Beauty From Pruning

“Beauty From Pruning”

By Zach Wood

John 15:1-2

This passage was part of the main text I used for Sunday’s sermon.  Jesus is very clear in telling us that if we are not connected to Him, we are not growing and receive no nourishment.  This is so clear and we need to take notice of this in our lives.  We all desire to grow, but when the pruning process takes place, we’d rather skip the pain and long for growth the easy way.  But, that is kind of contradictory.  How can we possibly expect to grow in our lives and not be pruned? 

Through the growing process, we live life and learn and make mistakes.  This is a part of our journey.  Mistakes are going to happen and we will fall down, but if we hang onto Jesus Christ and continue to stay connected to Him, He will prune us and help us grow more into the person He desires us to become.

There’s a book Max Lucado wrote many years ago that this passage brings to mind.  The book is “Just Like Jesus”.  The subtitle of this book reads “God loves you the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way.  He wants you to be just like Jesus.”  That hits the nail on the head!

God desires so much for our lives and it saddens Him when we don’t desire to grow.  If we want to grow in our faith and be strengthened, He must prune us so that we can bear more fruit.  Without this pruning and discipline, there will be no growth.  It’s painful, but produces not only fruit, but endurance. 

My prayer is that every one of us will allow Him to prune our lives so that we can bear more fruit. 

Are We Completely Committed?

“Are We Completely Committed?”

By Zach Wood

John 6:66

Jesus talked to the crowd about He Himself being the Bread of Life after He just served a huge feast to them.  So many were just coming for the food and for the “show”, but Jesus wanted more commitment.  Jesus shares with them that He expects more with the commitment in following Him and being a truly committed follower.  He’s asking for more than them coming again and again to get their “fill”. 

Then He watches so many just walk away.  Wow!  That had to have been heartbreaking for Him!  I cannot imagine the agony He felt when he literally watched so many people turn away and essentially say, “This is just too much to ask.  Sorry, Jesus, but this is just not for me right now.”  Following Jesus is the greatest life anyone could imagine to live, but it is also the most challenging and committed life you could ever live.  It’s very rewarding, but requires much effort for us to stay committed.

I look into my own life and I see so often how I am not fully committed and I just want the blessings without putting forth the effort to really follow Him. 

I want to encourage all of us to stay committed in our lives to Jesus Christ.  When things get tough, keep the faith and stay strong.  He asks us to follow Him and be 100% for Him as we follow.   

Will we be 100% committed?  It’s a daily journey.

Seek To Encourage

“Seek To Encourage”

By Zach Wood

Psalm 34:12-14

This past Sunday, I had a message about how it’s good for us to consider the lessons we have learned through the years and in the past year as we look into a new year.  It’s good for us to take some inventory of things we’ve done great and maybe other things we haven’t done so good and ask God to give us strength to be better servants for His Kingdom. 

None of us have the intention of speaking discouragement to others.  However, the enemy works in very sly ways to get us to be unloving in the ways we communicate with others.  That’s the last thing any of us wants to do.  It’s important for us to seek God all through the day asking Him to guide our words, especially through stressful and frustrating times.  Those are the times when it’s easy to let words fly and say things we don’t mean and end up hurting others.

Seek to encourage your spouse.

Seek to encourage your kids.

Seek to encourage your co-workers.

Seek to encourage your friends.

Seek to encourage your extended family.

Who can you seek to encourage today and the days that follow from here?

As we embark this New Year, ask God for strength each day to be encouraging to others in any opportunity.  May we all be encouraging through the words we share with others so they may see and come to know better the awesome God we serve!

Obey Or Disboey

“Obey Or Disobey”

By Zach Wood

Jonah 1:1-3

As I have been reading this book recently, Jonah’s story has intrigued me once again.  I’m especially amazed how this book begins.  God directs Jonah to do something and Jonah does not hesitate to just run the opposite way God commands.

Instead of obeying, Jonah just takes off and goes his own route.  He does a complete 180 and turns away from where God wants him to go.  We all know this wasn’t a good idea for Jonah.  We look and think, “What were you thinking, man?  Why are you running from where God is sending you?  That’s crazy!  Don’t do that!” 

As I would be one to think that way as well, I can’t help but to think how many of us have done the same exact thing Jonah did?  There are only two choices when God gives us a command and tells us to do something.  We either go or we run away.  There is no in-between.  Either we obey or we disobey.  If we choose to wait and think about it, we have chosen to disobey.  Granted, there are times when God gives us something to think about and consider, yes.  However, there are also times when God gives us a command and He wants us to go without hesitation. 

Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh.  He refused to go……at first.  I have found myself acting like Jonah so often in my life.  God tells me to do something and I seem to argue, rationalize and find any possible way to explain that it’s not something I really should do.  Sometimes I’m actually able to convince myself it’s not something I should do.  At least for a short time I’m able to do that.  Until the conviction sets in.

When calls you to action to do something, will you obey or will you disobey?  It’s totally up to you, but we soon find out that when we disobey, we really come to regret it later. 

When God instructs, will you obey or disobey?

Led By His Word

“Led By His Word”

By Zach Wood

1 Corinthians 2:1-2

So often we get caught up in the trap of thinking we need more wisdom to share with others.  We come to feel often that we need more training to share God’s love with other people in the right ways.  Yes, we do need wisdom and education in many ways, but when we are sharing God with others through our loving and kind words, God works through that and uses us in ways we would never expect.  As long as we are keeping our passion alive in knowing God and sharing Him with others, the Holy Spirit will work through us to impact people’s lives. 

Many times, it’s not even our words that impact, as much as our actions do.  When we walk that talk, then people really see Christ through us.  Words are good, but as I’ve learned so much through ministry, it’s often the times that I’m not speaking that really shows the most love.  God wants to use us in ways that words will never satisfy.

As much appreciation that I have for my college education, I have learned so much more just by going through and experiencing life as it happens and learning as I continue to grow in walk with Christ.  That education is more than I think I would have ever learned through a textbook of any kind.  My greatest education continues and should always continue to be from reading God’s Word and following what He tells me to do.

When we are around other people, the greatest thing we can do is share God’s love with them, whether by our actions or through conversations of encouragement.    

A Love For Forever

“A Love For Forever”

By Zach Wood

Psalm 136:1

Many of you may be familiar with the song by Chris Tomlin called “Forever”.  The words talk about this psalm and how no matter what is going on in life, that God is good and is working through all things in life.  His love endures forever, no matter what situations we may find ourselves dealing with. 

I am daily reminded of God’s faithfulness and how very much He loves me.  I hope that you all as well are reminded daily of His great love.  As we come closer to Thanksgiving season, I am also reminded that I not only need to thank Him for what He has given me this time of year, but to be thankful every single day of my life. 

It brings me so much peace to know that God’s love will endure forever.  He cares about me and wants the best for my life.  When the world tosses me around and leaves me hurting, God is always there to promise His unending love.  I hope and pray that you feel the same in your relationship with Him as well.

Give thanks to Him, for He is so good.  And…His love definitely endures forever!

First And Foremost

“First And Foremost”

By Zach Wood

Psalm 63:1

For the past six weeks, we have been doing the sermon series “gods at war”, by Kyle Idleman, at our church.  It has been one of the best series I’ve ever gone through and it has been very challenging and convicting. 

Today, as we closed with the last sermon, I shared this passage as David has a psalm of prayer sharing his deepest desire to seek God first and foremost.  So, what does that look like to seek God first and foremost?  What does it require?  What changes would that mean in your life?

What we have been looking at in this series is how we need to get rid of the gods and idols that have taken over the throne of our heart and turn that back over to God Almighty to be there instead. 

To long and thirst for God means to be intentional each and every day in our journey to be a devoted servant.  It requires much effort and making a daily choice to choose to serve Him over the false gods that try to wage war in our heart. 

I am very encouraged by David’s sincere prayer of crying out to God. David wants to seek Him and he longs to thirst for Him instead of longing for and thirsting for what the world offers.  You and I would have to admit that we do really enjoy chasing after the fleshly desires of this world.  They are tempting and look wonderful many times to us. They promise fulfillment, but then only to leave us wanting more and desiring more. There’s never fulfillment from what the world offers.  Temporary fulfillment?  Yes.  Eternal fulfillment?  No. 

Just as Jesus encountered the Samaritan women at the well and offered her living water that the world could not supply, Jesus also offers us fulfillment only found in Him.  True peace, joy, and comfort found in nothing else but Him.

As David did, do you earnestly seek Him?  Does your soul thirst for Him?  Does your body long for Him?  Are you ready for true fulfillment?

If we seek Him, first and foremost, we will then find true fulfillment.