Fulfilling Vows Day After Day

Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day. – Psalm  61:8

Today Julie and I are celebrating our anniversary.  On this day twenty-one years ago we made vows to one another that we have been striving to fulfill day after day.  Some days are easier than others.  There are days when we fail and disappoint and there are days when we seem to get it right.  But through all these years God has used those sacred vows to bind us together as one.

Vows are an important part of any relationship.  Vows are promises made to one another to provide security, peace, trust and understanding.  Vows are very important to our covenantal relationship with God.  God has vowed to be our God and be with us always and as Christians, we vow to follow God and his ways and strive to work for his Kingdom.  It is within our vows that we grow closer over the years, both in marriage and also in our relationship with God.

Prayer:  Lord, I thank you for loving me so much that you have made a vow to be my God.  I thank you for that promise and I know that you will never break your promise to me.  Help me to live within these vows day after day.  Amen.

Faith Tip:  Think about the day when you made a promise to follow God.  Maybe it was when you made profession of faith, when you were baptized, or when you made a decision to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  Maybe it was more of a process over time.  Whenever it was, remember that promise and celebrate it.  If you have not made that promise to God, then make that promise today!  

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson

Fill It Up

So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. – Hebrews 10:23 (MSG)

With the high price of fuel these days it is an expensive endeavor just to keep our cars moving.  But if we want to keep our cars running we must pay the price of fuel, because it is the fuel that provides the key ingredient that keeps cars going. 

What is the fuel that keeps you going throughout the day?  Some might point to a cup of coffee; others might say they just need caffeine.  For others their fuel might be a good night of rest, an exciting goal for which to strive, or anticipating the weekend or a long-awaited vacation.  There can be many things that provide fuel for our lives, but Paul points out in Hebrews that what truly should keep us going are the promises of God.  When we are feeling down, running on only fumes, we need to remember God’s promises, because they will provide us the fuel to give us the strength and hope to endure.  God’s promises will always fill our tank and they never cost a dime!

Prayer:  Thank you God for your promises.  May I always keep a firm grip on your promises to keep me going.  Help me fill my tank with your promises.  Amen.

Faith Tip:  Open up God’s word today and fill up your tank with God’s promises.       

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson

Justifying the Truth Away

Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the LORD has not sent them, they say, “The LORD declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. – Ezekiel 13-6

This morning, after showering and getting ready, I looked at my watch and it said 7:00am. I was surprised at how early it was and decided that I must have gotten ready faster than usual. I then ate my breakfast and glanced at the clock sitting on the mantle. The time on the clock was different then the time on my watch and I assumed that the clock’s batteries must need to be changed. I then took my daughter to the bus stop, but the bus had already left. It wasn’t until she had missed the bus that I realized that my watch was twenty minutes behind. All morning, I was believing my watch had the correct time and anything that told me differently I justified away.

Lies can become like that. Sometimes we fall into the trap of believing only what we want to hear even if it is a lie. And when someone or something else tries to tell us differently we justify away the truth to make the lie seem more believable. It is this trap that makes it easy to fall into sin and difficult to escape from it.

In Ezekiel’s day the false prophets of Israel were telling lies and believed these lies so much that they even said that they were from the Lord. We must always be on our guard and be ready to listen to others even if they are telling us something we don’t want to hear. Then we must be willing to examine what we hear against God’s word so that we will not be deceived into believing lies that lead us away from God’s will.

Prayer: Lord, give me ears to hear the truth and wisdom to believe the truth. Give me discernment to know the difference between lies and truth. Forgive me when I believe the lies and justify away he truth that is before me. Amen.

Faith Tip: What lie(s) are you holding onto today? What truth(s) do you need to take hold of today to keep you from believing the lies of the evil one?

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson

Take Your Best Shot

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. – Colossians 3:23

This past Saturday my daughter Alyssa organized a Hoops of Hope event to raise money to help children in Africa who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The idea is that for every dollar raised the donor shoots a free-throw. The great thing about it is that it doesn’t matter if you make the shot or not because every shot counts. There is no pressure; you just have to take your best shot.

