“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Eph 1:15-16 (NIV) The most incredible relationship you can ever have is vertical. Having a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the ultimate relationship. Think about the vertical beam of the cross. Allow it to represent your relationship with God. What does that relationship look like currently in your life? Paul identified the evidence of one’s right relationship with God as faith expressing itself through love. When you are living in harmony with God your faith will be apparent. The Ephesians embraced their vertical relationship with God to the extent that Paul heard about their faith from his prison cell. What is your faith relationship with God saying to those in your sphere of influence? In what environment is your faith in God most tested? How’s your vertical relationship with God expressed in your home, at work, at church, and in your neighborhood? Spend some time assessing your vertical relationship. Let God have His way in your life so that your faith will be evident to all. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Author: Stephen Trammell
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God’s Provision
“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.’” Gen 22:13-14 (NIV) God’s provision always exceeds our sacrifice. Just when you think you have given God your all, He surpasses your sacrifice with His provision. God will never ask you to do anything that exceeds His provision. God’s timing is not limited by our schedule. His provision always comes through at the perfect moment. God is never late. We serve an on-time God. Sometimes it may seem as though God waits until you are in the fourth quarter with only a few seconds left on the clock. Yet, God’s provision appears right on time. Abraham obeyed God and demonstrated his reverence for God. In response, God provided a substitute for Isaac at the exact moment of greatest need. What did Abraham learn about God through his willingness to trust and obey God in every situation? He learned that God was dependable and trustworthy. In response to the encounter of God’s provision, Abraham acknowledged God as Jehovah Jireh, the Lord Will Provide. What is keeping you from obeying God and trusting Him to provide? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Guarding Your Top Priority
“When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” Gen 22:9-10 (NIV) Is there anything in your life that takes priority over your relationship with Jesus? Are there any allurements sifting your affection away from your devotion to Christ? Do you have an Isaac in your life that you are unwilling to sacrifice? Abraham demonstrated absolute loyalty and devotion to God by his willingness to sacrifice his promised son. Abraham and Sarah were beyond child bearing years. Yet, God provided the miracle of Isaac’s conception. Now God is asking Abraham to sacrifice that which was promised to him. What is standing in the way of your realization of unbroken fellowship with God? What is taking the number one place of prominence in your life which is reserved for God? Whatever that item, ambition, or person is may be your Isaac. Could it be that God wants you to sacrifice that Isaac in your life to enable God to have top priority in your life? God wants first place in your daily walk. God wants to be the supreme object of your energy and affection. He not only deserves it, but He demands it. Spend a few moments taking inventory of your current priorities and identify what is preventing God from being your top priority. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Wait for God’s Timing
“God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’” Gen 17:15-16 (NIV) Can you imagine becoming a parent at age ninety or a hundred? That’s difficult to fathom. However, the greater challenge would be to desire parenthood and having to wait until you were almost a century old to realize the dream. Abraham and Sarah had to learn to live with delays. God had promised to bless them and to make them into a great nation. However, they had to walk in obedience to God and wait for His timing. Have you noticed how our personal timetable doesn’t always line up with God’s timetable? We tend to want our blessing now. We don’t usually “wait” very well. God has a divine purpose in our delays. Sometimes delays are a result of poor choices we have made and sometimes a consequence of poor choices those around us have made. Either way, God can use delays to portray His grace. God has the final say doesn’t He? Nothing happens without God’s permission. If God allows a delay in your life, He will utilize the delay. Now rest in God’s timing. Entrust your life to Him. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.” Gen 12:4 (NIV) What is keeping you from obeying God? Do you fear the unknown? Are you uncomfortable making a move without having more information? Maybe God has chosen to limit His revelation to match your obedience. Once you obey what He has already said, then He will show you the next step. Abram took God at His word! He simply obeyed God. God told Abram to leave and go to a land that He would show him. Guess what? Abram left, as the Lord told him. He obeyed. You can never go wrong obeying God. His way is always the best way. Even when it doesn’t make sense or seem remotely logical, God’s way is the right way. If you are confused about your next step, just obey what He has already said. Start there! Identify what you are wrestling with right now? What is keeping you from taking the next step? Place that fear or frustration before the Lord in prayer and see how He helps you take the next step. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’” Gen 12:1-3 (NIV) Has God ever asked you to do something that was uncomfortable? Have you ever sensed that God wanted you to make a decision that would alter your current reality? Abram was confronted with a word from God that would drastically change his path. God’s instructions were not specific. In fact, God just told Abram to leave and go to a land He would show him. Abram was not on a mission, but on mission with God. Being on mission with God is relational. If you want to obey God and trust Him to reveal His plan for your life, then you must be willing to walk with Him and get to know His voice. God does not need you to be on a mission. God wants you to make a choice to be on mission with Him. He is in charge. He has an agenda for you to fulfill. Abram had to trust God to show Him the way. As Abram obeyed, God would reveal his next step. Does that connect with you? Are you coming to the place where you realize that God wants you to simply choose to be on mission with Him and trust Him with the details? As you obey, God will reveal the way. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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No Room for Shame
