Author Archives: Pastor Tommy

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. (Hebrews 4:9-10)

Here’s a great question, “If God is omnipotent, possessing all the power in the universe, how are we to understand God rested on the seventh day of creation” (Genesis 2:2)? Please read on and be greatly encouraged today.

Perhaps the simplest way of putting this truth into words so that we might understand is this: God stopped His doing, but He never stopped His displaying. God stopped creating but He never stopped His sustaining. God was not tired as if His strength and power had diminished in any way over the previous six days of creation. After six days of work, we are tired and we are in need of a rest, but never our God. Isaiah puts it this way, “The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary” (Isaiah 40:28). And Jesus put it this way, “My father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17). So, what does it mean to rest in the One who never rests?

Everyday Rest – the first rest we are to understand is the rest we receive when we first become a Christian. Because of the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we are raised from death to life, we are immediately and forever more, given a rest from our self-salvation project. We can stop trying to save ourselves because God in Christ has saved us. We no longer have to try to work ourselves into God’s favor because Jesus has already done this for us on our behalf. We are free from the works of the Law because Jesus has accomplished that Law on our behalf. Our doing is to be exchanged for our devotion as we work out our salvation in the strength of the grace that saved us. But that’s not all . . .

Eternal Rest – the second and final rest we are to understand is the rest that “remains” to be received on the other side of the grave. This is the life that awaits us in glory when we stand before the face of God. This is the life where all of our rebellion will be removed, our sin slain, and our disobedience turned into divine devotion. We will, for the very first time in life, be fully resting in the promises of God. 

So, regardless of where this finds you, whether tired or utterly exhausted, cheer up. Look to your Lord and enter into your everyday rest by resting in your redemption, the finished work of Christ. And when you find yourself up against it, tired, weary, and heavy laden, look beyond the horizon to the promised rest that awaits you in heaven. It won’t be long now even if you live to be 100 years old.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)

Perhaps you have heard that the 10^th chapter of the book of Hebrews has been referred to as the “lettuce” chapter. Do you know why that is? Well, it is because you will find in the space of four verses (22-25), the powerful phrase “Let us . . .” Now that “let – us” is a supernatural salad that is designed to both challenge and comfort you right where this finds you today.

The first thing we need to know as Christians is found in the fact that inasmuch as we are saved individually, we are saved to community. The Bible knows nothing of the solitary saint. When God in Christ saved us, He placed a new obligation on us and that is the obligation we have to the family of faith. The word US makes it clear that there must be a mutual responsibility in the body of Christ . . . each for the other. Perhaps the best way to lay this out is found in the “one another’s” of the Scriptures. Here are just a few:

• Care for one another – Galatians 6:2
• Accept one another – Romans 15:5
• Serve one another – Galatians 5:13
• Confess to one another – James 5:15
• Submit to one another – Ephesians 5:21
• Comfort one another – 1 Thessalonians 4:18
• Carry one another’s burdens – Galatians 6:2
• Love one another – John 13:35

So, how well have you been feasting on the supernatural salad Jesus has set before you? What we need to remember is that Jesus died to make us His family of faith. He wants us to live as a community of believers who put the gospel on display in such a way that the community of unbelievers begins to ask why are we so different. The answer, of course, is found in the grace of God – the grace that saved us and is in the process of sanctifying us. Without the grace of God, we would still be as selfish and self-centered as we were before we were saved. Even after salvation, we must appropriate the grace of God in order to live out the “lettuce” chapter.

Remember, living in community for the Christian is not only God’s desire for each one of US, it is the clear and present sign of maturity – growing in our faith. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus vertically, we are to also be growing in our relationship with others horizontally. In the creation account, everything was good except one thing. It was not good for the man Adam to be alone (Genesis 2:18), so God created Eve, as the first community in the world. You are part of the most important community in the world today, the church. But in order for the church to be the church, we must do our part, and commit to community.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

By myself I can do nothing. (John 5:30)

If ever there was a life that could live independent of the Father in heaven it was the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. As the second person of the Trinity, Jesus had all the power of the Godhead contained within Him. But instead of using His power independent of the Father, Jesus made the decision of dependence – and this is the pattern we must choose for our lives too. Read on and be encouraged.

