Up, Up and Away

Acts 1:9-11 is easy to skim over. After all the verses before deal with Jesus' commission to His disciples and the verses after deal with selecting Judas' replacement. But, the ascension of Jesus is not something we should just fly by. The Ascension is important. Without it we would miss out on a number of benefits and blessings in the Christian life.

If Jesus did not ascend we would not have an advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1). Our lives, which are hidden with Him, would be earthly not heavenly (Colossians 3:1-4). Most importantly, because Jesus went to be with the Father, we get the Holy Spirit, indwelling and empowering us (John 16:7). We can also have the confidence that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus (Matthew 28:18) On top of that, we have the assurance from Acts 1:11 that Jesus will return bodily for us! Those are some incredible benefits and are well worth praising God for.

Here is how the Heidelberg Catechism puts it:

Question: How does Christ's ascension to Heaven benefit us?

Answer: First, He pleads our cause in heaven in the presence of His Father. Second, we have our own flesh in heaven - a guarantee that Christ our head will take us, His members, to Himself in heaven. Third, He sends His Spirit to us on earth as a further guarantee. By the Spirit's power we make the goal of our lives, not earthly things, but the things above where Christ is, sitting at God's right hand.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Mike

For Further Study: Kevin DeYoung, The Good News We Almost Forgot (Chapter 18)

The God Who Answers

Do you ever feel like your prayers aren't accomplishing much? Do you feel like God doesn't care?

Over the past few weeks there has been a theme in our memory verses that should encourage you -- God does hear and answer. He is the God who answers.

Consider the following verses:
"From my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a large place" (Psalm 11:5)

"I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." (Psalm 34:4)

"This poor man cried , and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles." (Psalm 34:6)

"The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry." (Psalm 34:15)

"The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles." (Psalm 34:17)

If you are a Christian, you are righteous. If you are righteous and seek the Lord, you can be confident based on the authority of His Word that He will hear, answer you and ultimately deliver you.

Call upon Him, He will answer.

In Christ
Pastor Mike

Are You a Slacker?

You might be a slacker (or, sluggard) if:

• You make excuses and avoid responsibility (Pr 26:13)
• You have difficulty finishing simple tasks (Pr 19:24; 26:15)
• You don't work at the appropriate time (Pr 20:4; 24:30-34)
• You sleep a lot (Pr 26:14)
• You are a know it all (Pr 26:16)

As you can see, you don't have to be a young man, living at home, listening to music, watching movies and playing video games all day to be a slacker. You simply have to be lazy and avoid your God given responsibilities.

Take a moment today and ask yourself, "What roles and responsibilities has God given me?" Then ask yourself, "Am I doing my best to accomplish the work God has given me or am I avoiding it?"

Don't be a slacker! It is not safe and it is not wise. (Pr 21:25; 24:30-34). Don't forget, God blesses diligent hard workers (Pr10:4; 12:24).

In Christ
Pastor Mike

Resource for further study: Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

Self-Control

Self-control is not a topic we like to think about. But it is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). It is also a topic that is important throughout the Proverbs.

God wants us to be self-disciplined in what, and how much, we eat; in how often we visit our neighbor and in how we deal with our temper. Personally, I find Proverbs 25:16, 27 particularly challenging. It is no so hard to stay away from honey, but if you put Ice Cream, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, M&M’s or pretty much any form of chocolate in the place of honey – the verse becomes very personal. The Scriptures are clear – carefully moderating our deserts (honey) is a good thing.

Proverbs 28 has more to say about greed, which seems closely related to a lack of self-control. Greed will lead to punishment (Pr 28:20), the sin of partiality (Pr 28:21), poverty (Pr 28:22), conflict (Pr 28:25) and curses (Pr 28:27).

Beloved, our American lifestyle promotes greed, discontent and lack of self-control. We need to pay attention to God’s warnings. It is not bad to find honey (desert) or other forms of wealth. We should receive them with thanksgiving. But we must also use God’s good gifts in moderation.

In Christ
Pastor Mike