“‘If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’” Luke 9:26 (NIV) Do you conceal your Christianity? Can you be accused of being a closet Christian? Do those in your sphere of influence know that you are a follower of Jesus Christ? There’s nothing to be ashamed of. In Christ, you have been adopted into God’s family and sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:5,13). You have been rescued from darkness and placed in the kingdom of light (Col. 1:5). God has placed you in the display window of life to portray His grace to a dark and decaying world (1 Tim. 1:16). Embrace the attitude of Paul who affirmed, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile”(Romans 1:16 NIV). The gospel that brought you hope and eternal life is the same gospel that you represent in this life. Don’t be ashamed of the Good News that transformed your life. Don’t withhold the cure to the cancer of sin that will set others free just as you have been set free. Jesus was not ashamed to identify with the lost by becoming flesh (John 1:14). For a person to be ashamed of Christ and His words is to deny the One who gave His all to provide for the forgiveness of sin. There’s no room for shame when it comes to identifying with Christ. To align with Christ is an honor to behold. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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The Power of Daily
“Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” Luke 9:23 (NIV) Every day is a new beginning. Each day provides you with new opportunities to experience God’s presence and to join Him in His activity. The new day is a launching pad for your daily decision to fully surrender to the Lordship of Christ. To live in moment-by-moment union with Christ demands a daily decision to deny self, take up His cross, and to follow Him. To be a follower of Jesus is more than just believing that Jesus died and rose again. Following Jesus is a daily experience of walking in His steps and doing what Jesus did. Being a follower of Jesus Christ is a conscious decision to know Him personally and intimately. Your love relationship with Christ is to be vibrant and growing. What needs to change in your daily routine in order to grow in your walk with Christ? As John Maxwell wrote, “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.” The power of daily is evidenced by your devotion to make decisions that will benefit your relationship with Christ. What adjustments do you need to make in order to become more like Christ? Is your life Christ-centered or self-focused? Are you choosing to follow the way of Jesus or drifting into the current of the world? What do you need to stop doing? What do you need to start doing? Each day matters and each decision you make will enhance or inhibit your walk with Christ. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Who Do You Say I Am?
“No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:23 (NIV) Do you believe that Jesus is who He says He is? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and lived a sinless life and died a sacrificial death to atone for the sins of the world? What you believe about Jesus affects your eternal destination. What you believe about Jesus affects your level of living in the immediate. After asking the crowd their understanding of who He was, Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say I am?” As revealed to him by God, Peter pronounced that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt. 16:16). That confession of faith was paramount to Peter’s salvation and to Peter’s maturation in the faith. Peter later affirmed, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”(1 Peter 1:3 NIV). Who do you say Jesus is? Your understanding of the life and Lordship of Jesus is vital to your union with Christ and your usefulness in the kingdom of God. As Dr. David Fleming says, “You cannot be wrong about Jesus and right with God.” Your understanding of the Person and work of Jesus is crucial. To be right with God, you must be right about Jesus. It is not enough to know proper facts about Jesus. You must know Jesus personally through an abiding relationship with Him that is real and personal, because eternal life is found in Jesus alone (1 Jn. 5:11-12). Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Meeting Needs
“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” Luke 9:17 (NIV) God wants to use you to meet needs. In order to meet needs, you must be sensitive to the needs of others. Living a life of “other-centeredness” is essential to joining God in His personal touch ministry. Selfishness will blind you to the needs around you. Selfishness will steer your focus inward every time. Jesus told the disciples to feed the multitudes. The number of men was five thousand besides the women and children. Jesus was asking the disciples to feed over fifteen thousand people. All they could find was a little boy with a sack lunch with five loaves of bread and two fish. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people”(Luke 9:16 NIV). Jesus multiplied what He had been given in order to meet the physical needs of the masses. They all ate and were satisfied! Where did the twelve basketfuls of leftovers come from? There is a valuable lesson to learn here. Just bring Jesus what you have. Jesus will take what you have and multiply it to meet needs. God will never ask you to do anything without providing everything you need to accomplish His will. Perhaps you know the saying, “Where God guides, He always provides.” Will you make yourself available for God’s use this week? Will you look for opportunities to meet the needs that God brings into your path? Be sensitive. Be selfless. Be willing to seize the opportunities God gives you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Healing
“They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, ‘My child, get up!’ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.” Luke 8:53-55 (NIV) Jairus, the synagogue rule, only had one daughter. She was twelve. Upon hearing of her death, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed”(Luke 8:50). Jesus honored His word and provided complete healing. The emphasis is not on the faith healing, but on the faith Healer. Jesus is the Great Physician. Sometimes healing does not come in our preferred time frame. Whether it is your personal healing that is needed or praying for someone else to be healed, God does not always provide the healing we desire. God will choose to heal some people and choose not to heal others. We tend to struggle trying to understand why God would allow good people to suffer and allow bad people to be healed. Let’s be reminded of the sovereignty of God and His omniscience. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’”(Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV). Our finite minds cannot comprehend the mind of our infinite God. We can trust in God’s timing. God will accomplish His purpose and plan in His perfect timing according to His will. God will provide us with His sufficient grace to enable us to endure the seasons of uncertainty (2 Cor. 12:9). We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow. Every believer will experience the ultimate healing in heaven. There will be no sin, sickness, or suffering in heaven. Until then, let’s operate in the grace God provides to see us through the storms of life. Until then, let’s continue to pray for healing and rejoice when the healing comes. Take God at His Word and walk in the nourishment He provides. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Interruptions
“As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.” Luke 8:42-44 (NIV) Has your life been interrupted recently? Has your schedule, routine, or plans been shifted as a result of an unexpected interruption? Jesus had that experience as He was on His way to heal the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus. Jesus was on his way to their home to perform a miraculous healing touch when His plans were interrupted. In the midst of the crowds pressing in on Jesus, there was a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. No one could heal her. She was desperate and determined that Jesus could heal her. She came up behind Jesus and touch the edge of His cloak and her bleeding stopped immediately. Jesus noticed that power had gone out from Him and so He asked His disciples, “Who touched me?” The woman came trembling at Jesus’ feet and told Him why she had touched Him and then affirmed her healing. Jesus responded to her by saying, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Jesus turned this interruption into an opportunity to be a blessing to someone in need. Of course, this interruption delayed His arrival at the home of Jairus. Someone from the house of Jairus announced that his daughter was dead. Did she die because of the delay? Jesus went into their home and took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” The interruption Jesus encountered became a pronounced opportunity to heal the woman and the child. Will you turn your interruptions into opportunities for God to do something special through you? God knows where you are and what you are facing. God knows each interruption that will intrude your schedule. How will you respond? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Share Your Story
“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:38-39 (NIV) This demon-possessed man had not lived in a house, but lived in the tombs for a long time. When the demons came out of the man, Jesus gave them permission to go into a herd of pigs. The herd rushed down the bank into the lake and drowned. When the people of that region came to Jesus, they saw this man sitting at Jesus’ feet. The man was dressed and in his right mind. Jesus instructed the man to “return home and tell how much God has done for you.” What is your story? How did Jesus reveal Himself and His salvation plan to you? Revisit the circumstances leading up to your salvation event. Consider the people God brought into your path to introduce you to Jesus. Begin to pray and thank God for each person specifically. Review the changes that have taken place in your life since receiving God’s gift of eternal life. Calculate the progression of your faith and the levels of maturity gained over the years. Remember, salvation is an event followed by a process of maturation. What is different about your life now? Share your story! Let’s others know what the Lord has done for you. Proclaim the Good News of Jesus with those who do not have a personal relationship with Him. Testify of the atoning work of Jesus on the cross and the victory over sin, death, and hell. Share with others how Jesus came to your rescue and delivered you from the kingdom of darkness and placed you in the kingdom of light. Tell how you were an object of wrath, but because of God’s love and mercy, you have been made alive with Christ in order to show the incomparable riches of His grace (Eph. 2:3-7). God has given you a message worth making known and a story worth sharing! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Fortifying Your Faith
