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Showing posts with label Matthew 6:33. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matthew 6:33. Show all posts

Monday, July 17, 2023

The Biggest Factor in Your Success or Failure

Introduction
Today, I want to talk with you about something I believe is of utmost importance.  The subject of this blog is so important it determines the direction of your whole life and is probably the biggest contributing factor to your success or failure.

I want to talk with you about priorities.  A priority is value, goal, relationship, or cause of leading importance in your life.  It’s what you live for—what give focus to your life.  It’s a value that shapes how you live day to day, moment by moment—for better or worse.  A priority what has first claim on your time, energy, and resources.  And here’s the thing, a priority can either be consciously chosen or set by outside circumstances.  And whether you know it or not, your priorities determine what you achieve in life, your wins and losses, and even your eternal destiny.

I want to share a single verse to you from God’s Holy Word.  It spells out my number one priority.  It's what I live for and what I try to let direct everything I do.  This is why I became a minister.  It’s been the guiding force in how I have pastored every church I’ve served for the last 23 years.


Matthew 6:33

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

My Number One Priority
God is good.  I already knew God was calling me to be a minister before I finished college.  I did not go to college to be a pastor.  I was planning to be a textile engineer.  It was my plan.  But God had a different plan—a better plan. 

At first, I tried to ignore God’s plan.  My wife didn’t want to be married to a pastor and I didn’t want to give up a promising career in engineering either.  So God indulged me.  He allowed me to find a job do exactly what I thought I wanted to do.  My first job out of college was the director of quality assurance at a textile mill.  It's what I wanted to do, but I thought it would take me several years to work up to.  But I started in this role right out of college.  

The only catch was a one-hour commute to and from work every day.  It gave me a lot of time to think and pray.  And I soon found my 24-years-old self thinking:  Is this what my life is really going to be? I will get up everyday and go to work and help this company make the very best towels they can.  And I will come to the end of my life—however many years God gives me—and this is what it will all have been about. And it just felt deep down like something important was missing.  It felt meaningless.

So, I would work all day to make money for my family, and then come home and volunteer at church because that's what I really felt called to do; it felt like my real purpose and it gave meaning to my life.  But we all have the same 24 hours each day and I found working full-time and then volunteering at church and also being married and having a child was exhausting.  I was doing too many different things and not being effective or fulfilled at any of them.  And that’s when God’s Holy Spirit led me to Matthew 6:33.

It was as if God Himself were whispering Matthew 6:33 in my ear:  “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things will be given to you as well.”  And through a season of prayer and discernment, I realized I needed to reorder my priorities.

For me, Matthew 6:33 states my life’s purpose and my number one priority – Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  From this priority, I began to reevaluate and reorder my life to make sure everything I do—as much can I help it—supports the top priority of my life.  The most dramatic effect was that I decided to leave my career in engineering and become a United Methodist pastor.  I officially answered God’s call to be a minister in 1999.  I was appointed as a student pastor in December of 2000 and it took me until 2008 to fully complete the process to become a fully ordained elder in 2008.  

All along the way, Matthew 6:33 has been my guiding priority—Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and He will take care of everything else.  And He has.  My life is not perfect.  My family is not either.  But, I have no regrets about answering God's call and no doubts that we aiming for the right target.  Sometimes we hit the bullseye and sometimes we miss.  But at least we’re pointing in the right direction.

What’s Are Your Priorities?
For the Christian—a person who follows Jesus Christ as Lord—His Kingdom should be our top priority.  But there are other priorities that guide our lives.  Some other priorities may be:  your family, your health, your career, your hobbies, making money, getting recognition, or many other things.

Most of us have more stuff competing for our attention than we know what to do with.  We rarely take time to evaluate our priorities.  We just let life happen.  Outside forces set priorities for us.  Your boss tells you what to do and you do it.  The company you work for has goals and you strive for them.  Marketing companies spend billions of dollars every year to tell us what we want so we’ll buy their stuff--and we buy it!  The social customs of our broken and fallen society shape what we think is important and we just accept it because, “Hey, it’s what everyone’s doing so it must be right.  Right?”

