We're Good At Holding On And Letting Go

"We're Good At Holding On And Letting Go"
By Zach Wood
Matthew 5:43-48

We are pretty good at holding onto things, aren’t we?  One thing many of us are good at holding onto are grudges.  We hold onto grudges and bitterness very well.

Our problem here is that we are good at holding onto the bitterness we have toward people that wrong us or do things to upset us.  Do we really think it’s healthy to hold onto the grudges and bitterness?  Of course not!  But when we are wronged and hurt by others, it is human to be angry and to have a feeling of “I’ll show them” or “I’ll make sure they realize I’m hurt”.  When we do this, we essentially let go of the things God wants us to do.

When I think of how we react many times with these human emotions, I cannot help but think of Jesus when He preached about love for our enemies as He gave the sermon on the mount.

How many of us really actually enjoy loving our enemies?  I’ll be the first to tell you, I don't like to!  I have had more than enough of my fair share of holding grudges and bitterness toward other people.  And, you know what, it has done me no good.  I come to find out that it does more harm to me than the other person because it just eats and chews away at my heart.

My heart grows moldy and I am not a fun person to be around when this happens.  And this is what happens when all of us react this way to these negative things that have happened. 

All of us like to be good at things in life, but holding grudges and bitterness toward others should absolutely not be one of them.

I encourage you to consider what things you are holding onto that you need to let go and give to God to experience freedom.

Engage In Power Through Praying Together

"Engage In Power Through Praying Together"

By Zach Wood

Joshua 24:14-15

I’m sure you’ve probably heard this phrase, “The house that prays together stays together”.  When we are spending quality time together and doing things with each other and not checking our cell phones or e-mail every 5 minutes, our minds and hearts can then break away and be entirely focused on our family.  We should always be striving to engage quality time with our families.  Family time is something we often neglect and get too busy to take care of.   

Commitment is the key to being engaged in family time, whatever that time may mean.  Whether it is going out for an evening together, taking a vacation together or just having a night where you shut off the tv, computers, cell phones and just do something together.  This seems to be unheard of now.  We have become so dependent on TV, computers and cell phones to “keep us in the loop” that we have really neglected spending quality time with our families.

As a family, it is so vital to spend time together encouraging one another with God’s Word and encouragement. 

Do you pray together as a family?  Is prayer a vital part of keeping your family together?  Do you pray for one another?

I kept this week's writing short and to the point to encourage you to spend time with your family.  Maybe you've neglected the time and family bonding you need.  I encourage you to pray for your family and spend time praying together. 

We Need To Regain Appreciation

"We Need To Regain Appreciation"
By Zach Wood
Psalm 9:1-2


There’s not one of us who has never given appreciation to someone else.  However, sometimes in our lives we get to a point where we get so distracted and lose our focus and goals and we forget to appreciate those who mean so much to us. 

We get caught up in our own agendas and we sort of put our appreciation for others on the back burner.  It’s not that we don’t know how, but we have forgotten to do it as often or even at all anymore. 

This is just like riding a bike, going roller skating or going for a log run.  When you haven’t done these things for a while, it takes time to get back into it and you’ve done it before so you can do it again.  Just takes some practice again.  So is true with showing appreciation.  If we’ve lost that momentum to appreciate others with intention, we can once again start doing it and get back into the habit. 

The same is true with our appreciation for what Christ did for us.  We can learn to regain appreciation of Him.  It’s not that we didn’t before, but we may have lost focus and need to gain that back again. 

Maybe you need to take some time away and just think about all that He has done for you and just shout out praises to Him for a while without anyone else around.  How often have you found yourself just completely taking time to do nothing but expressing your thanks and appreciation to God for all He’s done for you?  He absolutely loves it when we worship Him and express our gratitude for all He’s done and continues to do. 

I invite you to take some time maybe in the next few days or even the next few weeks and just focus on doing nothing but praising God and giving Him thanks.  Put aside your requests and petitions for a few moments in your time with Him and just give Him adoration and praise.  Your requests and petitions are important to give to Him, but sometimes we just need to focus on giving Him praise.

God Has Called Us To Be The Church Outside Of Church

"God Has Called Us To Be The Church Outside Of Church"
By Zach Wood
Colossians 4:2-6

Because of the Good News God has given to us, we are told to share that good news with those who are lost.  Jesus gives us a mission to fulfill.  The Great Commission sends us out to share the good news and teach people about Christ’s Love.   

The Apostle Paul talks about how we, as the church, need to live our lives so carefully each day so that others will see the Good News not only through our speech, but also through our actions and the way we live.  It's one thing to talk about sharing God's Love.  It's another thing to actually do it and get out there to make it real for people. 

When we praise God through our tough times, it sends a very positive message to those who need to hear the good news and many become inquisitive.  And through those inquisitive times, people are more open to us being able to be the church outside of the church walls.  We can minister to people and share God's Love in ways we've never been able to before.   

Now, more than ever, people need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.  It’s great to have our fellowship within the walls of our church, but God has called us to do so much more.

The Lord Should Be Our Ultimate Want

"The Lord Should Be Our Ultimate Want"
By Zach Wood
Philippians 4:11-13

 

 

God is our Shepherd and we should not want other things more than wanting Him.  Many of us bang on the cell doors of the “want” prison that we have created for ourselves.  The reason we can’t get out is we want to hold onto the things of this world.  God stands outside and tell us, “If you want what I have for you, then you must let go of everything the world offers you.”

We must ultimately desire what He offers us.  We have to desire to go after what He is giving.  Is your desire for Him and Him alone?  Or are you following after a temporary idol, offering you promises that will only last a short time instead of eternity?

Remember that the world doesn’t look in your heart to see what you have inside.  The world only wants to see how fancy you could make your outer appearance be or how much you can collect to make yourself feel good.  The world says the more you have and the more you want, the better life will be.  The more you have does not show who you really are.  Your heart determines and shows what is truly important.

I want to be very clear in sharing with you that God is not against us wanting things in life.  We all like to have certain things and save our money up for things we'd like to buy.  Nothing at all wrong with that.  Our wants become hazardous in our walk with Christ when we are constantly focusing on things we want and not appreciating and realizing the needs Christ has filled and the things He has done for us. 

It all comes down to what we truly desire.  Do we want the Lord to really be our ultimate want?  Do we trust in Him to supply our needs?  Are we fully satisfied to the point where we can live without what we do not need?  Can we trust in the Lord to provide what we need when we need it?

Our Constant Wants Can Lead To Constant Discontentment

"Our Constant Wants Can Lead to Constant Discontentment"
By Zach Wood

Psalm 23:1

As I begin this week's devotional, I'd like to share a few different translations of this Scripture.

(New International Version)

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

(New Living Translation)

The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need.

(The Message)

God, my shepherd!  I don’t need a thing.

 

We tend to face many phases of discontentment in lives.  If something fails or doesn’t hold up to the standard we set in our mind, we look elsewhere for the next promise of happiness or satisfaction.  Some look for a new “high” when the buzz wears off, some seek out the nearest bank to rob when money troubles leave them desperate, and some resort to other means of false hope and desperation. 

Has God not promised to supply every need we have in life?  It’s important and vital to realize God fills our needs.  I think so many times in life we fail to realize our needs are always met, but not always our wants.  It’s because our hearts are being lured by what the world wants us to have.  The promise of happiness from some of the wants turns out to last about 1 night, 1 day, 1 week or 1 month. 

The ultimate entanglement that the prison of “want” leaves us in is constant discontentment.  Satan will make sure we are never fully satisfied.  We just want more and more.  It feels like a need, but Satan has disguised it well in our mind and heart.  

Placing too much importance on things we want has a huge effect on how we view our eternal needs.  When we reach a point where we see our lives being filled with constant wants, we should take a step back and see that our soul desire and ultimate want should be our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

It all comes down to what we truly desire.  Do we want the Lord to really be our ultimate want?  Do we trust in Him to supply our needs?  Are we fully satisfied to the point where we can live without what we do not need?  Can we trust in the Lord to provide what we need when we need it?

What Is Your Story?

"What Is Your Story?"
By Zach Wood
2 Corinthians 5:17

I would encourage each of you to consider what your story is.  How did you come to know Christ?  Do you have an experience that could be shared with someone else that would speak volumes into their life of how Christ can change a life?  Think for a while about how you came to know Christ and how you became a new creation.  The old is gone and the new has come.  What has happened in that time?

Everyone has a story.  Some people think because they don’t have a dramatic story of events from how horrible their life was before Christ to now knowing Christ, that their story isn’t important.  Everyone’s story is important.

You have a life you once lived that was once lived in sin against God.  You had your own ways of doing things.  You had your own idea of what life should be like.  You didn’t know any better because you didn’t realize all that God had in store for you.  But now you live for Christ and you look back and see a life that was once all yours, but is now led by Christ alone.

There comes a time when we must make our faith our own.  We must come to terms with who we believe Christ is.  We cannot live by our parent’s faith.  We cannot live by our grandparent’s faith.  We cannot live by our friend’s faith.  These people have had great influences in our lives, yes.  But there comes a time when we must make the decision for ourselves why we have chosen to follow Jesus Christ. 

What is your story?  How has Christ changed your life?  He asked Peter and the other disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”  Jesus didn’t want to hear answers of what other people thought.  Jesus wanted to know from their own heart and mind who they thought Jesus was.  This is vital for us to come to terms with.  Who do we think Christ is?  Who do we say He is?  Don’t just give an answer because of what someone else has told you about Christ.  What do you believe?