Cord of Three Stands

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. – Ephesians 4:9-12

This is a familiar scripture passage often heard at weddings, but it also applies to many other relationships outside of marriage.  Life is a difficult row to hoe alone.  We need others to come alongside us to lift us up when we fall, to encourage us when we are down, to support us in time of need, to lend us an ear when we need to talk, and to pray for us. 

It is interesting that this passage begins by referring to “two” and ends with the mention of a cord with “three” strands.  I find the image of a cord of three strands a wonderful metaphor of our relationship between two people with God intertwined throughout that relationship.  When we come alongside someone else, God come alongside us and strengthens that relationship. 

Do you know someone today who you need to come alongside a lift up, encourage, support and pray for?  There are many trying to live life alone that need someone to come alongside and walk with them today.

Prayer:  Lord, open my eyes today to see those who I can come alongside and encourage, support and pray for.  Help me be a friend to my neighbor.  Amen.

Faith Tip:  Do something today to lift up someone one else.  It could make a big difference in their life and yours.
  
Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson

Double-Edged Sword

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. – Hebrews 14:12

In the first century, a Roman soldier would never be caught without his sword; for without a sword a soldier would not last long in battle.  A Roman soldier was well trained in the use of his sword to the point that it was like an extension of his arm.  He was so skilled in its usage that in the soldiers hand the sword was a powerful offensive weapon.

Paul tells us in Hebrews that the word of God is like a double-edged sword.  He also makes this same analogy in his letter to the Ephesians when he lays out the pieces of the armor of God.  The word of God is the only offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, listed in the armor of God.  The word of God is a powerful and effective offensive weapon that God has placed in our hands to be used in the battle against evil.  Therefore, as Christians we must never go forth without it.  We must know God’s word so well that it becomes an extension of our thoughts, words and actions.  Often times we use God’s word as weapon to defend our beliefs, when we should be using it as an offensive weapon to spread the gospel message.

Prayer:  Thank you Lord, for the gift of your word and the power that it gives.  Forgive me when I ignore your word and fail to know it well.  Help me to know and understand your word so that it can be a transformative tool in my life and the life of those around me.  Amen.

Faith Tip:   Make it a point to be in God’s word daily so that it can become a powerful and effective tool in your hands.

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson

Direct Connection

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. – James 5:13

Being a father of four and a husband of one, I appreciate the recent advances made in cell phone technology.  No matter where I am or what I am doing I have a direct connection to my kids and my wife Julie.  This direct connection is very helpful in coordinating our busy schedules.  However, no matter how advanced phone technology is today it does not give us a direct connection to everyone.  Wouldn’t you like to have a direct connection to the White House to give the president your “two-cents” on the war and economy?  How about a direct connection to the coach of your favorite professional sports team to give your opinion on what plays they should be calling?  How about a direct connection to those who have gone before us, such as loved ones or historical figures?  Unfortunately, no matter how many advancements are made in communication technology we will probably never make these connections.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a direct connection to the creator of the universe, our creator, the one who knows us better than we know ourselves?   We do have that direct connection through prayer and praise.  And that connection is never busy or out-of-order.  We can call on God anytime, anywhere and give him our “two-cents”, let Him know what a great job he is doing, thank Him for abundant blessings, or whenever we just need a listening ear.  It is comforting to know that God is only a prayer away.

Prayer:  Thank you Lord for the gift of prayer.  I thank you that I can call on you anytime I need you and you are always there ready to talk.  Help me never to forget about this direct connection to you.  Amen.

Faith Tip:  Today are you “weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?”  If so, take it to the Lord in prayer.

Written by Pastor Aaron   

Tending the Garden of Faith

Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. – Mark 4:18-19

Growing a garden is hard work.  At first it sounds easy; plant a seed, water it and watch it produce fruit.  However, the reality is that to grow a fruitful garden requires constant tending; making sure the plants aren’t overtaken by bugs, weeds, thorns, molds and other harmful things that can easily destroy a plant.

Living a life of faith is kind of like growing a garden.  On the surface it sounds easy; attend church, read the Bible, and pray.  However, the reality is that to live a fruitful life of faith requires a lot of hard work.  We must not allow the worries and greediness of this life to overtake and choke out the growth of faith in our life.  God has planted that mustard seed of faith within us and we must be the ones to make sure it grows into a fruitful life, by tending to our faith on a daily basis and removing those “weeds” of destruction from our life.

Prayer:  Thank you Lord for the faith within me.  Open my eyes so that I may see the destructive weeds in my life that are choking out the word and making my life unfruitful.

Help me be diligent in tending to my faith so that it produces fruit in my life.  Amen.

Faith Tip:  Are you allowing worry or greed to become a focus in you life instead of God?  What are the “weeds” in your life that need to be pulled?

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson

Planting Seeds of Faith

Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” – Luke 13:18-19

I am always amazed when I look at the seed of an apple and think how an entire apple tree can grow from such a small seed.  Just planting one apple seed can produce many more apples in the future.  John Chapman, commonly known as Johnny Appleseed, understood this as he went around the country planting apple seeds that grew into apple trees that are still producing apples today.

As Christians we are called to spread seeds; not apple seeds, but seeds of faith.  Just one little small mustard-seed of faith can grow into a very strong faith in the future.  We are not called to plant the entire tree, but just spread small seeds of faith wherever we go.  We may never see the fruit that these little seeds of faith produce, but just imagine what the future would look like if every Christian made it their responsibility to plant at least one mustard-seed of faith each day!

