February 16, 2016 · 8:51 am

Where You Pray

Peninsula Community Church

Prayer Series: Where You Pray

February 7, 2016

Matthew 6:5-8 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

In the movie, the War Room, we find the movie opens with Clara giving a overview of her husband’s life as a soldier. If you remember the opening scene, the commanders and strategists are in a room that is filled with maps and war plans. The idea presented by Clara is that when a nation is at war they will develop strategic plans on how to fight battles and in essence how to win at war. This is accomplished in the war room. As the movie progresses we find the focus of the movie is on having a personal “war room” where we can strategize and set in motion particular plans on how to win the battles we face each and every day.

Jesus referred to this place as the closet of prayer. Jesus stated that when we pray we are to go into our room or closet and shut the door. The idea from the heart of God is to have that place where we can be alone with Him and can pray without the hindrance of outside influences. Note that the passage states that the reason we pray in secret is that God rewards those who pray in the secret place and He does so in the open. The point is that what is done in secret will be revealed in the open.

With that said, let me make a comment or two about prayer. First, the location of our closet of prayer is not as important as just having a place to pray. You see some people might have a specific room that is set aside solely as a place to pray but the reality is that life does not always allow this to occur. The truth is that our secret place can be our den. It can be our favorite chair. It can be at our dinner or breakfast table. For some it might even be our car. The idea purposed here is that we need a designated place where we have our “prayer time,” “a quiet time,” or what ever else you might call it.

Secondly, in the movie we saw that Clara, Elizabeth, and even little Daniella had a wall where they would post their prayer requests and they post answered prayers. We too need a wall or a place where we can post our prayer requests. It might be a physical wall. It might be a journal notebook. It might be a file on your computer. There is no right or wrong way to do this. The idea is to have a place where we can list, track, and remember our prayer requests. It is also a place where we remember what God has done in us and what He has accomplished through our praying. This is important because we can easily forget what God has done.

Thirdly, while we need a location that we set aside for our prayer time we must also have an understanding that we should walk in a spirit of prayer. It is possible to believe that once we have prayed in our closet, we can check that off our list and go on about our day. The problem is that we can confuse the place of prayer with the heart of prayer. The place of prayer prepares us for the day before us and focuses our attention on the day ahead. It also focuses our attention on our need for God. The heart of prayer maintains a steadfastness in prayer throughout the day.

Finally, we meet in a designated place because we have a relationship with God. Our prayers must be founded in the relationship we have with God. The key is to never just check prayer off of our list. In our closet of prayer we must know that we are literally meeting with the King of Kings and the Creator of All Things. Today is Valentine’s Day. Other than Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest times for restaurants. Why is that? It is because we want to be together with the one we love. We determine their favorite place and we make sure we have a reservation and off we go. We do this because we love our spouse and we want to bless them. God wants to meet with us and He wants to talk with us. That happens in our closet of prayer.

But why does God call us to a place of secrecy? Let me give you three reasons. First, shutting the door shifts the focus off of others. Remember the problem with the hypocrites is that they loved to be the center of attention. In our closet of prayer we do not have to impress any one, imitate any one, or worry about being judged by someone else. In our closet of prayer we can simple focus our attention on God.

Listen to the words of Proverbs 29:25. The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Here is a fact that we can take to the bank. God is not going to judge you when you pray. He is not going to criticize you. He is going to love you and draw you closer to His heart. In our closet of prayer we can be our self. We can cry. We can laugh. We can even sit and do nothing because we are in the presence of God and in His presence we can be real and authentic.

The second reason to go into our closet of prayer is that shutting the door shifts the focus off of self. You see when we are in our closet of prayer we become less self-conscious and more God-conscious. You see in our private times of prayer God will reveal more of who we are, who He is, and how to walk in the light of His Word.

If you are like me, too many times when I enter my closet of prayer I become distracted and restless. You know how it goes. Suddenly I start to remember all of the things I need to do. I remember things that I have forgotten to do. In prayer we discover that our minds are easily divided. Even in our closet of prayer we can catch the plague of wandering thoughts. But in having a secret stillness before God we can deliberately shut the door to the distractions of life. In so doing, we shift the focus away from ourselves which brings us to the last point.

The third reason we go into our closet of prayer is that shutting the door shifts God of our thinking onto His place of priority. In our society today, we are constantly reminded that we should silence our phones so that we do not distract others. In churches, movie theaters, and while driving we are encouraged to put our phones down. I know that for Michelle and I we have had to make a conscience decision to turn off our phones, iPads, and computers at the dinner table. As a society we have an addiction to our phones and it seems we have to always have them near us because we might miss a call, text, or Facebook post. But when we want to show respect and honor we shut off our phones and pay attention to the one with whom we are with. The same applies as we enter our prayer closet. We must remove all distractions. When we go into our prayer closet we must eliminate the noise in order to focus on the face that is in front of us.

Closet praying is critical. God not only hears what is prayed in secret but the implication in this passage is that He is in the secret place with us. The secret place of prayer represents the presence of God in our life. It is the place we go to meet with God. It is true that God is present everywhere but in the secret place of prayer we find God meeting with us, personally.