Often, we think our priorities are one thing, but our lives show they are something else.  Our actions don't match values.  So if we're honest, we realize it's we're lying to ourselves about what's most important.  

Here are some ways to determine what are your real priorities.

What do you think about?  What do you day dream about?  What do you plans for most?  What do you worry about?  These indicate your priorities because a priority is something you think about a lot.

How do you spend your money?  Taylor Swift was in the news a few months ago for the high price of her concert tickets.  Tickets were originally $49-$449, but because they sold out so fast, people started reselling them and the average resale cost was $1,605.  I don’t know if you would pay $1,000 to go to a concert or not, but what would you pay $1,000 for?  What would you pay $10,000 for?  The answer tells you a lot about what’s really important to you.  In fact, if you go through your bank statement for the last year and figure out what all you spent your money on, it will reveal a lot about your true priorities.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:21,  “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”  A priority is something you spend your money on.

How do you spend your time?  When I was in college, I had a lot more time than money.  That’s not to say I wasn’t busy.  It’s just that since money was scarce, time was something I had to give.  Now that I’m older and money is not as scarce, time seems much more valuable to me.  In fact, quite often I’d just assume pay a little extra for something if it could save me time, because time is more valuable to me now than money.  Does that make any sense?  Time valuable.  You can always make more money, but you can never make more time.  So is you are willing to invest your treasured time in something, it is a priority for you.  A priority is something you spend your time on.

Conclusion
Now I promised you at the beginning that this blog was of utmost importance.  That the subject of this message is so important it determines the direction of your whole life and is probably the biggest contributing factor to your success or failure.

If you feel like you just can win, you can’t succeed, no matter how hard you try, chances are you’re not focusing on your true priorities.  You want this , but you're doing that.  You need to either change your actions or change your priorities so they line up with each other.

If you feel unfulfilled, like your life has little meaning, like you’re just not making a difference, chances are there’s a problem in your priorities.  God has given us all a purpose and a reason for being.  God doesn’t make junk.  So if He made you, you’re here for a reason.  But if you’re living for something else—whether intentionally or unconsciously—you’re not going to feel very fulfilled.

But, there’s nothing more powerful than a person who knows their priorities and intentionally lives them out.  It’s like the difference between a soft glowing light bulb and a lazer cutting through metal.  A lazer is just light that’s extremely focused.

Most people just sort of wander through life with little or no direction or intention.  And they come to the end having made little difference or at least having less of an impact than they could have.  But if you figure out why you're here and you intentionally order your priorities to match your purpose, you will be like a lazer.  

Maybe you need to spend some time evaluating your priorities.  What do you think about? What do you spend your money on? What do you invest your time in?  Do these things line up with what you think are the priorities of your life?  

And what about what God thinks?  Are your priorities what you think God wants for you?  Do you think your priorities are more important and valuable than God’s?  He made you.  He designed you and gave you your abilities, quirks, and even your deep desires.  He did it on purpose.  So you can strive to fulfill His plan—a plan that fits you like a glove, or, you can chase your own selfish desires—which will always feel out of place somehow.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

2020 State of the Communion Address


It is a tradition in the United States for the President to make an annual State of the Union address.  I also make an annual State of the Communion address to our church.  I want to share a few highlights from our ministry together in 2019.  We will also pray for God’s help as we commit ourselves to His Kingdom work in 2020. 

Matthew 7:7-8
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Jesus taught that his followers must seek God passionately with everything within them.  Many people want to know God and know God's will for them.  Many people are interested.  But few people put the Kingdom of God and His righteousness at the very top of the priorities.  Usually, God comes in second or fifth or tenth or twentieth.  Jesus says that will never do.  You must be passionate and persistent in your pursuit of God.  God is the Lord of lords and King of kings.  He will not settle for second place in your heart.  So if you are going to seek and follow Him this year, you must put him absolutely first.  And you must keep on asking and keep on seeking and keep on knocking.

That is what I plan to do as a pastor and follower of Christ this year.  That is what our church plans to do in everything we undertake.  We will be no casual followers of Christ.  He will be our all in all!

