Serving From a Godly Heart

Today’s tip – “Don’t serve the Lord for money, fame, or importance.

The ministry is its own reward”

Brother Paul had the right idea here. Many have gotten in the pulpit with ulterior motives, and it has caused damage to the Kingdom, and given Jesus a bad name. It’s not Jesus’ fault, but He definitely gets the blame for self-centered preachers. Brother Paul was not one of those. He preached from the heart and he preached the truth.

What is it about ministry that makes it rewarding? What was the appeal to him and to other godly preachers? I think there are three things that kept his eyes focused on integrity; truth, love, and the power of gospel.

Godly preachers, like Brother Paul, love the truth of God’s word, the Bible. They want people to hear it. They want them to understand it, and to absorb it deep into their hearts. Brother Paul knew that if they heard the truth, and their hearts were open, they would receive what the Lord had planned for them, and receive it at the deepest level.

As said before, Brother Paul oozed out and poured our love to everyone around him. He saw the power of love to transform hearts, to reach deep inside and touch souls, and to soften those hearts to receive the truth we talked about just a minute ago. Brother Paul knew the power of the gospel, the power of God’s love. The reason Brother Paul could pour out that love is that he kept his love tank full with Jesus. He connected with Jesus. He introduced over 1,000 people to Jesus. The power of the Word of God and the love of the Savior. But one more key ingredient completes this love package, and that is the gospel.

Just a simple message with an eternal power and truth – Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead. Simple, but profound. That was important to Brother Paul. That was his focus, and when one thing comes into focus, all else around it seems to disappear. When the ministry is centered around the truth, power, and love of the gospel other things – money, fame, self-importance – pale in comparison. They don’t matter.

Scripture: “What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.” – 1 Cor. 9:18

Prayer: May we live and share the truth of the gospel, walk in the Holy Spirit’s power, and share the love of the Savior with all around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

How Do You Feel?

Today’s tip: “People will forget what you say, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”

Some people you just feel better being around. They seem to bring out the best in you. I would like to honor some of them in this writing. In doing so, I want to honor Brother Paul’s memory, and Jesus’ heart for a lost and fractured world.

Right now, I have two piano students. One is an older man. I enjoy just hanging out with him and sharing spritual things with him. He is a unique learner, like me, and a good worker. He helps me think on my feet, be flexible, and keep seeking the Lord for wisdom. All this is good. The other one is a fourth grader who is super sharp, very sweet and respectful, and open to talk about Jesus. She became a Christian about a year ago at camp. I just sense Jesus all over this girl.
She makes me want to be kinder, gentler, more positive, and more focused.

Family is also a blessing to me. Because of Jesus’ love in my wife’s heart, she loves me unconditionally. As such, she is very supportive of me in my struggles to remember things. I l literally may forget what she says, but I will never forget how she makes me feel – loved and secure.

Finally, I want to honor Brother Paul, who loved with all his heart, with the love of Jesus. Jesus’ love just poured out of the man. What made this possible? It was the love of Jesus, and His gift of eternal life to Brother Paul and to all believers. Brother Paul loved others and preached the gospel. The gospel makes it possible for us to be a part of the kingdom of God and of His family. The gospel is Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Do you know Jesus? Have you asked Him to forgive you of your sins? and have you turned from your sins? Have you turned to Jesus, and asked Him to save you? Jesus makes the difference in my life. Jesus made the difference in Brother Paul’s life. And Jesus can make the difference in your life too.

“For God so loved the world, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

Lord, help us to be kind to others we meet. We are Your representatives, your ambassadors to the world around us. Please help us to share Your love with people along our path, so they can see Jesus in us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Just Do the Right Thing

Tip for today: “There’s never a wrong time to do the right thing. There’s never a right time to do the wrong thing.”

While there may be a wrong way to do something right, but there is never a wrong time to do the right thing. I think our goal, as Christians, is to share the love, truth, mercy, and grace of Jesus with everybody we can, as the Lord sends them our way. I agree with Brother Paul on this, and I think he would agree that we also need to set aside our own prejudices, moods, thoughts, and feelings as we seek to rest in and share Jesus’ love.

The opposite is true too. There is never a right time to do bad things, to do wrong, to do something that harms other people’s bodies, minds, or souls. I know I have to watch my attitude sometimes and not let it rule me. That attitude comes out sometimes either on my grumpy dumpy face or in angry or frustrated words. Not everybody needs to hear my venting, and I don’t need to have a sour attitude. There is never a time to promote or glorify our sin nature in all the ways it wants to come out – attitudes, actions, words. When we let these things take hold, that interferes with doing good. There is never a right time to do a wrong thing.

