Author Archives: Pastor Tommy

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another . . . (Hebrews 10:25)

Once we understand that we have been saved to be part of a family of faith, we must answer the question, “How do we cultivate community?” The answer is, With frequency! In order to grow our relationships within our family of faith, we must frequently make meaningful contact in genuine fellowship. Growing any relationship takes time, which is why today’s verse encourages us to keep coming together.

Here is something we must keep in view if we are serious about building community: It is not built on convenience, but on commitment and conviction. We can’t just get together when we feel like it, because, truth be told, there are a lot of times when don’t feel like it! We must be intentional and purposeful about setting aside time out of our busy schedules because we know just how important it is to be growing in community. Solitary saints are the number one target of the evil one. He is always on the prowl, like a lion patiently circling a herd of zebras, looking to pounce on and devour those who have strayed away from the community. This is much harder for the enemy to do when you are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.

One of the keys that unlocks the door to building community is forsaking the self and focusing in on our Savior, who died to give us a relationship with Him and with all those who are His.

Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross . . . (Hebrews 12:1-2)

We must be willing to throw off . . .

• Self-absorption
• Self-centeredness
• Self-rule

Remember this, because we are going to be together forever with our family of faith in the new heavens and the new earth: The more time we spend with them in the here and now, the better we will be prepared for the there and then. The church as a whole is far more important than any individual. As my friend Steve Brown likes to say, “All those who belong to Jesus belong to all those who belong to Jesus.” Let that truth set us free to cultivate community with frequency.

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

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)

We all have a tendency to delay doing any difficult task; those tasks in which we delight, we do without delay. Because of this truth, let today’s word encourage you to do both the difficult and the delightful without delay. We can glean much from the lives of both Abraham and David. Let’s take a look.

When God called Abraham to offer up His only son Isaac, as unimaginably difficult as that must have been, Abraham did not delay in responding obediently to this command from His God. In the end, God spared Isaac by providing a sacrifice in his place.

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. (Genesis 22:1-3 ESV emphasis added)

God had plans to call David into His service. When David’s father told David to bring provisions to his brothers out on the battlefield, David did not delay in responding obediently to this command. At the end of the day, God delivered the entire Israelite army from the hands of the Philistines when David defeated the giant Goliath.

David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. (1 Samuel 17:20 emphasis added)

I opened our thought for today with Mark 1:35, where we read that Jesus got up early in the morning because He delighted to be in communion with His Father in heaven. Here we have the model for all that we delight in doing. But don’t forget that we also have the model for all that we find difficult to do in the stories of Abraham and David. To be sure, both tasks were difficult, but both were done without delay. They both rose early to get on with the business of their Lord, and this is the model God has set before us for all that He has called us to do — both the difficult and the delightful.

Think about the last time you delayed in doing the difficult. Did it not negatively affect everything else you were doing? We should dread the day when we delay the difficult. So let today’s word encourage you to rise early and do without delay both that in which you delight and that which you find difficult. The Bible shows us that there are blessings at the end of both activities.

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

What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?  (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Everyone is owned. The question that must be answered is, “What or who owns us?” The answer to the question is easy to determine, because there are only two options: Either we are owned by our Savior or by our stuff. How would you answer this question today?

When we are owned by our stuff, we have removed our Savior from the throne of our lives, and, in essence, we have made Him the “previous owner” of all we possess, including ourselves. We have elevated the gifts of life above and beyond the Giver of those gifts. We have replaced our Savior with our stuff, and our lives are marked by enjoying, serving, and loving the gifts from God rather than God Himself. We are owned by what we possess, rather than being owned by the One who possesses everything.

We must remember that everything we have has been loaned to us by God. He is never the “previous owner.” He owns everything, and He simply allows us to manage and steward it for His glory and the good of others. The apostle Paul made that abundantly clear in our verse for today. Everything we have has been given to us by God. Our next breath and our next heartbeat is a gift from God, “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). How foolish of us to imagine that we are the owners, rather than acknowledging that we are owned by the One who is both the Creator and Sustainer of life itself.

Let me ask you the question: What or who owns you right now? What is the confession of your life today? No matter how much you have accumulated, whose is it really? Perhaps this would be a good time to prayerfully consider a “transfer of ownership.” Remember, we were bought at the highest price possible: the precious blood of our Savior. We are not our own. We are His, and it is only when we are in vibrant relationship with Him that we will ever find whatever it is we are looking for, because our Savior is the end of our searching. He is the owner of it all, including you and me, and He is he one who will give our lives meaning, significance, and joy.

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

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

What am I asking in today’s title? I assure you, I am not referring to your physical form, your facial features, or your external beauty. What I am referring to is what is on the inside, that Christlike quality that others see when it surfaces and shines through to the outside world. Jesus commanded His followers to be attractive – drawing others to our Lord rather than repelling them.

There is nothing more attractive in a fallen, broken, and hurting world than to see fallen, broken, and hurting people who have been saved by grace living joyful, grace-filled lives. There is something irresistible about a Christian who is a conduit of the grace of God. The light of God’s grace has been given to us to shine in such a way that others are attracted to it and even want to changed by the One who shone His light into our hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6). One of the most important things we can do to be attractive is to demonstrate a heart of hopeful compassion for those who are in darkness . . . because that is where we once were.

You once were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8)

I often hear people say they want to change the world. Now, that’s a great goal when it is done for the glory of God. But it begins and ends by changing one heart at a time. And that change only takes place through the light of the Gospel that penetrates the darkness of dead hearts, making them alive to Christ.

It’s important to remember that our salvation is not primarily about us; it’s about Jesus and the expansion of His Kingdom. Thank God someone (or many someones) in your life thought that way and took the time to share the good news of the Gospel with you. Because they had Jesus in their lives, they were attractive and they attracted you to Jesus.

Are you attractive? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” . . . IF the way you live your life points others to your Savior. I have always been greatly encouraged by the fact that God does not need any of us to be part of His Kingdom; rather, He wants us — so much so that He died for us to make us His! The more that truth seizes us, the more our lives will be lived in the service of our Savior, and the more attractive we will become.

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

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:12)

Storms that stir up chaos in our lives are inevitable. I often remind our congregation that all of us are either in the middle of a storm, or we’re coming out of a storm, or we’re on the verge of going back into another storm. Chaos is simply a part of life on this side of the grave. Yet even when we are right in the middle of seasons of chaos, we find great comfort because of the One who is with us in every storm we face.

Our passage today comes from David’s prayer of repentance after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan. You may remember that David slept with another man’s wife, got her pregnant, tried to cover it up, and when that didn’t work, he ordered for her husband to be killed on the battlefield. This whipped up a storm that wreaked havoc in David’s life and the lives of many others, and David was the one fully responsible for it all.

This is not always the case. To be sure, some storms are a result of our sinful rebellion, but others are simply a result of the brokenness in our world and the people around us. But either way, chaos will come, and the only way to get through it is to cry out to Christ for the comfort only He can bring.

David’s plea for forgiveness was a plea for comfort. David’s plea for mercy was a plea for comfort. David’s plea for cleansing was a plea for comfort. And what was “comfort” for David? It was the restoration of the joy of salvation. Do you remember when you were first saved? Do you remember the overwhelming joy you experienced? If you were saved as a child and do not remember a particular experience, surely you can remember a time when you knew the joy of salvation — the joy of walking with God through the details of your life.

So if you find yourself in a storm of your own making, do like David did and confess your sins! That will set you on the path to restoring the joy of your salvation. And if you find yourself in a storm that God simply sent for your good and His glory, do like David did and ask that God would grant you a willing spirit to rise above the waves of challenge, knowing that God is sustaining you through chaos into comfort.

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

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

Everyone in the world has the exact same number of hours in a week . . . 168 . . . so how are we to explain the difference in the production level of the high achievers? The answer is found in a single word – priorities! It has been well said that “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”

What have you been aiming at lately in life? Is it in line with God’s plan and purpose for your life?

