Monday, May 9

Monday

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 

– 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Paul wrote these words to Timothy from a Roman prison cell.  He knew he was soon to die and he wanted to pass on some final challenge and encouragement to his protégé.   In these two verses, Paul outlines the process by which the Scriptures transform our lives.  He says to Timothy, "Continue in what you have learned."  That is the first thing to do with the Bible, to learn what it says.  Timothy had only the Old Testament, and, perhaps, just a few of the books which we call the New Testament. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark might have been circulating then.  He probably had most of the letters of Paul, because this is the last of them.  Timothy was with him when he wrote some of those, so he likely preserved them for his own reading. But he had the written Word of God; and Paul encourages him to stay with it and to continue in it.

This requires repeated reading. You cannot learn what the Bible has to say by reading it through once.  There must be repeated, consistent, even daily, exposure to the written Word of God.  The case for Bible reading is very simply put: There is no other way by which you can be exposed to the thinking of God except by reading the Word of God!  The Bible is not in tune with secular philosophy.  It is different than all the other books in the world because it contains the thoughts of God about human life.

That is why it is so important that you expose yourselves to the Word of God.  You cannot read this Book without being changed. You will think differently about yourself and others; you will regard your husband, or your wife, and your children in a totally different way.  You will begin to regard the frantic pursuit of wealth, comfort and pleasure by those all around us in a different light.  You will make decisions on a totally different basis.  That is the amazing quality of this Book.  There is no other book in all of history that has that kind of a record. When you start reading your Bible you will find your thinking changed.  You will be enabled to live realistically, to adjust to reality, to detect the confusions and the illusions of the world around and to correct the things that are destroying humanity.  The truth of the Bible leads to life, not death. Anybody who believes that truth, and acts on it, will become enriched.  Life becomes peaceful, calm, and joyful even in the midst of trouble.

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck.  Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.  Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.  

 – Proverbs 3:21-26

That is part of the heritage of those who learn to understand and read the Bible. That will take some time. You cannot understand the Bible by putting it on the coffee table. Even putting it under your pillow will not work - it does not soak into the mind that way. You have to open it and you have to read it.

Let me suggest what may perhaps be one of the most helpful thing in making that possible - turn off the TV and turn off the computer!  It is so easy to sit in front of the TV and keep yourself occupied with entertaining ideas and thoughts - sometimes very boring entertainment too - when this Book lies ready at hand to open you to realities that will never forsake you.  You know, in eternity, I do not think we will remember even a single sitcom or facebook post, but heaven is built around the truths and principles reflected in this Book, and it will go on for all eternity!   So I want to urge us all to read the Bible - Fill your mind with the Scripture!

Jeff Frazier

Friday, May 6

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

A while back late on a stormy spring afternoon, I was driving in my car and heard a “severe weather” warning on the radio. The announcement indicated that a tornado had been spotted just a few miles from where we live and was headed in our general direction. The announcer even encouraged everyone living in our portion of the county to head to the basement - or to the most secure spot - in their homes. I was still 30 minutes or so from home and didn’t know if my wife, who was at home with three of our sons, would have heard the warning. So I called her on my cell phone and told her what I had heard on the radio and we agreed that she should probably take the boys into the basement until the storm lifted.

When I arrived home half an hour later, they were all in the basement – playing ping-pong and having fun – while listening to the weather reports. Shortly thereafter, the warning was lifted and we went about our normal evening routines. The boys joked about being disappointed they didn’t get to see a real, live tornado.

I’m sure that at dinner or bed-time we probably thanked God for the blessing of a home that provides shelter from bad weather. I know that I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving that the tornado didn’t turn in our direction. But, deep down, I always wonder how I would pray if the tornado did, in fact, come our way – or destroy our home?

We all want peace and security. We all pray that the storm will go in another direction. We all want our children to be safe. And we typically think of peace, security and safety in physical and material terms.

But notice the promise tucked away in this teaching on prayer!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Paul encourages us to pray in and about everything. He is teaching us to pray with thanksgiving. He is reminding us that, as God’s children, we can ask him for anything. And then he gives us this remarkable promise: “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The promise of prayer is not that we will get everything we ask for! The promise is peace. And notice as well what parts of our lives God promises to guard – our “hearts and minds.” Not our homes. Not our stuff. Not even our physical health – but our hearts and our minds.

What does it mean to have the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus?

It means that God chooses to protect the most important part of us first! The only part of me that was created to last forever – my soul – is what Paul here calls “heart and mind.” This is the part of me that Jesus died to forgive and save. This is the part of me that receives the great gift of eternal life – and that will live with him forever in heaven.

And this is the part of you that the peace of God protects – fills and sustains – when you pray. So why “Prayer @ Home?” Because God wants to bring peace to that part of your home that is most precious, the hearts and minds of the people who live there; Moms and Dads and babies and children and adolescents and young adults and even grandparents. If your personal situation is living alone, then he wants to bring his peace to your heart and mind as much as he does the family with five kids!

Make a renewed commitment today to the heart and mind transforming gift called prayer!

