Verse and Message (Week of April 26-May 2, 2009) April 29, 2009

 

John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.”      I worked at The Sheraton Civic Center Hotel (now known as Sheraton Birmingham) from April 1992 through February 1996. It’s amazing the things you learn being employed in the hotel industry.    I recall one time when the hotel was overbooked for a large conference.  Several guests were very upset to find out that upon their arrival (late in the evening I might add), they did not have a room. The part that was most disturbing was that the guests had booked their room months in advance to be “guaranteed for late arrival.”  To “guarantee” a reservation one must provide a credit card number to hold the room.  If the person did not reserve his room with a credit card, the possibility of not having a room might possibly occur, especially, in the event of a “sell-out” situation.    Interestingly, there were two sets of rules. If one called to reserve a room and made the choice to guarantee with a credit card, the following stipulation also applied:    If the guest failed to cancel the reservation and did not show up (for whatever reason), the guest was penalized with one night’s charge for the room plus occupancy tax – which would be conveniently applied to his credit card.    Can you imagine the reaction of the aforementioned guests as they had flown into Birmingham, paid for a cab or rental car, arrived at the hotel late in the evening, exhausted from travel, only to be discover that their “guaranteed room” was really not guaranteed?   Apparently, the “guaranteed late arrival” was not the perfect system.   When Jesus shared with His disciples of His impending death, He had a special guarantee for them.  Jesus promised a custom-made home in Heaven when it was their time to leave this life. Until then, His Holy Spirit was guaranteed to dwell in them….the Holy Spirit was the credit card that wouldn’t expire.   This promise was not just for the disciples who walked with Him more than 2000 years ago.  This guarantee belongs to anyone who accepts Jesus as Savior!  Once our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev 21:27), our reservation is secure.  We don’t have to worry about checking in–our reservation is sealed. And, until then, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit as a deposit.    Because of the CROSS and the PERFECT SACRIFICE of JESUS CHRIST, our reservation was guaranteed and pre-paid!  Nothing in our world will ever compare to what HE has waiting for us.    So remember, when you’re feeling discouraged with what the world has to offer…..your perfect world awaits you!  Jesus is the only perfect system!    We are not supposed to be comfortable now……..if we are completely fulfilled with the “here and now” we might  need to consider an inventory of the heart.   GOD HAS A GUARANTEE…. THE LIGHT NEVER GOES OUT IN HIS HOTEL…. HEAVEN AWAITS US…. OUR RESERVATION IS ETERNALLY SECURE…. HE HAS GIVEN US THE KEY….JESUS CHRIST! SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of April 19-25, 2009) April 22, 2009

 