For the Christian, ranking an order of priorities for life is not something we need to try and figure out or even pray about. Jesus made it perfectly clear what our priorities are to be in life. To be sure, if we are married, our spouse is to be a high priority. If we are a parent, our children are to be a high priority. If we are working, our job is to be a high priority. But regardless of our roles in life, we are, first and foremost, a child of God, and our highest priority in life must be Jesus. As the Lord said in our verse for today, we are to seek God first in life. When we do, we can rest assured that all the other priorities in life will fall into place. But that will only happen when God and God alone is seated on the throne of our lives.

When we allow anything to move God off the throne of our lives, we set ourselves up for failure. We may be putting in lots of hours and working with a disciplined effort, but the results will always be less than God’s best for our lives, because we are seeking less than God’s best. The apostle Paul helped us recognize the importance of making the most of the time God has given to us by admonishing us that “Now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). Remember this powerful truth: When you spend an hour you have one less hour to spend . . . so spend it wisely.

I doubt that anyone would disagree with the statement that the less time there is in life, the more valuable it becomes. As Paul said, we are closer to our salvation than when we first believed. We are nearing the Jordan, and soon we shall cross it and enter into our Promised Land. But before we do, let us take time to evaluate our priorities and make sure we have them in the right order: God first and everything else after God.

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

Not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and this hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given us. (Romans 5:3-5 NASB)

On Monday we saw that there is hope that can only disappoint us, because that hope is located in something smaller than God. Today we will plumb the depths of a hope that cannot and will not disappoint, because that hope is found in the One and Only, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ Himself. And for that truth, we must be eternally humble and thankful.

When the Bible speaks of “hope,” we are to understand it as a confident assurance of our good God working all things together for our good, no matter what. Unlike the typical way in which we use the word “hope” to mean we wish something will happen, a wish grounded in uncertainty (as in “I hope we have good weather tomorrow”), biblical hope is as certain as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. Because this hope springs from the heart of God, we can rest assured that it cannot fail, it cannot falter, and it absolutely will not disappoint. This “holy” hope that springs forth from our Holy God is the message we must preach to ourselves — not just daily, but moment by moment. It is, as the psalmist shows us, a kind of arguing within the soul, what I call preaching to yourself:

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God” Psalm 42:5

Our sinful nature is continually cast down and daily disquieted, which is why we must be proactive and intentional about keeping this hope before us as “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19 ESV). We must see it, we must speak it, and we must savor it, regardless of the circumstances we are facing in life. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews described this hope beautifully: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). You see, this hope that is rooted in Jesus is full of faith, and the faith that is rooted in Jesus is full of hope . . . and that hope simply cannot disappoint.

As you ready yourself for Thanksgiving tomorrow, would this not be a good time to prayerfully consider just how thankful you truly are for this hope that cannot and will not disappoint? Remember, the certainty of this hope that promises the blessings of God comes through the presence of the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). And when you find yourself in a season when storm winds are blowing and you feel discouragement tugging at your thoughts, remember the ultimate hope: the return of Jesus Christ, who will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, and no more death.

Oh, what a glorious hope we have! It cannot and will not disappoint, because our hope is rooted in the conquering King.

Have a hope-filled Thanksgiving!

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

Not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and this hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 NASB)

This being Thanksgiving week, I would like to help prepare our hearts with a two-part message rooted in a hope that will not disappoint us — not ever.

Because we live in a fallen and broken world as fallen and broken people, there is nothing we have ever been involved in that did not deliver us some kind of disappointment at one time or another. Whether it was the job we hoped to get, the relationship we deeply desired, or that one thing we waited and saved for years to purchase, eventually, all of it eventually delivered us some measure of disappointment . . . in many cases a super-sized measure! But when we consider this sad reality, we know that this is the only thing this fallen world can deliver.

We can take just a cursory glance at the evening news, and virtually any hope we are clinging to seems to be dashed against the rocks of disappointment by unending waves of bad news. With every story, it seems like crime pays, honesty is not the best policy, and the bad guys keep right on doing bad things. A hit song from a secular band in the 1970s lamented that “The rats keep winning the rat race,” and that would certainly seem to describe our world today. And when all that dust settles, if we are still feeling even a little bit hopeful, we find enough disappointment within ourselves to last two lifetimes. I can testify that far too often in my own life, even when I am right about something, I inevitably deliver the message the wrong way, feelings are hurt, and hope disappoints once again.

