“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NIV) Your jersey will determine your opposition. What team are you playing for? If you have turned your life over to Jesus Christ then you are wearing the Jesus jersey. You have been adopted into God’s family, your name has been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and you have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Your agenda is no longer about you and your plans. Your agenda is now the Head Coach’s agenda. Now you live your life according to His game plan. Now your passion is to please the One who’s Name you bear. Remember, in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He is for you. He designed you. He determined who your parents would be and where you would be born. If God is for you, who can be against you? This verse does not mean that you will not face opposition in this life. If you wear the Jesus jersey you will face intense opposition. God’s promise is that your opposition is not your opposition. The opposition you face in this life is God’s opposition. Satan knew he could not defeat God, so he decided to attack that which is closest to God’s heart. You! So the opposition you are facing is really not about you, but about Satan trying to hurt God by attacking God’s children. The wonderful victorious news is that God is for you! If God is for you, then Satan doesn’t have a chance! Place this promise on a patch and sew it on the sleeve of your Jesus jersey: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) It sounds like you just made a touchdown! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Author: Stephen Trammell
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32 (NIV) The gas light just came on. You keep driving as you wonder how far you can go before you run out. The farther you drive the more adrenaline pumps into your bloodstream. As you visualize the possibility of stepping out of your car to push it one full block to the gas pump, you decide it might be time to stop risking the inevitable and just take the time to fill up. God’s gas light never comes on. His tank never empties. He never runs on fumes. God is the God of abundance! His resources are unlimited! The beauty of His love is seen by His willingness to give us His very best, His own Son. God gave up His Son, Jesus, for us all. What an incredible portrait of His grace. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV) God did not wait until you had it all together. God did not wait until you cleaned your life up and eliminated the rough edges. God demonstrated His own love for us before we made a move toward Him. God went first! God initiated the love relationship that we enjoy! How do we know that? While we were still bankrupt in our sinful condition, Christ died for us! “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NIV) Notice what we truly deserve…death! Notice what we get instead…eternal life! How can that be? God who graciously gives us all things gives us the gift of eternal life. It cost Him everything, yet it is free to us. Have you received the gift of eternal life? Are you in Christ? Your union with Christ will determine your eternal destiny. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Conformity
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:29 (NIV) How did Bathsheba make it into the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1:6? How did you make it into the family tree of Christ? Bathsheba and you are products of the grace of God. The only way in is through the doorway of God’s grace. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:8-9 (NIV) You are in the Royal Family through the grace of God as evidenced in your faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross. Now that you have been adopted into His family, God wants you to become like Christ. The process of sanctification follows salvation. Once you are saved, God places you on a path to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. You have the wonderful privilege of participating with God in the process of conformity. God seeks to remove anything in us that doesn’t look like Jesus. Sometimes God will use the chisel of adversity and sometimes God will use the hammer of silence. God will allow us to go through seasons of uncertainty to conform us into the likeness of Christ. Reflect for a few moments on the level of Christ-likeness that has been attained in your journey thus far. What behavior and attitudes do you exhibit currently that just don’t line up with Christ-likeness? Will you participate with God in the process of conformity? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV) While you were sleeping, God was working. He does not sleep. God is always at work. His work is continuous and consistent. Whatever you are facing today, God is working. Whatever you are dreading today, God is working. Whatever you are fearing today, God is working. In all things, God works! He takes the initiative. Regardless of how confusing your current circumstance may seem to you, God is at work. He takes the initiative to work for your good and His glory. In all things God works for the good of those who love Him. Do you love Him? Have you been called according to His purpose? Then you can walk in assurance today knowing that in all the things you face, in all the things you are wrestling with, in all the things that seem impossible, God works for your good. He will do what is best for you. He formed you and fashioned you and He will orchestrate all of the circumstances that surround you in order to work for your good. Now that is the favor of God! You are favored by God. You are His treasure. Trust Him. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands…” Jer 18:4 (NIV) Whenever you purchase an item that has an “as is” tag on it, you accept the fact that it may be flawed. In other words, the item may not be perfect. The beauty of salvation is that God accepted us “as is” and brought us into a vibrant love relationship with Himself to move us from “as is” to “what could be” in His hands. Yes! We were marred in His hands. But, He lovingly and patiently removes the imperfections of our attitude, behavior, and speech. Being on the Potter’s wheel can be painful at times. As God allows us to go through suffering and sorrow in this life, the areas of our life that do not reflect Christ-likeness will be dealt with. God will grow us through the pain. He will mold us and shape us through adversity. Bathsheba endured some difficult seasons in her life. She experienced loneliness, grief, delays, disappointment, and shattered dreams. Yet, God redeemed all of those seasons in her life to bring her into a deeper relationship with Himself. She would have never become a Proverbs 31 woman without the adversity that God allowed her to face. She was marred in His hands. As a result of the loving touch of the Potter’s hands, she became a masterpiece! Are you on the Potter’s wheel? Be patient. Allow God to mold you. He took you “as is” and He is shaping you for eternal significance. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.” Jer 18:1-4 (NIV) God specializes in using broken vessels. Jeremiah noticed the potter shaping the pot as seemed best to him. Our life will be useful to God if we continually remember that God is the potter and we are the clay. Maybe you have been on the Potter’s wheel in your life and you have experienced a season of suffering. God can use suffering to mold us and shape us. I remember a few years ago I was going through a difficult season of personal suffering and I decided to call one of my mentors. I remember asking him if maybe God was preparing me for my next assignment. He immediately responded by saying that, “God is always preparing you for your next assignment. But, your next assignment may be right where you are!” Suffering is part of living on a broken planet. We live in a fallen world. Yet, God has the capacity of utilizing that suffering for our spiritual formation. Don’t expend your energy trying to detect the source of your suffering. Instead, ask God to show you what He wants to accomplish through your life in the midst of the suffering. Bathsheba experienced the death of her warrior husband, the death of her infant son, and the moral drifting of her adult son, Solomon. In the midst of her suffering, God developed her into a Proverbs 31 woman. Are you willing to allow God to place you on the Potter’s wheel to mold you and shape you into the image of Christ? Are you willing to allow God to develop your spiritual formation so that you can reach your full redemptive potential? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“…and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,” Matt 1:6 (NIV) In the first chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, four women are named in the genealogy of Christ: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Mary. Uniquely, there is a fifth woman listed in the genealogy of Christ, but she is unnamed. She is simply identified as Uriah’s wife. We know her name because we were introduced to her by name in II Samuel chapter eleven. “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, ‘Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’” 2 Sam 11:2-3 (NIV). Bathsheba’s name means “daughter of abundance.” She is blessed with a wonderful name, yet her name is not mentioned in chapter one of Matthew. We will find that she is abundantly blessed with God’s grace. She is a warrior’s wife and her husband has gone off to war. While Uriah is away, Bathsheba is home alone. One evening while she is bathing, King David notices her and wants to know more about her. He asks about her and then discovers that she is Uriah’s wife. That doesn’t slow King David down any. He proceeds to have her brought to his palace and then ends up taking the relationship too far. As a result, Bathsheba gets pregnant. Has life ever taken you to a place you never thought you would face? Take a few moments to reflect over your life and try to recall some of those experiences that caught you by surprise. Think about some of the consequences you have faced due to poor decisions you have made. We have all been there. The question is: What will God teach us about ourselves and about Himself during those times? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Tim 1:5 (NIV) My dad became a severe alcoholic which led to my parents’ divorce when I was seven years old. As a result, I grew up in a single parent family. My mother sought to fulfill both roles of being a father and a mother to me and my older brother. The one constant in our upbringing was church. My mother played the piano and my Mamaw played the organ. Every Sunday morning and evening and Wednesday night we would be at church. During those years of growing up without a dad, God raised up some godly men in our church who took us fishing, hunting, and camping. The Apostle Paul is writing a very personal note to his son in the ministry, Timothy. He recalls Timothy’s sincere faith which first became evident in the lives of Timothy’s mother and grandmother. They effectively handed down their faith to their son and grandson, Timothy. I can relate. My mother and Mamaw have consistently lived out their faith. God used their influence to bring me to the point of recognizing my need for Jesus to become my personal Lord and Savior. On March 28, 1979, I turned my life over to Christ and He saved me. Ever since that moment, I have had the wonderful privilege of knowing the Friend who sticks closer than a brother and the Father who will never let me down. Who has God used to influence you to develop an abiding relationship with Jesus? Spend some time in prayer thanking God for the godly influences He has brought into your life. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Resentment