That is what it is like working for the Kingdom of God. God doesn’t call us to be perfect or to be successful. He just calls us to try our best. This a good message to hear in the midst of our success-driven society. In a pressure-filled world that strives for perfection it is nice to know that God calls us just to take our best shot. When we try our best for God’s Kingdom, God will take our best efforts and will smooth over the rough edges, work out the kinks, fix our mistakes and use our work in mighty ways. God doesn’t call us to be perfect he just calls us to take a shot.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that I can be a part of your Kingdom work. Help me to not be held back by the fear of failure. Give me the strength and courage just to try and give it my best shot. Amen.

Faith Tip: Today go out and take your best shot for God’s Kingdom. Do something for God. Try your best and then allow God to work through your efforts.

Written by Pastor Aaron Anderson

Make Every Effort

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 1:5-8

I truly want a clean and orderly office. Most of the time, it looks like the aftermath of a cyclone. Every now and then I get on top of it and get everything organized, but then it gets disastrous again as I get busy with many things and have piles of information everywhere so that I won’t lose it. As the clutter gets worse, things begin to disappear. It takes a continual effort from me to make my office organized and to keep it that way. It will not happen by itself no matter how much I want those office cleaning elves to stop by some night while I’m sleeping.

Adding to our faith also takes continual effort. It will not happen by itself. We need to make a choice to practice goodness, seek knowledge, self-controlled, to persevere, to live godly lives, show affection and to love. The reason is so that we can be effective and productive for Jesus. If we’re not, we are living for ourselves in our own little world.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for the journey of building onto my faith that I am on. I pray that when the struggles get tough that I look to you for strength and direction. Amen

Faith Tip: Evaluate how your faith building is going and make a choice.

Written by Kathy Bruins

We've Got It!

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. – 2 Peter 1:3-4

How can I be a better person? I’m sure there are books and other resources that could help me. I could study more and perhaps volunteer more. What about prayer? I could pray more and maybe even get another spiritual gift…maybe that would make me a better person.

Sounds like a lot of pressure, doesn’t it? We as humans are good at beating ourselves up that we can do better. We believe we need to do and have something more than we already have to accomplish this. The truth is that we are given everything we need…right now…to live a good life because of Jesus. Jesus has given us everything we need to stay away from sinning, but it is our choice. Those evil desires do not have a hold on you unless you allow them. We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to “participate in the divine nature.” We can do it now.

Prayer: Your promises, Lord, are more valuable than anything on this earth. You told me that I have everything I need to live a pious life, and I believe you. I pray that I can walk in your ways all the days of my life. Amen

Faith Tip: What lie do you believe that causes you to sin? Stomp on it in Jesus’ name. It has no power over you. God is more and has his best for you.

Written by Kathy Bruins

Thirsty Again?

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a
drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:7-14

All of us crave something. Think about the things we may crave such as food, job, new car, new home, more money, better relationship or something else that we feel we need to make us complete. There is a hole in our soul that cries out to be filled. Sometimes we reach our goals like getting the new job we wanted. Then we are surprised to find out that the hunger inside of us starts us again with a new need in sight. We crave again to be filled.

Just as the Samaritan woman went to the well with her bucket to get the water she physically desired, Jesus offered her something much better. He offered her the way to have the hole in her soul filled permanently with his living water. God offers that same gift to us if we will only choose to accept it. By drinking deep of the living water of Jesus Christ, then we will feel and actually be complete. Our cravings will be focused on God who will continually fill us with the spiritual nourishment we need to be complete and not distracted by worldly cravings.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for giving me your living water. I pray that I continually seek to drink from your well and not the wells of the world. Amen

Faith Tip: Sing a song of praise such as “As the Deer” and really focus on the words to apply to your life.

Written by Kathy Bruins