What's on our minds

"Occupy ________ ?"

2011-12-19T16:59:00.003-06:00

Here it is, almost Christmas. I have not written in a while and thought it was time. I am going to try to do something more often, but regardless, I thought I would share some thoughts. Since it is Christmas, writing about it seems to be the thing to do. But I am going to do something entirely different.

No doubt you have heard of the "Occupy Wall Street" crowd, those protesting against certain things in our country. They had it happening in Grand Island with "Occupy Grand Island." That gave me a little laugh. With this going on, I was reading somewhere and another suggestion was made - "Occupy Church." I don't even remember the details or what the article was about but those two words stuck out in my mind. So I thought, what does this mean to me as a Christian and a Pastor (something I cannot separate from who I am I guess).

With more and more data suggesting that fewer people attend Bible believing churches in our country than at any time in our recent history, and with the way our world looks today, I think it is more than simply "being a church." As Christians, we have an opportunity to also "Occupy The World", for we alone have the message that can change bad situations and see God do some incredible work.

I think of the nation Rwanda. Mired in an ethnic civil war several years back, it has been a country that though far from perfect, has been heavily influenced by Christianity. Enemies have become friends, and are working together to try to make the nation a better place. Believe it or not, one church in particular, Saddleback Church, made Rwanda a destination for many mission trips because they wanted to be involved in trying to help in their small way, people reached with the Word of God.

So back to "Occupy Church." I believe church attendance is very important. The Bible does to. Many of the letters are written to churches and the people in them. But I am not a legalist who thinks if someone is not here every Sunday that somehow they are "loved less" by God. Things happen. We take vacations, do some other things. Sometimes just getting here is hard some mornings. I just think we need each other so as much as possible being here is a positive. The early church put an emphasis on encouraging one another (1 Thess. 5:14), something we all need. It also made it clear that we are to meet the needs of others, especially those who belong to God's family (Rom. 12:13; Gal. 6:10). We are to be "salt and light" to other around us. I believe the servant projects we do as a church are an example of this. The goal is to make a difference where God has put us.

We are to be in fellowship, growing as disciples of Christ. One of the burdens of my heart is that as many people as possible grow as followers of Christ so they in turn can disciple others, helping those people grow so that they in turn disciple others. This makes for an ongoing, multiplying process of taking people and helping them grow in their faith so that they in turn reach out and help others develop into disciple makers. This is what Jesus had in mind when He said to go and make disciples in Matthew 28:18-20. More on this in the near future.

There is so much more that could be said about this "Occupy Church" thought. My prayer is that as a church, a group of people here at Burwell, see the Sandhills and beyond as an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people. I know that the leadership is working on some future planning that we plan to unveil in the near future, some simple ideas to both strengthen our current group of people while reaching out to others outside.

May all of you have a blessed Christmas season in whatever you do. May God give you a wonderful time with family and friends, and safety in your travels. And may all of us enter 2012 ready for whatever God wants to do with each of us. We love and appreciate you.

Pastor Scott

2011-09-02T09:02:00.001-05:00

I have not written for a while so I decided to do so because something was on my heart and mind. I begin by sharing some pretty trivial stuff but hopefully you will see where it is headed. Twice a year I make the journey to Topeka, Kansas for meetings with the Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptist State Convention mission board. I am on that board and so there are times that I have to go to meetings at the headquarters. The nice thing is that our meetings don’t go very long, 2-3 hours or so. I have also been to the state convention and have had the privilege to hear some very good speakers while I was there.

I say this simply as a starting point. I have gotten to know several different pastors and leaders around the two states since being here in 2008. At one meeting I was on my way somewhere and hopped on an elevator. As I went to push the button for the floor I was going to there was a business card that had been placed there in the elevator. It was from one of the individuals at the meeting that I was attending. It’s not that the business card threw me off, it was what was on the business card.

This individual, under his name, had the tagline, “The Spurgeon of the Plains.” Now to most of us that may mean nothing. But I guess it “bothered” me, and maybe it should not have. You see, this guy was likening himself to Charles Spurgeon, the great English pastor of the 1800’s. I know that this individual who had placed the business card is a huge follower of Spurgeon’s, but it seemed a little “proud” to
proclaim yourself with a special title. My respect for Spurgeon runs deep. At 18 he was pastoring, by 30 his church was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, in the world. He started an orphanage, a college, along with other ministries to the people of England. He was unapologetic in his stand for God’s Word as being truthful and reliable. He had not attended college yet was self-taught and an expert in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

Yet Spurgeon never tried to bring attention to himself. He always pointed to His Savior. He took upon himself no taglines or nicknames, he simply taught God’s Word. He struggled with gout and discouragement during his lifetime, even speaking and writing about his battles. Yet no one could deny that everything he tried to do pointed to God.

I bring this up because I have been studying Ephesians for a future message series. If anything, this book humbles me before God. Chapter 1 tells me that we are adopted as God’s children, forgiven, chosen and set free from sin’s power and guilt. We have received God’s Holy Spirit as a guarantee of what our future holds. In chapter 4 Paul begins his words by discussing a key to church unity – humility. He says in Eph. 4:2, “Always be humble and gentle.” Humility is not seeing ourselves as compared to others, but seeing ourselves as compared to God. Without
Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). We need Him every day in our lives to deal with all the things that we face.

Again, I do not want to judge a person’s heart. But as I looked at that business card that day, a couple of things came to mind. One, we can have “heroes”, people who have influenced us and helped us in our spiritual growth, either through personal interaction or by reading their writings. I have never met some of the authors who have influenced and taught me, but I am very thankful for what they have helped me with in my life. But my goal is to be like Jesus, not like them. They may have helped me in getting to that but I would never call myself “The Rick
Warren of Nebraska” or “The George Hunter of Burwell.” These are just two people whose writings and teachings have helped me on my spiritual journey. Two, humility means that I am not setting myself on a pedestal. It means that we are setting Jesus on the pedestal, allowing our “good works” to point to Him (Mt. 5:16). My prayer is that I will be reminded daily that I have a God Who loves me, accepts me, and wants to use as I am as I become more and more like Jesus Christ. My prayer is that we all will want that to.

Have a blessed and great day.

In Christ,

Scott

The Truth = God’s Word

2011-05-21T21:37:00.009-05:00

This article is not only in our newsletter but was sent as an email and posted on Facebook. Over the last several years, as I have desired to know Christ better, continually learning from the Bible and getting back to wanting to know theology more and more, I have been challenged with a continuing wave of thoughts by “progressive” thinkers who are in many ways attempting to re-define historic Christianity.

I have always been honest in where I fall on the scale of belief. I am conservative theologically but more progressive when it comes to methodology. The latter statement does not mean I would do something contrary to Scripture, but it does mean that I am not locked into a preset thought of things. As I study God’s Word and our world, it is important to meet people where they are at without compromising belief – Jesus did it and so should we.