“‘Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. “Your brother has come,” he replied, “and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’” “‘The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’” Luke 15:25-30 (NIV) Resentment is like acid in a relationship. It causes strife, discord, and animosity. Resentment has the capacity to keep you from experiencing meaningful relationships. The fruit of resentment is a heart full of bitterness. The prodigal son received a loving reception from his gracious father. Yet his older brother did not exemplify the same kind of response. Instead, he exhibited a major case of resentment. The older brother was unwilling to see his brother through the eyes of his loving father. He was quick to judge and condemn. There was no room for an expression of mercy only a toxic display of bitterness and resentment. Are there any relationships in your life that have caused you to grow bitter? Can you name a few individuals who have affected your life in a demeaning way? Where do you go from here? Spend some time praying for people you have grown bitter towards. Acknowledge your struggle in prayer and ask God to release you from the bondage of bitterness and the rope of resentment. Surrender your hurt and disappointment to God and seek to reflect the father’s heart and not the older brother’s resentment. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Participation
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10 (NIV) God places the righteousness of Christ in us at salvation. His impartation of purity makes us fit for the Kingdom of God. Our response should be that of participation in the perpetual process of purity. We work out what God has worked in! Notice how James highlights our responsibility in the partnership with God: “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 (NIV) We are to take the initiative to purify our hearts. The constant pursuit of purity should be evidenced in our lives. We are living out the imputed righteousness of Christ. We take on the nature of Christ to live in obedience to God. God rewards our participation in the process of purity. Jesus spoke it clearly in what we call the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matt 5:8 (NIV) Are you pursuing purity? Is your life unmixed and unadulterated? Are you clean before God? God invites you to walk with Him in purity. His heart is reflected in the prodigal son’s life. “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.’” Luke 15:22-23 (NIV) Why would the father demand that the servants put a ring on the prodigal son’s finger? The ring symbolizes relationship and partnership. The broken and confessional son received affirmation of his sonship. The father signified the partnership through a ring. Are you connected to Jesus? Is your life hidden in Christ? Can you say that Christ is your life? Who will you partner with today in order to pursuing a life of purity? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” Psalms 51:3 (NIV) How’s your memory? Can you remember your favorite vacation from your childhood? Can you remember learning how to swim or braving the high diving board for the first time? Do you remember the day you got your driver’s license? There’s power in memory. Memory can paralyze us with fear or mobilize us to persevere. Memory can blockade us like a brick wall or project us forward like a smooth water slide. It depends on how you utilize your memory. Satan uses memory to ridicule and demean us. He uses our memory to stifle our growth and to discredit our progress. Satan will bring to our minds the darkness of our past in order to cripple us. Yet, where Satan seeks to bring death and destruction, God can bring life and victory! God uses memory to remind us where we would be without His abundant grace and abiding peace. God allows us to remember our sin so that we will know where He brought us from. David acknowledged his sin. David affirmed the reality of sin always being before him in his memory. The question is not: Why do I remember my sin? The question is: What will I do in response to my ability to remember my sin? God wants us to remember that He rescued us from our sin so that we can live the abundant life. So, when Satan reminds you of your past just remind him of God’s provision of cleansing through the shed blood of His Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus! Yes! Now that’s using memory in victory! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Transition
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalms 46:1-3 (NIV) Are you currently facing any of life’s transitions? Maybe you are preparing for graduation and anticipating the future. Perhaps you are considering retirement and wonder if this is the right time. As a primary caregiver, you may be seeking God concerning transitioning a loved one into an assisted living center. It could be that you have purchased a new home and are trying to get settled and find order amidst the chaos. Regardless of your particular season of transition, God is more than sufficient to see you through. For the elder brother, his transition was related to the reentry of his younger brother we know as the prodigal son. Can you relate? Has anyone reentered your life recently? That’s a transition that you must face. How will you make room in your life for the person? How will their