“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” Psalm 40:3 (NIV) What is your life song? Has God put a new song in your mouth? As children of God, we have the life transforming message of Jesus. If you have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, then you have a song to sing. It does not matter how musically inclined you are. What matters is that you have a song to sing! Your life in Christ is a song that others will observe. Will others see Christ in your life song? Will they see and revere Jesus because of your life song? Will others place their trust in Jesus as a result of the song that your life sings? God has given us the wonderful and awesome privilege to be the tangible portrait of His grace on this planet. The conversations and interactions that you engage in on a daily basis are chords that vibrate the rhythm of God’s love. When you study the life of Jesus you will notice that Jesus maximized the opportunities presented to Him each day. Jesus lived a life that radiated the love of God. People were drawn to Jesus because His life song declared the magnitude of God’s abundant grace and mercy. Maybe you are in a season currently that has inhibited the song in your mouth. Maybe you have not had a song to sing due to hurt, anger, or disappointment. Ask God to renew your mind and to renew your strength. Ask God to put a new song in your mouth to help you persevere and experience a breakthrough. God knows right where you are and exactly what you need. Trust God! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Category: Love
“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
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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
“‘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
Categories
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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Love In Action
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” 1 Cor 13:1-3 (NIV) The “Love Chapter” has been read most often in weddings. Marriage is a portrait of love in that one spouse is to seek to meet the needs of the other spouse. Love is putting others first. Love flows from God because God is love (I John 4:8). As the Source of love, God demonstrated His love to us by allowing Christ to die in our place (Rom. 5:8). As you read the Bible, you will see a common thread of God’s love in action to restore fallen humanity. Love takes the initiative just as God took the initiative to bring us into a right relationship with Himself. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Cor 13:4-7 (NIV) “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Cor 13:13 (NIV) Is there anyone you find difficult to love? Choose to love that person not based on what they can do for you or based on what they have done for you or to you. Choose to love that person based on what God has done for you. Love is a choice. God chose to love you long before you chose to love Him. Now seek to love those Christ died for. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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First Love (1)
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” Rev 2:4 (NIV) Jesus affirmed the church at Ephesus for their good deeds, hard work, perseverance, and discernment. They had endured hardships for His name. The church at Ephesus appeared to be healthy from an external point of view. However, Jesus confronted the reality of their spiritual condition. They had forsaken their first love. One of Satan’s primary tools to oppose the work of God is to get God’s children to do ministry in the flesh. It is possible to perform good deeds and to help others while neglecting your love relationship with Jesus. When you bypass your love relationship with Jesus you bypass the spiritual energy He provides. God wants you to do His work His way. God’s work is motivated by love. The most important relationship in your life is your love relationship with Jesus. He is to be your first love. When you forsake your first love, your life drifts into imbalance, your motives become tainted, and your fruit becomes tarnished. Make Jesus your top priority. He not only demands first place, He deserves first place. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Categories
Compelling Love
“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” 1 John 3:17 (NIV) When you pull up to a traffic signal and notice a man holding a cardboard sign saying, “Need food! Please help!” What kind of thoughts race through your mind? Do you wrestle with the notion to roll down your window and extend a dollar bill or maybe even a five dollar bill? Then again, you may start pondering what he might spend the money on. In your mind you are thinking that he may take the money and go buy alcohol, cigarettes, or a lottery ticket. You question whether he will really use the money to buy food as his sign advertised. Does God expect us to use good judgment? Yes! But, God also expects us to help meet needs. Remember this concept: God does not bless you based on how that person spends the money you give. God blesses you based on your heart in giving to meet needs. John takes the concept of meeting needs into the arena of the family of God. We are to help fellow believers. In fact, if we are unwilling to use the resources God has blessed us with to help a brother in need, then how can the love of God be in us. In other words, God’s love is evidenced as we meet needs. God’s love compels us to be generous. Generosity will not flow naturally. It is a supernatural experience. God has blessed us to be a blessing. Ask God to show you some needs this week that He wants you to meet for His glory! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple.’” Luke 14:25-26 (NIV) Idolatry is a word we seldom use. Whenever you allow someone or something to take the place of God in your life, you commit the sin of idolatry. The first and second of the Ten Commandments speak to this concept directly (Ex. 20:3-4). Whatever or whomever becomes the object of your worship becomes your idol. Jesus infuses this earthly tendency of ours into His teaching on becoming a disciple. To become a follower of Jesus Christ, you must be willing to remove the idols in your life. Your loyalty to Christ is to be unmatched and undivided. Jesus becomes your focus and the object of your worship, devotion, and loyalty. The fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments refers to the honoring of our parents (Ex. 20:12). Jesus is not contradicting the fifth commandment. He does not want you to dishonor your parents. Jesus is saying that your love for Him should be such a priority, that in comparison, your love for your family would look like hate. Your love, loyalty, and devotion to Jesus is to be your top priority and the expressed passion of your life. Don’t allow anything or anyone to compete for that place in your life. Don’t allow anything or anyone to rob your allegiance to the One who gave His life for you. Jesus has already demonstrated His selfless and sacrificial love. Now, it’s your turn to demonstrate your selfless and sacrificial love for Jesus. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matt 5:43-45 (NIV) Loving the lovable is not much of a challenge. But, to love those who are difficult to love requires a new perspective and a new enabling. God not only wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but to also love our enemies. Some people are hard to love. Jesus brings a new dimension to the concept of love in His Sermon on the Mount. Not only are we to love our enemies, but we are to pray for those who persecute us. Showing love to those who have wounded us is only possible by the enabling of the Lord Jesus. “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) “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” 2 Tim 1:12 (NIV) Jesus is our pattern for loving our enemies. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20 (NIV) Is it possible to love God and hate your brother? Can you have the love of God residing in you and at the same time have hatred toward others festering in your spirit? The duplicity seems to be incongruent to the life of love that God calls us to and that Jesus exemplified on the earth. Turn inward for a moment and examine your own current reality. Is there anyone you are fertilizing hatred toward? Do you have someone in your life to whom your love has extinguished and your hatred has ignited? Doing life in a fallen world is inundated with landmines of hatred. You will not lack opportunities to be wounded by hurtful words and by harmful people. People will let you down. You cannot love God and hate others at the same time without your relationship with God being affected. God’s love in you demands expression. When you choose to hate the people God created and the people Jesus died for, you restrict God’s love within you. God wants you to hate what He hates and love what He loves. God passionately hates sin, but passionately loves the sinner. Who is your brother? Who is your sister? How would God define your level of love? You will notice daily tests that reveal the authenticity of your love for others. Do you love God? Do you love others? Loving God and loving people is the entirety of the Bible for present day expression. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“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?’” Gen 3:8-9 (NIV) God demonstrated His selfless and sacrificial love in the Garden of Eden. As Adam and Eve were trying to hide from God due to their willful disobedience, God asked Adam a question that revealed the heart of God and the sinfulness of man. God called to Adam, “Where are you?” The truth is that God knew exactly where Adam was both physically and spiritually. God did not need Adam to identify his location. God wanted Adam to consider and contemplate his own personal spiritual state. God wanted Adam to recognize his disobedience and rebellion. God demonstrated sacrificial love as He killed an animal that He created in order to provide covering and cleansing for Adam and Eve. “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Gen 3:21 (NIV) “So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Gen 3:23-24 (NIV) God’s provision taught Adam and Eve that the shedding of blood was necessary for the removal of sin. The demonstration of selfless and sacrificial love also taught Adam and Eve that sin comes at a high cost. Adam and Eve received God’s forgiveness, but had to suffer the consequences of their sin. They were banished from the Garden of Eden. God’s selfless and sacrificial love includes tough love. Think of ways in which God has demonstrated His selfless and sacrificial love in your life. You may want to revisit the spiritual markers in your life and assess them based on God’s selfless and sacrificial love. It could be that you can identify times in your life when God had to practice tough love and allow you to suffer the natural consequences that parade behind your choices. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Gen 3:6-7 (NIV) Have you ever inherited anything? You may have inherited some furniture, jewelry, or money from a loved one who passed away. Perhaps you have not ever been in an official capacity to inherit earthly goods as of yet. There is one thing we have in common with every human being who has ever lived, who is currently alive, or who will be born. That one common thread is inheriting the sin nature from our relatives, Adam and Eve. That’s right! You can trace your family tree all the way back to Adam and Eve. We have inherited their sin nature. Adam and Eve were both selfish and selfless. Eve selfishly put her way above God’s way by doubting God’s Word and succumbing to the serpent’s temptation. Eve was selfless in that she gave some of the forbidden fruit to her husband, Adam. Adam was selfish in that he also disobeyed God’s instruction and placed his own personal desire above God’s instruction. In their fallen state, they did exhibit selflessness in sowing fig leaves together and making coverings for themselves. Actually, they were trying to cover up their sin. Why do we do the things we do? Why do we willfully walk through doors we should not enter and cross bridges we should not cross? Why do we operate in the cycle of selfishness? It all goes back to the Garden of Eden. We are simply feeding the sin nature that we inherited. Hope is on the way! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Living The Dash (5)