“The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’” Luke 8:24-25 (NIV) Without a test, there is no testimony. Jesus provided the disciples with an opportunity to fortify their faith and to solidify their testimony. Fearing for their lives, the disciples woke Jesus and alerted Him of their plight. Jesus got up and changed their circumstances by rebuking the wind and the waters. The storm subsided and all was calm. Their life lesson was delivered in the form of a question, “Where is your faith?” Jesus wanted the disciples to think about where they were placing their confidence. Did the disciples place their confidence in the boat or in the Master of the wind and the waves? “We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Cor 5:7 (NIV) “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Heb 11:6 (NIV) The disciples asked one another, “Who is this?” Your answer to that question is vital. Is Jesus just a good man who performed good deeds while upon the earth? Or, is Jesus the Master of your life and your forever? Place your confidence in Jesus alone for salvation and trust Him to see you through the storms of life. Jesus can save you from your sin and from eternal damnation. The same Jesus who has provided for your eternal security can provide for your immediate stability in the midst of your storm. Entrust your life to Jesus completely. Jesus is in the boat! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.” Luke 8:23 (NIV) Why does God allow storms to come into our path? God is more concerned about our character than our comfort. His passion is for us to become like Christ. If God allows a storm, He will use that storm to reveal Himself and to refine our character. There are some things you learn in a storm that you cannot learn on the calm sea. The storm provides the environment in which we learn to trust God by taking Him at His Word. We learn to view our circumstances from God’s perspective. The disciples were in great danger from their personal perspective. While the storm was raging, Jesus was sleeping. Jesus knew the outcome before they even set sail. Jesus oriented His life according to the Father’s agenda. God’s will supersedes any storm and any distraction. God will accomplish His plan in the midst of life’s storms. Your character development matters to God. The friction of each storm in your life will be guided by the hand of God to sand the rough edges from your life in order to perfect Christ in you. If God allows a storm to come into your life, He will orchestrate the movement of that storm to conform you into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:28-29). God works in all situations to bring you into perfect union with Christ and to effectively portray Christ through your life. Every storm has a season and is used of God for a divine reason. What storm are you in? Have you detected the loving hand of God at work in the midst of the storm to produce Christ-likeness in you? Maintain God’s perspective while you trust His provision to see you through. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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God’s Plan
“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out.” Luke 8:22 (NIV) God will get you to the other side. His plan for you is personal. God designed you with His purpose in mind. You are not an accident. Before you were born, God knew you (Jer. 1:5). You are here at this very moment because God ordained your existence. God has a special plan for your life that includes your past, present, and future. God’s plan factors in your choices. You are not an impersonal robotic creature. You are a personal relational being with the purpose of God in your heart. God knows you by name and even the hairs upon your head are numbered (Luke 12:7). God’s plan for you is eternal. There’s more in store than what you see in the here and now. God has placed eternity in your heart to position you for eternal life (Eccl. 3:11). Your life goes beyond the grave. God’s plan for you extends beyond the immediate and includes eternal life. As you receive the gift of eternal life by faith, your forever is changed. Heaven becomes the place where you will live with God forever. The disciples responded to Jesus by getting into a boat and setting out. Jesus said, “Let’s go over to the other side.” Jesus did not say, “Let’s see if we can make it to the other side.” When Jesus is in your boat, there’s nothing to fear. Jesus will get you to the destination safely and right on time. Enjoy the journey! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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A Noble Heart
“‘But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.’” Luke 8:15 (NIV) How well do you receive God’s Word? Your level of receptivity is a direct reflection of the condition of your heart. Your heart is the soil upon which the seed, God’s Word, is sown. As you hear, read, and feed on God’s Word, the seed is sown in your heart. If you have a noble and good heart, then the seed will take root in your life and produce a harvest. It starts with your heart. Ask God to search your heart (Ps. 139:23). The light of His holiness will reveal the true condition of your heart. Does your heart resemble the hard path, or the rocky ground, or the thorn infused ground? You can become calloused toward the things of God. You can become distracted by the magnetic pull of worldliness and materialism. It is possible to choke out the Word of God by the worries of this life. Purify your heart before the Lord. Remove the impurities that constrict the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life (Eph. 4:30). Take the initiative to purify your body, the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Cor 7:1 (NIV) “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) Keep your heart noble and good. Consistently intake God’s Word through hearing, reading, and feeding on God’s Word each day. Your level of receptivity will be evidenced through the level of productivity in the harvest. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Love and Forgiveness
“‘Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.’” Luke 7:47 (NIV) What’s the relationship between forgiveness and love? God loves us so much that He sacrificed His only Son to atone for our sins (John 3:16). Jesus loves us so much that He was obedient to death, even death on a cross (Php 2:8). God demonstrated His love for us by taking the initiative to provide for the forgiveness of our sins (Rm 5:8). The level of forgiveness we have received from God affects the level of our love for others. A person who has experienced a large measure of compassion from others will in turn be more compassionate toward others. Jesus says that he who has been forgiven little loves little. The capacity to love others is fashioned by the level of forgiveness that we have received. Our desperation to be forgiven for our sins cascades us with an appreciation for the love God has lavished on us (I Jn 3:1). Is there anyone in your life whom you are having a difficult time loving? If so, begin to measure the forgiveness God has extended to you over your lifetime. Search the depths of your heart to recover the love God has faithfully demonstrated to you. Now choose to treat this person with the same level of love and forgiveness that you have graciously received from God. God is not asking you to do anything He has not already done for you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Stability
“I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.” Luke 6:47-48 (NIV) Obedience to God’s Word leads to stability. It is not enough to be a hearer only. Putting God’s Word into practice is essential to building your life on a solid foundation and being blessed (James 1:25). Adversity will come. Seasons of uncertainty will come. Storms will arise. However, you will not be shaken and you will not be shifted because of the stability resulting from obeying God’s Word. Disobedience to God’s Word leads to instability. Can you imagine building a house without a foundation? When the storms come, your house will not stand. Failing to hear God’s Word and to put it into practice is like building your life on shifting sand. Disobedience produces unhealthy and unwanted consequences. You are a spiritual house in which the Holy Spirit lives. You are the walking tabernacle of the Presence of God (I Cor. 6:19-20). God has a specific plan for your life that includes hearing His Word and putting it into practice. God’s will is for you to obey His Word. Are you obeying what God has already revealed to you through His Word? Are you loving God and loving others? “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”(Luke 6:46 NIV). Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45 (NIV) Did you know that your mouth will tell on your heart? Whatever is in your heart will eventually come through your mouth. The words you speak reveal what’s in your heart. If your heart is impure, then your words will give evidence of that impurity. If your heart is gentle and compassionate, then your words will unveil that reality. How’s your heart? Evaluate the words you speak and you will get a clear indication of the condition of your heart. Jesus identified the heart connection to the words we speak. Jesus explained that whatever we store in our heart will come out. The writer of Proverbs reminds us to guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life (Prv. 4:23). The condition of your heart determines how you treat others, how you speak to others, and how you think of others. If your heart is cold and indifferent, then your compassion for others will be minimal. If your heart is warm and tender, then your interaction with others will be saturated with the love and kindness of Christ. Do your words build others up or tear them down? Do your words build bridges or erect walls? Does your speech draw others to Christ or repel them from Christ? It’s a matter of the heart! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Judging Others
“How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Luke 6:42 (NIV) Cynicism and criticism are alive and well. Intake a few moments of a reality television show and you will quickly discover that our culture thrives on judging others. The standard we use for others is usually vastly different than the standard we use on ourselves. Jesus confronted the error of judging others without first examining our own lives. We have a way of making ourselves feel good about our own condition by fixating on the worst in others. We tend to use a microscope to view others and then an out-of-focus pair of binoculars to examine ourselves. Our view of others and our view of ourselves become skewed. Hypocrisy is the act of appearing to be something you are not. Jesus says that once you address the plank in your own eye, then you will be able to see others clearly. “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.” Psalms 26:2-3 (NIV) “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalms 139:23-24 (NIV) Once you have prayed and asked God to reveal sin in your life, confess your sin and receive God’s provision of forgiveness. Now it is time to yank the plank! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“‘But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.’” Luke 6:27-28 (NIV) Have you ever been mistreated or hated? Did it make you want to retaliate? That is a natural reaction. Jesus modeled how every believer should respond to difficult people. We are to love our enemies. We are to benefit difficult people by doing good to them, blessing them, and praying for them. The reality is that we cannot always control how others treat us, but we can control how we respond to them. “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23 (NIV) “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” Luke 23:34 (NIV) Jesus set the example for us to follow. Jesus also gives us the power to treat others based on Jesus’ treatment of us. We do not deserve His love, yet He loves us unconditionally. We do not deserve His goodness, yet He is so good to us. We do not deserve His blessings, yet He showers us with one blessing after another. Jesus even intercedes for us. That is so much more than we deserve. The word “grace” comes to mind doesn’t it? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Looking at his disciples, he said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’” Luke 6:20 (NIV) Our condition before we came to Christ was that of spiritual bankruptcy. We had nothing to offer God due to our sin nature. Our fallen state disqualified us from the kingdom of God. Our righteousness just did not come close to measuring up to God’s holiness and perfection. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shared what we call the Beatitudes. Matthew provides the expanded version and Luke gives us the key ingredients of the message Jesus shared. Jesus identified the inner life of a person who is happy. This happiness is a result of recognizing your personal sin and separation from our holy God. The spiritual bankruptcy causes you to look to the One who redeems you from your sin and reconciles you to a right relationship with God. The kingdom of God becomes a reality to you when you acknowledge your sin and turn to Jesus alone for salvation. “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.’” Romans 3:10-11 (NIV) “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor 5:21 (NIV) Are you happy? Are you rightly related to God through a personal relationship with Jesus? His happiness is not connected to circumstances, but to your position in Christ. If you are in Christ, His life flows through you and delivers you from your spiritual bankruptcy. You become His treasured possession! Now that you possess Christ, you can profess Christ and be blessed! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” Luke 5:31-32 (NIV) The Pharisees missed their reason for existence. They thought the purpose of life was to be religious and to strictly observe their legalistic religious customs. They thought too highly of themselves and critically judged others through the grid of their own rigid religious system. Jesus ministered among the Pharisees and often spoke directly to them, yet they missed the Messiah. Jesus clarified His purpose as that of calling sinners to repentance. Jesus came to build the Kingdom of God with those who need His mercy, His grace, and His forgiveness the most. The self-righteous behavior of the Pharisees blinded them from the truth. The Truth was standing right in front of them and they missed Him! Jesus came to call people just like you and me to repentance. We were bankrupt spiritually and morally before Jesus came to our rescue. We were enemies of God and saturated in our sinfulness and selfishness. We were unfit and unclean for entry into the Kingdom of God. Our greatest need was for the Great Physician to remedy us from our spiritual disease and to restore us to a right relationship with Himself. Jesus provided the opportunity for us to turn from our sin and to trust Him alone for salvation. His mission is our mission. Now, simplify and focus your life on bringing others into a growing relationship with Jesus. Your assignment from the Lord is to be actively populating Heaven. Why are you here? You are here to do what Jesus did! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Grace for the Race
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:8-9 (NIV) We need grace for the race called life. Outside of God’s grace, we would have never discovered the salvation we now have in Christ. God graced us with the gift of eternal life in response to our faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross. It is not from ourselves. Salvation was initiated by God and extended to us by His grace. We do not work for salvation. But, once we are saved, we will want to work so that others can receive the gift of eternal life. Our work is sharing the grace found in Christ with others who have not come into a saving relationship with Christ. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (NIV) “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) There’s no room for boasting about the salvation we have graciously received from God. The gift of eternal life has been made possible through the sacrificial death of Jesus upon the cross. Jesus died and rose from the dead so that we could be recipients of His grace and live in union with Him for eternity. Grace enables you to pray. Grace gives you access to our Holy God. You need God’s grace for every step of the race. And remember, the same grace that saves you is the same grace that keeps you. God’s grace will bring you safely home. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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True Love
How would you define love? Is love a verbal expression, an act of kindness, or a gift extended to another? Is love being willing to do what you do not enjoy in order to benefit someone else? Is love a natural flow from a heart that is full? “‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’” John 13:34 (NIV) “‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’” John 13:35 (NIV) “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV) “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8 (NIV) “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 (NIV) “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 (NIV) Jesus is the model to follow. Jesus defined love by His willingness to die for the church and to rise again for the church. He gave His life so that we could live with Him eternally and love others intentionally. Jesus is the ultimate portrait of unconditional love. How are your primary relationships? Do those closest to you feel loved the most by you? Think about the adjustments that you need to make in order to better communicate love to them. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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The Real Party
“Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.” Luke 5:29 (NIV) Jesus changed Levi’s life. Shifting from being a tax collector to being a follower of Jesus, Levi wanted to honor Jesus by hosting a banquet at his house. Levi invited a large crowd of tax collectors along with others. The sinner chose to invite his fellow sinners to hear the Savior. Levi wanted his friends to experience the life transformation that comes through a personal relationship with Jesus. Levi provided them with the opportunity to be with Jesus. At that point in Levi’s life, his sphere of influence included those who were despised by their fellow Jews. Tax collectors were not esteemed, but rather considered traitors. Yet, Levi reached out to them because he was one of them. Levi was willing to create an environment in his home to honor Jesus and to invite others to receive the salvation Jesus provides. Think about the people God has placed in your life. Do you have a “Levi” in your sphere of influence? Is there anyone you have written off as unreachable? Remember that Jesus came to seek and to save the Lost (Luke 19:10). “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Cor 5:17 (NIV) Begin to pray for the “Levi” God has placed in your life. Watch for opportunities to build an intentional relationship with that person in order to share the plan of salvation with that person. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” Luke 5:27-28 (NIV) Tax collectors in Jesus’ day were despised. Levi was a Jew who collected taxes for the Roman government. In order to increase his personal income, Levi required more from his countrymen than the government demanded. Levi’s fellow Jews despised him and deemed him as a traitor. Jesus calls the least likely candidates to join His team. Levi was chosen by Jesus and willingly left everything to follow Jesus. Levi was willing to leave his career and forfeit his income in order to be on mission with Jesus. Following Jesus involved trusting Jesus with his life and his future. There’s not a person on earth Jesus can’t use. There’s not a person alive that Jesus cannot transform. Jesus calls us to Himself in salvation and transforms us for His service. Jesus factors in our past and our sin when He saves us and sets us apart for His mission of seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10). Is there anyone in your sphere of influence who reminds you of Levi? Do you know of someone whom you would consider despised and unfit for the kingdom of God? God has created that person for a divine purpose. Will you allow God to use you to bring that person into an abiding relationship with Jesus? You can build intentional relationships with people so that the salvation story can be shared and received. The people you think are unreachable are actually prime candidates for the personal experience of receiving the gift of eternal life. There’s no one beyond the reach of God’s grace. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.” Luke 5:18-19 (NIV) Who was instrumental in bringing you to faith in Christ? Can you recall the investment they made in your life to influence you toward Christ? Your salvation experience may be connected to the influence of a godly parent or grandparent. Perhaps you can trace the impact made by a teacher or a coach that God placed in your life. These men where willing to embrace a “whatever it takes” attitude to get their friend to Jesus. They did not allow obstacles to deter their mission. They were committed to getting their friend to Jesus at any cost. They were fully convinced that Jesus was the answer to their friend’s life. As a result, the men lowered their friend down through the roof to get him to Jesus. What if you decided to do whatever it takes to bring others to Jesus? What if your life was that focused and that concentrated on the mission of bringing people to Jesus? Are you convinced that Jesus is the hope of the world? Today, God wants to use you in shining His light and sharing His love. Today, God wants to use you to build intentional relationships with others so that they can know Jesus personally and eternally. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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De-cluttering Your Life
“Moses’ father-in-law replied, ‘What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.’” Ex 18:17-18 (NIV) Living in a fallen world has immediate and progressive challenges. Sinfulness and selfishness dominate our culture. We live with an immense amount of pressure to perform at home, at school, at work, and at play. Our lives are bombarded with information and endless opportunities to expend our energy. Do you have margin in your life? Margin is the space between your load and your limit. God has designed you to handle a certain amount of His work during your brief stay on this planet called earth. God has given you all the time you need to accomplish His plan. Moses reached a breaking point due to being overextended and overwhelmed. The masses of people each wanted a piece of him. They wanted his time, his attention, and his decision making prowess. Though serving as judge over Israel, Moses failed to exercise proper judgment over his own life. God came to the rescue by bringing Jethro into Moses’ life. Jethro lovingly spoke into Moses’ life to declare, “What you are doing is not good.” Moses couldn’t see the unhealthy path that he was on. Jethro saw it clearly and succinctly. Jethro was willing to help Moses’ de-clutter his life. What is overwhelming you right now? Has your load exceeded your limit? What are you giving your life to that is outside of God’s will? Step back and evaluate your current reality. You may want to ask someone you know and love and trust to help you examine your life. Allow that person to give you feedback on what they see going on in your world. Their perspective could help you see what you are not seeing. God uses other people to help us walk in obedience to His will. Pray and ask God to bring a Jethro into your life. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor