Get in the Game … with Commitment

The difference in a contribution and total commitment is usually the difference in failure and success. A chicken and a hog were walking past a church building one day when they noticed the Sunday morning sermon posted on the outside bulletin board, “Helping the Poor.” They walked a ways when the chicken suddenly came across with a suggestion. “Say, Brother Hog, why don’t we give all the poor people a nice breakfast of ham and eggs?” The hog thought a moment and replied, “That’s all right for you to say because for you it is only a contribution, but for me, it’s total commitment!”

Jesus succeeded in His mission because He was totally committed to the task before Him. He was willing to give up everything, even His life, for the cause He believed in. No one really succeeds in life until he reaches the point that he is willing to lay down his life. Jesus said, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone.” Disraeli said, “Nothing can resist a will that will stake even existence for its fulfillment!”

We live in a world of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” For many, this principle of give-and-take extends to their faith.  Ask them why they believe in God and they’ll reply that it’s because of all the wonderful things He has done for them.  In effect, their walk with God operates on the basis of reciprocity: He gives to them, and in exchange they follow Him.

Satan accused God of having that kind of relationship with Job. He charged Him with “buying” Job’s loyalty by rewarding Job with wealth and security (Job 1:9–10). As Satan accurately pointed out, purchased devotion is suspect because it is liable to vanish the moment the rewards cease (Job. 1:11).

However, Satan misjudged Job’s character.  Stripped of his possessions and struck with the tragic loss of his family, Job nevertheless blessed the name of the Lord and refused to blame God for his troubles (Job. 1:21–22). Later, when Satan touched Job’s body, he still refused to turn away from God. Should one accept only good from God, and not adversity, he asked (Job 2:9–10)?

Job’s integrity was a powerful response to Satan’s question, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9). The answer was yes, Job feared God for nothing in return. His devotion was not bought; it was a gift.

Could the same be said of you?  Do you follow God because of the “rewards” you believe He has given you?  Suppose they were all taken away. Would you still honor Him?  Is your commitment to the Lord out of a simple, genuine faith—the kind of steadfast faith that declares, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15)?

This Sunday each of us will have an opportunity to respond to God’s voice. We have listened and now it’s time to obey. What has God said to you personally during the 4 Faith, Family, and Future campaign? Where has the Lord led you to “Get in the Game”? How is your personal obedience to the Biblical tithe and offering? In just a few days all of us will have a wonderful opportunity to walk worthy of the manner in which we have been called and commit to God what is God’s and to Caesar what is Caesar’s!

New Message Series Coming:

Begins April 19th to May 24th

This exciting message series is designed to engage the people in our church with one central question: If you knew you only had one month to live, what would you do to make what’s left of your life really matter? With eye-opening insights and soul-inspiring truths, this campaign will challenge our members, attendees, leadership teams and staff to embrace their mortality and be empowered to live each day to the fullest.

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^[1]AMG Bible Illustrations. 2000 (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; Bible Illustrations Series. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers.

^[2]Thomas Nelson Publishers. (2001). What does the Bible say about– : The ultimate A to Z resource fully illustrated. Nelson’s A to Z series (70). Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson.

Get in the Game … for the Future

Get in the Game has been a great series of study (Click Here to watch a video of past weeks messages).  As March madness is in full swing we’ve studied God’s Word in light of basketball terms and plays.  God desires for every believer to get out of the stands of mediocrity and on to His court where the journey really comes alive.  

Timothy 6:17-19 says:  “17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”  (The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001).”

This Sunday we will continue our journey together as we consider the future.  The future of our spiritual lives together and individually.  Paul tells Timothy to personally store up a good foundation for the future.  This truth was not only for Timothy but for the whole church that he was ministering too, and for us as believers today.  What is this foundation that we are to build on for the future?  

Future … the time that is yet to come (Ps. 37:37-38). After the archangel Gabriel interpreted Daniel’s vision, he said to Daniel, “Seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future” (Dan. 8:17-26). The Christian believer is confident of the future because he belongs to Jesus Christ.

Consider these thoughts as you contemplate the future . . . 

• Corrie Ten Boom said:  Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
• John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives.  One day in 1789, the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, “The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought.”
• Harry Heintz said:  Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we’re to be lights as we watch and wait.
• An interesting map is on display in the British Museum in London. It’s an old mariner’s chart, drawn in 1525, outlining the North American coastline and adjacent waters. The cartographer made some intriguing notations on areas of the map that represented regions not yet explored. He wrote: “Here be giants,” “Here be fiery scorpions,” and “Here be dragons.” Eventually, the map came into the possession of Sir John Franklin, a British explorer in the early 1800s. Scratching out the fearful inscriptions, he wrote these words across the map: “HERE IS GOD.”

May we continue our obedient steps by faith during this month of March as we look into the future by choosing to Get In The Game and across the court of our lives write:  HERE IS GOD!  But what does our God compel us to do until He returns? 

This Sunday, March 22nd we’ll discover that together!  See you in His house.

 

COMING THIS EASTER THROUGH MAY:

This exciting journey is designed to engage the people in our church with one central question: If you knew you only had one month to live, what would you do to make what’s left of your life really matter? With eye-opening insights and soul-inspiring truths, this journey will challenge our members, attendees, leadership teams and staff to embrace their mortality and be empowered to live each day to the fullest.