Having said that, it is also important for believers to have their spiritual antenna up when it comes to things people are teaching. Postmodernism claims that there is no objective truth, and everything is questioned, including historic Christianity. This comes from some of the leaders of postmodern thought, and unfortunately, they are attempting to redefine Christianity in many ways. There is a growing movement to deny the existence of hell, a calling into question whether Jesus really is the only way to God (Jn. 14:6 are Jesus’ own words that He is), a denial of the Bible being without error, and going so far as to question Jesus’ own words.

Let me give you one quote from a blog that when I read it blew my mind. In writing regarding the idea of heaven and hell and what it really means, this blogger wrote as he saw the issue as having several problems:

"But it raises an exegetical problem as well: Jesus held an incorrect cosmology. Yes, of course our cosmology is probably wrong as well, or at least incomplete, but that doesn’t make Jesus’ cosmology any more right. Both Jesus and John the Baptist seem clearly to have embraced the ancient Hebraic belief in Sheol/Gehenna/Hades — i.e., a physical place of fires that the bodies of the damned are thrown. It seems merely wishful thinking when Aquinas, arguing that Jesus had full and perfect knowledge of all things, wrote, “Christ perfectly knows all human sciences.”"

This is what happens when we make our understanding of the Bible (anthrocentric – man-centered) instead of God-centered (Theocentric). When man begins to redefine the Bible to make it “relative” to our thinking, things like this happen. To say “Jesus held an incorrect cosmology” is dangerous at the least, all out heresy at worst. This writer misinterprets part of the Sheol/Gehenna/Hades discussion. Jews believed in an afterlife, and Jesus helped define the God view of the afterlife. To say that somehow Jesus got it all wrong or held an incorrect view leads to some serious questions. In fact, Jesus plainly stated why hell was made in the first place (Mt. 25:41) but that man chooses to reject God and faces eternal separation from Him.

God is loving, merciful, gracious, and kind, but He is also just, righteous and Holy. You cannot separate Who God is. He is all these and He desires all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4) but not all will accept Him. Hell is not a place where God taunts or mocks people; it is a place where people who reject God and want nothing to do with Him have chosen for their eternal destiny.

Note that this same blogger said that “it seems merely wishful thinking” that Jesus would know perfectly all human sciences. How could He not. He is the Creator of all things (John 1:3; Col. 1:15-16) and to question Jesus’ knowledge is to question Who He is. When man begins to redefine what the Bible says we only drift further and further from the truth.

Why does this bother me you may ask? Our goal as a church is to help people become disciples of Jesus Christ. Disciples not only grow to know God better, but they change the world in which they live. They desire to impact people wherever God puts them, to live as “salt and light” and to touch the lives of people. Being a disciple is more than just being a “fan” of Jesus, it is being a follower. A disciple not only followed the teachings of their teacher, but also, if the lifestyle was worth following, they learned how to live from their teacher. They mimicked (in a good way) their life and held firmly to what they taught.

Jesus is the ultimate Teacher. He is God Himself, unmistaken in all things, including heaven and hell and all things pertaining to life. If we are to know about God and all that He has for us, we have to understand that Jesus is not mistaken, the Bible is God’s perfect record to man, and that we can trust what it says about all things. God wants us to be students of the Word and apply it to our lives, and if we don’t believe what it says, there is no “real-life” discipleship, there is nothing to cling to.

Our goal at Burwell is to live out the life-changing message of Christ and the Word of God. May we hold onto the truth revealed to us through God’s Word.

Pastor Scott

Standing Up For Biblical Truth

2011-03-31T17:03:00.003-05:00

Here it is, April. I don’t know about you but I am ready for spring – enough of the other stuff. This is the month we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. On Easter we focus on Jesus’rising from the dead.

As I considered what to write, the Lord seemed to put some things on my heart that I want focus on. Back in 1976 Harold Lindsell wrote a book that rocked the Christian world entitled “The Battle For The Bible.” He followed this three years later with “The Bible In The Balance”, a book that was written in response to what people had said about the first book.

Lindsell challenged Christians to take a stand for Biblical truth, specifically the issue of inerrancy, the belief that the Bible is errorless. In both books he categorically showed how schools and denominations had drifted from what the Bible taught, including such things as denying the historicity of Adam and Eve, questioning the Biblical teaching about God, along with those who constantly stated the Bible had historical errors, etc., etc. Lindsell was not out raise himself up as some “superstar”, he was concerned with how the Bible was being treated and taught. In other words, he was willing to take a stand for what he believed was true regarding God’s Word, and he became the lightning rod for all kinds of criticism.

Rewind about 2,000 years. Jesus, as He went around teaching, healing, and caring for people, challenged what the “religious elitists” had done to God’s Word, and this included all areas of life. Jesus healed on the Sabbath and the result: some wanted to kill him (Mark 3:1-6). Others mocked him (his own brothers did in John 7), and he was called all kinds of names. A drunkard, illegitimate, demon possessed, a misrepresenter of the Old Testament. The list could go on and on. Standing up for what you believe, or standing up for what is truth and what is right can result in all kinds of things.

If you stand up for Biblical truth and principles, there will be those who may call you “unloving,” “narrow-minded”, “holier-than-thou”, or a number of other things. You may be slandered, gossiped about, misrepresented in what you said. That is not always easy to handle. Paul went through similar things when he tried to encourage and help people and also stand for what was right. He was mistreated even by those within the churches.

I only share this with you because as we watch our world spin out of control and we face more and more challenges as Christians, each one of us may be faced with situations that we have to make decisions about regarding where we stand Biblically. I don’t know what that might be for you, but I want to encourage you that though you may be attacked for standing for truth (and do it graciously if you do), that God will be with you. At times He is the One Who helps us get through those difficult yet necessary decisions.

Hang in there. You are wonderful people and God bless.

Pastor Scott

Date Setting For the Return of Jesus

2011-01-28T16:00:00.004-06:00

The following is an article that will be in the February, 2011 newsletter of our church. I thought that I would share it with you here because it speaks of what we are reading or hearing on the news regarding date setting for the return of Jesus. Hope you enjoy.

God bless.

Pastor Scott

"May 21, 2011. That is the day that some have predicted the return of Jesus Christ. We mentioned this in a message recently (the May, 2011 view), not to mock someone’s prediction but to make us aware that there have always been date setters regarding the Lord’s return.

Back in the 1840’s a group who became known as Millerites were predicting the Lord’s return and it did not happen. Many cults and other groups have predicted dates, most notably the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Harold Camping, the owner of several Christian radio stations is the one who has given the May 21, 2011 date out for the rapture of the church by Jesus Christ, followed by the destruction of the world on October 21, 2011. Camping has set dates in the past so this is no surprise. The problem with this is that when these things don’t happen (especially regarding “Christians” who predict dates), everyone outside of Christianity lumps all believers together.

The one thing we can be sure of is that Jesus will return. When is unknown to us. I believe Christ could come today or maybe in a hundred years. I do believe the re-establishment of Israel was an important part, but when everything else will happen is in God’s timing. Interestingly, even some of the writers of the New Testament longed and hoped for the Lord’s return in their lifetime. Paul writes of the Lord’s return in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (without setting a date). In Titus 2:11-13 Paul also writes to Titus and Christians regarding the return of the Lord, especially vs. 13, “while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.”

John wrote in 1 John 2:28 that we as followers of Christ were to remain in fellowship with Him so that when He does return, we will not be ashamed at His coming back. I John 3:2-3 challenges us to live our lives as if Jesus could return at any time. This is known as the “imminent” return of Christ, meaning that He could return at any moment.

Some have argued that if someone believes that Jesus could return at any moment for the church, meaning the church would not have to go through the seven year tribulation period of judgment upon the earth, they would be less likely to have a concern for people who would go through the tribulation period because the Christians would escape it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Because I do believe in the return of Christ for the church preceding the tribulation period, and knowing how bad that time on earth will be, it should instill in me a desire to not see people go through that time.

Whenever Christ returns is in His God’s hands. Whether it is May 21, 2011 (Camping has been wrong before and I believe he is wrong again) or some other time, we as Christians should continue to live a life that honors the Lord. And ignore the date setters. God alone knows when the trumpet will sound and Christ will come for His church. Until then let’s live as “salt and light” in our world."

The Bible Tells Us So

2010-11-21T16:50:00.005-06:00

It is almost Thanksgiving and I have not sent out an email devotional in a while. I told myself that I would do this weekly but have stumbled all over doing that. But I am going to try to get back to doing something weekly. Some guys write every day, which I suppose I could do but - we'll just stick with weekly. Enough rambling.

Thanksgiving brings to mind so many things. It is a time for families to get together, to watch football, to spend time with people we may not see on a regular basis. It should be a time for reflection, for thinking about the many things we have to be thankful for. In thinking about this, I thought we would take a look at a few things that the Bible tells us we should be thankful for. So here we go.

1. Be thankful to God for Who He is. 1 Chronicles 16:7-36 is David's song of praise. In this song of thanksgiving he mentions God's greatness, wonderful deeds, His strength, the wonders God has performed, His miracles, His justice, His keeping of His promises, to name just a few. At times I forget to spend time thanking God for Who He is. It is His character and attributes that make God Who He is and we need to thank Him for our salvation, our changed lives, the way He cares for us, etc. Spend time reflecting on the attributes of God.

2. Be thankful for those who have brought joy to our lives. In 1 Thessalonians 3:9-10Paul wrote that he was "thankful" for the believers at Thessalonica. They had been a blessing to him, and we all have people in our lives - family and friends, for example, who are just a joy to be around. They are people we can have fun with, who encourage us, challenge us, and accept us, weaknesses and all. Spend time being thankful for the people in our lives who bring joy to us, and begin with our families.

3. Be thankful for your church if you have one. In Colossians 1:3, Paul writes that he always was praying for the Colossian believers, and giving thanks to God for them. Churches are made up of people, some that are challenges to us, others who are a delight. Since no church is perfect, it is easy to get in the mode of criticizing the leadership and people within a church. We need to seek ways to be a help and encouragement, to strengthen the church and to help it become stronger and more Christ like. Be part of the solution. We can do that by being thankful for the good things that are going on, for the people that make up our local churches, for those we know who are Christians. There are all kinds of people in all kinds of churches. Practice being thankful for our church whichever one we attend that teaches the Word of God.

4. Be thankful for answered prayer. We have mentioned being thankful to God for Who He is. 2 Corinthians 1:11 mentions being thankful for answered prayer. I have at times taken for granted that God has heard my prayers and responded and answered them. We need to be thankful when He does hear us, and even if we don't think He does. God answers prayers - yes, no, not now. No matter what, take time to thank Him for listening to our prayers and for answering them in His way and according to His will.

5. Be thankful for God's provisions. In some countries of the world people are suffering greatly. I take for granted what I have here in America. We need to thank God for meeting our needs. Many of us have a roof over our head, food on the table, jobs, or at least the ability to work if we are currently looking for a job. Jesus said to pursue God's Kingdom and God would meet our needs (Matthew 6:33). We need to stop and thank God for what He has allowed us to have. That includes the opportunity to earn a living, even if it is not the "best" or "favorite" job.

May you all have a blessed thanksgiving! God bless.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Have You Been Hurt By Someone Close to You

2010-08-28T11:14:00.005-05:00

Wow. It has been awhile since I wrote any devotional thoughts. Bet you missed them, huh? Anyway, I want to share something that I read from Psalms 3 and Psalms 4. As we do, I begin with a question that probably has an obvious answer – Have you ever been hurt by someone who you were close to, such as a friend or family member? I realize how that question is a broad sweep of the pen.

I believe we have all felt the sting of someone who we thought was a friend who for whatever reason did or said some things that hurt. Some scholars believe that Psalm 3 and Psalm 4 go together though that cannot be certain. Psalms 3 does have to do with David pouring out his heart before God as he is fleeing from his own son Absalom (2 Samuel, chapters 15-18), who is out to kill him and take over the Kingdom of Israel. As you read these Psalms, you see the heart of David. Note a few of the things he says:

• He mentions that he has so many enemies and that so many are against him – Ps. 3:1
• He states that many of those against him do not believe God will help David – Ps. 3:2
• He talks of those who are out to ruin his reputation by making false accusations against him – Ps. 4:2

David was going through a hard time no doubt. It is so easy to become angry, bitter and revenge minded when I have been hurt. David even tells us in Psalms 4:4 to not let anger control us. He gives some good advice in that verse. He tells us to “Think about it overnight and remain silent” and then in vs. 5 says “Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust in the Lord.”

I sometimes feel this need when I have been hurt to explain myself and to let others know how bad someone hurt me. There may be times when we need to talk to somebody about what has happened to us but David is telling us to be careful in how we do that. In fact, he gives some very practical advice on how we need to respond when these things happen. Note what he says to us:

• He sees God as his shield, his protector and the One that answered him when he cried out to God – Ps. 3:3-4
• With that in mind, he is very sure that the Lord will answer him when he calls on Him – Ps. 4:4
• He recognizes that in spite of all going on God has given him great joy and peace – Ps. 4:7-8

Because David had chosen to trust in God to deal with the situation confronting him, his response, his attitude and trust in God is something I can learn from when I have been hurt by others or there are those trying to ruin my reputation by telling untruths. Because he believed God would take care of him in God’s way and time, note what David says is the result of that:

• He rested peacefully and woke up in safety – Ps. 3:5
• He believed God would deal with the situation, in His way and in His time, and He asked God to deal with it, maybe a little stronger than I may have been able to do – Ps. 3:7-8.