presence affect you and your schedule? The elder brother did not transition well. He was embittered by his father’s gracious response. He was resentful of the forgiveness his younger brother received. He will have to choose how he will navigate this transition. God is our refuge! We can go to Him. In fact, our first response to life’s transitions should be to go to Him. He already knows what we are facing and what challenges we will face. Remember, He is all knowing! God is our strength! We will run out of fuel at some point. The fumes are not sufficient, but God is. Allow Him to be your source of strength today. Allow God to have access to your life and your transitions. God is an ever-present help in trouble. There’s no where you can go to get away from God’s presence. He is omnipresent! He is your help to face life’s transitions. Rest in Him. Give Him your worry. Give Him your confusion. Wait for God to show you the next step. Simply obey what you already know! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Personalization
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” Psalms 51:1 (NIV) David came to the point of desperation after committing the sins of adultery and murder. God used the prophet Nathan to confront David. Nathan used a parable to personalize David’s sin and then injected the piercing accusatory statement, “You are the man!” Have you heard these lyrics before? “It’s me! It’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer!” Both David and the prodigal son would have embraced this song. It is common throughout our earthly existence to go through seasons of personalization. In fact, if you want to become Christ-like and reach your God-given potential then you must be willing to acknowledge your sin personally. Personalization is looking into the mirror and confronting the reality of your own sin before you start judging others. The next step is to personalize God’s mercy, unfailing love, and compassion. Now let’s get personal. What specific area of your life is in desperate need of God’s touch? Identify the sin that entangles you and trace Satan’s strategy. How does the enemy attack you? When are you most susceptible to sin? Where are you when you are most vulnerable to the enemy’s flaming arrows? Is it when you travel? Is it when you are home alone? Is it when you are at work? Personalize Psalms 51:1 and pray it to God right now. Go ahead and pray this Scripture and see how God reveals his mercy, unfailing love, and compassion. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Compassion
“The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.” Psalms 116:5 (NIV) God’s resources are unlimited. Try to measure the depth of God’s love. Seek to weigh the hand that keeps the planets in orbit. Ponder the expanse of God’s consistent flow of gracious compassion. The prodigal son’s father exhibited God’s nature and character as he embraced his repentant son. The father’s compassion demonstrated that he valued his son’s return more than he judged his son’s rebellion. What does righteousness in action look like? Well, it looks like a father showing compassion to a wayward son. David painted a portrait of the nature and character of God as that of being full of compassion. Aren’t you eternally grateful that our Living God is the God of Compassion? His compassion is His righteousness in action. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6 (NIV) What does compassion look like in your life? When have you experienced the compassion of God? Imagine your life without God’s righteousness in action. What if God withdrew His compassion from your life today? Pray with me: “Father, thank You for being a God of communication. We praise You for making Your compassion known to us even while we were living in rebellion and disobedience. We marvel at Your patience with us. Enable us to live in light of Your compassion today. Empower us to extend Your compassion to others in the measure that You have extended Your compassion to us. May others see Jesus in us through every interaction and interruption that You allow. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Distinction
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’” “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” Luke 15:28-32 (NIV) If you have ever lost anything that you valued then you know what it feels like to celebrate when the recovery is made. Can you imagine someone you treasure being displaced? Do you sense the anticipation of their return? How would you respond? The prodigal son was fortunate to have a father waiting, watching, and anticipating his return. However, the older brother was not in a celebrative frame of mind. He was bitter and resentful. The older brother could not understand why his father would throw such a massive party for his young wayward brother. It just did not make sense. The father made a distinction between the two brothers. Did you see it in the passage? The father affirmed the older son’s distinction by acknowledging their special connection that was not hindered by the younger son’s rebellion. On the other hand, the father made a clear distinction by identifying that the younger son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. The prodigal son was in desperate need of the father’s mercy, grace, and love. Have you been there? Spend some time thinking about how God has fathered you through difficult times. Aren’t you grateful that He doesn’t give you what you deserve? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:22-24 (NIV) After a few minutes of channel surfing on your television you will discover that the media ruthlessly demeans human beings. Cynicism, pessimism, and sarcasm permeate the air waves. In order to bestow dignity you must value the other person. How you view others will directly affect how you treat others. The prodigal son obviously negated his right for a welcome home party. He had dishonored his family name and wasted his family fortune. His lifestyle of gratifying his sinful appetite would have seemingly burnt the bridges back home. However, the prodigal son’s absence of dignity did not circumvent the presence of dignity the father beheld. The prodigal son’s negligent behavior did not evaporate the father’s love. The father was willing to look beyond his son’s sin and embrace his son’s value. The father was willing to retrieve the diamond in the rough. The prodigal son’s reception was not based on his sin but on the father’s endless source of love. Sound familiar? God doesn’t give us what we deserve. Now that is mercy! God also gives us what we do not deserve. Now that is grace! His love shines through our failure and selfishness in order to bring the dignity of Christ into our lives. Our value is based on His unconditional love. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Disposition
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’” Luke 15:21 (NIV) There is power in the recognition of your true disposition. You can shroud your persona with a facade that exudes perfection while your inner life embodies disarray. Disguising the reality of your inner self has the potential to delay being found out. However, the manifestation of your true disposition will appear at some point. God has a way of exposing our current reality. “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” Gen 3:8-10 (NIV) When God asked Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” He was not perplexed that He had misplaced the crown of His creation. His question was not one of confusion related to an inability to find the couple that He created. His question was to heighten their recognition of their true disposition. God wanted Adam and Eve to recognize their current reality. After Isaiah encountered God’s holiness, he came face to face with his true disposition. A new standard of measurement became his conscious defining moment. Notice Isaiah’s response: “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Isaiah 6:5 (NIV) The prodigal son identified his true disposition and responded with the confession, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Consider the holiness of God. Are you sensing a need for confession in light of His holiness and your true disposition? His purity exposes our sinfulness. He graciously offers forgiveness. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 (NIV) Have you ever felt a distance between you and God? Have you experienced seasons where God seemed far away? Who moved? God allows us to distance ourselves from Him. Did you know that you determine the level of intimacy that you have with God? “Come near to God and he will come near to you…” James 4:8 (NIV) God draws us near in salvation and we respond by drawing near to Him through daily intimacy. We navigate the relational proximity. Remember, the prodigal son made the life altering decision to get up and go back to his father. Notice how the prodigal son was still a long way off when his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. Who ran? Well, the son ran away from his father and then decided to return. The father ran to his son. That blesses my heart. The father ran to his son! It sounds like “mercy came running!” Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“So he got up and went to his father.” Luke 15:20 (NIV) There are so many options out there. Think about it. You will decide what to wear today. You will decide how you are going to interact with people today. You will decide where you will go throughout the day. You will decide what kind of attitude you will exhibit today. God has enabled you to make decisions. As you know, with that kind of privilege comes an awesome responsibility to decide responsibly. The prodigal son decided to leave his father’s presence, protection, and provision in order to embrace a lifestyle of instant gratification. His perpetual poor decisions led him down the muddy path into the pigpen. In the midst of the painful and devastating consequences proportionate to his poor decisions, the prodigal son made a decision that radically changed his future. He decided to get up and go back to his father. Joshua illuminates the power of making wise decisions when he says, “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Josh 24:14-15 (NIV) I deeply affirm a statement that I heard Louie Giglio make: “Long before you decided what to do with God, God decided what to do with you.” Now, it’s your turn! What will your decision be? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Desperation
“He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.” Luke 15:16 (NIV) Desperate situations demand desperate measures. For a human being to get low enough to crave the slop that pigs eat defies logic. However, as Steve Farrar says in his book, Finishing Strong: Sin will take you farther than you want to go. Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay. Sin will cost you more than you want to pay. Our appetite for sin will eventually take us down a road that leads to living below our new identity in Christ. The prodigal son reached the low point of sin’s dreaded sway. He encountered the backside of the glitz and glamour of sin. What would happen if you inverted your desperation? What if you decided to live in desperation for God? What if your appetite was refashioned from craving of sin to craving of righteousness? Have you been to the desperate place? Have you ever reached the bottom? Now look within! Recognize your current condition. You are not made for the pigpen. Now look up! Resolve to live in light of your new identity in Christ. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Distractions
