Better Blessings.

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazereth, walk.” Acts 3:5

My dad told me a story about when he was a young serviceman stationed in Okinawa. He had a supervisor who decided to be hard on my father because of his race. He warned him if he failed to get a perfect score he would do everything in his power to make sure dad never had the opportunity to succeed. In hindsight my dad credits this supervisor with setting him on the path to success. Christians need to aware that the best blessings might come disguised as something else.

In this passage, Peter and John were on their way to the temple for the afternoon prayer. At the entrance to the temple was a man, lame from birth, begging for coins. Peter said to him that he did not have money, but he could give him something better. Peter took him by the hand and immediately the man was no longer lame, but could walk. Some of us are praying for a job while God is preparing us for an important career. Some of us are praying for success and God is trying to give us purpose. Some are praying for wealth and God is trying to give us wisdom.

I pray today that you accept the better blessing God has for you.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Crisis Management.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25

As the world continues to grow more dangerous, the practice of Crisis Management has grown as a response to the need for ways to cope in these perilous times. Crisis managers prepare and help guide companies through catastrophic events that occur without warning. From terrorist attacks to product recalls to malicious rumors, these professionals help organizations make the best out of bad situations. Christians have a great example of how to behave in tough situations in the biblical account of Paul and Silas in a Roman prison.

Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi when they encountered a troubled little girl whom they healed. Her owners had made money from her condition and they took Paul and Silas before a judge and had them beaten and thrown into jail. Severely beaten and in prison placed in stocks Paul and Silas surely were encountering a crisis. It is at this point the Bible states that even at midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God and reaching the other prisoners who were listening to them. Our reaction to crisis is usually to focus on our predicament. Paul and Silas instead focused on the task they had been called to do. They continued to lead people to Christ. As Christians, the first item in our crisis management manuals needs to be to continue serving God. If we focus on him then he will dispatch of the crisis as he did for Paul and Silas so we can continue serving him.

If you find yourself confronted by a crisis today, worship your way out of it.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Mirror, Mirror.

But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"
"I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die." Jonah 4:9

There is a joke about an older couple on a long car trip. On the way they stop to get lunch. When they get back on the road after about an hour the woman realizes she has left her glasses and tells her husband who is driving. He turns around and on the way back to the restaurant lectures her about responsibility. When they arrive back at the restaurant he says: “While you are in there can you get my hat?” As Christians, we are sometimes very quick to point out the failings of others but ignore the hypocrisy in our actions.

Jonah ran from God when instructed to go to Nineveh. After his encounter with the great fish compelled him to be obedient he did as God asked and went to Nineveh, warning them that God was going to destroy them. After Jonah warned the city as God had instructed, he became angry when God did not destroy them. God could have destroyed Jonah as soon as Jonah showed his disobedience by running away. Even after God didn’t kill Jonah for his disobedience, he could have let him drown when he hit the water after being cast into it by his shipmates. Yet, even though God spared Jonah, he became angry that God spared the inhabitants of Nineveh. So many times we stand with stones in our hands ready to throw them at others caught in sin and disgraced by public failings while our own shortcomings lay safely hidden in our upstairs closets. As Christians we must develop the discipline to consider ours shortcomings before condemning others.

Pray today to that God’s mercy extended to us will soften our attitudes towards others.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Lord's Battle.

You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you." 2 Chronicles 20:17

Have you ever stayed up late worrying about what your next steps needed to be? Thinking of ways to confront the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in your way? Have you ever gotten near the point of despair knowing that logically there was no way to avoid a bad outcome? Have you ever been pretty sure that you were in the middle of something that was going to end badly? Well, Christians always have an escape route. Read on:

In Chronicles, Jehoshaphat and his people faced not one, not two but three enemies who came up against them at the same time. The Moabites, The Ammonites and, the Bible says, even others had come to destroy them. (2 CH:20:1) His people told him that the group together had formed a great multitude and they were in route. Now Jehoshaphat was afraid so the first thing he did was go to the Lord in prayer. Stop. What? Yes! The first thing he did was go to the Lord in prayer. Now for those of us who that is the last thing we do, maybe that is why our outcomes are different than that of Jehoshaphat. God fought his battle. His enemies destroyed one another. That was a great result. As Christians this is a passage of scripture we should commit to memory.

Resolve today to take your burdens to the Lord, first.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Expect The Unexpected.

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. John 2:11

Danny DeVito grew up in New Jersey. Diminutive, balding and round with a strong Jersey accent he became a cosmetician in his sister’s Beauty Parlor. A series of events led him to the New York stage to be a make-up artist. He was cast in the hit TV series Taxi as the unlikeable dispatcher. In spite of what seem like insurmountable odds, DeVito became a fan favorite, a Hollywood star, a director, a producer and ultimately the owner of his own film production company. As Christians, we should live a faith that constantly reassures us that anything is possible.

Wine is made from grapes. It is 80 to 85% water but that water comes from grape juice. So technically wine is mostly water even though none of us can make water into wine. Jesus took this fact and ignored the science and turned water into wine. In like manner everyone who gives their life to Christ becomes a Christian. God can take that and create every kind of success imaginable. The Christian must have the fundamental understanding that no matter what our talent or lack thereof is, God provides the increase. We must believe that he can make a profound difference in the life of the believer whether it is us or someone else, in spite of what we or they have done previously.

Pray today that you don’t fall into the trap of limiting God’s ability to transform you, the situation or others into a demonstration of God’s power and love.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Faith Help.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

The system of apprenticeship was first developed in the Middle Ages. Experienced craftsmen could employ young men (in some cases as young as fourteen). These young men would live in the household of the master craftsmen and over time learn the trade. Although some professions still employ a form of apprenticeship, in modern times we often use the internship model where during formal education young people work in a professional environment in order to gain exposure and some training. As Christians, we should seek out those who are mature in the Faith and learn the behavior and practice of living Godly lives.

The book of Hebrews is a book encouraging those who have become converted to continue in the faith. It outlines examples of faith throughout biblical history. When we feel weak. When we feel we are losing our sense of purpose. When we sense ourselves faltering in our resolve. When we start to become cynical. We can meditate on those who we have known that stood strong and endured hardships, but still kept the faith. Many of the older members of our churches have stories of perseverance and faith that we should know as these stories can help us when our faith is weak.

I pray that you would find the time to seek out a godly, wise, mature member of your church and listen to what they have to say.

Deacon Larry Woodard

Open Membership.

1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. Luke 19:1,2

Even today there are a number of private country clubs that discriminate against women and ethnic minorities. Shoal Creek famously admitted an African American member after their practices became widely known when they were trying to host the 1990 PGA Championship. Augusta, home of the Masters, still does not accept women members. It is important for Christians to note that Jesus consistently demonstrated equal treatment for all.

In our text Zacchaeus is described as being a short, wealthy tax collector. It is well-documented how disliked tax collectors were. Publicans (tax collectors) were hated by the Jews for working on behalf of the Roman Empire, the oppressors of the Jews. They were also disliked because many times they collected extra money for themselves and in doing so became rich. We find it easy to love those who love us. We even try to love those who may be difficult but are like us. But it is very hard to love those who we know mean us harm or have shown themselves to be our enemies. Jesus went to this tax collectors house and ate with him. At some point that is not covered in scripture, Jesus had such a profound effect on Zacchaeus that he turned from his wicked ways and vowed to return back what he had taken from the people four-fold! As Christians, we must believe in the transforming power of the love of Jesus Christ. We can’t fight fire with fire but instead we must love our enemies into submission.

Pray today to be open to accept all people whatever their station in life might be, knowing that God is able to change hearts and minds.

Deacon Larry Woodard