When we read the words, “By myself I can do nothing,” it might be easy to picture someone who is utterly helpless or even hopeless. But nothing could be further from the truth as it relates to the One who uttered these words in the gospel of John. The Omnipotent Son of the Most-High God made the decision to live not in the prerogative of His power, but rather, in the power of the Holy Spirit submitted to the will of His Father in heaven. Jesus made the decision of dependence. His message and His ministry were performed in utter dependence on the will of the Father. In the same sense that our Lord Jesus lived a life of dependence, we must do the same. We must keep these words of Jesus ever before us, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

By nature, we all want to live in our own strength and for our own glory. This is exactly what happened to Adam and Eve when they bought into the lie of Satan in the Garden of Eden. When they chose the way of independence, the result was the utter collapse of all of creation, as a consequence of their willful rebellion against God. They actually got what they sought – a life of independence apart from God and were booted out of the Garden to live east of Eden. Now their lives were marked by confusion and chaos; fear and frustration; disillusionment and death. Is this not the experience of all of us when we choose the way of independence?

So, how have you chosen to live lately? Have you chosen the way of independence or the way of dependence? To be a disciple of Jesus is to be dependent upon Jesus. And to be dependent upon Jesus is to live a life of both faithfulness and fruitfulness. When Jesus called the disciples with these words, “Follow me!” at the deepest level, He was calling them to follow His pattern of dependence upon the Father in heaven. We have received the same calling 2,000 years later. But remember, dependence is always a choice and that choice is always yours to make. What choice do you make today?

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Oh what a comfort we have in God’s Word today. No matter how much we mess things up, and I mess things up a lot, His mercies are new every morning. God always acts in mercy to His children, all of them, and that includes me and you. I have learned by way of personal experience that God’s mop is bigger than my mess!

The grace and mercy of God are truly amazing. Every bit of it is undeserved. Every bit of it is unearned. Every bit of it is unmerited. Every bit of it is simply a result of God’s gracious nature that predisposes Him to pour out His grace and mercy upon you, not only daily, but moment by moment. And if we are honest with ourselves, we know by way of personal experience, we need it every moment of every day.

Think about the last time you really messed things up. Perhaps it was something you said or something you did whether in your personal or professional life. Was not God merciful to you in the middle of your mess? Of course He was. He loved you the same after you messed things up as He did before. Because you are in Christ, you are absolutely loved. You cannot make God love you anymore and you cannot cause God to love you any less. He loves you as He loves His precious Son Jesus.

Regardless of the mess we make, our God never gets mad at the mess we have created. He simply acts in mercy toward us. And that is because we are covered by the blood of the Lamb of God who has taken away every sin, past, present, and to come. How else could God respond to us when we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ? Our God responds in mercy every time we mess things up and that should be a source of comfort for each of us today.

Let me leave you today with a lasting reminder of this wonderful truth:

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:4-5).

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

I trust the past two blogs have provided some necessary insight into fighting the battle against worry. In all of sacred Scripture, I cannot find a better verse to help in this fight than the one we have today.

The apostle Paul tells us we are more than conquerors because God is for us and if God is for us, it really doesn’t matter what comes up against us. That is why the key that unlocks the door to a week without worry is keeping our focus on Christ and not our circumstances. Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom knew this truth and put it this way, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Worry weakens our resolve and our response to whatever it is we are facing.

Think about it this way. If the most important and life altering events are no longer a source of worry for you –

• Being forgiven – 1 John 1:9
• Being forsaken – Hebrews 13:5
• Being forgotten – Isaiah 49:15

. . . and death itself has been overturned by Jesus rising from the grave and becoming the death of death, nothing in your life rises to the level of the need for worry. God’s got you and God’s got “IT” whatever “IT” is. But there is a death that is still required and that is death to the self. The more you die to yourself, the more you can live for your Savior. The apostle Paul put it this way, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Paul trusted completely in Christ and that trust turned any opportunity to worry into an opportunity to witness to the faithfulness of his Lord.