Brian Coffey

Thursday, May 5

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Many years ago, when our boys were much younger, I had one of them with me as I hurried through an area store. As I found whatever items I was looking for that day, my son, who was only about 5 years old at the time, did his own shopping. He came back to my cart holding some kind of “Mega-monster action figure” and asked if I could buy it for him. As I recall, the toy was about $10 and I had no intention of adding another toy to our collection of dinosaurs, Power Rangers and Legos!

I said, “Sorry bud, we can’t buy that today.”

He said, “But I want it! Why can’t you get it for me?”

For some reason I decided to try something other than the usual response of  “Because I said so!” Instead, I launched into something like this “I know you want the “Mega-monster” toy! But it costs $10 – and someday I want you to be able to go to college. Recent studies indicate that by the time you are 18 years old it will cost over $35,000 a year to send you to college. Over four years that makes $140,000 – can you say $140,000? So what I’d like to do is take the $10 and invest it in a college fund so that over the next 13 years or so, with interest, it will turn into $1000 – and then maybe you can go to college!”

He looked at me like I had green horns sprouting out of my forehead – but it worked. We got out of the store without the “Mega-monster!”

I like that story because it teaches me about prayer. What does a child asking his Dad for a “Mega-monster” have to do with prayer?

First, part of prayer is asking. Through prayer we ask our Heavenly Father for things that we believe he is able to give us. My son asked me for the toy because he had complete faith that I possessed the resources to buy it for him. When I pray asking God for help, or strength, or healing, or safety I do so because I believe that he possesses the power and resources to provide my requests. This is part of what Paul means when he writes,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

But the other side of prayer is trusting. I chose not to give my son the “Mega-monster” toy because I didn’t think it was best for him. While he was temporarily disappointed – and probably didn’t understand my decision was based in my love for him – eventually he would mature enough to understand (that particular son is going to college this year and I think he has probably forgotten all about the “Mega-monster!”). God invites us, as his children, to ask for anything in prayer. But he also asks us to trust him and his love for us enough to accept that he knows what is best for us – and will give us that which we most need.

Brian Coffey

Wednesday, May 4

Psalm 5:6

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Psalm 4:8

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone,… O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

When I was little, like many children, I used to imagine that a horrible monster lived under my bed. This monster only lived there at night – and it had long tentacle-like arms – and I imagined that this creature would try to grab my legs as I approached my bed. So, my defense was to run and leap from as far away from my bed as possible, thus eluding those tentacles by traveling the last few feet to my bed through the air! Then I would lay there and either wait for my Mom or Dad to come and pray with me before falling asleep – which they almost always did. Then I would fall asleep, unafraid of the monster under my bed - at least until the next night!

As I mentioned in yesterdays “10 Minutes with God,” my childhood days were “book-ended” by prayer. My parents prayed with us before we headed out to school; and they prayed with us before we went to sleep at night. The Psalms suggest that the ancient people of God practiced the same thing:

Psalm 5:6

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Psalm 4:8

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone,… O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

If you have children still living at home, and you are wondering how to strengthen your “faith @ home” - this practice of “book-ending” their days with prayer would be a great way to start! Just take 30 seconds together before they leave to catch the bus or jump into the car pool; thank God for a new day and ask for his guidance and blessing for your children throughout the day. At first your children might look at you kind of funny – but if you stick with it – you will notice that they begin to expect that “morning prayer.” And in the evening – try developing a gentle habit of “bedtime prayer.” Again, a simple 30 second prayer thanking God for the day, asking for a good night’s rest, and perhaps thanking God for the unique cluster of gifts and blessings he has placed in that particular child – is enough to begin building a kind of “spiritual DNA” in your home.

Notice that the Psalms teach us that when we begin our days with prayer – we enter that day with expectation – and when we end the day with prayer – we sleep in peace. Doesn’t that sound good!?

Brian Coffey

Tuesday, May 3

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

One of the churches my father pastored as I was growing up always had a Wednesday night “Prayer Meeting.” Since our family lived in a home that was connected to the church building, we knew every nook and cranny of both the church facility as well as our own living quarters. We knew, for example, that the upstairs closet in our guest bedroom was located directly over the church sanctuary. We also knew that there were several small knot-holes in the floor of that closet that were large enough for us to be able to see through – and therefore to “spy” on whatever was going on in the sanctuary below.

While Prayer Meeting was in session one Wednesday night, my brother and I, about 10 and 7 years old respectively, escaped our baby-sitter’s attention long enough to bombard several faithful “prayer warriors” with small paper wads dropped through the knot-holes in the guest room closet floor. We thought it was great fun to try to drop the tiny bits of paper so that they lodged in the hair or the ladies who were kneeling some 20 feet below. It never occurred to us that the church-folk would immediately know who lay behind this strange paper-wad phenomenon – because they all know that my brother and I were the only kids in the whole church with access to that part of the building!

Eventually one of the “church ladies” mentioned the “falling paper wad phenomenon” to my mother, who then confronted us about our activities that night.  At that point she uttered the most feared words in our childhood vocabulary; “Just wait until your father gets home!” Then my brother and I had our own prayer meeting!