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.” Luke 15:13 (NIV) How does a runner prepare for a marathon? He removes distractions that would impede his progress and focuses his energy and effort on intentional training. One of Satan’s primary tools is to keep us distracted from God’s plan. We begin to major on the minors and minor on the majors. We drift from our core values and seek to embrace superfluous agendas. The prodigal son allowed the allurements of the distant country to distract him from his father’s plan. He sought to bypass his father’s protection and provision in order to court a cheap but appealing substitute. Sin never delivers what it promises! What’s the antidote to distractions? How do you overcome the lure of leaving the straight life? Here it is: Make up your mind! “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Col 3:1-3 (NIV) Pray this prayer with me: “Lord, I have made up my mind. Since I have been raised with You, I will set my heart on things above where You are seated at the right hand of God. Lord, I have made up my mind. I will set my mind on things above and not on earthly things. I have made up my mind. Since you died on the cross for me, my life is now hidden with You in God. I have made up my mind in Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Restoration
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father. “ Luke 15:17-20 (NIV) You are not a robot. God created you with the capacity to accept His plan or to reject His plan. He made you to be relational. You can respond to God’s offer of restoration or you can choose to go your own way. God grants the freedom to accept Him or reject Him. By the power of His Holy Spirit, He comforts and convicts. He guides and He provides. However, God will allow you to freedom to choose a selfish path or a selfless path. He will alert you when you are taking a path that is not His best for you. Yet, God will allow you to maneuver in the direction of your choice. The prodigal son made a poor decision when he selfishly requested his share of the estate so that he could carelessly spend it. Yet, God allowed him to get to the pigpen level of living. It was there that the prodigal son came to his senses and made the life-giving decision to get up and go back to his father. Restoration awaits! How will you respond to God’s offer? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalms 46:10 (NIV) Hit the pause button! Wait! Stop! Hold on a second! Don’t move! Freeze! Relax! Be still! Why are we in such a hurry? Why are we sprinting in this marathon called life? Why do we choose to run on fumes? Your life is structured for the results you are getting. If you are overwhelmed and stretched to the limit, then your life is currently structured to produce that reality. Can you continue living at your present pace? Can you continue to function at the immediate level you are embracing? You may be feeling that if something doesn’t change you are going to explode or burn out. So the question is: What needs to change? If you keep living the way you are living you will keep getting the results you are getting. Maybe there is value in being still. Maybe there are healthy consequences to being still. I wonder if God created us to know that He is God. What if our knowing Him as God is proportionate to our willingness to be still? Are you willing to try an experiment? Find a quiet place each day to just sit and reflect. Hit the pause button at least one time per day in order to be still. There’s no agenda! There’s nothing to fulfill! There’s no deadline! Just be still and see what God does to bring refreshing, renewal, and revival into your life. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Identification
“As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.” Acts 8:36-39 (NIV) When I served as pastor of First Baptist Church of Folsom, Louisiana, during my seminary days I had the wonderful experience of creek baptisms. Every July 4th week we would have a special worship service at Pittman’s Creek. Even though we had a heated baptistry in our worship center, many believers chose to be baptized in the freezing cold water at the creek. Those were memorable baptisms. Have you been properly baptized by immersion following your conversion? If not, why not? What is keeping you from identifying with Christ through baptism? The Ethiopian eunuch was passionate about following in believer’s baptism. His life had been radically transformed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Now, he wanted to identify with Christ through baptism. He chose a creek baptism! If you have already followed the Lord in believer’s baptism, spend some time reflecting on that spiritual marker in your life. Thank God for allowing you to identify with Jesus through baptism. If you have not been baptized, would you be willing to schedule your baptism within the next few days. Make it right! Give God your best! Jesus went all the way for you. Would you be willing to go the next step with Him and identify with Him through believer’s baptism? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Intentionality