One final point from the pen of the apostle Paul as we close out our week without worry, make sure you are advancing in your life from your knees and not your feet. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).  

If God is for you . . . and He is . . . doesn’t it make sense that He would want to hear from you. Like any good father would want to hear from his children, your Heavenly Father wants to hear from you. And when you go to Him in prayer with whatever it is that is beginning to worry you, what you have done is exchange worry for worship, which is the true mark of the child of God.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. (Psalms 55:22)

We begin with a verse today that echoes the words of Peter that we closed with in Monday’s blog. The psalmist knew God could be trusted. Peter knew God could be trusted. Do we know this truth and do we live it out in our daily lives?

In the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus gave us the instruction not to worry, He argued from the lesser to the greater. He said if God cared for the flowers of the field and the birds of the air, how much more would He care for us. We need to remember that God cares for everything He created and that includes us and when we do, we will be more than willing to cast our cares on Him.

There is another important point from that sermon we need to keep in view, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life” (Matthew 6:27). In other words, worry is a thief. It captures our time and wastes our energy without the ability to help or change the circumstances we are facing. Worry has no power to prevent anything bad or produce anything good in our lives no matter how much time we spend doing it. Here are just a few of the damaging effects of worry:

• Insomnia
• Daily fatigue
• Ulcers
• High blood pressure
• Indigestion
• Heart palpitations

As a pastor, I have learned the sad truth that on many tombstones could be etched this epitaph: DIED OF WORRY! Worry is having a divided mind and a divided mind is as destructive as it is deadly. So, can you identify any of your “worry” triggers? Does any of the following resonate with you: feelings of powerlessness; when you feel vulnerable; when life seems out of control. When you identify some of the triggers you can be ready to respond appropriately with casting your cares on your Lord before they have time to crush you under the weight of worry.

Remember, worry is a choice. You can choose to worry or you can choose not to worry by trusting in the One who can be trusted and has proven to be trustworthy in the past. In choosing not to worry, you are not suppressing those worrisome thoughts. Rather, you are sharing them with your Lord who has promised to sustain you.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Therefore I tell you, do not worry . . . (Matthew 6:25)

For the three blogs this week, I would like to share a word of encouragement that can help you go a week without worry. Worry affects all of us which is why the song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” the title being repeated more than 20 times in the song, sold millions. It resonated within the hearts of many because worry simply messes with our lives and “weighs us down” as the writer of Proverbs tells us. Before going on, let’s be clear about the difference between worry and proper care. We are to have proper care and concern about life and the responsibilities that go with living it. But we are not to be worried anxiously about it having lost sight of our sovereign God who can be trusted in any circumstance we are facing. In a simple statement, concern produces practical steps for the circumstance we are facing and worry paralyzes us.

To be sure, there are many ways to define worry, but perhaps, the best way is simply a lack of trust in God . . . who He is and what He has promised. Each day brings to us a myriad of opportunities to worry from our health to our home life – from our finances to our future. Jesus adds these specifics to our verse today, “. . .  do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” And what is the reason why we are not to worry? Because God can be trusted!

Jesus goes on to say, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). When we worry, we are not seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. Rather, we are trapped in the momentary circumstance and it is telling us that God is not big enough to handle whatever it is we are going through. So, how do we keep worry from watering down our witness? We need to remember and respond to these words from the apostle Peter:

“Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 

So, the next time worry begins to grip you remember to cast whatever it is on Jesus because He cares for you and can handle whatever it is you are going through. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “God is so good and gracious that we can trust His heart even when we cannot trace His hand.” Let that truth set you free from worry.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

Growing up, I cannot tell you how many times my parents and teachers said to me, “Tommy, sit still!” I was always moving some part of my body whether at the dinner table or at my desk in the classroom. In today’s verse, we are commanded by God to “be still” not “sit still” and there is a world of difference between the two. Read on and be encouraged.

When my parents and teachers told me to “sit still” it was because I was either distracting or disruptive. But when God says, “be still” He is not saying we are distracting or disruptive. Within the context He is telling us to “cease striving” by submitting to His sovereign control and course correction in our lives willingly. You see, to “be still” is so much more than to “sit still.” Obviously, you can and “sit still” and not even be close to “being still.”

To be still and know that He is God is to surrender to His will even before you are in agreement with it. In fact, you may never be in agreement with God’s will, but to “be still” is to follow it anyway regardless of where it might lead. We can be totally still on the outside, and still be completely restless on the inside because we have not yet learned how to “be still.” So, we can only understand the first part of that verse when we understand the last part. To know God is to know the secret of being still.

In the beginning of Psalm 46, the writer tells us God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea . . . (Psalm 46:1-2). We are always busy being busy and that is true even when we are sitting still. There is always something we are working on at least in our minds. But to “be still” is to stop the frantic pace of working in our own strength because we are trusting in the strength of our Savior.

Remember, even if everything around you is coming apart at the seams (mountains falling into the heart of the sea), God is still in complete control of it all. God is orchestrating everything for His glory and your good, but you will never be able to live in that truth if all you do is “sit still.” You must “be still” by surrendering every aspect of your life to God’s design which will provide water to your thirsty soul and rest for your restless spirit.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ. (1 John 2:1)

An advocate is someone who supports, strengthens and stands in the gap for another. Inasmuch as the Bible identifies the Holy Spirit as our Advocate, it also identifies Jesus in the same capacity. Today I want to encourage you with a word about Jesus, your Almighty Advocate.

First, Jesus in your Advocate at the moment of your salvation when God the Father accepts you as His own, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Here is what the conversation might sound like between Jesus and His Father:

Father, this one is mine. Yes, he was guilty as charged. Yes, he was dead in trespasses and sins. But you said my death would pay the penalty for his sins and now my blood has cleansed him from all unrighteousness. You put your stamp of approval on my work being totally sufficient for his salvation when you raised me from the dead. Not only now, but forever more, there is no condemnation because I was condemned in his place.

Second, this imaginary last statement tells us that Jesus remains our Almighty Advocate forever and ever. We were not only sinners in need of a Savior when we got saved. But we are sinners in need of a Savior every moment of every day thereafter. We still sin and when we confess our sin, Jesus is faithful to forgive us, over and over again. And don’t forget this. Because Jesus was fully man as well as fully God, He knows exactly what you have gone through, what you are currently going through, and what you will go through in the future. He knows your suffering and your sorrow. He lived it Himself, yet without sin, and can sympathize with you every step of the way into glory.

Remember, regardless of where this finds you today, your Almighty Advocate is not only for you, He is with you, and He is in you. Pray that God would open the eyes of your heart today, as he did for Stephen when the religious leaders were stoning him to death, when he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at His Mighty Right Hand (Acts 7:55) . . .  AND HE WILL . . . because Jesus is your Almighty Advocate.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:24-25)

The simplicity in this proverb is simply supernatural in its impact. Read on and be greatly refreshed today.

So, what does it mean to refresh? The dictionary uses a variety of words to describe what the word refresh means:

• Restore
• Revive
• Renovate
• Replenish

Perhaps the best way I can explain the biblical meaning of what it means to be a refresher would be – making the lives of others better! A refresher is being the kind of person other people want to be around. Here is one of the best ways to sharpen your understanding of being a refresher: who in your life right now would you describe as a refresher . . . someone who lifts you up whenever they get around you . . . someone who shoulders your burdens with you . . .  someone who’s glass is always have full rather than half empty.

Refreshers shine their light into the darkness and help you see the way forward. They are quick to listen, slow to speak, and always ready to serve. They have a tendency to make your world not only brighter, but better and even bigger. They help to enlarge your vision of yourself and the call God has placed in your life. Their encouragement empowers you to get up every time you fall down and to keep going even when you would rather not. So, does this describe the kind of person you are in the lives of others?

Oh, don’t forget the promise in this proverb. All those you have identified in your life as refreshers, are themselves refreshed everything they refresh others. And the same will be true for you. You simply cannot refresh others without being refreshed yourself. Remember, the greatest Refresher the world has ever seen is Jesus, “He makes me line down in green pastures, and leads me beside quiet waters and refreshes my soul” (Psalm 23:2-3). The more we refresh others, the more we are like our Lord.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!