Let me review some of the highlights of our ministry from 2019. 

New Members
We received 17 new members in 2019.  – This is the most new members we’ve ever had in one year since I started pastoring Pleasant Grove UMC!  We are so pleased to welcome these new members:  
Scott Dyer
Jordan Dyer
Harry Kelley
Sandy Kelley
Benny Domino
Kristopher Arhart
Ashley Arhart
Amber Arhart
Terry Teasley
Tonya Teasley
Matthew Head
Juilina Teasley
Jessie Teasley
Samuel Head
Abby Stuckey
Jake Davis


Professions of Faith
We also had seven Professions of Faith in 2019.  A profession of faith is when a person stands before God and the whole congregation and professes to believe in Jesus Christ as their savior and Lord and promises to follow him as a member of the Church.  It is the official moment when a person is justified by God or "save" for eternal life.  It is a pivotal time and the core of our church mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  Last year the following people made a profession fo faith:
Jordan Dyer
Benny Domino
Tonya Teasley
Matthew Head
Juilina Teasley
Jessie Teasley
Samuel Head



Baptisms
We had eleven baptisms in the year 2019.  SOme were babies who where baptized with their parents seeking God's grace to raise them in the faith until the child makes their own profession of faith.  Others were people of age who had made a profession of faith and were baptized as a sign of their salvation.  Those who were baptized were:


Jordan Dyer
Benny Domino
Jack Ikerd
Tonya Teasley
Matthew Head
Juilina Teasley
Jessie Teasley
Samuel Head
Jazmine Teasley
Adaline Arhart
Ashley Arhart


So far, we have had a grand total of 97 new members at my church in the last decade since I was appointed to PGUMC.  Who will be the 98th, 99th, and 100th new members?  We have also had a total of 43 Professions of Faith and 42 Baptisms since 2010 when I came to my congregation.  Praise God!

Members Who Went to Heaven
2019 was also sad for many as we said good bye to five members died and went to heaven.  We were all shocked when Karla Motley was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away in just a few weeks.  We are grieved at her passing,but find hope because she is with God in heaven and we will see her again if we trust in Jesus Christ as she did.  John O’Brien was a long time member of Pleasant Grove who also passed away.  John was known and loved by many in this church.  John was married to Diane O’Brien who loved and helped care for him when he became severely ill several years ago.  John was wonderful father to his daughters Ivey and Ashley.  His family and our church mourn his passing, but trust that he is with the Lord in heaven and we shall see him again.  Rick Krause was new to our church, but quickly became part of our family.  Despite his crippling health problems, Rick was very active in our church and people quickly grew to love him.  We were shocked when he died the afternoon of Easter Sunday, after he had just been at church to worship the risen Lord with us.  Rachel Mainor was an at-home member of our church who had been unable to attend for many years.  However, when we had a fire at church in 2016, it touch Rachel and she wanted to help.  She contacted the church and made a donation to help our church recover fro the fire damage.  We rejoice that she is at Home with the Lord in Heaven.  And just a few months ago, Sara Brooker passed away.  Sara has touched so many lives in our church and community and even around the state and country.  Everyone new and love this graceful woman.  We are sad to see her god but are happy that she is finally at home with the Lord in Heaven, where she always wanted to be.

Childrens Ministry
We said goodbye to Ashten and Matt Webb last year. Ashten did a great job as our children's minister, but her husband, Matt, took a job in Huntville, Alabama and hey had to move. We were so please to welcome Joanna Scruggs as our new children's minister over the summer. Joanna, Kelly, Eden, and Hank have been members of our church for a long time, but it has been wonderful to welcome them into this new ministry role. Joanna started off by plainning in just one month the best organized Vacation Bible School we've ever had. we avereged around 40 kids each night of the week this past July during VBS. Then she jumped right in, doing a wonderful job, planning our annual Trunk or Treat. We saw nearly 1,000 people from around our commuity come for fun, safe Halloween fun. Many expressed how much they appreciate our church offering this for our community. And of course, Joanna has been doing a great job leading our weekly kids program, planning and leading lessons and organizing volunteers. We are very pleased to have Joanna on staff and look forward to a great year with her and the kids in 2020.

Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis
We had seven people attended Emmaus/Chrysalis spiritual leadership retreats in 2019.  Jordan Dyer, Matthew Head, Grace Mullis, Mattie Maddox, Ashley Arhart, and Amber Arhart.  Mike Marlow attended the adult version, Walk to Emmaus.  Also, we sponsored Rev. Mark Amspaugh from Dalton First Nazarene Church to attend the Walk to Emmaus.  Rev. Amspaugh conveyed his thanks and reported how the experienced has enhanced his ministry.  Would you like to attend Chrysalis or the Walk to Emmaus and grow closer to Christ through this three day spiritual pilgrimage?

Looking Ahead to 2020
Now, I would like to share some highlights for the coming year.  Our focus, as it has been since I became pastor in the summer of 2010, will be to seek the Kingdom of God and His right righteousness in all that we do (see Matthew 6:33).  We will continue to be guided by our long range goals to give hope to the hopeless, build new relationships, and help our community.  The success of everything we do will be measured by these three overarching goals.  We will have several new opportunities in 2020.

Financial Peace University - March 11
A suggestion was made during a finance meeting last year that we offer a course to help church members better manage their finances.  The Bible teaches that all that we have is a gift from God.  Our finances and other resources belong to God and are entrusted to us to use for the good of God's Kingdom.  Therefore, we want to be good stewards and PGUMC wants to equip you to be the best steward of your finances as possible.  Therefore, I have decided to offer Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace university to teach you the financial chronicles you need to achieve your financial goals.  This course is excellent for everyone.  Whether you struggle with money or are already very good at managing your finances, FPU will help you be the very best you can be.

Dave Ramsey's course is also in line with two other initiatives for PGUMC in 2020.  Last year, PGUMC established the early mortgage retirement fund and members have been contributing.  This month, we will make our first extra payment toward the principle of our mortgage with the intention of paying off our building loan early.  We will continue to make extra payments throughout the year as we are able according to the congregation's extra giving to this fund.  Paying off our loan early could save tens of thousands of dollars in interest.  Imagine how much more ministry we can do with the elderly, with children and youth, and outreach in our community when we are free from the burden of a $5,000 per month mortgage.

In December, we also established Sara Brooker Memorial Children & Youth Fund with donations from Sara's estate as from extra contributions from members and a Christmas Eve offering.  We currently have $13,700 in Sara's fund to help with children and youth ministries.  How fitting that Sara's legacy of teaching children and youth about the love and salvation of Jesus Christ will live on through this effort.

PGUMC Car Show – March 21
On Saturday, March 21 from 9 AM - 3 PM, our church will host it's first ever car show.  Following our principle of creating doors where people from the community are welcomed into our midst, this car show will bring people together to enjoy a day of fun and fellowship as we enjoy cool classic cars together.  This is similar to what we do with our annual trunk or treat.  What's new is that the car show will slow the pace down a bit and allow more time for casual visiting and fellowship, so that we can build new relationships and really get to know people from our community.  Please plan to attend, volunteer, help out, show a car, and enjoy this special time.

Pray for the UM General Conference
The United Methodist General Conference which regularly meets every four year will be May 5-15 this year in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  This may be the most pivotal General Conference since the denomination's founding in 1968.

Our denomination is bitterly divided over issues of human sexuality, homosexuality, and transgenders.  Because our nation's ideas about human sexuality have been changing, many in the UMC believe the denomination should change too and allow the ordination of homosexual pastors and same-sex marriages.  Others, like myself, believe that the Bible is clear that we are love everyone but not condone what the Bible clearly defines as sin contrary to God's will.  The disagreement threatens to divide the UMC.  You may have heard or read news stories about this issue.  I want to make a few things clear to dispell any misunderstandings.  First of all, no decisions have been made yet and none can be made until the General Conference on May 5-15.  Even after that, it may take months or even years for any decisions to take affect.  In the meantime, we must calmly pray for God's guidance for our families, our church, and the delegates from all over the world who will meet at the General Conference to debate and make decisions for the United Methodist denomination.  Furthermore, please feel free to ask me any questions you have. This is a complex and emotionally charged issue that requires more time to discuss than we have time for in this short address.  So, let’s sit down together sometime and talk.

Reaffirmation of Faith
As I close this address, I invite you to affirm or reaffirm your faith in Jesus Christ and your commitment to serve him.  Please read through the following questions and answer them in your own heart.

Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?

Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?

Will you nurture your fellow Christians in the Christian faith and life?

Would you affirm the following commitment?
With God’s help, I will proclaim the good news and life according to the example of Christ.  I will surround my brothers and sisters in Christ with a community of love and forgiveness, that we may grow in our trust of God, and be found faithful in our service to others.  I will pray for them, that we may be true disciples who walk in the way that leads to life.  As a member of God's Church, I renew my covenant to faithfully participate in the ministries of the church by my prayers, my presence, my gifts, my service, and my witness, that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.




Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Super Bowl Sadness

The Truth As Far As I Can Tell…

Well, it was a heart breaking loss for the Falcons in the Super Bowl on Sunday.  There are  a lot of sad Atlanta fans as I write these words.  I admit I felt the heartbreak too as I watched the Patriots come back in the fourth quarter to win a game everyone thought the Falcons had in the bag.  But Monday morning, I felt my spirits “rise up” within me again as the Lord reminded me what’s really important.  It isn’t a game or a football team or a Super Bowl ring.  It’s the Kingdom of God.  Matthew 6:33 – “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

            It happens every year on the first Sunday in February.  The NFL spends a tremendous amount of money (and makes even more) by hyping up the Super Bowl until it seems it is the most important thing in the world.  They never say, “Well, it’s just a game.”  To a lot of the players it is more than a game.  A lot of money and fame is at stake.  It can even open up a lifetime of doors for the coaches and athletes who win a Super Bowl ring (just as Fred Stokes said at our Super Bowl Sunday Service). 

However, we fans sometimes need to remember, it is just a game for us.  The Falcons’ loss was an emotionally charged event for many, many people in our area.  But think about it:  it doesn’t have any bearing whatsoever on 99.99% of your life.  An emotional loss like this can be a good time to reflect on what really is important in your life.  Doing so can help you enjoy watching sports more—whether you win or lose—and keep a proper perspective.

Though the Falcons lost, Pleasant Grove had an incredible “win” in church this Sunday.  There were at least 177 people in worship.  We had 20 people visit our church.  The seeds of God’s Word were planted as many were moved by Fred Stokes’ powerful testimony. He shared how God has been in control of his life and is in control of ours too.  He shared how his Super Bowl victory in 1992 was just a tool God used to open doors for more important work in Fred’s life—speaking in schools and churches, working with kids and young men.  God has plans for all of us—plans that are so much more important than a Super Bowl.  Are you focused on the plans God has for you?  Are you ready to do the truly important work of His Kingdom?

I was deeply moved by one of Fred’s stories in particular.  He shared how his great aunt took him to church every Sunday when Fred was a child.  Sometimes, the only people at church were Fred and his great aunt, but they had the service anyway.  She would give Fred some money before the service and ask him to put it in the offering plate.  At the time, it must have seemed an insignificant and futile affair.  What could come of such a small church service with just and old lady and a small child in attendance?  What difference do a few coins placed in an offering plate make?  How could that ever compare to the spectacle of a Super Bowl?  Yet years later, Fred revealed how significant those services were—how it shaped who he became, carried him through a depression and attempted suicide, kept him grounded through his failures and his victories, and pointed him towards something truly important and eternal:  faith in Jesus Christ.

Perhaps today, in the aftermath of the Super Bowl, we can all remember what’s really important so that we can push ahead with the truly significant work God has for us.  Of course, I’m no expert and I certainly don’t claim to know everything, but that’s the Truth as far as I can tell…

Remember, God loves you and so do I!