Prayer was always part of my family as we were growing up – not just in the church’s Wednesday night prayer meeting (which we rarely attended – because we tended to either fall asleep or get in trouble for being too “squirrelly”) – but at home. We prayed before every meal; we prayed before going to school; we prayed at bed time. I can remember my mother praying at my bedside, asking God to care for the woman that I would someday marry while I thought to myself, “Mom, I’m only 12!!” But prayer was as much a part of our home life as it was our church life, which helped prayer become a natural part of my life.

Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Those two little words, “in everything” are pretty important. I think he means that not only can we pray about anything in our lives, but also that prayer is to be as much a part of our lives as eating and breathing. Prayer isn’t just a religious activity to be practiced once a week at church – it’s a relationship that is to permeate our daily lives; at home, at the office, in the car, at ballgames, at school or at church.

Ask God to help you make prayer as much a part of your home as other everyday activities – like meal times – or even T.V.!

Brian Coffey 

Monday, May 2

Joshua 24:14-15

“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Like many people, I grew up in the church. Unlike most people, I grew up in the church! Not only was my father a pastor – but for a time our family actually lived in a parsonage (an old-fashioned word that refers to a pastor’s home that has been provided by the church) that was attached to the church building. We could walk directly from our kitchen, through my father’s office, and into the church sanctuary! So, naturally, there was never a time in my life when I did not know about Jesus, the church, and the central value of faith @ home!

Hearing how I grew up, many people say things like, “Well, no wonder you became a pastor! You had a head-start!” But the truth is, many, many people who grew up as “PKs” (preachers kids), eventually turn away from Christ or learn to hate the church! While there are many reasons for this – I believe one of the major reasons is when “life at home” does not match “life at church.” That is, children learn early on that “we behave one way at church – but quite another way when we are at home behind closed doors.”

This might take the form of Dad preaching about love and forgiveness at church but being cold, distant and unforgiving at home. It might be Mom and Dad appearing to be a happy couple when they are at church – but living in constant bitter conflict at home. Whatever the case, when “church life” does not match “home life” – there can be a major disconnect for children trying to figure out what it true about God and faith.

One of the things for which I am most grateful in my life is that, while my Dad was (and still is) a pastor – he and my Mom were the same people at home Monday through Saturday as they were at church on Sunday! They lived out their faith as honestly and genuinely on a Thursday night around our dinner table as they did on Sunday morning when everyone was watching them. While I didn’t realize it at the time – my parents were slowly helping me figure out who God is and what real faith looks like – just by the way they lived everyday at home.

That’s what we mean by “Faith @ Home!” One of the most important things we can do – as parents of young children; as parents of adolescents; as married couples, and as individual believers – is to make sure our “faith at home” matches our “faith at church!” It’s relatively easy to think, act and talk like a follower of Christ during the hour or two we spend in a worship service or Sunday school class – but it’s much harder and much more important to think, act and talk like a follower of Christ from Monday through Saturday – or in our family rooms and kitchens!

Ask God to make your home as much a part of your faith development as your church!

Brian Coffey

Friday, April 29

Friday

One last reminder for this week…He is still risen!

One week ago it was Good Friday and we were preparing to remember the sacrifice of our Lord on the Cross.  Just five days ago we celebrated the most incredible moment in human history – the Resurrection! 

I recall reading somewhere that the great artist Michelangelo once asked a fellow artist, “Why do you keep painting endless pictures on the one theme of Christ in weakness, Christ on the cross, and most of all, Christ hanging dead?” he asked. “Why do you concentrate on the passing episode as if it were the last work, as if the curtain dropped down there on disaster and defeat?  That dreadful scene lasted only a few hours. But for unending eternity Christ is alive; Christ rules and reigns and triumphs.”

Michelangelo was right (in a sense).  Even though the cross is vitally important because of the redemption that Jesus accomplished for us there, Christians should not emphasize His death to the exclusion of His resurrection.  I think that sometimes we tend to focus on what Jesus did for us on the cross without connecting that moment of sacrifice to the eternal promise we have in His resurrection.

Jesus once said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26) The central tenet of our Christian faith this is not just whether we believe that Jesus died for us on the cross.  We must also believe that He rose from the dead.  The Bible says it this way: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25)

Saul of Tarsus believed generally in resurrection before he met Jesus on the Damascus Road, but he did not understand the power of The Resurrection.  He was a Pharisee, a member of the same Jewish sect that convinced Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus, and Pharisees believed in resurrection.  But the Paul we have come to know in the New Testament was more than a former Pharisee.  He was completely transformed by his encounter with the risen Jesus.  He was an Apostle, one of just a handful of men who had seen Jesus after the resurrection and were sent to preach the “good news”.

Paul said, “But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-17) When we ask Christ to come live in our hearts, we are given the promise of resurrection. In other words, we are no longer dead to sin, but have the promise of eternal life.

Winston Churchill knew the significance of the resurrection when he said, “When a man steps out of his own grave, He is anything that he says He is, and He can do anything that he says He can do. The resurrection is not only good news, it’s the best news imaginable.”

Lord, You have the power to bring life from death. Thank You that through the resurrection of Jesus You have given me new life – Amen.


Jeff Frazier