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Eph 5:1-2 (NIV) Who do I love and who loves me? Love is a fruit of the Spirit and an indicator of a Christ-centered life. Loving God and loving others is the outflow of the Christian life. God wants us to live a life of love. Our model to follow is Jesus. He demonstrated His love for us by giving Himself up for us on the cross “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” 1 John 3:14 (NIV) “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8 (NIV) Who do you love? Who are the people in your life who are the consistent recipients of your love? God calls us to love one another. God is love and those who know God love others. It is true that some people are difficult to love. Remember, God is not asking us to do anything He has not already done. God is not asking us to extend any measure of love that He has not already extended to us. Who loves you? Of course, God loves you and He has clearly affirmed His love for you by allowing His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for you. Who else loves you? Begin to name them one by one in a prayer of thanksgiving to God for them. Express your gratitude to God for the people He has placed in your life to allow you to experience love personally. God is so good. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Expressing God’s Love (2)
“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Heb 13:3 (NIV) Be sensitive to God’s activity. God wants us to express His love to His creation. People matter to God. Our value was clearly demonstrated by the ultimate love bridge ever built. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”(Romans 5:8 NIV). The Bible is God’s love letter to us portraying His constant pursuit to restore fallen mankind. Being on mission with God requires sensitivity to God’s activity. We will never live for the global glory of God if we are insensitive to what He values. God wants to use us in His redemptive activity. What does this kind of sensitivity look like? It looks like remembering those who are mistreated as if you were suffering. It looks like remembering those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoner. It looks like remembering the poor as if you were living in poverty. It looks like remembering those who are lonely as if you were lonely. Are you willing to ask God to sensitize you to His activity? God is not through with you. Your light can still shine for His glory. His love can still be expressed through you to bring others into a saving relationship with Jesus. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Expressing God’s Love (1)
“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Heb 13:2 (NIV) God uses ordinary people to accomplish the extraordinary. Did you know that God receives glory as you make yourself available for His use? God is not restricted by your ability. God chooses to use you based on your availability. His plan includes His power. When you align your life with God’s agenda, God’s power is unleashed in you and through you. Don’t limit God! If you only reach out to people you know, you will constrict the impact God wants to make through your life. Choose to engage people outside of your normal sphere of influence. Be available to be used by God to touch people you would normally not cross paths with. Pray the prayer of Jabez (I Chronicles 4:10): Lord, bless me, enlarge my territory, let Your hand be upon me, and keep me from harm. Allow God to enlarge your territory by being available to go places you have never gone and meet people you have never met. It may involve a short-term mission trip overseas or simply a walk across the street to meet the neighbor you don’t know. Are you willing to place your “yes” on the altar? Say to the Lord, “I’m yours! Use me!” Don’t put conditions on God. Make yourself completely available for God’s use in God’s timing for God’s glory. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right.” James 2:8 (NIV) We are by nature self-absorbed, self-centered, and self-focused. When anything happens around us our first question is: How will this affect me? In many ways, we act as though the earth really does rotate around us. The reality of our fallen nature pops up from time to time like a ground hog trying to catch a glimpse of daylight. Jesus acknowledges the presence of our self-love. We truly love ourselves. As one of my colleagues would often say, “Sometimes you just have to be good to yourself!” We have no problem being good to ourselves do we? We value comfort. We value pleasure. We value looking good and feeling good and sleeping good. As we begin viewing others from God’s perspective, we will begin to value others the way God values them. The resulting choice will be to love others as we love ourselves. In other words, we will begin to treat others the way we want to be treated. We will love others with the same kind of love that we desire to receive. James identifies that we are doing right when we love others as we love ourselves. Longing to do right is not enough. Putting our faith in action by loving others brings honor to God. Do you love others as much as you love yourself? Ouch! That’s a painful question. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.” James 2:1 (NIV) James gives perspective to the believers who have been dispersed by the persecution in Jerusalem. He is writing to the Jews of the Diaspora. They are living outside of their homeland. They are being exposed to different cultures and to different philosophies for living. James reminds them that they are believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. Their position in Christ is to inform their behavior toward others. We have been transformed by God’s grace and adopted into His family. Our identity is that of being believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. Our lives take on new meaning as we embrace the way of Jesus. His life and His mission become our reality. Jesus wants to transform the culture through us. Thus, we are not to show favoritism. We are not to value one person over another. We are not to favor one people group over another people group. “‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.’” Lev 19:15 (NIV) “I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.” 1 Tim 5:21 (NIV) The spirit of favoritism does not reflect the heart of God. As His children, we are not to show favoritism. God has called us to extend His love to every people group on earth. That means to impartially radiate His love and compassion to every person regardless of their skin color or social status. A great start would be for you to begin praying for people who are not like you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Real Temptation (2)
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” James 1:13-14 (NIV) God is holy and God is love. The nature of God will not allow temptation to be an instrument of heaven. God cannot be tempted by evil because God is holy. As John MacArthur affirms, “God is aware of evil but untouched by it, like a sunbeam shining on a dump is untouched by the trash.” God is not the originator of temptation. God does not tempt anyone because God is love. In His love, God does not initiate temptation, but God will allow temptation to come into a person’s life. The temptation provides the opportunity to choose the righteous path and to bring honor to God through the proper response. When we choose to give in to temptation, we believe that it is the best option at that moment. Satan’s goal is to get us to doubt God’s Word and to doubt God’s best. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’” Gen 3:1 (NIV) God cannot be tempted by evil. God does not tempt anyone. How will you choose to respond to the temptation that God allows into your path? Will you take God at His Word and trust Him? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Have you been there, done that, and left frustrated? Life is filled with unlimited options and unimaginable opportunities. We are bombarded with advertisements which are positioned to convince us that we need the product being promoted. Our landscape is littered with attractions and allurements which compete for our attention. It seems that the more we acquire, the more we desire. The more we attain, the more we strain to attain even more. Yet, at the end of the day after the varied pursuits, we are left empty. We meet a woman in the Gospel of John who has been there, and done that. In fact, she has had five husbands and the one she is with now is not her husband. She has been looking for love in all the wrong places. She has been trying to make sense out of life through relationships with men. Each relationship has not delivered what it promised. This Samaritan woman meets a man, unexpectedly, who will transform her life. “Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.” John 4:4-6 (NIV) Jesus is always at the right place at the right time. Jesus is always seizing opportunities to build bridges to broken people. The Samaritan woman encountered a divine appointment. “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’” John 4:7 (NIV) Jesus initiated the relationship that would ultimately change the Samaritan woman’s life. Jesus was willing to associate with a woman who was both a Samaritan and an adulteress. Are you frustrated with your life? Have you sought to fill the void in your life with good things at the expense of the best God has for you? Maybe it is time for you to meet Jesus at the well. Maybe it is time to give up on your personal journey to fulfillment and embrace the way of Jesus. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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) God’s Word to the husband is for you to love your wife. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Eph 5:25-27 (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. Jesus is the ultimate portrait of unconditional love. “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” Eph 5:28 (NIV) Husband, do you love your own body and care for it? Just as Jesus loves His Body, the church, you are to love your wife as you love your own body. Loving your wife is not based on her performance. You don’t love your wife in response to her meeting your needs. You love your wife intentionally and unconditionally as a result of your love relationship with Jesus. Any adjustments needed? There’s always room for improvement. I’m feeling this one! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” 1 John 3:17 (NIV) When you pull up to a traffic signal and notice a man holding a cardboard sign saying, “Need food! Please help!” What kind of thoughts race through your mind? Do you wrestle with the notion to roll down your window and extend a dollar bill or maybe even a five dollar bill? Then again, you may start pondering what he might spend the money on. In your mind you are thinking that he may take the money and go buy alcohol, cigarettes, or a lottery ticket. You question whether he will really use the money to buy food as his sign advertised. Does God expect us to use good judgment? Yes! But, God also expects us to help meet needs. Remember this concept: God does not bless you based on how that person spends the money you give. God blesses you based on your heart in giving to meet needs. John takes the concept of meeting needs into the arena of the family of God. We are to help fellow believers. In fact, if we are unwilling to use the resources God has blessed us with to help a brother in need, then how can the love of God be in us. In other words, God’s love is evidenced as we meet needs. God’s love compels us to be generous. Generosity will not flow naturally. It is a supernatural experience. God has blessed us to be a blessing. Ask God to show you some needs this week that He wants you to meet for His glory! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.” Mark 15:11 (NIV) Have you ever encountered injustice? Have you ever been treated unfairly? I think we have all been there. It hurts! The scars serve as a constant reminder. In our verse today, we find a word that compels us to contemplate. It is the soothing word, “instead.” Let me take this punishment instead of you. Allow me to receive this penalty instead of you. Jesus will be flogged and crucified instead of Barabbas. The innocent man dies in his place. The guilty man goes free. Jesus receives what he doesn’t deserve while Barabbas receives what he doesn’t deserve. Jesus receives death! Barabbas receives life! Is that justice? Should the guilty go free? It depends who takes the initiative. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”(Rm. 5:8 NIV). Christ died instead of us! Yes, while we were still sinners! How can you demonstrate that kind of love? Who in your sphere of influence needs to know what “instead” looks like? Forgive instead of holding a grudge. Show acceptance instead of forging a gap. Offer help instead of ignoring the need. Appreciate Jesus instead of taking Him for granted. It’s your move! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership & Pastoral Care