Time to Listen

Normally I post a story that has a message attached

to it, but tonight I'm asking everyone to just be still and listen. Allow God just a few minutes of uninterrupted time with you. It doesn't have to be long, it just needs to be a personal time. God is speaking to us daily but we are so busy that we don't don't hear Him. This time could be a chance for Him to lay someone else on you or it may be a time to reflect on the past year. Whatever it is, please just allow God to move in your heart.

God, I know we are all so busy this time of year and we don't stop to listen. So I pray now for everyone to just stop and listen to whatever message You have for us in this special season. In your name I pray, amen.

Security Blanket

                Every year after Thanksgiving, one of my all time favorite Christmas movies is aired.  A Charlie Brown Christmas is officially the start of the Christmas season.  The best part of the movie is when Charlie Brown asks what is the point of Christmas.  Had this been humans and not cartoon characters, the response Linus gave Charlie would have drown some funny looks from Charlie.  But being a cartoon, the animators were able to turn the response into one of the best scenes in a Christmas movie. 

              

  Linus starts out by making a major production of just getting to his answer.  He walks to the center of the stage and has the lights adjusted to fit the magnitude of his upcoming speech.  He then quotes Luke 2:8-14 just like a seasoned preacher that had been preaching all his life.  When he finishes with the scripture, he turned and walked to Charlie Brown and casually said that is the point of Christmas.  There again in real life, Charlie would still have a confused look and would question the sanity of Linus for making such a grandiose speech.  Luckily for everyone watching, it is a cartoon and it can have a deeper meaning than we will ever see in real life.

                One of the deepest parts of the movie is often overlooked.  As Linus quotes verse 10, he suddenly drops his security blanket.  Now if you don’t understand the significance of this act then you should research the peanuts gang a little further before reading any further.  But what about verse 10 would cause such a response from Linus?  It reads, “10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.””  This verse has one of the 365 times that the Bible says “don’t be afraid.”  Linus knew that he did not need his blanket when he put his trust in God.  His blanket was just getting in the way of him fully trusting God.

                Now since Charlie Brown and Linus are just cartoon characters, the questions that need to be asked are real life questions.  Do you carry a security blanket?  Do you believe God when He says “do not be afraid”?  Are you allowing your security blanket to get in the way of fully trusting God?  These questions are very personal questions that you must ask yourself if you want to truly grow with God.

                These are also the questions I asked myself when I started writing my blog.  My answers took a little time to digest before I could move further with what the Holy Spirit was giving me to accomplish.  I never realized that I needed a security blanket until I published my first post.  In my writings, my blanket was feedback from whoever read my ramblings.  I had to have a response from someone to feel like I was doing God’s work.  I came to realize that my security came in the form of another author that I am blessed to call a friend.  As soon as I posted something, I would wait for his affirmation before I felt like it was worthy of being read by anyone.  I give God all the glory now because I still wait for his responses but I don’t need them to know that God has a plan for what was written.  As for the second question, I truly believe that I am not too be afraid but I am still human and fear will always creep into my thoughts.  The greatest thing about knowing God is that I know that He also knows my fears and will comfort me during those times.  And since I know that I have a security blanket and I’m not afraid of what others think about my posts, the third question is very simple.  My security blanket doesn’t get in the way of me trusting God.  He helps me realize that God has a bigger plan and we need to be willing to do whatever the Holy Spirit lays on our heart.

                Now is the time you need to ask yourself the same three questions.  It doesn’t matter what area you are serving God.  You have to know what is holding you back from truly serving God.  You may not like the answers that are revealed to you when you dig deep but you need to know the answers.  Are you prepared to lay your security blanket down when God reveals it to you? 

                Lord I pray tonight for anyone that holds tight to anything other than you for security.  You are our only hope of letting go of the things that make us comfortable in this world.  Your word is very clear that we are not to be afraid but You also know that it is hard for us not to allow fear in.  Lord I pray that we can follow the lead of Linus and lay our security blankets down.  In your name I pray, amen.

Who Do You Serve?