If we are going to share Jesus’ love, mercy, grace, and truth, we need to spend time with Him and allow Him to saturate our hearts and remove anything that gets in the way of His plans to minister through us. We need Him to deal with our sin and fill us with His presence. When we allow this, then we can do the right thing by sharing Him with the world. We cannot love, give, or serve from an empty or self-absorbed heart. We need the Lord to take care of all of that from the inside out.

My prayer is that we will all keep seeking to do as much good as we can for the Kingdom as the opportunity arises. May God help us all to do just that, to do the right thing.

“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” – Prov. 3:27

God be with us all as we seek to share His love.

Brother Paul Loved them All

Today’s tip: “People need love the most when they deserve it the least”

Brother Paul loved everybody, and He loved them well, even if they were not so loveable. He just loved with the love of Jesus. That’s a standard we could all strive to reach, to love like Jesus, to be like Jesus.

But we’ve got to get back to the tip and to where the rubber meets the road: How do you love the unlovable? And why would you do that. The second answer is simple: Jesus told us to love others as He loves us – with unconditional love. No strings attached. The first answer might come down to a simple word: choice.

Love is a choice. We choose to love. The feelings may come, or they may not, but love is an action, not a feeling. Some people are easy to love, and others are not. I have been married for almost 24 years, and we love each other deeply, but the feelings are not always there. The commitment is there, to love for life, but the feelings come and go. Love is a choice.

The second thing is that love is not earned or deserved. It is a gift we give to one another based on our decision to love, not based on a qualification checklist that we establish to see if someone is worthy of love or not. Love is freely given.

Unloveable people may be that way because they never received love in the first place, and they are still looking for it. We are not born mean, though some may appear to be. Maybe aggressive, but not mean. People act out when they are hurting. Whatever the cause of the hurt, the heart cannot stay unresolved. We have to get it out. Sometimes the way it comes out is ugly, it is offensive, it stinks.

None of us deserve love all the time, and all of us need it. Jesus commands us to love one another. That is why those that do not deserve our love need it. That is why we all do. 

Opening the Door of Grace

Today’s tip: “Open the door for every person.”

Brother Paul was a kind, sweet, compassionate man and always thoughtful of the needs of others. He was also a servant at heart, which shows in every one of these lessons that he taught and lived by.

Like Brother Paul, our current preacher, Brother Connor, puts a lot of emphasis on receiving and living out God’s grace. Opening the door for everybody is one way to express that grace. What I’ve noticed, and what our preacher, Brother Connor emphasized is that there is a difference between men and women when it comes to opening doors and how we respond to that.

First of all, Brother Connor said, men should always open the doors for ladies. That is just common courtesy, and is definitely a southern tradition. Ladies will generally accept this from a man and will let them hold the door open. They like and deserve to be treated royally, like a queen or princess and graciously accept the offer.

Guys, on the other hand, will usually “help” in some way when the door is held open for them. Either we will say “I got it. Thanks anyway” or maybe we’ll put a hand, a foot, or even a little finger on the door, something to say that “I’m independent. I don’t need your help. I can do this on my own.”

Therein is the rub, guys, when it comes to the grace of God. If we do anything to try to help God save us, to rescue us from our sins, we are cheating grace. Its like we are trying to add to what Jesus did for us on the cross. It’s not Jesus plus something. Its just Jesus. We can totally trust what Jesus did on the cross, dying for our sins, and offering to give us eternal life with him.

Rev. 3:8 says “I know your works. I have set before you an open door, which no man can shut …”.

So men, and ladies, how is it with your soul? Have you opened your heart’s door to Jesus, to receive Him as your Lord and Savior? If not, then now is the time to do that. Just ask Him; If so, then let Him work in your life and fill your life with His grace as you walk with Him and share that grace with everyone.

I know that Brother Paul would agree, and would ask you; “Do you know Jesus?”

“Waiter. Oh Waiter.”

Today starts an eight week series of devotionals, based on the advice
that our former pastor, Paul Schmidt lived by and passed on to his kids and
grand-kids. These devotionals are in honor and in memory of Brother Paul,
a sweet man of God who led over 1,000 people to Christ.

Today’s tip: “Always be kind to your waiters and
waitresses and tip them well.”

When my wife and I were living with her mother (waiting for our house to sell in Kentucky), we often went to a Mexican restaurant that had “99 cent Tacos.” That was a pretty good deal to feed three people for six dollars (we each got two.) While it didn’t take long for us to be seated, it did take a while to place and get our order because of the crowd. We usually knew what we wanted and were ready to order. When the waiter did get to us, we would ask for some water with lemon for my wife and I and water with no lemon for her mom. And then we waited … and waited … and we would wonder where our waiter was. “I know it’s busy, but come on” is what I was usually thinking. I was not very patient.

The thing is, we didn’t know anything about that waiter. We didn’t know where they were coming from, what they have been through and had to put up with that day. Are they sad? Are they lonely? Are they a Christian? Do they have a church home? Do they need some encouragement? What is the boss like? Is the crowd nice to them? I have been told that the Sunday crowd is the worst for waiters, with little or no tips, and lots of dumpy, grumpy attitudes – and maybe a plastic smile or two. The waiter needs Jesus and nobody knows it. Brother Paul never forgot that, nor should we.

Waiters and waitresses are servants (not slaves) and could be considered “the least of these” Jesus mentioned in Mat. 25:40. “Whatever you do to the least of these, my brethren, you do it unto me.”

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, help me to love others as much as You love me and to be a shining light to a lost and hurting world. In the name of Jesus. Amen.”

Tough Topic

We need to talk about a difficult topic and I need to start with a confession. No, I have not done any huge sins, at least that I know of, but I do sin. What does that mean? It literally means I “miss the mark”, like basketball, shotput, or other sports. I don’t reach the goal. I mess up. To be human is to fully capable of missing the mark – a lot of marks. The fact is, everyone has done that, but why do you and I do that?

For myself, I would like to say I mess up because of my upbringing. I was raised in a home where my parents didn’t know how to get along and fought all the time. I was 17 when they divorced. I went through experiences that were traumatic in body, mind, and soul. Yes, that shaped me, but I still have a choice about how to respond to that. Do I need to get the pain out of my heart and soul? Yes. Do I need to deal with it and call it what it is? Absolutely. But even if all that could be worked out and resolved, there is still something in me that pulls me in the wrong direction in attitude, actions, or words.

Okay, well maybe genetics make us do bad things, think bad thoughts, have bad attitudes? Nope. I’m afraid not. True, there are personality types and there are strong tempraments. These things may make it very tough for us to behave, but we can still make right – or wrong – choices. “God just made me mean” is not going to cut it when we stand before God and give an account for our lives.

But there is hope, not that we will be perfect in this life (we all have a fallen nature), but because we can be forgiven. Our God, our Father, longs to forgive us. He is just waiting for us to ask. His love and forgiveness are unconditional.

Like you, I struggle with past hurts, hang ups, and habits. I wrestle with them all the time. Like you, I don’t always deal well with these messes of the soul. I struggle with self-condemnation, doubt, and false guilt, and sometimes lashing out. And like you, I am a sinner and need God’s help to rise above the sin, be forgiven, and move on in victory and peace. Jesus makes this possible. When I mess up I can come to Him and receive forgiveness, and so can you. God gives us the grace to make the next move. What will we do with that opportunity?

Approved!

We all want to be approved by others for what we do, what we say, and a thousand other criteria. We want people to like us and to tell us we are going good, by one standard or another. We want people to tell us that we look good, are good at what we do, that we have a compassionate heart, or that we have a sharp mind. Who doesn’t like getting credit for what they do and who they are?

If we’re honest, we want God’s approval too, especially if we have been hurt or disappointed by others. The song “I am Acceptable” deals with that longing, and leads us to understand this one fact: the gospel makes approval by God possible. To be clear, that doesn’t mean he approves of everything we do. When we sin, He doesn’t like it at all. God hates sin, but He loves sinners and provides a way for them to be forgiven. With that in mind, let’s look at this song.

Vs. 1: “The kids at school made fun of me when I was just a lad. They laughed at me and called me names and acted really bad. They said that I was not too cool, that I did not fit in. But then I met King Jesus, and found my worth in Him.”

Chorus: I am acceptable in Christ. I am acceptable in Him. Thou I may not always live it, still the Bible tells me so. I am acceptable in Him.

Vs. 2: As I grew up I found out soon my confidence was gone. I could not find the courage or strength to carry on. While others were successful, it seemed that I had none. Until I met the Savior, and He made me His own.

Chorus: So I am confident in Christ. Yes I am confident in Him. Though I may not always feel it, still I know His hand is sure. So I am confident in Him.

Vs. 3: When I accepted Jesus, my sins were paid in full. Even though I mess up still, His blood still bought my soul. I cannot change my status now. I stand complete in Him. I know I’m bound for Heaven, and am forgiven of my sin.

Chorus: I am forgiven in Christ. Yes, I’m forgiven in Him. Though my heart may say I’m guilty, still Christ’s blood has bought my soul. I am forgiven in Him.

Vs. 4: You’d think that when God sees me, He see a sinner true. He knows that I’m not perfect. Well, hey neither are you. His grace is so amazing. I cannot understand, how God could look through Jesus and see a clean pure man.

Chorus: Still I look clean to God in Christ. Yes I look clean to God in Him. For God looks straight through the blood of Him who died to save my soul, so I look clean to God in Him.”

Have you asked God to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart? If you haven’t turned to Him for eternal life, you can today. Where are you with Jesus?Have you given your heart to Jesus and asked him to give His heart to you? If you have, you are forgiven and accepted in Him. Let Jesus have your heart and hurt.