David recognized the victory comes through God, for His glory is what I need to focus on in my response. So much more could be said about these two Psalms. My words of encouragement to all of us today is this – no matter what we are going through, there is a God who loves us and cares for us. He is there for us when we need Him and call upon Him. Though times can be hard, and at times cause us to question and wonder, trust in the fact that God loves us and cares for us above measure.

Trust in the Lord even in the midst of tough times (even in dealing with people) and watch God work.

Pastor Scott

Spiritual Leaks

2010-06-23T17:21:00.000-05:00

Greetings to everyone,

Rain. Flooding. Tornadoes. Already it has been an
eventful spring into summer. For some, the rains and
flooding have caused major damage to homes and
businesses. As people begin to dry out and see what
needs to be done at their houses, my prayer is that
through our church we may be able to help some folks
out with some practical projects over the next month
or two.

I also learned some things about my house. We had a
water leak that became obvious with a night or two of
heavy rains. We have a light fixture in a ceiling in
one of the rooms at from which water came dripping
down. One night we gathered about a half inch of
water in a container from that drip. Pastor Stan did
some caulking on the roof, Kelly Pinckney did some, I
did some and the last rain or two no leaks – at least
not as of right now.

I actually thought of a spiritual application as I
was dealing with the weather. Like my house with
some leaks, I sometimes seem to have spiritual leaks
in my life. I have the Holy Spirit living within me
(Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 4:30) and He is with me
always. I know though that when I sin, and grieve
Him, it causes issues in my life. I don’t lose any
of the Holy Spirit or of God living in me, but my
life is less joyous and I don’t enjoy life as I
should because of my sin.

I develop “spiritual leaks” you might say. In
Galatians 5:16-26, Paul wrote of the importance of
walking in the power of God’s Spirit. He also warned
us that if we do not allow God to direct our lives,
we could fall into sin and he lists some of those in
Galatians 5:19-21. He also cared enough when writing
about being controlled by the Spirit that if we
continually lived a life of sin, there was a chance
that we may not even know the Lord personally. So it
is pretty serious stuff. We all sin, I know I do,
but one of the great things about being a Christian
is that God loves us so much that He convicts us
(John 16:8) so that we would make things right with Him.

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that when God controls our
life we exhibit kindness towards others, patience,
self-control, etc. When it comes to our spiritual
lives, keeping the leaks to a minimum we might say is
important.

What do we do then when we sin, when we stumble and
walk in a way that grieves God? There are some
different thoughts on this, but here are a couple of
things to do to “fix the leaks” we might say:

1. Acknowledge that we have sinned. God knows it, so
we might as well admit it also. For some admitting
that we have sinned against God is tough. When Paul
mentioned grieving the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 4:30,
in Ephesians 4:31 he wrote some of the things that do
grieve Him – bitterness, anger, speaking evil of
others to name a few. When we break God’s Word and
sin against Him, we have to begin by acknowledging
that we have sinned against Him. We must own up to
what we have done.

2. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Romans 4:7-8 are
two of my favorite verses in the Bible. It reads,

7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is
forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.
8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has
cleared of sin.”
How awesome that God has forgiven us through the
cross of Christ and does not keep a record of our
sins. This does not mean I can live like I want and
do what I want, it does mean though that I have a
loving, gracious, righteous forgiving God Who has
dealt with my sin and wants me to also.

3. Repent of our sins. In Revelation 2 and 3, in
speaking to the churches found there, Jesus called
them to “repent”, “to turn back to God.” Repentance
is more than saying that we are sorry. Biblical
repentance means a change of mind which leads to a
change of action. God empowers us to make these
changes. We must stop doing what we are doing. We
must come to God and ask Him to help us change, to
deal with our sin and with His help, to change our ways.

None of us will ever “quit leaking” this side of
eternity, but we can continually desire to do what is
right and to honor God with our lives. I pray that
these words will encourage each of us to “keep on
keeping on.” God knows we will stumble and fall, yet
He continues to love us unconditionally. What a
great God we serve.

Pastor Scott

By Our Love

2010-06-09T17:03:00.001-05:00

I cannot always explain some of the things I write and say. It seems that God just puts certain things in my mind and heart and I try to share it with others to encourage them. That is what I want to do in these thoughts that I have written down. So here we go.

Many years ago there was a Christian “campfire” song, I guess you could say, that was sung in churches and other places. Some of the words were “they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love.” Jesus said this very thing in John 13:34-35. As Jesus is teaching His disciples (followers) He tells them, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Simple words, yet not always easy to live out. Love is not just what we do; it also includes the things we say. We focus much on what Jesus did and we
should. Jesus loved the unlovely, ate with those who society would consider “low lifes”, and chose to impact His world by His actions. He was the ultimate Servant. But we cannot overlook His teachings either. We cannot have one without the other.

Loving God seems easy, but loving our neighbors, not so much, yet we are commanded to do so by Jesus (Matthew 22:34-40). They both go hand in hand. And what does this love look like? In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul gave us some descriptive words about love – it is patient with others, it is kind, love is not proud or rude, selfish, and it keeps no record of wrongs done to it. These are just some of the words written that describe what love is.

We know love is also seen in our actions. John, one of Jesus’ closest followers, wrote the following in one of his books, “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion – how can God’s love be
in that person?”

Though directed towards our treatment of other Christians, Jesus Himself showed compassion to all people. He did not condone their lifestyles, but He reached out to them because He alone has the power to change lives.

Loving others is a challenge. Remember the song mentioned at the beginning of this. It seems today in churches across our land that instead of people knowing we are Christians by our love, we as believers are known more for other things. In other words, we at times by what we say and do (myself included) instead of being known by our love, are known by our gossip, slander, bitterness, unkindness, arguing, ____________. Many words could be put in the blank, could they not?

The following words are things that happen at different churches all over the world. This is not an indictment on every church nor every Christian. It would be wrong to say that. It is an observation that I have made over many years as a Christian and through interaction with others.

For example, we can go to church and see somebody and smile and talk graciously to them, then trash that same person to someone else (even at church). We disagree with somebody and allow it to destroy a relationship instead of being willing to agree to disagree. We judge others because someone does not see eye to eye with us. We question motives; we pick and choose who we want to be kind to. People sit in meetings in church and listen to all the discussion, and then go outside of church and huddle up with a select few and put down what they have just heard talked about or put down the person who brought something up. We even judge fellow Christians because of who they “associate” with. Remember, Jesus interacted with the “not so lovely or popular”
Himself.