“The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” Acts 8:34-35 (NIV) Be intentional! Make a bee-line to the cross! Maximize the opportunities that God brings to you each day. Don’t minimize your participation in God’s activity. Can God accomplish His plan without you? Sure He can! However, God chooses to use human instrumentality in the redemptive process. God chose to use Philip in bringing salvation to the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip was available, sensitive, and intentional. It is not enough to just make yourself available. It is not enough to be sensitive to opportunities God interjects into your path. You must be willing to intentionally point people to Jesus. Every interaction and every interruption in life can be used of God to bring people into a vibrant love relationship with Jesus. Don’t miss the opportunity! Seize the moment! Be intentional! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Sensitivity
“Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” Acts 8:30-31 (NIV) Is availability enough? If you make yourself available for God’s use will that be enough? No! Your availability must be accompanied by your sensitivity to God’s activity. Philip would have missed the divine connection with the Ethiopian eunuch had he not both made himself available to God and been sensitive to God’s activity. In obedience to God, Philip ran to the chariot. Then, he was sensitive enough to hear the man reading Isaiah the prophet and to ask a probing question. In others words, Philip was sensitive to the opportunity that God had orchestrated. God is always at work. Make yourself available and be sensitive to God’s activity. Your sensitivity to God’s activity will determine the level of connectivity with people God brings into your path. Are you available? Are you sensitive to God’s activity? Let’s see what happens in your life today! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Availability
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’” Acts 8:26-29 (NIV) God blesses our availability. He is not limited by our ability or inability. God does His best work through those who make themselves available for His use. So, the question is: Are you available for God’s use? If so, then anticipate God’s invitation for your participation in His Kingdom activity. God is always at work. Are you available to join Him in His work? Philip made himself available for God’s use. God responded to Philip’s availability by inviting him to join Him in what He was already doing in the life of the Ethiopian eunuch. Did you notice that as Philip was on his way and the eunuch was also on his way and God made a way for the two to connect? This divine connection would have never taken place had Philip not made himself available for God’s use. Will you pray right now and make yourself available for God’s use? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Soul Consciousness
“The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” Jer 8:20 (NIV) How much time do you have left on earth? How many people will die without a saving relationship with Jesus Christ within the next twenty-four hours? What difference will your life make in light of eternity? Jesus modeled a deep abiding passion for souls. The Bible says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost”(Luke 19:10 NIV). Jesus never lost His focus of redeeming the lost. He did not neglect His mission to save the lost at any cost. How many lost people are in your sphere of influence? What kind of relational bridge are you building to them? What are you willing to do to introduce them to a saving relationship with Jesus? Pray this prayer with me. “Father, forgive me for my passive neglect. Forgive me for being so self-absorbed that I have minimized the urgency of soul-winning. Elevate my soul consciousness. Give me eyes to see lost people in their desperation. Anoint me with the courage of Jesus. Empower me to be your witness and to be your laborer in the harvest field. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Confidence
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Heb 4:16 (NIV) Approaching the throne of grace with confidence is not equated with arrogance. Confidence is acknowledging your enablement through God working in you and through you. Arrogance is rooted in self worship. God grants accessibility. He makes Himself available to us and allows us to approach His throne of grace. Now grace is receiving what we do not deserve while mercy is not receiving what we deserve. We do not deserve God’s acceptance. We do not deserve God’s provision of forgiveness, redemption, and eternal life. Because of our sin nature, we deserve death, alienation, punishment, and eternal damnation. Praise God for His initiative to bring you into a vibrant love relationship with Himself. Now that you can approach the throne of grace with confidence the question is: Are you taking advantage of the opportunity that God has provided for you to approach the throne of grace with confidence? Think through your daily intimacy with God. How often are you intentionally approaching the throne of grace? Are you consciously accessing God’s presence through prayer? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
Categories
Sufficiency
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.” Heb 4:15 (NIV) Are you struggling? Are you hurting? Do you ever go through seasons of loneliness? Have you encountered frustration or disappointment? Have your dreams been shattered? Jesus is more than enough! He can identify with our heartache and pain. He knows what it feels like to be misunderstood. His life was marked by ridicule, unfair treatment, and betrayal. Jesus is well acquainted with the onslaught of temptation. Was He tempted? Yes! Did He commit sin? No! Can He relate to the gravitational pull of sin? Yes! Because Jesus was without sin our insufficiency is transformed by His sufficiency. When we are weak, He is strong! When we are most susceptible to sin, Jesus consistently stands as the model to follow. Remember, Jesus became like us so that we could become like Him. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care