Good Morning Everyone,
I do hope and pray that you had a safe and blessed weekend, just a quick thought this morning on the topic of debt. The three most comforting words in a person’s life has to be ‘paid in full’. Whether it is a home, car or student loan, when one hears the debt has been paid in full, there is a comfort that resides through the entire body. Even more, we have assurance in the what that occurs after our life on earth is finished by the same words, ‘paid in full’.
Assurance that our sin debt has been paid in full is what gives us comfort (Colossians 2.2), confidence (I John 3.19-21), joy (I John 1.4) and the ability to overcome the world (I John 4.4-5). We are assured the sin debt we all have (Romans 3.10, 23) is paid in full by the One Who lived, died and yet lives evermore…The Lord Jesus Christ. But what I really want you to think about is those three little words: “paid in full”. Full means occupied, complete or packed, meaning there is no more room, nothing else to do and nothing more needed. Just like when you pay your home off, once that last payment is finished, you owe no more on the house (of course taxes are a different story J). Seeing that all have sinned (everyone has lied, stolen, etc. at least once in their life, the amount or size of either is irrelevant), yet that price or the debt that we owe for sins rendered, was paid in full by the One Who knew no sin…yet became sin for us… When I think on those things, sometimes I can only say: “Wow, Christ did that for me? Who am I to deserve such a gift?” That is when I remember the greatest aspect of those three little words, ‘paid in full’: “I don’t deserve the gift, I never have deserved the gift and never will deserve the gift, but He paid the debt anyway!” That my friends is grace this morning, receiving your sin debt to be paid in full, even if and when you do not deserve it to be.
Sometime today, look up in your Bible Romans 5.8, Romans 6.23 and Luke 13.3. Have a wonderful day.
Today in History
1842 – Congress establishes the U.S. Naval observatory, one of the nations scientific agencies;
1886 – An earthquake centered near Charleston, South Carolina, destroys much of the city, kills scores of people and is felt in distant places such as Boston and Chicago;
1920 – Station 8MK (later WWJ) in Detroit broadcasts the first news program on a U.S. radio station, an announcement of local election returns;
1955 – General Motors Corporation demonstrates the world’s first solar powered car in Chicago.
Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
weekly words of encourgement 8/24/09
Good Morning all,
I trust everyone had a safe weekend and is now looking forward in pursuing the coming week with vigor. Just a quick thought today on the love of God in light of the following verse:
Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Have you ever thought that it is easier for God to love you and I when we are good? Some, I suspect, secretly feel as if they deserve salvation…With that simple thought in general, one would have to conclude that if they deserve salvation (as a result of being so good), that others are so bad that they do not deserve salvation. Is there anyone in the world today with behavior so terrible that the Lord could not save them?
Of course not, that is foolish to think that, however, you would be amazed to find out how many people feel just that way. In that thinking, the complete understanding of grace is not understood, for grace by the simplest of definitions means to receive something that you do not deserve. No matter how ‘good’ we are, our righteousness is as a filthy rag, to be cast away. The grace of God, which is bestowed upon all those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior, is a free gift. It is a gift that cost you nothing. If I were to say unto you today, I have a 2010 Cadillac, loaded to the max and you can have it right here and right now for 100.00. That is a great deal, but it is not a gift. A gift, my friend, is free…completely free and that is grace.
The more the sin, the more the grace, because your works has nothing to do with the gift of salvation, but it has everything to do with the Giver…The Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that each one of you have a blessed day today and remember, it is God’s grace that gives the gift, of even this day.
Today in History
1814 – British troops invade Washington D.C., setting fire to the U.S. Capitol and White House.
1932 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly nonstop across the United States, traveling from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, in 19 hours.
1959 – Three days after Hawaii becomes the 50th state, Hiram L. Fong is sworn in as the first Chinese-American U.S. senator and David K. Inouye is sworn in as the first Japanese-American U.S. House member.
1971 – Sabrina Black (Wilks) was born.
1992 – Hurricane Andrew smashes into southern Florida, causing record damage.
I trust everyone had a safe weekend and is now looking forward in pursuing the coming week with vigor. Just a quick thought today on the love of God in light of the following verse:
Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Have you ever thought that it is easier for God to love you and I when we are good? Some, I suspect, secretly feel as if they deserve salvation…With that simple thought in general, one would have to conclude that if they deserve salvation (as a result of being so good), that others are so bad that they do not deserve salvation. Is there anyone in the world today with behavior so terrible that the Lord could not save them?
Of course not, that is foolish to think that, however, you would be amazed to find out how many people feel just that way. In that thinking, the complete understanding of grace is not understood, for grace by the simplest of definitions means to receive something that you do not deserve. No matter how ‘good’ we are, our righteousness is as a filthy rag, to be cast away. The grace of God, which is bestowed upon all those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior, is a free gift. It is a gift that cost you nothing. If I were to say unto you today, I have a 2010 Cadillac, loaded to the max and you can have it right here and right now for 100.00. That is a great deal, but it is not a gift. A gift, my friend, is free…completely free and that is grace.
The more the sin, the more the grace, because your works has nothing to do with the gift of salvation, but it has everything to do with the Giver…The Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that each one of you have a blessed day today and remember, it is God’s grace that gives the gift, of even this day.
Today in History
1814 – British troops invade Washington D.C., setting fire to the U.S. Capitol and White House.
1932 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly nonstop across the United States, traveling from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, in 19 hours.
1959 – Three days after Hawaii becomes the 50th state, Hiram L. Fong is sworn in as the first Chinese-American U.S. senator and David K. Inouye is sworn in as the first Japanese-American U.S. House member.
1971 – Sabrina Black (Wilks) was born.
1992 – Hurricane Andrew smashes into southern Florida, causing record damage.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Weekly Words of Encouragment 8-17-09
Good Morning All,
I do hope and pray that everyone had a blessed and safe weekend.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Luke 11:10
One of the more difficult things to do in this life is ask, I know certain people that would not ask for help despite how difficult things may be. Yet I know some that will ask for anything, even if is through their own greed or laziness. But in the realm of reality, our hearts do not like to ask. We are commanded to do so, if we need something, we must ask… We must ask of God that He may give…
What is the key possession that restricts us from asking?
Pride - When we take a close look at the results of pride, we find that it is as a chain – a prison if you will, one that will not loosen its hold on your heart, one that compasseth your entire thoughts, emotions and life…Solomon said:
§ Proverbs 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
§ Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
§ Proverbs 21:4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
o That plowing is the work of the wicked – led by a prideful heart. Pride is the one and only element needed in the life of mankind that will keep them from asking of God…It was Paul the Apostle that penned in Romans 12:3 (For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
o Pride will keep you asking yourself and others, but not God!
With that said, what is the key possession that enables us to ask?
Poverty – Psalms 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Contrite: dakka', dak-kaw'; from Hebrew (daka'); crushed (literal powder, or figurative contrite) :- contrite, destruction. David is referring to a spirit that is crushed – to literal powder…
§ The Church at Smyrna is considered to be the persecuted church; it is the church age that lived through 7 of the 10 Great Persecutions ending with the Roman Emperor Diocletion in 310AD. The attack was on true Christians, of which no other group suffered more than those of the Baptist doctrine…
§ The word Smyrna means myrrh – It is a mineral when tasted is bitter; but when crushed sends forth a sweet odor.
o Paul said in II Corinthians 2:14-17 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. [15] For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: [16] To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? [17] For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
When you enter in a state of spiritual poverty it is not too difficult to ask of God… Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. It is where we need to be, because that is where and when we receive from God! It is at this time we become as a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord.
We need to be a spiritual:
Pauper
Luke 11:13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” To ‘ask’ means ‘to beg’ – The Holy Spirit is the One Who makes real in you all that Jesus did for you…When we ask, we must first ask of what we lack and second we are to never ask with an end in sight – when we ask with an end in sight we are not asking out of our lack, but out of our lust…
We must come to Christ to ask of His:
§ Wisdom – James 1:5
§ Will – Romans 1:9-10
§ Way – for He said: John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
§ Words – II Chronicles 7:14 (everyone knows this verse, but the answer came in V.12, look it up and enjoy)
o Luke 4:4 “…It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”
The Life of a Christian is exhibited in what he or she exercises for Christ… What they possess is contingent to what and how they ask of Christ…
Alexandre Dumas, the French novelist, was once stopped in Paris by a beggar who asked for alms in a rather threatening manner. Said Dumas: “Why do you not take off your hat to me when you ask for money?”
“Honorable sir,” replied the man, “over on the corner stands a policeman. If he sees me take off my hat, he will know that I am begging and will at once arrest me. As it is, he thinks that we are merely two old acquaintances having a chat.”
Dumas was so impressed by the man’s ready retort he gave him 100 francs.
We must become a beggar – a mere Pauper in the state of spiritual Poverty in order to overcome Pride and therefore ask and shall receive…Have a wonderful day.
Today in History – August 17, 2009
1943 – In World War II, U.S. and British troops complete the Allied conquest of Sicily;
1969 – Hurricane Camille slams the Gulf Coast, killing approximately 250 people;
1978 – Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman of Albuquerque, New Mexico, become the first to successfully cross the Atlantic in a balloon when they land the Double Eagle II near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Maine.
Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church
I do hope and pray that everyone had a blessed and safe weekend.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Luke 11:10
One of the more difficult things to do in this life is ask, I know certain people that would not ask for help despite how difficult things may be. Yet I know some that will ask for anything, even if is through their own greed or laziness. But in the realm of reality, our hearts do not like to ask. We are commanded to do so, if we need something, we must ask… We must ask of God that He may give…
What is the key possession that restricts us from asking?
Pride - When we take a close look at the results of pride, we find that it is as a chain – a prison if you will, one that will not loosen its hold on your heart, one that compasseth your entire thoughts, emotions and life…Solomon said:
§ Proverbs 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
§ Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
§ Proverbs 21:4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
o That plowing is the work of the wicked – led by a prideful heart. Pride is the one and only element needed in the life of mankind that will keep them from asking of God…It was Paul the Apostle that penned in Romans 12:3 (For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
o Pride will keep you asking yourself and others, but not God!
With that said, what is the key possession that enables us to ask?
Poverty – Psalms 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Contrite: dakka', dak-kaw'; from Hebrew (daka'); crushed (literal powder, or figurative contrite) :- contrite, destruction. David is referring to a spirit that is crushed – to literal powder…
§ The Church at Smyrna is considered to be the persecuted church; it is the church age that lived through 7 of the 10 Great Persecutions ending with the Roman Emperor Diocletion in 310AD. The attack was on true Christians, of which no other group suffered more than those of the Baptist doctrine…
§ The word Smyrna means myrrh – It is a mineral when tasted is bitter; but when crushed sends forth a sweet odor.
o Paul said in II Corinthians 2:14-17 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. [15] For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: [16] To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? [17] For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
When you enter in a state of spiritual poverty it is not too difficult to ask of God… Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. It is where we need to be, because that is where and when we receive from God! It is at this time we become as a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord.
We need to be a spiritual:
Pauper
Luke 11:13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” To ‘ask’ means ‘to beg’ – The Holy Spirit is the One Who makes real in you all that Jesus did for you…When we ask, we must first ask of what we lack and second we are to never ask with an end in sight – when we ask with an end in sight we are not asking out of our lack, but out of our lust…
We must come to Christ to ask of His:
§ Wisdom – James 1:5
§ Will – Romans 1:9-10
§ Way – for He said: John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
§ Words – II Chronicles 7:14 (everyone knows this verse, but the answer came in V.12, look it up and enjoy)
o Luke 4:4 “…It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”
The Life of a Christian is exhibited in what he or she exercises for Christ… What they possess is contingent to what and how they ask of Christ…
Alexandre Dumas, the French novelist, was once stopped in Paris by a beggar who asked for alms in a rather threatening manner. Said Dumas: “Why do you not take off your hat to me when you ask for money?”
“Honorable sir,” replied the man, “over on the corner stands a policeman. If he sees me take off my hat, he will know that I am begging and will at once arrest me. As it is, he thinks that we are merely two old acquaintances having a chat.”
Dumas was so impressed by the man’s ready retort he gave him 100 francs.
We must become a beggar – a mere Pauper in the state of spiritual Poverty in order to overcome Pride and therefore ask and shall receive…Have a wonderful day.
Today in History – August 17, 2009
1943 – In World War II, U.S. and British troops complete the Allied conquest of Sicily;
1969 – Hurricane Camille slams the Gulf Coast, killing approximately 250 people;
1978 – Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman of Albuquerque, New Mexico, become the first to successfully cross the Atlantic in a balloon when they land the Double Eagle II near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Maine.
Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church
Monday, August 10, 2009
Weekly Words of Encouragment 8-10-09
Good Morning all,
I pray that each one of you had a safe and blessed weekend. I wanted to share just a brief thought, much of what stems from yesterday’s morning sermon. How many times have you asked or someone asked you “Why do we have to suffer”?
The truth of the matter is that sometimes suffering is God’s disciplining hand of chastisement and other times suffering is just a reminder of a past days of sin… However, every form of suffering is not always punishment. Sometimes we come under fire for being a Christian, like the old saying goes: “you are not going to do right and get away with it.” Yet with all that said, sometimes suffering comes into our life as a result of none of the above. Sometimes suffering is allowed of God, in our life, that has absolutely nothing to do with us, but rather for the benefit of others. Consider the three Hebrews boys of Daniel 3 (Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-Nego), they were serving God, doing right when all of sudden they are being threatened with a burning fiery furnace. They were sincere in their stance for the Lord, they were not, under any circumstances going to bow to the false idols nor the image that the king set up. Without a guarantee, a promise or a call on their life form God they took a stand to suffer. You know the rest of the story, they were cast into the fire and the king looked and saw them walking around the midst of the flames with Jesus Christ (the Son of God v.25) walking with them. When they were pulled from that furnace, the smell of smoke was not even on their garments. That is because the hands of the living God surrounded them.
One would have to wonder ‘why in the world did they have to suffer all the frustration, humiliation, emotional distress etc.’? The fact of the matter, they suffered, not for themselves, but for others that would see them and even for the benefit of the king. Because, they were willing to be cast into the fire, without a guarantee of salvation, God was glorified by the kings mouth. Nebuchadnezzar made a proclamation across the land that no one is to speak against the God of Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-Nego. Their suffering was not for themselves, but it was of others and it was for the fact that the One true God would be acknowledged across the world.
So the bottom line is that many times, we are going to suffer in this life… Sometimes it is just part of living in a depraved world, but other times, when there is no rhyme of reason present, just look to the Lord and trust that He is using you to be a blessing to someone else. What a wonderful opportunity in this life, to be used of God to effect others.
Today in History
1821 – Missouri becomes the twenty-fourth state and the first state west of the Mississippi
1846 – President Polk signs legislation establishing the Smithsonian Institute
1869 – O.B. Brown of Malden, Massachusetts, receives the first patent for a movie projector.
1874 – Hebert Clark Hoover, the thirty-first U.S. president, is born in West Branch, Iowa.
1990 – The spacecraft Magellan lands on Venus on the anniversary of the day that Ferdinand Magellan’s ships set sail in 1519 on the first circumnavigation of the globe.
Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church
I pray that each one of you had a safe and blessed weekend. I wanted to share just a brief thought, much of what stems from yesterday’s morning sermon. How many times have you asked or someone asked you “Why do we have to suffer”?
The truth of the matter is that sometimes suffering is God’s disciplining hand of chastisement and other times suffering is just a reminder of a past days of sin… However, every form of suffering is not always punishment. Sometimes we come under fire for being a Christian, like the old saying goes: “you are not going to do right and get away with it.” Yet with all that said, sometimes suffering comes into our life as a result of none of the above. Sometimes suffering is allowed of God, in our life, that has absolutely nothing to do with us, but rather for the benefit of others. Consider the three Hebrews boys of Daniel 3 (Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-Nego), they were serving God, doing right when all of sudden they are being threatened with a burning fiery furnace. They were sincere in their stance for the Lord, they were not, under any circumstances going to bow to the false idols nor the image that the king set up. Without a guarantee, a promise or a call on their life form God they took a stand to suffer. You know the rest of the story, they were cast into the fire and the king looked and saw them walking around the midst of the flames with Jesus Christ (the Son of God v.25) walking with them. When they were pulled from that furnace, the smell of smoke was not even on their garments. That is because the hands of the living God surrounded them.
One would have to wonder ‘why in the world did they have to suffer all the frustration, humiliation, emotional distress etc.’? The fact of the matter, they suffered, not for themselves, but for others that would see them and even for the benefit of the king. Because, they were willing to be cast into the fire, without a guarantee of salvation, God was glorified by the kings mouth. Nebuchadnezzar made a proclamation across the land that no one is to speak against the God of Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-Nego. Their suffering was not for themselves, but it was of others and it was for the fact that the One true God would be acknowledged across the world.
So the bottom line is that many times, we are going to suffer in this life… Sometimes it is just part of living in a depraved world, but other times, when there is no rhyme of reason present, just look to the Lord and trust that He is using you to be a blessing to someone else. What a wonderful opportunity in this life, to be used of God to effect others.
Today in History
1821 – Missouri becomes the twenty-fourth state and the first state west of the Mississippi
1846 – President Polk signs legislation establishing the Smithsonian Institute
1869 – O.B. Brown of Malden, Massachusetts, receives the first patent for a movie projector.
1874 – Hebert Clark Hoover, the thirty-first U.S. president, is born in West Branch, Iowa.
1990 – The spacecraft Magellan lands on Venus on the anniversary of the day that Ferdinand Magellan’s ships set sail in 1519 on the first circumnavigation of the globe.
Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Weekly Words of Encouragment 8-3-09
Good Morning all,
I hope and pray that each and every one of you had a wonderful weekend and a safe one too. It is nice to be back home after much travel, but the time was well spent on the mission field and in the visited churches.
My thoughts this morning are around ‘others’… Other people that we come in contact with each day. I realize the stress we are all under today, with the workplace, the home and activities both in and out of church. However, sometimes we may get caught up so far in our own trials and troubles, we forget that other people are going through the same things and many times worse. In John 15.13, our Lord Jesus Christ said: “ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Now that is love! In our days, we have become disconnected from what the word ‘love’ means, as we have done the same with the word ‘hate.’ We hear people (and maybe yourselves) say “I hate this” or “I hate that”. We have heard people say that about other people, yet the Bible says that if you ‘hate’ your brother you are a murderer. The world uses these words so often that their true meaning has been lost in the ‘details’…They have become, for lack of better terms, by-words in society, causing us a lack of understanding the statements that describe a loving God Who hates sin. In a nutshell, the words ‘love’ and ‘hate’ have emptied their meaning due to the use of describing friends, family, finances and foes.
Today, that can change. First, we must understand that to hate is to kill, that is the drastic end of the terminology. Yet, to love is even greater, for it is to give life (not in creation sense, but in a way that will offer someone else a better state of being). Remember, Jesus Christ said: “Greater love hath no man than this…”. The Love our Lord describes is a the love He had and the Father had for Their creation – a sacrificial love that allows us life by the Son losing His. This is our pattern for others… The Apostle Paul wrote: “…let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3. This is the place, the very moment, where we as humans can exercise the very love Christ exhibited for us, by simply esteeming (regard, value etc) others better than we esteem ourselves. That does not mean we think ill of ourselves or become depress of who we are. It does mean, that we are to look at other people and ask ourselves “ how can I love them in the way Christ loved me”. You will find the answer to be: “by laying down your life for your them”.
We can look at others, place ourselves on the backburner in order to help them. Sometimes it only takes a smile, handshake or a hugged neck…Other times it takes time, work and the sacrificing of what may be considered in your life dear, so that someone else may be comforted. Maybe today, you will come across someone you never met before or someone you see on a daily basis – Could you offer to them something you may never have before… yourself? Love them unconditionally as Christ loved us, give them the ear they need, the kind words, a ride to work or home or even a little help with their bills. Sure it may cost you a little time…it may cost you a little of your own personal talent… our it may cost you a little treasure. But remember, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” . We can put aside our life for a moment, that we may be able to be a blessing to someone else’s.
I hope and pray you have a wonderful day.
Today in History:
1492 – Christopher Columbus sails from Palos, Spain, with the Nina, Pina and Santa Maria n his famous journey to find a western route to the Indes.
1846 – Abraham Lincoln is elected to the U.S. House.
1852 – In America’s first intercollegiate athletic event, crews from Yale and Harvard race on Lake Winnipesaukee in Center Harbor, New Hampshire.
1923 – Calvin Coolidge is sworn in as the 13th U.S. president, following the death of Warren G. Harding.
1958 – The submarine Nautilus becomes the 1st vessel to reach the North Pole.
Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church
I hope and pray that each and every one of you had a wonderful weekend and a safe one too. It is nice to be back home after much travel, but the time was well spent on the mission field and in the visited churches.
My thoughts this morning are around ‘others’… Other people that we come in contact with each day. I realize the stress we are all under today, with the workplace, the home and activities both in and out of church. However, sometimes we may get caught up so far in our own trials and troubles, we forget that other people are going through the same things and many times worse. In John 15.13, our Lord Jesus Christ said: “ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Now that is love! In our days, we have become disconnected from what the word ‘love’ means, as we have done the same with the word ‘hate.’ We hear people (and maybe yourselves) say “I hate this” or “I hate that”. We have heard people say that about other people, yet the Bible says that if you ‘hate’ your brother you are a murderer. The world uses these words so often that their true meaning has been lost in the ‘details’…They have become, for lack of better terms, by-words in society, causing us a lack of understanding the statements that describe a loving God Who hates sin. In a nutshell, the words ‘love’ and ‘hate’ have emptied their meaning due to the use of describing friends, family, finances and foes.
Today, that can change. First, we must understand that to hate is to kill, that is the drastic end of the terminology. Yet, to love is even greater, for it is to give life (not in creation sense, but in a way that will offer someone else a better state of being). Remember, Jesus Christ said: “Greater love hath no man than this…”. The Love our Lord describes is a the love He had and the Father had for Their creation – a sacrificial love that allows us life by the Son losing His. This is our pattern for others… The Apostle Paul wrote: “…let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3. This is the place, the very moment, where we as humans can exercise the very love Christ exhibited for us, by simply esteeming (regard, value etc) others better than we esteem ourselves. That does not mean we think ill of ourselves or become depress of who we are. It does mean, that we are to look at other people and ask ourselves “ how can I love them in the way Christ loved me”. You will find the answer to be: “by laying down your life for your them”.
We can look at others, place ourselves on the backburner in order to help them. Sometimes it only takes a smile, handshake or a hugged neck…Other times it takes time, work and the sacrificing of what may be considered in your life dear, so that someone else may be comforted. Maybe today, you will come across someone you never met before or someone you see on a daily basis – Could you offer to them something you may never have before… yourself? Love them unconditionally as Christ loved us, give them the ear they need, the kind words, a ride to work or home or even a little help with their bills. Sure it may cost you a little time…it may cost you a little of your own personal talent… our it may cost you a little treasure. But remember, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” . We can put aside our life for a moment, that we may be able to be a blessing to someone else’s.
I hope and pray you have a wonderful day.
Today in History:
1492 – Christopher Columbus sails from Palos, Spain, with the Nina, Pina and Santa Maria n his famous journey to find a western route to the Indes.
1846 – Abraham Lincoln is elected to the U.S. House.
1852 – In America’s first intercollegiate athletic event, crews from Yale and Harvard race on Lake Winnipesaukee in Center Harbor, New Hampshire.
1923 – Calvin Coolidge is sworn in as the 13th U.S. president, following the death of Warren G. Harding.
1958 – The submarine Nautilus becomes the 1st vessel to reach the North Pole.
Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church
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