I have been guilty of this. Living the Christian life is definitely a huge challenge but with God’s help it is possible to do – not perfectly, because we are all sinners, but we can more and more model the life of Jesus Christ as we learn about Him and with God’s Spirit helping us, apply it to our lives. This is a challenge that I must take upon myself.

There is a place for seeking counsel from others when we are trying to know what to do about a situation, but we need to be careful when we do that. I guess
what I am trying to say is let’s all work together to live out the commands of Jesus. Let’s love God and grow in our understanding of Him and at the same
time, live before others by our words and actions the Christian faith that we claim.

Scott

Our “Influence” on Others

2010-01-14T20:54:00.003-06:00

Greetings to everyone. Here it is, mid-January of 2010 and I finally thought to myself, why don’t you share an email devotional. I have not done this for some time so as we begin the new year, my goal is to write more often and share some thoughts with you, hopefully encouraging you in your daily lives.

I want to spend a few moments and talk about “influence” and what that means. We live in an age in which the Bible is available in our country twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You would think with that type of influence through the media our country would be a hot bed of Biblical change. Yet it is not. I thought to myself, “could the problem be Scott Reeve?” Maybe I need to line up my life with the Word of God a little more. Jim Burnett, in an article in “On Mission” magazine, made the following observation that struck me hard:

“Ministering to the community creates credibility with the community, validating our theology and doctrines and making them believable. Without proof of the truth, we will make few inroads in reaching people for Christ. Today the Gospel is being broadcast in America 24 hours a day, seven days aweek, yet it is having little effect on people’s behavior and lifestyles. Why? Could it be that what is missing is proof of the truth Christians espouse.

”I realize that my relationship with God is based on faith in Christ for salvation. James 2:14-26 tells us though that our faith will be evident in how we live, how we act. Our beliefs have to not just be in our head, they have to be in our heart which influences the words we say and the things we do. I must admit that I have been embarrassed at times by the way I have acted in public or by things that I have said. We cannot compartmentalize our faith, putting our jobs in one part, our families in another, our community involvement in another, and so on. As Christians, our claims of knowing Christ must permeate every area of our life.

As is taught in the “Truth Project” with Dr. Del Tackett and Focus on the Family and in Charles Colson and Rick Warren’s “Framing Your Worldview”, the Bible’s teachings must be the filter that we live life, no matter the arena. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that the Bible is “inspired”, God’s very words. It teaches us what is true and makes us realize what is wrong in our life. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us how to live right. I have learned this – if my beliefs are messed up, then others will be influenced by that, both by what I say and by what I do. Let me share an example from over 100 years ago.

Back in the 1800’s the Southern Baptist Convention,of which Burwell Baptist is a part, became mired in its first real controversy. A professor at Southern Seminary (a grad school operated by the Southern Baptists) named Crawford Toy began teaching things that were contrary to what the Bible teaches. Specifically Toy taught that since humans were involved in writing the Bible, their human fallibilities came through in their writings. This means that the Bible has errors in it, which if that is the case, what do we then trust to guide us into “truth” and how we are to live.

Crawford Toy left Southern Seminary and went to another school. His continual drift from the Bible led him to become a Unitarian, a group that denies every essential of the Christian faith – the Trinity, Deity of Christ (Jesus is God come in human flesh),along with every main doctrine of historic Christianity.

I have no doubt that Dr. Toy was honest in what he believed, but his beliefs would influence his teaching, and I have no doubt, how he lived. As Christians, we must keep in mind that God’s Word(perfect and without error) calls us to be imitators of God as Paul tells us to be in Ephesians 5:1. Ephesians, chapters four through six tell us how we are to live as followers of God’s truth.

My challenge to myself this year is to make sure that wherever I am, whatever I do or say, or whatever I teach and proclaim, I will be a reflection of Jesus Christ. I realize that we all make mistakes, we all sin, we all stumble, but let us commit ourselves this year to making a conscious decision and choice to reflect God no matter where we are or what we are doing. We just might be a difference maker in the life of someone who needs a relationship with Jesus Christ. In doing that, we cannot pick and choose the time or the place to live out our faith. It has to be an around the clock adventure. But it will be a fun adventure, and a challenging one. Join with me as we venture together to change our world right here in Central Nebraska.

We love you all.
Pastor Scott

2009-12-08T13:52:00.001-06:00

December 8, and it is snowing. As I am sitting here in my office working on messages, doing other ministry related things, I thought, “I had not written anything in awhile”, and hey, if everyone else is like me (not running all over the place today), why not share some thoughts.

As you know here at Burwell, we have promoted “The Truth Project”, a video series that deals with helping Christians formulate a Biblical worldview. We have talked about the idea of worldviews before here at the church, in writing and in messages. A worldview is the filter through which we see things, evaluate and make our decisions, whether ethical, moral, or otherwise. Everyone has a worldview, whether they recognize it or not, whether conscious of it or not.

Along with this is the area known as apologetics. Apologetics does not mean “apologize” but is taken from 1 Peter 3:15 which says, “Instead, you mustworship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.” Apologetics is being able to explain what we believe as Christians, why we believe, along with being able to interact with people in a way that they understand where we are coming from. It also includes the idea of “defending the faith”, of being able to answer skeptics and those who launch frontal attacks against Christianity.

I want to encourage each of us to really become students of God’s Word. I have no doubt that probably we are but I want to encourage us to expandour knowledge of what we believe as Christians, along with being able to explain that to others. My goal in the next several months is to put togetherinformation and a class that will help believers to be able to be “apologists”, not so that we can win arguments, but so that we can see people brought into the Kingdom of God.

There are several websites that are helpful in this. Chuck Colson has a website www.colsoncenter.org that gives information on worldviews and has some good stuff on it. The Southern Evangelical Seminary has many resources that you can get. At www.normangeisler.net You can read articles by Norman Geisler (one of my favorites) along with many books and tapes.

Anyway, I want to continue to encourage you in your relationship with the Lord. As we grow in our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word we are more equipped to respond to the many questions and teachings that are out there that challenge what the Bible says. We appreciate you all so very much and thank you for being a great church.

In Christ,
Pastor Scott

2009-10-02T13:36:00.002-05:00

Wow, October is here. I have not written any devotional thoughts for a couple of months (lucky for you, huh). So I decided to write down some thoughts today. As I begin teaching a new Sunday school class on Christianity, Cults and World Religions, it reminded me of some important things. As followers of Jesus, we have a responsibility to weigh out the things that we hear and read, even if they are professing Christians saying them. We have been very upfront here that anything said during our teaching time in the service you should check out to make sure that something fishy is not going on.

I am not saying that what some of these people are teaching is done intentionally to lead people astray. I do believe that some questionable teaching can lead to what I call “toxic faith”, which can mess up a person’s life and faith. For example, if someone says that every time you are sick it is because of sin in your life, then soon you begin to question the depth of your faith. What if a person has a major illness? Does that mean that there is necessarily sin in their life?

