For Better, For Worse

For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: Hebrews 10:36
As a pastor, I’ve had an up-close-and-personal view of more than a few weddings. I could tell you all kinds of stories about them, from silly to touching. The one thing they have in common is the promise the bride and groom make to each other, their vows. In their own words and ways, weddings are about promises:
“For better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part.”
To the young, these vows are voiced with doe-eyed infatuation, and sound so noble and grand. Ask anyone married for more than a month and they’ll tell you that these promises are downright hard to keep. You want to be true to them, but you honestly hope you won’t ever be tested.
…You promise, for better or for worse, but you hope for better.
…You promise, for richer or poorer, but you hope for richer.
…You promise, in sickness and in health, but you say, “Well, I hope you’re not going to be sick, but if it comes to that, I’ll be there for you.”
You don’t want it to come to any of these tests, but if it does, you’re ready.
That’s where we’re different from God. He wants it to come to that hard place. He wants you to be at a crossroads where you have to lean on Him, where you have to rest on His promises. God flat out wants you to test His promises.
Not only does God want you to test His promises, but He is ordering the circumstances of your life in such a way so that you will have to test Him. Every single person who knows and loves the Lord will experience circumstances when they have no other option but to put God’s promises to the test. Malachi 3:10 says, “try Me now in this.”
I don’t love the fact that I get to test His promises so much as I love the fact that God wants me to test Him. He’s so sure and confident in His commitment to me that He invites it every time. And every time I do test Him, God proves Himself true!
What difficult circumstance in your life is forcing you to put God’s promises to the test? What promise of God are you putting your full weight on?
Or are you not trusting Him for anything right now? How do you need to change your focus?

Pastor Jerry

Four Things…

Four things I wish someone would have told me a long time ago…

1 Dream Big…and NEVER apologize for doing so.  

Seriously…get alone, ask Jesus to set you on fire, to allow you to see His church as He sees it…to see her beauty and POTENTIAL in our community.  And…don’t EVER limit what you believe God can do!!!  EVER!!!

2 Stop Thinking Your Are Normal.  

You’re not…if you were God would have left you alone!  Quit trying to be who people want you to be…  Be who God called you to be.  You have GOT to be the NEW YOU CREATED in CHRIST!!!

3 Stop Trying To Do It By Yourself. 

You can’t!  You need Jesus… in fact you can’t do anything without Him… John 15. And you need the Body of Christ Jesus planted you in… we need each other… 1 Corinthians 12.

4 Acts Chapter Two Was Intended To Be The Starting Block…NOT THE FINISH LINE!

This is something that has hit me lately…Acts 2 was where God began…and His desire was for the church to grow from there.  But today churches talk about how to get back there.  I think God wants to do more!  I think Acts 2 was God saying to us, “I can do this…and SO MUCH MORE…if you will be the church!”