The excitement was starting to build as the church began preparing for the upcoming months of celebration.  They were preparing for several big events.  There was the church’s homecoming celebration, the pastor appreciation and the 25^th anniversary service all to plan.  The boards were all meeting to make the necessary plans for all the events and the different groups in the church were getting the decoration ideas together.  They knew that this was their time to make a membership drive in the community.  A community that they knew was ready for them to harvest. 

                The pastor spent many hours preparing his sermons for these special times.  He knew that everyone looked to him to deliver a message that would bring many into the church.  In his time as pastor, he had seen a lot of changes in the community and especially in his church.  They had grown to capacity twice and planted two separate churches in other parts of the city.  The church had expanded on the building several times to accommodate the growing numbers.  He just knew it was the right time for the church to expand again.  He had laid down the foundation for the church and knew it was just a matter of time before they would start another church.

                In the weeks leading up to the first special service, the pastor’s sermon was from 1 Corinthians 1:10-17.  He spoke of the dangers of following the wrong people even in the church.  He warned the church about putting all their faith in him as the pastor.  As much as he loved being there, he didn’t want the church to follow him.  He wanted them to realize their faith should be in Christ alone.  The pastor felt confident that he had delivered the message that God had given him leading into the upcoming events and felt comfortable in the knowledge that they understood him. 

                The homecoming and anniversary Sundays came and went with resounding positive feedback from the church.  Everyone had felt the Holy Spirit in both services and there were several people that accepted Jesus in their lives during those services.  The board knew it was time to reward the pastor for all the hard work he had done in making the services a success.  They decided they would dedicate the sanctuary to the pastor.  They had a big plaque made with his name on it with the date.  They also had it inscribed to read, “To our beloved pastor, in this building you brought many to know Jesus.  We as a congregation dedicate this building to you as token of our appreciation.”

                Pastor appreciation Sunday was just days away and the board was prepared for everything.  They had the plaque ready, they had the monetary gift together, they even had dinner on the grounds planned but they never expected to get a phone call from the pastor’s wife.  She informed the board that the pastor had a heart attack and passed away in his sleep.  After receiving the devastating news, the board postponed the service and dedication.  They had to bury their beloved pastor before they could praise him.

                The weeks and months after the funeral were hard on the church.  They interviewed several prospective candidates to fill the pastor’s position.  They had guest speakers every Sunday as they tried to hire the right person.  The stress of losing their pastor started taking its toll on the church.  The congregation started dwindling down.  At first, it was just a few people and the board didn’t think anything about it.  As time passed, the church lost about 60% of the congregation.  The board finally presented a new pastor to the church in hopes of putting a stop to the falling numbers.  The new pastor had no chance of rebuilding the church.  The congregation had lost all hope of finding “their” pastor again.

                1 Corinthians 1:10-17 teaches us not to put our faith in the leaders of the church.  Paul explains that we must put all our faith in Jesus.  Churches all over the country are falling victim to following the pastor.  They put all their trust in a man and believe that he can lead them.  Churches are being divided because one group has their agenda and another group has a separate agenda.  They have lost focus on the real reason they are a church.  Paul puts it plainly in verse 13, “Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Were you baptized in the name of Paul?”  Paul knew that he was not the answer and that the church needed to unify behind the Prince of Peace.  He knew that a divided church could not stand up under the stress that would come their way. 

                Who are you following today?  Do you go sit in a church because you like the pastor?  Do you go because of the music?  Or do you go because you have a foundation in Jesus?  The leaders of a church will change but as long as the church has Jesus in the forefront, the church will continue to thrive.  Its when we start putting more faith in the leaders that we have a church that is divided.  And a divided church cannot survive.  Satan will devour a divided church and will win a battle against man.  So again I ask, who do you follow?

                Lord I pray for anyone reading this right now that is in a church that puts all their faith and hope in the pastor.  Even the best pastor in the world cannot compare to you.  Lord, touch all the churches out there that put the pastor up on a pedestal.  The church can only survive when You are the center of all worship and not a person.  Lord I pray for all the pastors that have become gods in their own minds and think the church can’t survive without them.  Please humble these people and open their eyes to your glory.  In your Holy Name, Amen