So what is the way forward when life seems to be continually marked by one step forward and two steps back? We must reevaluate where we have placed our hope. When we place our hope in anything in this life, we will always be disappointed. Yet even in the hope that disappoints us, we have reason to be thankful, because God is at work through the grace of disappointment. You see, if the things of this life could provide a hope that did not disappoint, we would only grow into a fraction of the person God is calling us to be, and we would grow cold and distant in our relationship with Him.

The key that unlocks the door leading to a hope that does not disappoint is to place that hope, not in something, but in Someone, and His name is Jesus Christ. At this level of living, we have a hope that simply cannot disappoint, because it will be rooted in the One who will not disappoint us in any way — ever!

We will take a closer look at that truth on Wednesday.

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

Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (Mark 5:36)

A man named Jairus, the elected ruler of the local synagogue, sought out Jesus because his daughter was dying. Jairus believed Jesus could heal her with simply a touch of His hand, and he fell at the Lord’s feet, pleading earnestly with Jesus to come to his home and heal his daughter. Jesus readily agreed, but along the way, Jesus paused to heal a woman who had suffered from a bleeding condition for 12 years. While Jesus was still speaking to the woman who had been healed, men came from Jairus’ house and reported that his daughter was dead. The hope Jairus had for Jesus to heal his daughter had now turned into hopelessness. Or had it?

Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” To be sure, the circumstances in the life of Jairus argued against all hope. His daughter was dead. It was too late; there would be no healing for his sick daughter. So instead of a healing, Jesus provided a resurrection from the dead. Whatever Jairus was thinking after being told his daughter was dead, he still had hope that Jesus could work a miracle. He had hope in an utterly hopeless situation.

What Jesus said to Jairus then — “Don’t be afraid; just believe” — He is saying to you and me today. Whatever trial or sorrow is afflicting you, look to Jesus and fear not, because the God of Hope is at work in your life. Nothing is impossible for God, and because of God’s great love for you, hope must be our response, regardless of what we are facing. Greater is the power that is at work within us than any power that comes against us. Let that truth give you hope in any seemingly hopeless situation.   

Remember, God brought water from a rock, bread from heaven, turned the Red Sea into a highway for the Israelites to walk across on dry ground, and raised Jairus’ daughter from death to life. What miracle do you need today in your life? No matter what, there is always room for hope!  Don’t be afraid, Christian; just believe.

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

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:67-69)

On July 16, 1999, J. F. Kennedy Jr’s single-engine plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean not far from its destination of Martha’s Vineyard. The FAA said the crash was due to “spatial disorientation.” What started out as a clear night flight, soon deteriorated into a fog that distorted the young pilot’s perception. Pilots who are are confronted with adverse weather conditions are trained to fly by the instruments, because human perception cannot be trusted. John Kennedy did not have that level of training, and it cost him and his two passengers their lives. One of my student athletes who later became a Navy pilot told me that learning to “fly blind” — trusting only in the instruments — was one of the most difficult skills he had to learn.

Many of us will never climb into the cockpit of an airplane, but when the fog of troubles, trials, and temptations rolls into our lives, our emotional perceptions can become distorted, causing what I call “spiritual disorientation.” Our perceptions of God’s plan and purpose, God’s will and wisdom, and God’s love and leading in our lives can become clouded and confused. This is when we need to trust in our training and fly by His instruments of promise, which are contained in the Word of God. You see, when the storm winds are blowing in our lives and the waves of challenge are washing over us, we simply cannot trust our perceptions, for “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV). We must return to God’s promises, knowing He is always true to His Word.

What have you been trusting in lately? Your perceptions of your circumstances? Or God’s promises? Remember, you always have a choice when you are facing any situation in life. You can choose to trust God’s promises or trust your perceptions. Our God is a faithful, promise-keeping God, who never has and never will break any promise He has ever made. You have His Word on it!

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