Prayer:  Thank you Lord for the mustard-seed of faith that was planted in me and that has grown to a strong faith in you.  Help me to share the fruits of the Spirit by planting little seeds of faith in others for the glory of your Kingdom.  Amen.

Faith Tip: Decide how you might be able to plant mustard-seeds of faith in the people that you come in contact with today.

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson

A Link in the Chain

“Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,”  - Luke 3:23

And so it begins the genealogy of Jesus, tracing his roots throughout the generations all the way back to Adam.  The long list of genealogies are usually those parts of the Bible where we as readers usually become speed readers or skip the entire section all together.  A long list of names that are difficult to pronounce doesn’t make the most exciting reading material.  In this specific list of Jesus’ genealogies we find names that are familiar, such as Noah, Abraham, and David, but we also discover names like Terah, Jorim and Cosam that are not familiar.  Although we might not find these long lists of names very important, they are significant to the biblical story and that is why they are included in these ancient texts.

The genealogies point to the fact that there have been many who have gone before us.  We are not our own person that has been formed only by the experiences of our own life.  We are a link in a long chain of people who lived many years before us, some we know and many we don’t know, but their lives and experiences have impacted and shaped our lives in some way.  This also means that there will be many who will come after us and their lives will be shaped and impacted by how we have lived our lives.  The choices you make today do not just shape your part of the link, they move the entire chain.  How are you living your life for those will follow?

Prayer:  Thank you Lord for those who have come before me who have impacted my life today.  Help me to live me life and make good choices not only for my benefit, but also for those who will follow.  Amen.

Faith Tip:  Think about those in the future who will never know you on this earth, but will walk in the footsteps that you lay down today.  What footsteps are you laying down today that will have a positive impact in the future?  What footsteps are you laying down today that will have a negative impact on the future?  Do you need to make a change in where your footsteps lead?    

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson
     

Faith and Eternity

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.  – Hebrews 11:13

Last night, in our Wednesday night class, we talked about how the faithful saints of the Bible lived their lives.  We discovered from our study that people like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses lived with two very distinct perspectives that guided their lives.  These two perspectives were faith and eternal life.  They held on to their faith in God to the day they died, even when they may have not yet received the things God had promised.  They also lived with a perspective that this is not their home and that life here on earth should be impacted by what is to come in our heavenly home.

These saints of the Bible have given us an example of how we are to live our lives in following Jesus.  By faith Noah built a large boat despite the fact that there had never been a flood before.  By faith Abraham trusted in the Lord to provide a sacrifice in place of his son.  By faith Moses gave up a comfortable, wealthy life in Pharaoh’s palace to lead the Israelites through the wilderness for forty years.   All of these seem silly from a worldly perspective, but from a perspective of eternity they seem normal.  What are you doing in your life today that requires faith in God?

Prayer:  Thank you God for the faith that you have placed in me.  Help me to live my life more by faith and less by sight.  Thank you for those who have gone before me to create a path of faithfulness for me to follow.  Amen.

Faith Tip:  How is your life today directed by the perspective of eternal life?  What are you doing today that requires faith in God?  Take some time today to ponder these two questions and determine how your answers might impact your life.

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson

Worry Less, Trust More

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? – Luke 12:25-26

The beginning of a new year can be exciting for some as they look forward to the possibilities and opportunities that await.  For some, however a new year can cause worry and anxiety.  Some might worry this year will be as bad as the last or that it might even be worse.  They worry that in this year they might go deeper in debt, struggle with health issues, wrestle with relationships, or just coast through another year without accomplishing what they want in life.

Jesus says that it is not our place or responsibility to worry about the future, because we do not control the future.  We cannot predict what will happen in this day, let alone what will happen in the year to come.  Only God knows what tomorrow will bring.  So instead of beginning this year with worry, begin by trusting that God has given you a new year filled with blessings and plans that our good.

Prayer:  Thank you Lord that you hold my future in your hands.  Forgive me when I try to pull that future out of your hands and into mine with my worry.  Help me to realize that worrying does not help my future, but only destroys the happiness of the present that you have giving me.  Amen.

Faith Tip:  What are you worried about?  Make a New Year’s resolution to worry less and trust more knowing that God is in control of your future.

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson

A New Beginning

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Happy New Year!  Whenever we start a new year it feels as if we have walked through a door, entering into a new place and leaving behind an old familiar one.  New beginnings are exciting for they give us a chance to start afresh, to regain hope, and look forward to what is to come.  They also provide an opportunity to leave behind hurts, trouble and missed opportunities, those things we would soon like to forget.

God is a god of new beginnings.  In Jesus Christ we are given the opportunity to become a new person and leave behind the person we no longer want to be.  We have the opportunity to make changes for the better, to love more, judge less, to be more forgiving and less critical, to enjoy life and not let worry sap away our happiness, to use our words to build up instead of tear down and to think more of others than ourselves.  In Christ we have been given a second chance, a fresh hope, a new beginning!

What are you going to do with this new beginning in 2012?

Prayer: Thank you Lord for giving me a new beginning.  Open my eye to see what I need to change in my life to live as a new creation in Christ.  Help me to become more like Jesus.  Amen.

Faith Tip:  As you think about New Year’s resolutions, try to think of one change you can make in your life in 2012 to become more like Christ.             

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson