March 6, 2015

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from G*d? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify G*d in your body.”      1 Corinthians 6:19 – 20

“We are not our own: let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own: in so far as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours. Conversely, we are G*d’s: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are G*d’s: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are G*d’s: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only…goal.” John Calvin (1509 – 1564) “For All The Saints” volume I

Wow….could John Calvin say something that is more “anti-twentyfirst century” than what he has said: “Let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours”. That flies in the face of the messages we hear each and every day. Each day we are told, on TV and radio and other advertisements, that we deserve so much – that we need to get what is ours, especially “our billions back” right “H & R Block”? “We are not our own”, Calvin says. This would never be a popular message in any campaign for office, any resume, any persuasive speech – to begin with the statement “I am nothing”. Now, please, I am not saying that we dare not have any self-esteem. But I am saying that our identity begins with being G*d’s possession first – and the world’s second. We are to live for G*d – which means that we live for G*d first, and then everyone else second. “OK, pastor Dave, then where do we fit in, if we are not our own?”, you may ask.

Well, you may be married, or single, male or female: being here on this planet, you are many things. You might be a spouse. You might be a child. You might be a sister or brother, aunt or uncle, cousin, friend. In other words, you are many things, but you are not your own – you are first a child of G*d. This should be what defines you. This is your starting point. We are G*d’s. This not only gives us identity, it promotes our self-esteem – because whatever anyone else says about us, we are first children of G*d – who each day strive for G*d. When this is our goal, then it also gives us direction.

Pastor Dave

March 5, 2015

“For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal.” Romans 2:28 – 29

“I hope you will not misunderstand what I am going to say. I am not preaching, and Heaven knows I do not pretend to be better than anyone else. I am only trying to call attention to a fact; the fact that this year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practice ourselves the kind of behavior we expect from other people. There may be all sorts of excuses for us. Like what you promised to do for old So-and-so and have never done – well, you never would have promised if you had known how frightfully busy you were going to be. …human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really…behave in that way.” Mere Christianity

C. S. Lewis (1898 – 1963)

Oh if we could live up to the expectations that we have of others, Amen? Did you say Amen? I hope so, because we are no better than the so-and-so we just cursed out because they cut us off in our car, or pulled out in front of us as we were trying to get to work because we overslept once again. Paul said we only see in a mirror dimly, and that is so true as we stare at the image that stares right back at us. We want to appear perfect – but we are simply the imperfect person that we appear to everyone else. And that is a reality that is hard to accept. Here’s the good news – G*d sees us through the lens of Jesus Christ. What G*d sees is a perfect person – because G*d sees us through the lens of Christ. It is Christ who makes us perfect – not anything that we do or promise to do, and then fail. Thank G*d it does not rely on us – on our promises – our track record is not so good, Amen? Did you say Amen? Then I guess I am done….Amen.

Pastor Dave