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Not a Time for Agendas – Just Love

June 21, 2016 by jbrianhill

Since May 1, I have been preaching through the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 on Sunday mornings.  It has been a very meaningful endeavor for me – and I pray for our church family.  On May 22, we had made it to the fourth Beatitude – blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.  The point of this proverbial statement is that as believers we should hunger and thirst for what is right and true.  We should stand firm on God’s truth without vacillating or wavering.  The problem that can arise when we do this is self-righteousness.  Pride can make its way into our hearts through the smallest of spaces.

So the very next Beatitude Jesus gave us was, blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy.  Jesus wanted to make sure that we strive to know and live by God’s truth but to do so with humility, love and mercy.  He reminds us that we all need mercy, so far be it from us to withhold mercy from others.

This past Sunday, I felt it imperative to address the Orlando tragedy.  I believe the Beatitudes we have been studying speak directly to our response to this horrific occurrence.  The time to stand on a platform and push an agenda is not in the wake of a tragedy, but I have seen both sides of the LGBT issue do just that.

The bottom line is that human lives were lost – sexual preference has nothing to do with it.  Every single life affected by this senseless act is a soul loved by God.

I am not suggesting that we should waver in our convictions on Biblical truth or compromise our beliefs.   Scripture is clear in its exposure of same-sex activity as sin.  But it is just as clear in its revelation of God’s love for every single human being.

Hold fast to God’s truth but do so with mercy, humility and love.

Father,  I pray that my desire to know and hold to your truth will never cloud my vision of seeing others as you see them.  May your love be evident in me today.   Amen

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Celebrating Fathers

June 20, 2016 by jbrianhill

I served with a pastor years ago that used to say something to the effect that Mother’s Day is the day we celebrate mothers and how wonderful they are, but Father’s Day is the day we tell guys what terrible men they are and challenge them to be better.

I suppose there is some truth to that statement.  But yesterday, we took just a couple of minutes out of the service and we tried to remind dads of what a huge blessing and privilege it is to be a father.  It was also a time to encourage our church family to appreciate the dads in our lives.

I often say, “I hope to be like my dad when I grow up.”  He has had such an influence on my life – as much by example as anything else.  I appreciate how he has shown me what it means to love God and love others.  He has a true servant’s heart.

When I think of Father’s Day, I also think about the fact that as a believer, I have a heavenly Father.  Scripture teaches us that when we submit our lives to God, we become his children.  What an amazing thought.  We can be considered a child of the King – a daughter or son of the God of the universe!  Now that IS something to celebrate.

Yesterday we celebrated dads.  Our appreciation should not be limited to one day but should be shown to them throughout the year.  But even more so – celebrate your heavenly Father today – who gives you the right to be called a child of God!

Be blessed!

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Go To Sleep!

June 14, 2016 by jbrianhill

I reminded myself last night why I should have waited until day 3 to join the students at camp. As I lay there in my bunk listening to 21 boys, ranging in age from 12 to 18, I remembered how excited they are on the first night of camp. No one wanted to go to sleep. At least by day 3 they are tired at night and the loud jumping and running, the trying to outdo one another with their antics is restricted to just a couple.

But as I lay there, I thought about the week ahead for them. And just before I yelled, “Go To Sleep!!!”  God intervened and I began to hear each voice as a soul who desperately needs God. I began to pray that God would use this week to begin, or continue, a work in each of them to transform their lives.

I think that should be the prayer for each of us, regardless of where we are in the world today. May God begin, or continue, a work in each of us to transform our lives.

I head back to the “real world” today, but I have to admit, there is a huge part of me that wants to stay and witness what God is going to do in the lives of these students. But I guess I’ll have to settle for paying attention to what God is doing in my own life.

Be blessed today!

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Pass It On

June 13, 2016 by jbrianhill

Our students leave for camp today.  I remember those days at camp – all the activities, the experience of being away, the study and fun.  I remember the songs sung around campfires.  One song in particular stands out, showing my age I suppose, but still true today – Pass It On.

Campfire Singing

I have heard it said that Christianity is always one generation away from extinction.  I think that is true.  I trust that God will not cease to interact with mankind due to our inadequacy, but I also know that God’s plan for the redemption of mankind includes our faithfulness.  We are commanded – not asked nicely but commanded – to make disciples in Matthew 28.  Deuteronomy 6 is clear that we are to pass on our faith to the next generation.  Here is what it says:

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

This passage begins with the Shema, one of the pivotal doctrinal statements of Judaism, as well as Christianity.  And then it directs us to share our beliefs with the next generation.

Psalm 145 clearly points us to the importance of sharing our faith as well.  In verses 4-7, the author describes this process.

4 One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
    and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

He uses words like commend, speak, tell and celebrate.  The message is clear.  We are to pass on our understanding and faith to the next generation.  This process begins at home.  Share your faith with your children and their children.  Then take that same motivation for others to know Jesus into the world.

This is not a recommendation or a request.  This is a mandate.

Who will you tell about Jesus and the difference he has made in your life?

Start today.

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We Are Part of Something Bigger

June 7, 2016 by jbrianhill

I am back state-side after a weekend in Juarez, Mexico with local pastors and their wives.  It was the best conference we have done to date.  The 38 couples in attendance all had a great time.  The weekend gave them time to rest and refresh as well as challenged them to take a serious look at their individual spiritual walk and how that is lived out in their marriages and ministries.

I walked away with the renewed realization that pastors – regardless of where we serve – all need encouragement and time to decompress.  But another reminder was the overwhelming sense of being part of something bigger.

I often get so focused on what God is doing in my little part of the world that I tend to forget that God is at work all over the world through faithful servants.  God is making a difference.

So when we watch the news and hear about all the evil in the world and begin to get the impression that bad is winning over good, remember that God is still in control and very much alive and well.

Be blessed today!

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Ministering to Ministers in Juarez

June 3, 2016 by jbrianhill

Yesterday, we greeted pastors and their wives from all over Juarez, Mexico and the Chihuahua valley to a hotel here in Juarez.  For over a decade my partner has been calling pastors together for a time of fellowship, instruction and leadership development and the event has grown.  Several years ago, I joined him in this effort as we began to refine the focus of the meeting.

Opening 2016

For the past several years the event has focused on spiritual formation and marriage enrichment.  Last year we grew it from a two day, one night event to three days with two nights in the hotel.  The experience is a gift (free of charge) to the pastors and wives who have stuck it out and continue to minister in one of the most difficult and dangerous cities in the world.

Pastors are wired with compassion and called to give themselves for others.  But rarely do pastors have an opportunity to receive.  This event is that opportunity.

This year, we have 36 couples in attendance.  Our theme is Knowing Jesus.  We will remind them of the difference between knowing about Jesus and actually knowing him and the importance that difference makes in our lives and in our marriages and in the midst of the storms that come.  What a blessing to be able to minister to them over these three days.

I ask you to please pray for them.  Pray that God would give them exactly what they need from this event – that those who need rest will receive it; those who need refreshment will experience it; those who need to rekindle their marriages would regain that spark; and those who need to re-focus their spiritual walk will find clarity.

Thank you for your prayers!

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Strong But Merciful

June 2, 2016 by jbrianhill

We live in a mixed up world.  One would think that as long as Christianity has been around, the world would be a different place by now.  The truth is – the world is a different place than it was 2000 years ago.  The good far outweighs the bad – its just that the bad gets the press.

But we also have to remember that we live in a fallen world.  As believers, this is not our home – we are just passing through.  And on this passage, we are called to make a difference for Jesus while we are here.  We are to strive to be set apart; to be different.  Jesus challenged us in Matthew 5:48 to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect.

We do this by hungering and thirsting after God’s will for us – for his righteousness.  We hold tightly to the truth given to us in scripture.  We stand unwaveringly on our convictions.  But we do so with mercy and humility.

Our culture would say the greatest evil threatening the human condition today is intolerance.  (I would say, the condemnation of and aggression toward Biblical truth by those waving the intolerance banner is the strongest intolerance I see today – a bit ironic don’t you think?)  But the greatest evil threatening the human condition today is the same evil that has been a threat since the beginning – sin.

The only answer for sin is God’s grace and forgiveness brought about by God’s truth.

So we must not flinch at the accusation of intolerance.  We must stand on the foundation of God’s truth.  But we must do so with humility, mercy and love.

Be strong yet merciful today!

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We Serve an Amazing God

May 31, 2016 by jbrianhill

Over the holiday weekend, we made time to spend the better part of an afternoon at the beach.  Despite the crowd that had gathered for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, we had a great Surftime taking in the grandeur of God’s creation.

 
There is a passage from the Psalms that speaks to the power of creation.  Psalm 19 verses 1-4 say this:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

Regardless of what life is throwing at you this morning – remember – we serve an amazing God who is bigger and greater than anything you are facing!

Be blessed today!

Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Live With Lasting Purpose

May 26, 2016 by jbrianhill

We have been working verse by verse and chapter by chapter through the book of Ecclesiastes on Wednesday nights in our Bible study.  Last night, we completed our look at the least studied book in the Bible.

This book is not filled with words that you would ever find in a greeting card.  It is a realistic but pessimistic commentary on life.  Solomon was at the end of his life – a full life crammed with accomplishments, wealth, wisdom and power.  But his conclusion, after pursuing all these endeavors and succeeding in just about everything he attempted, was it was all pointless.  He used words like futility, vanity and meaningless.

As I said, inspirational quotes for greeting cards do not appear within these 12 chapters.  But what does appear is an authentic and extremely raw look at life.  The frustration and depression we feel about the world from time to time but would never bring up in a small group at church is exactly what Solomon put into words.

And through his dissection and analysis of this life “under the sun” he learned a valuable principle.  The foundational principle of life he defined was not relevant for his era only.  This principle is foundational today as well.  The timeless truth Solomon uncovered in all his study, thought and experience was this:

Fear God and keep his commandments (12:13)

That’s it.  The answer to the age old question of the meaning of life is made up of 6 words.

This idea of fear is not terror but rather reverence and healthy respect.  It carries the idea of submission and love – of worship.  We only find purpose in life when we approach God in this manner.  What we see “under the sun” is all temporary – pointless.  But when our focus is on loving and pleasing God by following him and his plan for our lives, then even life in the here and now has meaning.

Live with lasting purpose today!

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Commonsense Carefulness

May 25, 2016 by jbrianhill

A dear friend of mine shared a quote with me yesterday from Oswald Chambers’ devotional work, My Utmost For His Highest.  The quote came from the devotion for Monday.  I have read Chambers’ book before and found it to be extremely meaningful.  It has certainly stood the test of time.

But this quote was unfamiliar to me and it has continued to rock me to the core.  Chambers commented on Matthew 6:25 which says, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you put on.”  His simple comment was this:

Jesus summed up commonsense carefulness in the life of the disciple as unbelief.

I have lived by the mantra that we are to live by faith but God gave us a brain to be able to think through things to make logical choices.  I still hold to that truth but Chambers’ words have me doing some self-examination.

Do I ever make choices based on commonsense and not on faith?  Do I ever hold back and over-think things, all in the name of being careful and wise when I should move forward in faith?

Chambers challenges each of us to evaluate our motives and reasoning processes.  We should never want to operate from a misguided place of feeling we are in control.

I do not want to be guilty of unbelief.

The truth of this lesson?

Worry about nothing, simply trust!

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