. So as we discussed how to push through this the ultimate answer was prayer. Being in constant prayer, constantly in the presence of God.

Well it just so happened that the same day I started listening to a sermon on fasting. I didn't seek it out, it was just the next one preached at McLean's Frontline service. So as I finished listening to it this morning I felt like God was challenging me and our group to fast. The challenge came when he spoke on Matthew 6:16. The key word there is "when". It's not a command given by Jesus, but it's thought to be a normal part of our Christian lives. So if I'm a Christian, then why don't I fast?

Many may be asking, what is fasting? Well there are many forms and many ways to do it. But ultimately it is eliminating something from your life, for a pre-determined amount of time, with the goal of spending that time with God. Basically, if you fast from TV then you spend the time you would normally be watching TV in communion with God. Whether that is in prayer, in the word, or just meditating. The most common fast is that of food and that is what our group has decided to do. We are going to fast every Wednesday. So starting Tuesday after dinner until dinner on Wednesday, we will fast. Please join me if you feel so inspired. If not, please pray for us that we will persevere through the challenge. That during this time we will rely on God's strength and not our own or that of food. Pray that we will be in prayer and in the Word.

Redefining Success

2010-01-12T09:22:00.001-05:00

Redefining Success

How?

2010-01-08T14:07:00.004-05:00

How can the church move forward when those who claim to be Christians don't act like Christians, especially those who are in leadership or serving roles?

Here are a few verses that instruct us on this issue.

Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Isaiah is saying that when Jesus returns to rule on earth we won't act like we do now, so why do we continue to do so.

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Just in these 4 passages we see how direct God is in dealing with this issue. He instructs us to walk in His light, leave our former passions, live as a sacrifice, and strive for purity. None of these passages are suggestions, but commands.

Just from my observations over the years, one of the most critical issues is our surroundings. What I mean by this is, who or what we surround ourselves with. Here are a few examples:

1) Television/Media- shows/movies with foul language, sex, crime
2) Music- rap, rock, country that talks about killing, drugs, sex
3) Social Scene- bars, clubs, parties
4) Friends- people who are stumbling blocks for us (don't abandon them, but you may have to not hang out with them). Remember Jesus didn't come for the healthy: Mark 2:17, but he also says, to keep good company, 1 Corinthians 5:9-12.

I don't want to come off as some legalistic saying, don't do this or that, but check yourself on these issues. Can you as a Christian, move forward with your faith if you are constantly being filled with these controllable temptations? So instead of watching Gray's Anatomy, read your Bible or a spiritual book; instead of listening to songs about killing someone, rock out to Chris Tomlin or Jeremy Camp; instead of going to a bar or party, go serve the homeless; instead of hanging out with your old friends who want to get wasted every night, get involved with a small group at church.

Please don't think I'm standing on my soapbox, judging anyone. Most of this comes from my own experiences. Only over the past two years have I started to grow in my faith and I can attribute this to checking myself and changing my surroundings. By no means is it easy, but it is necessary to further the Kingdom.

I leave you with this. Jesus said in Luke 8:21 "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

Fear the Lord

2009-12-13T16:59:00.003-05:00

Who or what do you fear? What a great question. During my life I have feared many, many things. Let's name a few; sleeping in my own bed as a child, failure, disappointing people, academic eligibility in college, my wife or children getting hurt or sick. Now these are just tipping the iceberg, but my point is that we all have things we fear in life, but do we fear the One we should? I'm currently in a bible study on the book of Isaiah, so this and many blogs may come from this study. The night we were going through chapter 8 I was having difficulty focusing due to being so tired, but when we got to verse 11 I was immediately awakened. Isaiah 8:11-14 commands us not to fear man, but to fear the Lord. As I read this I had an instant burden on my heart. I fear so many things, but do I really fear the Lord. To answer honestly, I don't think I always do.

So let's answer the question, What does it mean to fear the Lord? Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. If to fear the Lord is the beginning of knowledge it must mean that we know of His greatness, His love, His almighty power and we love, respect, and FEAR letting Him down. That is my take. Relate it to your parents. Most love and respect their patent's and thus they fear doing something against their wishes. There is no difference in theory, but our fear of the Lord should far surpass that of any earthly thing. This verse goes on to say that if you do not fear the Lord, then you are a fool.

As I thought about this, I realized how so many of us fear the things of this world and those fears drive us to sin. Not just sin of not fearing the Lord, but other sins. For example; why do most teenagers start to drink alcohol? I would say the majority do because of peer pressure and the FEAR of not being accepted by the "cool" people. Now if these teenagers feared the Lord and feared sinning against Him, they may make a better choice. I know many may be saying, wait a minute, drinking isn't a sin. We can get into that another time, but for this example, it is sin. For one, teenagers are under the legal age and thus not obeying authority. Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Secondly, they are drinking alcohol excessively with the goal of getting drunk. Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. This is just one example that I'm sure many of us can identify with. But think about it and try to relate this to many decisions we make or have made in life. Would we have made more Godly decisions if we would have thought, what would God think of this choice, instead of how it is going to affect us here on earth. The decision may not be the easiest, but would be the right one in the Lord's eyes.

My challenge for us all is to think about our choices and things we may fear at this very moment. Put those things in the hands of the Lord, trust in Him. Cast your fears upon Him. And fear the Lord. Exodus 14:31 Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

Focus on Jesus: Part 2

2009-12-07T19:45:00.003-05:00

We saw in Focus on Jesus: Part 1 how Jesus is omniscient or all knowing. It was amazing and extremely comforting to find out that know matter what our circumstances are or what dark paths we are wondering down, Jesus knows right where we are. And better yet, he is always there, waiting on us to turn to Him.

The second thing we wanted to focus on in this great passage, Matthew 14:22-33, is Peter's faith in Jesus. We will pick this up in verse 29, He (Jesus) said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. WOW!!! Does this not absolutely blow your mind. Peter, a mere man, walked on water. How? You might ask. He had faith in Jesus and knew that He would carry him.

It's so sad what our culture puts it's faith in. Our jobs, our favorite sports teams, our friends, family, and our pastors, yes I said it, our pastors. What do all of these things have in common? They are all man or of man. We as man are destined to fail. Romans 3:12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good,not even one." Now I'm not calling you a failure or worthless, but just pointing out the fact that we are human and destined to sin. If you put your faith in man you will be disappointed in due time. I'm not saying don't trust anyone, but only put your FAITH in Jesus Christ. So if we understand that as humans we are going to disappoint and be disappointed then when that time comes we aren't completely shocked. This is one of the main reasons for the "dechurched". You are probably asking, "What is the dechurched"? Well, these are the people who have left the church due to being disappointed by man at one time or another. They didn't focus on Jesus and when a "man" let then down they bolted. Isaiah 8:22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.

As Peter walked on water, his complete focus was on Jesus. But as we all do, he turned his focus to his surroundings. Matthew 14:30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." This is very practical for us today. Our lives are full of storms and waves, especially in today's world. We have an economic crisis, job loss, war, sickness, and much more. If we put our focus on these things, we will sink and that is a fact. Jesus didn't promise us life would be a bed of roses, he actually said the exact opposite. Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. A good friend of mine just wrote blog about the "prosperity gospel" and it's heresy, VoiceofTruthblog.com.

So our lesson here is very simple, but so hard for us to follow as humans. Focus on Jesus, not our earthly troubles. Because in the end, there will be no more. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!!

Focus on Jesus: Part 1

2009-11-30T11:20:00.007-05:00

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Matthew 14:22-33. Let's pick up the passage in verse 28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Let's break this down and see what God is telling us through His Word. I want to do this in 3 parts since the passase is full of great truth for life application.

First you have to understand that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is without error. We won't get into all of the different types of writings in the Bible, but this passage is an account of an actual event. So put away your fairy tales thoughts, if you had any, and realize that Peter, a mere man, walked on water, but only through the power given to him by Jesus Christ.

Peter first asks in verse 28, "Lord, if it is you". The reason he does not know it is Jesus is because Jesus sent the disciples ahead of Him as seen in Matthew 14:22-27. After he dismissed them, Jesus went on the mountain to pray, so the disciples were well on their journey when Jesus approached them on the water. I feel this is a very important point in the passage. We don't know the exact amount of time that went by, but we see that it had passed from evening to night and they were in their 4th watch. Roman military night watch was divided into four 3 hour shifts. The 4th shift would have been between 3:00 and 6:00 AM, meaning they could have been at sea for almost 9 hours. In John 6:19, we are given mileage instead of a timeframe. Knowing what we know about the Sea of Galilee, 13 miles long & 8 miles wide, they were probably right in the middle of the sea.

You are probaly asking why is he giving me a geography lesson. It's very important to know the diciples location because it shows the great power of God. First is the obvious, He is walking on water. But it's facinating to me that He knew right were to find them. Let me draw you to a couple key points: it's dark since we have found it was between 3:00 and 6:00 AM and there was a storm with high winds and big waves. So what? Ok, here's my point, YOU COULD NOT SEE A THING. It's not like it was clear blue skys in the middle of the day and could see for miles. Jesus, being God in the flesh knew because of His omniscience or all-knowing power. That is our great God. He always knows right where we are. No matter our circumstances or storms we are going through, God knows right where we are and He is always there. I pray that you will seek Him during these times.

Next time we will look more closely at Peter and his faith to walk on water.

CHRISTmas Challenge

2009-11-18T09:28:00.011-05:00

I'm a couple of days behind on this challenge, but better late than never. Christmas is just around the corner, 40 days as of Monday until we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This challenge is actually from our Youth Director, but figured why not pass it along to everyone.

If you read my first blog then you may have noticed that I stated Jesus has only been Lord of my life for the past couple years. Well you may be wondering what changed. What changed was a multitude of things, but one of the most prominent was that I began to be in the Word on a regular basis. In 2009 I can say that I've read my Bible every day. Now with that said, it's not about me. It's about seeking God through His Word, yearning to know Him more. The Word of God is so inspiring, so captivating that it keeps you wanting to come back for more. I know most of you are thinking, are you kidding me, how can the Bible be that exciting. Well, that is part of the challenge. I challenge you to be in the Word for the next 38 days, seeking God during this CHRISTmas season instead of the material holiday season we have all come to know.

Ok then, where would I start? I recommend starting with one of the Gospels, but Luke would be great since it's the Christmas story. As you read, take your time, soak in what God is trying to tell you. If you really seek Him, he will speak to you, but you have to be listening.

1 Kings 19:11-12 And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

Guys, most of the time God speaks to us in this "low whisper" and if we aren't listening, we will miss it. If we take time to slow down this CHRISTmas season, focus on God and listen for His "low whisper" then we will find Him. Psalm 119:10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wnder from your commandments! Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. As you read, ask God to speak to you, to change you, and to motivate you. Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Just one final thought. If you are currently in a relationship or married, what would happen if you never talked? How would you learn about each other? How do you think that relationship or marriage would be? The answer is simple, it wouldn't be very good. Most people think of Christianity as a "religion", but it's not, it's a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If we don't take the time to talk with Him, how can we expect the relatioship to grow.

So I ask you, WHY NOT NOW?

In His Holy Name,

Hutch

2009-11-16T12:36:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I had the distinct privilege to speak at our church's youth group retreat. The topic of my message was on eternity and the inevitability of it. Sharing this truth is what prompted me to start a blog and since blogging is something I never thought I would do, I'm as surprised to be doing it as most of my friends would be to know that I was "preaching" this past Sunday.

If you knew me in high school or in college you are probably floored right now, so I'll briefly share how this came to pass. In 2002 I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and have been changed ever since. Now I've had my ups and downs since then and probably haven't been the greatest example of a Christian, but hope to share my passion for the Gospel that I've come to know over the past couple years. You see, accepting Jesus as your Savior is only the beginning. He wants to have a personal relationship with everyone and you get that through being in the Word and in Prayer, among other things that I will share in upcoming blogs. Once I grasped this amazing Truth, my life was radically transformed. You see he has been my Savior for the past 7 years, but has only been Lord of my life for the past couple. As mentioned before, he wants to be intimately involved in our lives so he can mold and shape us.

My hope and prayer for this blog is 3 things:

1) To encourage and challenge my fellow believers to be passionate about the Gospel.

2) To instill the importance and excitement of being in the Word daily.

3) To share the love of Jesus Christ to those that have yet to hear about him or accept Him as their personal Savior.

So let's saddle up and get ready for what I hope will be an amazing ride.

Until next time...

In Christ's Love,

Hutch