Priorities

The Apostle Paul encourages us to examine the priorities of our life. His command to Timothy (and by extension us) is to focus on living the way God commands in a faithful, loving, determined and gentle way. Ponder those words. To do this requires all our effort. If we do these things, we will maintain our joy. Is our main goal pleasing ourselves or pleasing God? Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:11-12: “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called.” He tells us this because there is going to come a time when the work, we as builders have done must stand, and he wishes for us to have built our spiritual lives to withstand that time of judgment. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. And that should be a priority as we finish our days in this short life of ours.

Making a living and making a life are two different goals. The Bible tells us to lay up treasures in heaven: We are to be rich in good deeds, and generous, willing to share. In this way, those who heed the Lord’s instruction will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is indeed life.

God’s priorities and ours are often in a struggle.

 A Native American parable tells about this inner struggle. An elder of the tribe tells the following story: The battle within us is like two wolves fighting against each other. There is a good wolf who wants to do what’s right, but the other wolf always wants to do what’s wrong. Sometimes the good wolf seems stronger and is winning the fight. But sometimes the bad wolf is stronger and is winning.” A young brave asks, “Who will win in the end?”. The elder answered, “The one you feed.” This is so very true in our own life. As we look over the priorities we have, we may find that we really and truly are feeding the wrong wolf. In other words, we cannot be slowed and distracted by fear, bitterness, revenge, obsessing about money, lusting for things, worry, and an unforgiving heart. The next time you find yourself distracted by these negative things, maybe it would help if we simply said, “I don’t have time for this, I have much better things to do.” May God bless you always.

Pastor Dimas

Solid Foudation

In 1174 the Italian architect Bonnano Pisano began work on what would become his most famous project: A separately standing bell tower for the Cathedral of the city of Pisa. The tower was to be eight-stories and 185-foot-tall structure. There was just one "little" problem: builders quickly discovered that the soil was much softer than they had anticipated, and the foundation was far too shallow to adequately hold the structure! And sure enough, before long the whole structure had begun to tilt... and it continued to tilt... until finally the architect and the builders realized that nothing could be done to make the Leaning Tower of Pisa straight again. It took 176 years to build the Tower of Pisa and during that time many things were done to try and compensate for the "tilt." Foundation was shored up; the upper levels were even built at an angle to try to make the top of the tower look straight. Nothing worked. The tower has stood for over 800 years, but it leans 18 feet away from where it should be.

In a real sense, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy is going to fall. Scientists travel yearly to measure the building’s slow descent. They report that the 179-foot tower moves about one-twentieth of an inch a year, and is now 17 feet out of plumb. They further estimate that by the year 2007 the 810-year old tower will have leaned too far and will collapse onto the nearby ristorante, where scientists now gather to discuss their findings. Quite significantly, the word "pisa" means "marshy land," which gives some clue as to why the tower began to lean even before it was completed. Also--its foundation is only 10 feet deep! Thousands of tourists travel to see this great edifice that will inevitably fall. All because it was not built on the right foundation. Foundations make the difference and become a matter of extreme relevance and importance.

Jesus told a story about the importance foundations in Matthew 7. Christ gives here a severe warning. He had been speaking to the multitudes assembled, who sought an answer to the question as to what kind of righteousness a man needed to be accepted into the Kingdom Christ had come to institute on planet earth. In other words, they were asking “How can a man be acceptable to God?” the people for generations had been schooled in the teachings of the Pharisees. They said that if men observed the laws of the Pharisees, performed all the rituals, attended the feasts and offered the sacrifices, observed the 250 positive and 365 negative commandments and ordinances, they would certainly be acceptable to God. But our Lord, against the concerted teachings and efforts of the Pharisees, delivered a startling new word and covenant. He taught the multitudes it is not by what a man does he becomes acceptable to God, but rather it is by receiving righteousness from God by faith that makes men acceptable to God. (Titus 3:5; Ephesians. 2:8-9). Here are two contrary systems of thought, and those who heard Him were forced to make a choice. Today, you are confronted with the same choice, would I follow Jesus and his teachings,or would I follow the teachings of the world. It is your choice. May God bless you always.

Pastor Dimas 

Using your Talents

God has given every single person in this room a gift: a talent and he expect us to use our abilities for His glory. When we allow God to utilize our abilities, we can make an impact in the lives of people that surround us. The question all we need to ask is; “Lord, what can I do for you? Lord, what can I do for you in my work, at my school, at my home, or wherever you send me?”. God wants us to use our talents to minister and serve others. God has given you a talent, He expects you to use it. Think about the following statement and how would you respond; “When I _______, I feel God’s pleasure.” We can say, “when I sing, I feel God’s pleasure.” “When I do what God has called me to do, I feel God’s pleasure.” Many people still have not found pleasure or experience the joy that comes when we see the strength that God wants in our lives. Life for these people is full of stress rather than comforts.
Perhaps you might say; “Pastor, that sound too good, but I cannot think of anything that is good. How can I use my talent if I do not have any talent”” First of all, that is a lie that the enemy places in the mind of many people. We all have at least one talent, even if you have not discovered. Second, the message of the Bible is that our relationship with Christ motivates us to use our abilities regardless of the circumstances of our lives. If you are attempting to impact your life and the lives of those around you, then we must entirely rely on God’s power to use your talent. If you do not trust God, your talents and your efforts are futile. But God promises that He will sustain us if you want to live for His Glory. He will draw for the life of each one-off use those talents and abilities he has given us to make an impact in the world, as long as you want that talent to be used for His glory. I want you to understand something; it is His talent, it belongs to Him. We are just stewarding of what He has given us. God bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas