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A More Excellent Way

7/31/2017

Football fans are familiar with the phrase hurry-up offense, also known as the no-huddle offense. For the majority of the game, teams take their time moving the ball down field. But when a team needs to score points fast, they employ the hurry-up offense. Rather than taking precious seconds off the clock to huddle up, they quickly move into their assigned positions at the line of scrimmage where the quarterback will audible the next play.

I heard it stated recently that we live in a hurry-up offense society. Another metaphor is permanent white water. Rather than paddling down a peaceful river, most people today are shooting the rapids 24/7. This makes for very little calm and a lot of chaos.

Christianity offers a better alternative to the world’s way of living. In contrast to our hurry-up, no-huddle, permanent white water society, the Bible presents a more excellent way (1 Cor. 12:31).

While the Bible sometimes refers to the Christian life as a race to be run (Heb. 12:1), for the most part it describes the life of faith as a walk. The examples are too numerous to name, but here is a sample from Scripture. We are to walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), walk in love (Eph. 5:2), walk diligently (Eph. 5:15), walk worthy of the Lord (Col. 1:10), walk in wisdom (Col. 4:5), walk in honesty (1 Thess. 4:12), walk in the light (1 John 1:7), walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6), walk in God’s commandments (2 John 6), and walk in truth (3 John 4).

Rather than sprinting through the day in a frantic frenzy, the Bible presents the Christian progressing with a steady, determined walk. Rather than being driven by a never-ending desire to measure up to the world’s standard of success, believers are compelled to live for the purposes of heaven and to hear God’s word of commendation.

We are so conditioned by our world that it is going to take an intentional effort to slow down. Rather than trying to keep up with the flow of traffic rushing along at breakneck speeds, we need to lighten up on the gas peddle. The more you live for eternal priorities, the less you will be pushed along by earthly demands.

Resist the crazy pace of today’s out-of-control culture. Choose the more excellent way. Like Enoch, walk with God (Hebrews 11:5).

Pastor Todd Weston

Did You Know?

7/24/2017

Did you know honey is the only natural food which never spoils?

Did you know Monopoly is the most played board game in the world?

Did you know Golden Retrievers are the breed of dog that bite the least, and that German Shepherds bite the most?

Did you know dreamt is the only word that ends in “mt”?

Did you know the first letters of the months July through November spell JASON?

Did you know “the sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick” is the world’s worst tongue twister?

Did you know you burn more calories eating celery than it contains?

Did you know apples are more effective at waking you up in the morning than coffee?

Did you know the safest car color is white?

Did you know that Jesus Christ is the only person in the world to be born of a virgin?

Did you know that after dying on the cross, Jesus rose from the dead and was seen by over 500 eyewitnesses?

Did you know that Jesus loves you, and that everything He did was for you?

Did you know? You do now!

Pastor Todd Weston

*Some Did You Know questions taken from did-you-knows.com.

Slander

7/17/2017

“We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away” (Proverbs 10:7). As Solomon wrote these words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he very well might have been thinking about two men whose chance meeting resulted in one of the tragic stories of the Bible. The one was godly Ahimelech. The other was a scoundrel named Doeg.

As the story goes, David was on the run from Saul who was determined to kill his perceived rival to the throne. In need of sustenance, David fled to Nob where the tabernacle was located. When questioned about his sudden appearance, David told Ahimelech the priest that he was on a secret mission for the king. Satisfied with the explanation, Ahimelech provided David with food and with the sword of Goliath. Armed with provisions, David made his getaway. But it was not a perfect escape. For as he left, David noticed the presence of one of Saul’s men — Doeg.

Later, when Saul accused his advisors of being involved in a conspiracy against him, Doeg told about the meeting between Ahimelech and David. Doeg did what many slanderers do. He told the truth, but not the whole truth. He didn’t tell that David had deceived Ahimelech. With this important information withheld, Doeg slandered the innocent priest. Though a godly man, Ahimelech fell victim to the sword of slander; he and his entire family (1 Samuel 22:18).

A slanderer who assassinates the character of guiltless victims is rightly held in contempt. But the slanderer would make no headway without the assistance of willing accomplices. Once the malicious rumor gains ground, it’s almost impossible to stop before irreparable damage is done.

A man had slandered a friend only to find out later that what he had said was not true. Troubled in his conscience he went to a monk to confess. The monk said to him, “If you want to make peace with your conscience, you must fill a bag with feathers and go to every house in the village and drop a feather at each door.” The man did as he was told. Going to every house where he had spread the lie, he laid a feather at the door.

The monk then gave this final instruction, “Now go to every house and gather up the feathers.” But the man protested, “The wind has blown them all away by now.” The monk answered, “That’s true. And so it is with gossip and slander. Words are easily dropped, but no matter how hard you try you can never get them back again.”

As there is in the Bible a hall of fame of the heroes of faith, there is a hall of shame, of which Doeg is a charter member. Refuse to be associated with the Doeg’s of this world. Aspire to better things by being filled with the love of God that, ”thinks no evil” and “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:5-6).

Pastor Todd Weston

Appearances

7/10/2017

The story is told about a man who went to the zoo. Arriving at the elephant exhibit he noticed one of the keepers sitting nearby with his head down, silently weeping. On inquiry he learned that an elephant had died during the night. Being an animal lover, he was nearly moved to tears. Looking at the keeper as he continued to weep, the visitor said, “He must have been very fond of the elephant.” “It’s not that,” came the reply. “He’s the poor chap who has to dig the grave.”

Things aren’t always what they appear to be. That is why the Bible instructs us to exercise discernment. Rather than accepting things at face value, we are told to put them to the test. This we do by running everything through the filter of God’s Word, “To the law and to the testimony; if they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

The standard test is twofold. The message is tested by the Word of God (content). The messenger is tested by his or her lifestyle (character). Jesus said, “Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:20). To avoid deception, exercise discernment.

That is the negative side of this article. Looks can be deceiving, so watch out. Now for the positive side which can be expressed by the statement, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” While the proverb doesn’t come from the Bible, it presents a wise rule for living.

In May 2012, an unknown singer named Susan Boyle took the stage in the final round of Britain’s Got Talent. At first, the judges and members of the audience were shocked by her appearance and behavior. She didn’t look like an award-winning singer, and she certainly didn’t act like one. But moments later, judges and audience alike sat in stunned amazement when Susan Boyle unleashed her amazing voice singing, “I Dreamed a Dream.”

We serve a God who delights in hiding treasure in earthen vessels. As Paul explained to the Corinthians, God chooses things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chooses things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chooses things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and uses them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

So remember the negative side and practice discernment. Then remember the positive side and be encouraged by the fact that with God things can turn out completely different from what they appear to be. Out of defeat can come victory. Out of death can come life.

Pastor Todd Weston

Free Indeed

7/3/2017

Raynald III, a fourteenth century duke in what is now Belgium, was terribly obese. Captured in a revolt by his younger brother, he was imprisoned in a room that was built around him. It was a strange prison for it had no bars on the windows; not even a locked door. But the door had been built smaller than normal. Because of his size, Raynald could not squeeze through the door to freedom.

Still, there was a way. All he had to do was go on a diet. His brother even promised to restore to Raynald his title and wealth as soon as he was able to leave the room. But it just so happened that his brother knew Raynald’s weakness — food!

So each day trays of rich, delicious, fattening foods were delivered to Raynald’s prison, compliments of his brother. And each day Raynald ate everything on those trays. Instead of growing thinner, Raynald grew fatter than ever. His was a prison not of bars and locks, but of his own appetite.

This week we celebrate Independence Day. But the sad truth is that while we live in the home of the free, many people in these United States of America are not free at all. Like Raynald III, they are prisoners, but not with bars and locks. Other things have imprisoned them, and they need to be set free.

Ironically, many people living in prison today fail to see it as such. John 8 records the conversation between Jesus and a group of people who didn’t know they were in bondage. They denied the very idea. They argued vehemently that they were free. Jesus simply pointed that not only were they members of a conquered nation living under Roman dominance, but they were personally slaves of sin to boot. “Everyone who sins is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).

Prisons of sin abound today, but so do other kinds of prisons. Many wake up each morning in a prison of painful circumstances from which there seems no chance of escape. Others live each day incarcerated in a prison of fear. The different types of prisons are too numerous to name here. The good news for all is that Jesus Christ holds the key that unlocks prison doors and sets the captives free!

“Therefore is the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

I am thankful for the freedoms I enjoy as a citizen of this great nation. I am infinitely more thankful for the freedoms that are mine as a Christian. The one is temporal. The other is eternal. In our celebration of Independence Day, let’s remember to celebrate this great fact — in Christ we are free indeed.

Pastor Todd Weston

RLA Pastor's blog

A More Excellent Way

Did You Know?

Slander

Appearances

Free Indeed

Pastor Todd

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