In John 9, Jesus addressed this issue of thinking that all medical problems were a result of sin. Jesus and His disciples encounter a man who had “been blind from birth” (vs. 1). In the days of Jesus, sickness was seen as either a direct result of a sin that the person themselves had committed or a sin that a parent had committed that had been passed down to their offspring. This was a common belief among the Jewish religious leaders. That is why they snubbed those who did not fit the picture of what it meant to be a true follower of God, for no true believer would ever suffer physically, so they said.

Jesus went on to tell His disciples that this man was not born blind because of the sins of his parents or his own sins, but that God’s power could be seen in His healing. He would be a witness to the power of God and people would question what had happened and possibly follow Jesus Christ. Not surprisingly, the Jewish leaders themselves refused to acknowledge that Jesus did this miracle and eventually threw the healed man out of the synagogue because they were so frustrated over what had happened.

If you get a chance, read the passage in its entirety. The man who had been born blind gives a great defense of what happened to him in vss. 17-34. The point I want to make is that we have to always measure everything taught against the Bible. It is God’s source of truth that He has given us. It is true that there are some illnesses caused by sin (David speaks of this in several Psalms and James 5 could infer this), but we must be careful to not lump everything together. In John 9, Jesus made it clear that the situation had nothing to do with sin.

Toxic faith occurs when someone is told that their situation is because of sin and that is the only possibility that is given to them. Sin may have had a part, but let’s be careful to not assume that. We must weigh things out. Toxic faith can discourage us because even after some have confessed their sins, they were still ill. We live in a fallen, messed up world, and sometimes the body breaks down because of that fact. Be careful to not play the “sin card” unless we know the particulars of the situation.

I want to encourage us to continue to study the Word of God and learn as much as possible about the God Who loves us. He wants us to know His Book so we can help others to find the truth in Jesus Christ.

We love you and appreciate you all. God bless!!

Pastor Scott

Graduation Day and our walk with God

2009-05-29T16:24:00.003-05:00

It’s almost over! For some, it is graduation from high school or college. For others, another year of school finished. Mother’s Day has come and gone. I hope that you folks remembered this special day set aside for the moms, wives, mother-in-laws (yes, mother-in-laws) in our life.

With the theme of graduation still around since some still upcoming ones it came to me that even in the spiritual world, there is a graduation. I am talking about our spiritual growth as far as our relationship with Jesus Christ. I have also learned in regard to this that “how many years” we have been in God’s school has nothing to do with maturity, or graduating from one stage of growth to another. I have met young Christians who have a deep desire to learn God’s Word. They study it, they learn it, they work with God’s help to apply it, and you can see the maturity in their life as they grow. They handle things differently than they did before, they treat people differently, they want to become more and more like Jesus Christ.

I also know many believers who have been saved for many years who have this same desire for God’s Word, who live it out, who desire to know Christ. They are examples as Titus 2 discusses for others. I have also met young believers and those who have been saved for years who have not graduated far in their walk with God. They don’t spend much time in the Word, they react and respond in many ways immaturely, and they still can’t seem to get beyond the basics of the Christian life, so it seems.

There is a passage (Hebrews 5:11-6:3) that discusses the need to grow in our faith and walk with God. This Scripture says:

Hebrews 5:11-14 (NKJV)
11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come
to need milk and not solid food.
13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 6:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this we will do if God permits.

The writer tells his readers that there are some in his audience who still seem to need the milk of the word, the elementary principles we could say. In Hebrews 5:14 he mentions that spiritual growth happens when we discern both good and evil.” As we learn the Bible and use it to guide our lives, and make the decision to follow its teaching we become more sensitive to God’s leading and work in our lives.

Hebrews 6:1-2 mentions some of the basic teachings that were foundational to the faith of the readers but some were still stuck on what repentance was, what the meaning of baptism was, what eternal judgment was, etc. They had not moved on to learning all the things of Scripture that God wanted to teach them.

How many of us today, myself included, can say that we are “graduating” in our walk with Christ. The truth is, we will never “graduate” this side of heaven, but some are still in kindergarten in their faith though Christians for some time, while others have “graduated” from one place in their understanding of Scripture to another. They have a desire to know God, to allow Him to lead their lives, and they surrender their will to His leading.

Paul, writing in Ephesians 1:15-23 mentioned he was praying for the Ephesians Christians that they would have “spiritual wisdom and insight” so they might grow in their knowledge of God. He also prayed that they would “understand the incredible greatness of God’s power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him…in the heavenly realms.” God’s power is available to us as we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit every day. We need to ask Him to fill us, to lead us, and we need to be in the Word of God and applying it to our lives.

My prayer for all of us is that we will continue to “graduate” in our walk with God until we receive our diplomas when we enter eternity. God bless.

Pastor Scott

Attitude is a choice

2009-04-25T18:28:00.002-05:00

“Words can never adequately convey the incredible
impact of our attitude toward life. The longer I live
the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent
what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to
it.” – Charles R. Swindoll

“This may shock you, but I believe the single most
significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis
is my choice of attitude. It is more important than
my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or
failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me
or say about me, my circumstances, or my position.
Attitude is that 'single string' that keeps me going
or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or
assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right,
there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no
dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.” –
Charles R. Swindoll

Attitude. How important is it? Does it really
matter what we think and how we feel. Attitude is a
choice. It determines our response to life’s
situations. Attitude is an inward feeling expressed
by our behavior and interaction with others. Some
people believe they can’t control their attitude.
Nothing could be further from the truth. As I write
this I am writing it to myself. I have to constantly
guard my attitude.

Philippians 2:1-11 points out the attitude that Jesus
Christ had when He came to earth. Vs. 5 says “You
must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
The word for “attitude” found in the NLT is “mind” is
some other translations. The word itself means
“habit of thought (expressed in deeds)”. It has an
intention behind it, a choice to think a particular
way. When Jesus came to earth He took upon Himself
the position of a servant, touching the lives of
people culminating in His death on the cross. He was
not arrogant, self-centered, negative or critical.
He was on a mission and His mindset (His attitude we
could say) was that of fulfilling the Father’s will.

In the same book, the writer Paul, in discussing his
approach to life said,

“I know how to live on almost nothing or with
everything. I have learned the secret of living in
every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or
empty, with plenty or little. For I can do
everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
(Philippians 4:12, 13)

Paul “learned” how to live. He made choices. We all
do at we go through our days. People with negative,
critical, bad attitudes can undermine God’s work in a
church, in a business, in relationships. We all have
bad days; we all have those moments when our
attitudes are less than good. The issue is whether
we allow those attitudes to stay or do we change them.

When it comes to situations and opportunities, this
does not mean that we don’t present ideas to others
that we believe in or have on our heart. What it
does mean though is that if our ideas are put on hold
or others have differing views, how do we respond?
Get critical and negative, or recognize that maybe
God wants to teach us something. As a pastor I have
had ideas that I have presented in the past to
churches I was at that were not accepted at the time
I presented them. People thought differently than I
did. I believe that even in those moments God was
teaching me something. It really is not about me.
It is about the Kingdom of God.

Our ideas may be good, and maybe should be
considered, but if the boss or those we are working
with see things different, isn’t that okay? If we
are not talking about someone doing something
unethical or wrong, we need to be able to deal with
the situation with the mindset of Christ. In church
work I may have a different view or approach than
others, and maybe what I propose doesn’t come to pass
at that time or at all. Am I willing to still love
those people, work with them and be okay with things?
As a pastor, but more as a Christian, I need to be
able to move forward.

Our attitudes affect our approach to life and our
relationships with people and how we approach
situations and circumstances. They do play a part in
how we respond to things.

Over the years I have received emails from people
that were not just sent to me but to several people.
In those emails the person writing them was
complaining about all kinds of things. I have been
around people who gripe about their spouses, their
churches, their jobs. Life just does not seem good
to them, or so it appears. And these folks were
Christians. There are so many ways to connect and
communicate that I believe as Christians we even need
to be careful. People use My Space, Facebook or some
other social network in so many positive ways but I
have seen Christians use it as a means to be critical
and negative of both others and situations and
circumstances. We all have those "bad attitude" days
but we need to watch how we project those to others.

John Maxwell, in his book “The Winning Attitude”
challenges those reading the book with an “Attitude
Application” at the end of the first chapter. He writes,

Have I checked my attitude lately?
How would I rate my attitude?

__ Never been better
__ Never been worse
__ Nose-high
__ Nose-down

What is an attitude indicator (something which
reflects my perspective) in my life?

I appreciate these thoughts from Maxwell. I
appreciate more the model of life Jesus gave us. I
love Burwell Baptist and all you who are a part of
it. God has blessed us with so many wonderful
people. Thanks for being who you are. God bless.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Greetings this beautiful March day!

2009-03-18T19:16:00.002-05:00

I pray things are well with all of you who are reading this. It has been awhile since I sent out a devotional and thought I needed to get back into the swing of doing so. I am sure you have all been just waiting on the edge of your seats for the next one, right? Just kidding.

As I look around in our world today, I more than ever see the need for us as Christians to be “salt and light” as Jesus spoke of us being in Matthew 5:13-16.
Our lives lived before people both outside of God’s Kingdom and those within the Kingdom (other believers) show to others what we truly believe about our relationship with God. What I mean by that is though none of us are perfect (and never will be this side of heaven) our goal should to be more and more like Jesus Christ in how we treat others, how we live, how we do business. Our faith should never be seen as just fire insurance – it must permeate every area of our life.

Sometimes Christians do things in business for example that are less than ethical. They say one thing and do another. Christ tells us that we are to be people of our word. No matter the pressure, we need to think about the old slogan that was so
popular years ago – “what would Jesus do?” as we go through daily life. It will help us in dealing with people and situations that arise before us.

As another example, some of us have to deal with difficult people on a daily basis. Trying to “love” them by being courteous and kind is at times tough. Praying for them can be hard, yet Jesus said “pray for our enemies.” Though there are times that we need to “speak the truth in love” even in doing so our goal is not to put the person down, but to help them become a person who either sees their need for
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or if they are a believer to think about how they are living and treating others. What would Jesus do?

I just want to encourage each of us, and I need to do this to, to make it our goal to live out each day in a way that would honor Jesus Christ. Study the Scriptures, become more like Christ, and deal with things as God would want us to. It will stretch us as people but we will live a life of peace and joy if we are willing to do so.

I appreciate and love you all. God bless you.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Upcoming Prayer Summit

2009-02-05T17:40:00.002-06:00

Greetings.

Here we are in 2009 and January is just about over. Time just seems to fly by and there never does seem to quite be enough time (so it seems) to get things done. On February 8, as you know, we are having a prayer summit here at Burwell Baptist Church. One of the areas that we will be praying for that night is revival – not only in our lives as individuals but in our nation.

In saying that, it is not my thought that we are a messed up church in desperate need of God’s work in our lives. Not at all. In fact, it has been exciting to see God working in the lives of the people here at Burwell Baptist. And it is all because of the great God that we serve.

I do though want to mention revival in our devotional. Revival is something that happens to Christians. It is God’s children getting serious about their relationship with the Lord and dealing with areas of their lives that need to be dealt with. I have seen so many Christians that are loaded with head knowledge regarding the Bible but are rude, arrogant, critical and negative. Their attitudes are terrible. In fact, I have seen them make excuses for that type of behavior time and time again.

Revival would mean dealing with these attitudes if that person were to get serious about what God wanted of their life. We don’t have to be rude, critical, etc. to be in need of serious spiritual look at our life. Some things that we may try to excuse, things such as gossip, destructive habits, etc. may be things that we need to deal with so that God can really bring us to the point we need to be as His children.

One of the verses that ties with the Prayer Summit is 2 Chronicles 7:14. The setting is the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem under King Solomon. One night after the Temple was done the Lord appeared to Solomon to let him know that He would answer the prayers of the people if they offered them with the right heart. That passage says:

"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."

Though written to Israel there are a few principles that we all can relate to:

1) If God’s people will humble themselves and pray He will hear. We need humility when it comes to our life with the Lord. James 4:10 says, “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.” Humility is not seeing ourselves as compared to others; it is seeing ourselves as compared to God.

2) If God’s people will seek His face and turn from their wicked ways God will respond. To “turn” from our wicked ways would be repenting. Repentance is doing a 180 degree turn around in our life. It is going in one direction and choosing to go another. Repentance means not only acknowledging sinful areas of our life but then doing something about them. It is a radical approach that says we will deal with the sins in our life to whatever extent it takes to get rid of them. That is tough but repentance is something that we all have to do.

3) If God’s people do the previous two things God will forgive and restore us. As we have mentioned in a message on Sunday mornings, forgiveness has already happened through the cross of Jesus Christ. Healing though is something that many of us need. We are talking specifically of spiritual and emotional issues that we may be struggling with right now. God wants to help us, He wants to love us – we just need to let Him.

It is a humble gracious opportunity God has provided me to be your pastor. Thank you and may God richly bless you in the days ahead.

Pastor Scott

Pray for our leaders

2009-01-13T21:06:00.003-06:00

Back in November the nation voted. We ushered in a new president with promises of hope and change. Regardless of who we voted for, the reality is as Christians we have a responsibility to pray for those in government (1 Timothy 2:1-3) whether we agree with them or not.

In this, there is a flipside. Whether leaders of nations recognize it or not, God has expectations of them. Whether they acknowledge Christ or not, God holds them accountable for how they rule a nation. All the horrible leaders over the centuries must answer for how they led their nations, whether in a way that honored God or dishonored Him.

Before Israel ever asked for a king, God had specified what kind of king they were to have. He had described for them in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 certain things that were expected of the leader of Israel. Though specifically dealing with the guidelines for a king over the Jewish people, some of the principles found in the passage apply to governmental leaders today.

I believe if Jesus were to sit down with our incoming president and his cabinet He would tell them that they need to govern according to His Word since He is the ruler of the nations. From this passage in Deuteronomy we learn a few things about those who rule:

1) They are to depend on God, not man. He was not to accumulate vast amounts of wealth, make wrong alliances or to depend on man’s power and in doing so ignore God (vss. 14-17). Along with this could be included integrity. Leaders are to be people of integrity. A brief definition of integrity is this –“It means wholeness, intact, entire”. A person with integrity has nothing to hide and nothing to fear.

Our rulers should be people who don’t have to cover-up what they are doing in office. Character, apart of integrity, has been defined as “what we are when no one is looking”. Our leaders need to be dependent upon God as they lead and are to be show integrity.

2) They are to lead with convictions grounded in truth. In vs. 19 Moses wrote that the king was to keep a copy of the law (God’s Word) and read it everyday. In doing that they would know what God expected of them as they governed. We need to pray that our leaders would discover a real relationship with Christ and lead by following the objective truths of Scripture.

3) They are to lead with humility. The president of our country has often been called the most powerful person on earth (in human terms). Vs. 20 says that by reading the Word of God a leader will keep from getting proud and acting as if he is better than the people he governs. Most leaders around the world are very arrogant and proud.

As we consider our new leaders at all levels of government, let’s pray for them that one, if they don’t know Christ they would come to know Him personally, and two, that they would lead with integrity, humility and grounded in truth.

In closing, let me share one last thought. Washington does not hold the answer to America’s issues. Politics will not change our country. Only a personal life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ can do that. But let us pray for our leaders as the Bible commanded and see what God can do in their personal lives that would affect what they do.

Pastor Scott

Devotional thoughts

2009-01-07T22:58:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! Well, we got that out of the way. From my family to yours we pray that you have had a great Christmas season.  For Christians the birth of Jesus Christ is such an awesome event and the life that He lived was just as amazing. God’s love for us is so overwhelming that at times I just cannot comprehend it.

As we head into a new year, I wanted to share a brief thought on a passage of Scripture found in Joshua chapter four. The people of Israel have just crossed the Jordan River in chapter three, a miracle in itself as God dried up the Jordan so they could cross. In chapter four Joshua has one man from each of the twelve tribes gather stones to build a memorial. This memorial would remind future generations of how God dried up the river to allow the Israelites to pass over. The desired effect was that people would look back and see what God had done for His people, how He had cared for them in both the good and difficult times.

As we look back over 2008 there may be many things to reflect on. Some of us made big changes in our life, whether it is family, job, or physical or spiritually related. Some of us may have gone through a very traumatic experience or two in 2008 and we saw God work even in those times. Others can reflect on a year in which they grew tremendously in their faith, family was good, work was good. The list could go on and on.

We all have things to remember about this past year. Every one of us experienced various things and they affected us in different ways. In all of this I want to encourage us to remember that even when it seemed like the world was caving in around us God had not forgotten us. Even in the tough times He was there. For those of us who can reflect on a very good year God was there to.  God loves us all equally if we know Jesus as Savior and Lord. As we begin this year, let me encourage us to do a couple of things as we reflect on 2008:

1) Recall the things that God has done for us that were good things. Even in the midst of difficult times God can shine through.  Thank Him for loving us unconditionally.
2) Take time to reflect on the awesomeness of God every day. Thank Him for His grace towards us, His mercy, His patience, even His correction of us when we are wrong.
3) The stones as a memorial also pointed towards a future for Israel. Regardless of how tough 2008 may have been God has some things in store for our future, whether here on earth or in heaven that are pretty great. The goal is to move forward in our life to become all God wants us to be.

We could say more about memorials but these three thoughts are something I wanted to share with you. Again, my family and I are privileged to be here at Burwell Baptist. Thanks again for accepting us and loving us. We could not have a better church family.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Merry Christmas

2009-01-07T22:55:00.000-06:00

Greetings from the Reeve family. Well, here it is just a few days before Christmas. If you have been “dreaming of a white Christmas” there is no doubt that you have that. From our family to yours we want to wish you a very merry Christmas. You have been so gracious to our family since we arrived here I can only say that it is a humble honor to serve as a pastor at Burwell Baptist Church. Your graciousness and kindness to our family has been a blessing and we say again “thank you.”

Though I have not been able to get out a devotional every week like I had planned I am trying to send something out often. As we focus on Christmas I wanted to consider two individuals who played such a huge part in the Christmas Story – one we often talk about and one not so much.

Consider Mary. Imagine God coming to you and sharing with you that you would be the one who would bear the Christ child. This takes place in Luke 1:26-38. An angel comes to her and tells her that she is “favored” among women. She had been picked by God for this amazing assignment of carrying Jesus and giving birth to Him. When the angel explained how this would happen to her considering she was a “virgin” she said in vs. 38, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.”

Mary’s obedience is something to consider. Her willingness to obey the Lord even in hard to understand situations should encourage us. Things happen in our life that we cannot fully grasp but it is in those times that we need to say with Mary that we are the “Lord’s servants” and we are willing to “accept whatever he wants.” God means us no harm. His desire for us even in the hard times is to grow closer to Him.

Then there was Joseph. He plays a part in this as recorded in Matthew 1:18-25. When Joseph heard that Mary was pregnant we read in vs. 19 that he “decided to break the engagement quietly so as not to disgrace her publicly.” At that time in history, Jewish law stated that a woman who became pregnant out of wedlock could bear a community’s wrath. Joseph chose to not make this even public. He was a “just” man vs. 19 tells us. Vs. 20 tells us that he was considering what his options were and the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him about the child Jesus and the miraculous conception of Mary. He immediately obeyed what God told him and went and married Mary.

Both Mary and Joseph encourage us to remember at Christmas that times are not always easy, but even when they are not there is a God Who was born on the earth, Who loved us, Who cares for us, Who has a plan for us. Stay close to Him and get to know Him.

Some thoughts:

1. Take time to re-read the Christmas story found in Matthew 1 and Luke 1 and 2. Read Mary’s “song of praise” to God in Luke 1:46-55. It is a testimony to our God and Savior.
2. Take time to be thankful for what God has done in giving us eternal life, people to love us, and a church family that cares for us.

Pastor Scott