The Right Attitude!

As you enter the New Year, I encourage you to do so with a “right attitude.” What do I mean? An attitude that reveals Christlike love and actions. We live in a harsh world. We live in a harsh society. Hurting people are all around us. An attitude that learns to look beyond the outer facade and into the heart. An attitude that goes against society’s way of viewing things—putting others before ourselves.

Consider the actions of Jesus as recorded by John:  “When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. Do you understand what I have done for you? he asked them. You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:12-16).

Jesus performed the job of the lowest servant through this act. In and through it, He was setting the perfect example for all of us. He demonstrated the greatest need among them and among us—to be prepared at all times to step up to the plate as a “humble servant” in order to be Christ to someone in need.

Humility is often viewed as weakness in our society. But, humility is not weakness; it does not diminish who you are but rather perfects it. The tendancy is to let someone else who is less than I, step up and do it. But, Jesus showed a different way, a different attitude. You will find that when you choose to humbly serve, GOD will somehow lift you to new heights.

Peter wrote: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6). It is time for you and I to move to greater heights in our Christian walk by following the examples Christ has given us. It is time to lay aside pride and arrogance and simply be “Christ.”

2016 will be a year of great opportunities for leading others into the Kingdom of GOD. 2016 needs to be your year of impact. To make an impact, we must be like Christ and become a servant to those around us in all that we do.

Waiting on GOD Even When It Proves Difficult!

Perhaps one of the most difficult things we have to do is to wait on an answer from GOD. We are so accustomed to having everything the moment we need it, waiting (patience) is nearly impossible. However, we need to learn to just relax, pray and wait.

Our “get ‘er done!” mindset tends to create problems for us. It increases our stress levels. It creates room for mistakes and misjudgments. It can even lead us to advance forward prematurely in life’s decisions and endeavors resulting in less than desirable outcomes.

Let me show you what I mean. Consider this passage: “When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, ‘Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.’ And Saul offered up the burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:6-8).

What we have is a perfect example of an individual moving forward prematurely. Saul and his men considered their situation critical. They were quaking with fear. Samuel the prophet had instructed Saul to wait for him before any action was taken. But their fear created a lack of patience which eventually overcame them and Saul acted in disobedience to the prophet. As the story goes, Saul’s actions resulted in the kingdom eventually being stripped from him and his family.

As 2016 approaches, I want to encourage you to become a person of prayer and patience. Give your fears over to the LORD and relax. Allow GOD to direct your paths and decisions, even when He seems slow in responding. Learn to wait for GOD’s direction will always come at just the right time.

A New You in the New Year!

As you prepare to usher in your New Year, I believe GOD desires to carry out a new thing in your life in 2016. He wants to create a new you that is equipped and prepared to carried out great and mighty works for the cause of His Kingdom. He is waiting for you to take the initiative to step up to the plate and say: “YES, Lord, here I am, use me!”

The children of Israel found themselves in Babylonian captivity due to their ongoing wickedness and sinfulness. In the midst of their despair, GOD spoke words of encouragment and hope to them through His prophet, Isaiah. He declared: “Forget the things that have happened in the past. Do not keep on thinking about them. I am about to do something new. It is beginning to happen even now. Don’t you see it coming? I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert. I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

Today, we are living in a nation that has turned its back on GOD. Our government is doing everything in its power to silence Christianity. It is time for you and I to rise up and speak out while we still can. Doing so will require a new way of thinking, a new perception of ourselves, our abilities and our world. We must prepare ourselves for the battle GOD is calling us into. It is going to take a new you to carry out the new thing GOD is desiring to do.

This new you will begin to develop as you do two things: (1) Change Your Focus and (2) Clarify Your Focus. Isaiah declared you must forget your past and the weight it carries and advance forward into your new future. Then, you must begin to see more clearly what GOD truly desires to do in you and through you. God sees the capabilities in you that you never knew existed.

The possibilities of what GOD can do through you are endless. He wants to change the dry, arid desert into streams of living water. But, it all comes back to your willingness to allow GOD to be GOD in and through you. It requires total, absolute surrender of yourself unto GOD so He may work in you and then work through you. God has plans for America, if America will turn back to GOD. America will only return to GOD when the church returns to GOD and its true mission. That begins with a personal commitment of people just like you and I. What will you do?

(Exerpt from sermon preached by Pastor Danny Anderson at First Christian Church – Weslaco, on Sunday, December 27, 2015. The full sermon is available in print form by emailing me at preacher.dannyanderson@yahoo.com.)

Make a Difference in 2016!

As 2016 prepares to absorb us in, I find myself sitting here contemplating what this New Year holds for the church. Above my desk, I have this saying penciled on a Sticky-Note:  “Don’t get so wrapped up in the church you can’t be the Church!” Every time I sit down at my desk that reminder is staring me in the face. It reminds me that GOD has a mission for His Church which stretches out so much further than we, in the church,  recognize. We have “played church” so long, we don’t even recognize her true mission any longer. We have spent so much time being “inward-focused”, we have lost sight of the outside world we have been called to reach.

Earlier today, I ran across this saying: “I want to be a part of a church that lives out the Gospel of Christ everyday, not just talks about it one day a week.” My heart and life was challenged to make that my motto for 2016. As a pastor and a preacher of the Word, I intend to make that my “call to action” in 2016.

As I search the Word, I find Jesus commanding His Church  to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Or His words found in Acts 1:8: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Interesting to me is the fact that we the church are commanded to do this but most don’t. It is not a suggestion. It is not based upon our times of availablility. It is a command for all of us to go and to witness continually. One big problem we have in the church today is that the church is failing to make opportunity for their people to fulfill their ministry duties.

I am not talking about a once a year trip to hand out gifts at the homeless shelter or the nursing home. I am not talking about giving in the Salvation Army red kettle. These are certainly worthy causes but the Scripture speaks of so much more. I am talking about a way of life that is constant. Church leaders, I encourage you to incorporate programs and ministries into your church fabric that give your people places to minister and serve according to their giftings.

Instead of planning a trip to go skiing in the mountains, plan a mission’s trip to Mexico, Central America or elsewhere. Instead of finding a group of kids to give Christmas gifts to once a year, start a constant outreach ministry in an area of town that is in need. Instead of taking your people on a sight-seeing pleasure trip, take them to a place where they can fulfill the command of Jesus. Give your people an opportunity to get involved in the ministry workings of the church.

2016 is upon us. What plans has your church made to make 2016 a year of impact? The doors for ministry are open all around us. We need to step through in the power of the Holy Ghost and make a difference. Make this your motto, Church: “I want to be a part of a church that lives out the Gospel of Christ everyday, not just talks about it one day a week.”

Where Would You Be Without Jesus?

Charles Wesley penned the words we often sing at Christmastime: “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled! Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies.” Too often we sing along without ever considering the songwriter’s heart and intention. (Re-read and consider those words for a moment.)

Reminds me of the night Jesus was born. The angels appeared to them and shared the words many of us know so well: …”I bring you good tidings of great joy!”… (Luke 2:10). But, did the shepherds really allow those words to sink in? How long did they meditate upon those words after the event? When He preached thirty years later, did any of them remember the words of the angels on the hillside? Maybe some of those shepherds were yelling, “Crucify Him!”???

Unfortunately, we humans quickly forget the wonderful things GOD has done in our lives. We tend to forget what He has brought us out from, what He has delivered us from. Our salvation experience, although it is the single greatest personal event we have ever had, becomes shallow in our minds and in our hearts.

Today and throughout this coming year, I want to encourage you all to remember where GOD has brought you from. Paul wrote: “For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!” (Romans 5:10). Consider the depth and implications of those words upon your own life. Ask yourself: Where would I be right now had I never met Jesus? Then, remember your personal response throughout this coming year and be thankful to GOD for where He is taking you to as you learn to follow Him more closely everyday.

At Just the Right Time!

Paul wrote that: “When the fullness of the time had come, GOD sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). What characterized the “fullness of time?” What did timing have to do with it anyway?

It is imperative that we recognize that GOD is the GOD of perfect timing and order. In His perfect scheme of things, GOD has perfectly timed everything since before the beginning of time. The timing of the birth of Christ was no different. The Scripture clearly tells us that in GOD’s perfect time, Jesus was born.

Leading up to the time of His birth, everything GOD was doing was in preparation for this most blessed event. GOD had used Alexander the Great to unite the world under one common language—Greek—so the Gospel message of Christ could be easily spread. He united the nations of the world under one government authority—the Romans—breaking down borders to be crossed enabling the messengers of the Gospel to move about freely throughout the empire. And a system of roadways was constructed making it easy to traverse from city to city with the Good News of Christ.

Never before had it been so easy to spread the Gospel. It was all done in GOD’s perfect timing. Finally, He led Augustus Caesar to declare a census be taken requiring Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, at just the right time. So, “When the fullness of time had come, GOD sent forth His Son….”

But, the fullness of time did not end there. Paul wrote that:“at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). You see, GOD’s perfect timing continues clicking along. While you and I were powerless to do anything about our sinful condition, Jesus died for us! And at just the right time, Jesus is coming back for those who are eagerly awaiting His return.

Paul wrote: “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation”  (2 Corinthians 6:2). Folks, GOD’s time is now for you to come to Jesus. He has purposed this day, in His perfect timing, as your day of salvation. How will you respond to Him? Your eternity lies within your decision.

Satisfaction for All Your Longings

Our lives and homes are inundated with worldly offerings of satisfaction. TV, radio, magazines—media sources of every type constantly bombarding our lives with self-satisfying, pleasureable entities. However, we discover very quickly how temporary that satisfaction turns out to be. The momentary pleasures and satisfactions of this world typically leave us seeking for more—never truly satisfying the deep longing that wells up from deep within our being.

The Psalmist shared the true secret to satisfaction when he wrote these words: “For He has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things“ (Psalm 107:9 HCSB). The true secret to the deep longings within your life only comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is only He who can bring absolute satisfaction to life’s thirst and hunger pains.

You will discover that the more intimate you become with the Father through Jesus Chirst, the more satisfaction will come into your life. You will discover that this satisfaction will continue to deliver its fulfillment unto you no matter what your outside circumstances and situations might be. You will discover God’s peace and tranquility will continue to flow to and through you as you draw closer unto Him.

God wants to fill your empty longings with His satisfaction today. Discover true intimacy with God and allow Him to deliver total satisfaction to your being.