“Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)
Last Sunday at the 11:00am service, Dr. Jimmy Jenkins, President of Livingstone College, stood in our pulpit and eloquently shared the tremendous responsibility of being an excellent learner or student. However, the greatest of all learning is the learning we get from the Word of God. You see, the Word of God instructs us in the most important matters of life.
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE HEART OF THE PASTOR…………..
“When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Luke 13: 12 NIV
The Bible says: “As Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman who had been ...bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight... He called her over and said, ‘Dear woman, you are healed’...Then He touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God! But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day” (Luke 13 vv. 10- 14 NLT). There are 2 significant things concerning this woman:
“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” Romans 12:5 KJV
In 1972, Al Green, an R&B singer, now preacher, recorded a number #1 hit titled, “Let’s Stay Together”. The song quickly became an encouraging anthem for relationships who were struggling to “stick it out” through times of difficulty.
I think we are living in times when we as the body of Christ need to “stick it out” more than ever before. We are about to embark upon a great building (parking lot) and renovation (face lift of Education Building) project. We need all hands on deck. God has been too good to us to grow weary and throw in the proverbial towel. He has brought us from a mighty long way so why give up now?
I have discovered that when what you start goes unfinished it can drain your energy without you even realizing it. William James said, “There is nothing so fatiguing as an uncompleted task.” And the Internet has made the problem even worse, because now you get more “messages” in one day than you used to get in a month. When you don't focus on something, you simply don't finish it. So you end up frustrated, feeling like “nothing is getting done”. If you don't take control of your time, your time will take control of you. You will find that people and seeming urgent situations will eat up all your time and you will have little or no time at all to finish your own business.
“Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD”. Psalm 150:6
Solomon says there's “...a time to keep silence and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7 NKJV). I agree that you should not interrupt the church service and unnecessarily distract others, but when it's time to praise God and give Him glory, you should give God your best praise. God is looking for the Saints of God to give Him more than a half-hearted, some-timing or depending on how I feel praise. For the Word of God declares, “I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart” (Psalms 9:1 NKJV).
“...All...were astonished at the catch of fish...” Luke 5:9
This text opens with Jesus calling His first Disciples in Galilee. “...He said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because YOU say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch... Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men.’ So they...left everything and followed Him'’ (vv. 4-11 NIV).
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Colossians 3:13
By washing the dirt from His disciples' feet, Jesus demonstrated His unconditional love and willingness to forgive their sin before they even committed sin. This takes love to the highest level of love. You say, “Well, Pastor, I am not the one in the wrong…. They are.” Jesus was not in the wrong either….They were. Of the men in that room, only One was worthy of having His feet washed. And He was the One who washed the feet. The genius of Jesus' example is that the burden of bridge-building falls on the strong one, not the weak one. And do you know what happens? More often than not, if the one in the right volunteers to wash the feet of the one in the wrong, both parties get on their knees.