Psalm 119:67 (The Message) Before I learned to answer You, I wandered all over the place, but now I am in step with your Word. Monday morning I was reading the One Year Bible plan using my Max Lucado Devotional Bible and I ran across a side note message I had not read before. Lucado shared a message taken from Walking in the Light by Neil Anderson. It was a clear, simple, and applicable message to consider when we are facing tough decisions.   When conflict occurs in our lives or there is an important decision to make, we must not jump to hasty conclusions. It’s significant to consider different perspectives in order to discern a wise choice. I think the following checklist is a wonderful tool to utilize when diagnosing an issue of concern in our lives. In light of the steps Anderson suggested, I anticipate a successful outcome when applying these principles. Anderson’s questions are highlighted in gold, and his commentary is highlighted in blue. After each point, I am including my own interjections noted with italicized text and asterisks.    –From Neil Anderson’s Walking in the Light–   Anderson noted ten questions we will want to ask ourselves when we are faced with a decision.  The initial five represent moral issues and godly wisdom that are normative for all times.  The next five are questions we need to ask ourselves when facing a change in direction.    1.  Have you prayed about it?   The Lord’s Prayer begins with a petition for His will.  Prayer was never intended to be a fourth-down punting situation in which we ask God to bail us out of our rash decisions. It was intended to be a first-down huddle.  We aren’t supposed to ask God to bless our plans; we are supposed to ask God FOR His plans.   **Pastor Chris Hodges of Church of the Highlands said it best this past Sunday that most people pray as a last resort…he also used the expression –”fire escape prayers”.**   2.  Is it consistent with the Word of God?   In our culture ignorance is no excuse since resources abound.  Every home should have at least a concordance, Bible dictionary, topical Bible, a good commentary, and a study Bible with notes.   **The Bible has the answer to every question. When we take the time to meditate on His Promises, the Word comes alive, and He reveals things to us. It is truly Life’s Instruction Book.**   3.  Can I do it and be a positive Christian witness?   **Everyone is watching. Integrity is essential in defining solutions.**   4.  Will the Lord be glorified?…Am I seeking the glory of man or glory of God? Am I doing this to be noticed by man or am I seeking to please the Lord?   **It’s not about me. When we please God, even our enemies will be at peace with us. Approval of man is short-lived, ie. the reward is brief. Approval by the Father is eternal.**   5.  Am I acting responsibly? God doesn’t bail us out of our irresponsibility. He will let us suffer the consequences of our sins and irresponsible choices. But when we are faithful in little things, He will put us in charge of greater things.   **Be proactive instead of reactive. We must use good judgment in our words and actions. Carelessness will cost us.**   6.  Is it reasonable?   God expects us to think.  His guidance may transcend human reasoning, but it never excludes it. In most instances, God doesn’t bypass our mind during decisions…We are warned in Scripture not to put our mind in neutral. We are to think and practice what we know to be true. (Philippians 4:8-9)   **Use common sense. Refer to point #2 – Seek the Truth /The Word of God.**   7.  Does a realistic opportunity exist?   Closed doors are not meant to be knocked down. If you have a hopeless scheme let it go.  If it isn’t God’s timing, wait. If a realistic opportunity exists, and all the other factors are in agreement, then take the plunge.   **It’s important to discern this carefully. Sometimes God will use the supernatural to override the natural. Be open for any opportunities to allow Him to manifest His power. For, nothing is impossible with God, but it’s important to listen to Him. It’s crucial to make sure we don’t manipulate or control an outcome.**   8.  Are unbiased, spiritually sensitive associates in agreement?   Be careful not to consult only those who will agree with you. Give your advisors permission to ask hard questions.  Don’t be afraid of “no” answers. If it isn’t God’s will, don’t you want to know before you make the mistake of acting impulsively?   **Seek and maintain accountability.**   9.  Do I have a sanctified desire? Don’t think that being in the will of God must always be an unpleasant task. The joy of the Lord should be our strength…Is this a desire to satisfy the lust of the flesh, or a Spirit-filled desire to see God’s Kingdom established and people helped?   **Walk in the Spirit and break the power of the flesh in Jesus Name. When we are truly in alignment with His will, our desires will reflect His desires.**   10. Do I have a peace about it? This is an inner peace. In the world we will have tribulation, but in Christ we have assurance of overcoming the world. Is the peace of God guarding your heart and mind?   **No matter how anxious or unsure I may be about making a decision…..the check-point is receiving that peace that transcends all understanding. A peace will be present when I am certain I have made the right decision.**   “There may be no trumpet sound or loud applause when we make the right decision, just a calm sense of resolution and peace.” (Gloria Gaither)   I feel our lives are made up of a tapestry of choices. We must strive to make choices that are pleasing to the Lord. The quality of our lives depends greatly on the quality of our choices.   Now to close, I want to leave you with a funny quote…(anonymous) “Sometimes I make up my mind, other times my mind wanders, and every so often I lose track of it entirely.”   Friends, to keep our minds from wandering, we must fix our eyes on HIM…staying unswervedly focused….then, we can be confident that we are making decisions with the mind of Christ. That’s a good decision!   Disturbed with Decisions? Decide to Delegate to the Deity… His Direction is Delightful! SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of April 12-18, 2009) April 15, 2009

Romans 5:8 “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”      This past Easter Weekend, Pastor Chris Hodges of Church of the Highlands delivered a simple yet profound message. The message was based on the story of the prodigal son coming home.   I am convinced that there are so many of us who grew up going to church and followed a routine of what we felt we ”needed to do” as Christians. However, without the “desire” present in our hearts, we are easily drawn to walk down other pathways to find meaning and fulfillment in our lives.   Prior to when I re-dedicated my life to Christ early 2004, I allowed anger and frustration of the circumstances of my life to tempt me into going a different direction than God would have me. I guess I felt that God had abandoned me so I had to take matters into my own hands. Later, I realized that my whole perspective was thwarted. Wrong thinking led to wrong actions. This behavior came straight from the enemy of my soul who I allowed to deceive me.   When we make our way down that dreaded path of our selfish will, we become exhausted, depressed, miserable, discouraged, and ultimately look back to when we were once close to God. Even when times are tough, there is a supernatural peace that transcends all understanding when we choose to walk in step with the Lord.   When we chase after our own desires that don’t include God, He allows things to fall apart; In other words,He stays out of our life when we ask Him to leave us alone. He then allows us to come to a point of desperation in order to turn our hearts back to Him…knowing that HE ALONE is ALL that can truly satisfy!    That’s my definition of “coming home.” God doesn’t care where we have been….and He’s not concerned about what we have done…..He simply wants to hold us in His loving arms.    So many times people are too ashamed to come home. They feel as though the Lord is going to look away and not take them back after they have gone wayward. I read a devotional the other day written by Rick Warren that clarifies God’s perspective. I wanted to share a portion of the message with you. It truly drives home how we are always welcome home in the Master’s Arms.   “Purpose Driven Connection” by Rick Warren There’s a myth that says I’ve got to clean up my act before I can come to God. “I’ve got to get it all together. There are a few things I’ve got to get right in my life first, and then I’ll come to God.” Why do we do this? It’s like when we brush our teeth before we go to the dentist to have a teeth cleaning; or when we wash the dishes before we put them in the dishwasher; or when we pick up the house before the maid gets there! Why do we do this? God says, “No, no! You don’t have to clean up your act. Just bring it all to Me. Bring Me all your problems. I have the answer. I have all the answers.” You don’t wait. Jesus says, “Come as you are.” The Bible says, “He will send down help from heaven to save me because of His love” (Psalm 57:3 LB). That’s what Jesus did on Easter. He sent down Himself from heaven to save us because of His love. So you bring your problems to God because He has the answer. To close, I wanted to share a stanza of a beautiful hymn I remember singing when I was growing up. It is another reminder of how passionate our Father is for us to come home.     Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for me; See, on the portals he’s waiting and watching, Watching for you and for me. Come home, come home, Ye who are weary, come home; Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home.   HOME SWEET HOME HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS THE FATHER HAS ALL THE ANSWERS…. SO, COME AS YOU ARE! HIS LIGHT NEVER GOES OUT! SUSIE MC **By the way, Church of the Highlands had 2,310 people come home this past weekend! The harvest is GREAT!**

Verse and Message for Easter 2009! April 6, 2009

**Following the message, I have included the schedule of services to take place at Church of the Highlands this upcoming Easter weekend. We would love to have you join us!**         Psalm 103:12 …as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.    Hebrews 8:12 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” There have been times that I have disciplined my son that he became quite overwhelmed with remorse for his wrongdoing.  He became so distraught that it saddened me, and I responded by consoling him.  Once the lesson is learned, it is my desire to see my son smile and move on.    Our Lord feels the same way when we sin.  So many times we wallow in our mistakes and become so consumed with the shame that we sometimes set up shop in that deep pit of despair. When conviction of the Holy Spirit comes upon us, it is crucial that we respond with a heart of repentance, however, our Father desires for us to learn from the sin, grow closer to Him, smile, and move on!    Satan wants to remind us of every shameful thing we have ever done.  He loves for us to dwell on past failures.  Don’t believe the lie that tells you God is still thinking about your past sin. My Jesus tells me that my repented sin is long forgotten. In fact, He promises that my sin has been removed as far as the east is from the west. When the Father sees me…..He sees Jesus.   He doesn’t want me to remind Him of what I did after He has cleansed me. Instead of allowing our past forgiven sin to haunt us and hold us back, we must rejoice in the joy of the Lord; He suffered a brutal death on the Cross to free us from ALL sin, shame, and guilt! Because of His ultimate sacrifice, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. (Romans 8:1)   We must also retreat from anyone who reminds us of our past mistakes.  The key is to remove ourselves from anything that causes us to repeat past mistakes. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit we can claim in this process. Once we begin to strengthen and resist the temptations that taunt us, we are able to grow and reflect His nature.     He wants to release our burdens and embrace us in His arms. He wants to wipe away every tear. The best way to capture the joy of the Lord is to forgive ourselves, and then praise and worship the Father for His amazing grace and mercy.  And, speaking of praise and worship, I couldn’t help but share a video and song by Casting Crowns that better illustrates and reveals the main point of this week’s verse and message.   Check out this remarkable music video highlighting Casting Crowns’ “East to West“:   http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=e1bb051f28808c6f4607   Easter at Church of the Highlands Join us for one of 19 identical services: GRANTS MILL CAMPUS Friday April 10 7:00pm Saturday April 11 5:00pm and 7:00pm Sunday April 12 8:00am,9:30am,11:15am,1:00pm and 6:00pm SWITCH VENUE Sunday April 12 9:30am and 11:15am RIVERCHASE CAMPUS Sunday April 12 8:00am,9:30am,11:15am and 6:00pm HIGHLANDS EN ESPANOL Sunday April 12 2:00pm AUBURN CAMPUS Sunday April 12 9:30am,11:15am and 8:00pm TUSCALOOSA CAMPUS Sunday April 12 11:15am    HAVE A BLESSED EASTER IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ALMIGHTY FORGIVING GOD OF THE UNIVERSE!!!!! SUSIE MC