Jesus who is our great example of how to pray showed us the necessity of prayer and getting alone with God. In Matthew 14:23 we find that after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. Jesus the God of all creation had to take time to be alone with the Father. If he needed time to be alone with God, how much more do we need time to be alone with the Heavenly Father.

In Luke 6:12 we find that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. It is noteworthy that after he prayed all night he went out to select the disciples who would follow him throughout His ministry. You see even Jesus needed God’s direction before he made such a great decision. How much more do we need to pray and hear from God?

In Luke 5:15-16 we find that Jesus prayed after he ministered to the great crowds. But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. Even Jesus needed prayer when He was in ministry. He took time to withdraw to quiet places to pray. He focused on prayer because He needed to hear from God. He wanted to be connected to the Father and He did that by way of prayer.

In Luke 22:41-44 we find Jesus praying for the will of God to be achieved in His life. “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. It is noteworthy that Jesus, the God of all creation, prayed for God’s will to be fulfilled in His life. How do we advance God’s will? We do so by praying for God’s will and purpose to be accomplished in us.

As we close today let me share a quote by Oswald Chambers. This was his August 23rd entry in “My Utmost for His Highest.” He stated Unless you learn to open the door of your life completely and let God in from your first waking moment of each new day, you will be working on the wrong level throughout the day. But if you will swing the door of your life fully open and “pray to your Father who is in the secret place,” every public thing in your life will be marked with the lasting imprint of the presence of God.

Shutting the door and spending time alone with God is a practice we need. Shutting the distracting doors of the mind and our hearts will allow us to focus completely on God. By shutting the door of prayer we open our hearts to His will and His power. What a difference we will make. What answered prayers we will see occur.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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February 8, 2016 · 12:10 pm

Prayer Series – When You Pray!

Peninsula Community Church

Prayer Series: When You Pray

February 7, 2016

Matthew 6:5-8 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Over the next four weeks we will unpack this passage together. As we do so we will see that the text focuses on the when, who, where, and how of prayer. As we begin this series, let me make a  couple of observations in regard to prayer. First most believers feel inadequate when it comes to their prayer life. In fact, most believers struggle with the belief that their personal prayers are effective. This anxiety about prayer comes from the fact that too often we measure our ability to pray against the abilities of others. In so doing, we believe others pray more, they pray more effectively, and they have more prayers answered. The problem here is that too many times the enemy uses this as a tactic to prevent us from praying at all. He wants us to believe that our prayers are ineffective and not working because he knows if we believe this we will not pray.

A second observation is that too many believers have developed an apathy toward prayer as a result of devaluing prayer in their life. As I have said before, we will engage in what we value. Because we have devalued prayer in our lives, we do not consider prayer an important aspect of our life. If we do pray, our prayers are quick one liners to God and then we are off to conquer our day. And, too often we only pray when we need something from God.

A third observation made is that too many people simply do not know how to pray. They have heard about prayer. They have studied about prayer. They have attended seminars about prayer but they themselves have not engaged in prayer. The problem is that they have not made an application of the truths they have learned. It is like going to Weight Watcher meetings but never implementing the life style changes needed to lose weight. Here is a fact that we need to hear and understand. The best way to learn to pray is to pray.

With that said let’s unpack this passage. To begin with, this passage invites us to pray. Notice that Jesus said “When you pray!” The assumption made is that we will pray and when we pray things happen. We see the confirmation of this in Jeremiah 29:11-14. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Notice a couple of things in this passage. The Children of Israel had been in captivity for 70 years. At the end of that period of time God said that He would visit them based on the plans and goals He had for them. In essence, He tells them that when they understand that He has amazing plans for their life they will be more inclined to pray and to call upon the name of the Lord. It is important to note that it was not the captivity that would drive them to pray but a realization of God’s will and plan for them. God says call upon Him and He will hear them. Seek Him and they will find Him but they had to do so with their whole heart. Wow!!! that is amazing!

The second observation is that Matthew addresses the question “Why pray?” The answer is simple. We pray because God answers prayer. We pray because it brings healing to the nation (2 Chronicles 7:14-15) and in praying for the nation we are forced to deal with our pride and our need for forgiveness. We pray because in praying the will of God the Father is glorified in the Son. Look at the words of John 14:13. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. We pray because we know that our joy will be made complete or full. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full (John 16:24). Do you want that inner joy that brings hope to the darkness around you, then pray, for in praying our joy is made complete.

We also pray because we have proof that prayer works. Through out the Bible we find that God heard the cry of His people. They prayed and He answered. In Exodus 2:23-25 God heard His people pray. They had been in captivity long enough and they were crying out for a deliverer. In 1 Samuel 1:19-20 God heard Hannah’s prayer for a child. She was childless and because she prayed, a son was born who she dedicated to the Lord. In 1 Kings 17:22 God heard Elijah’s prayer. A child had died and Elijah had stretched himself across the child where he prayed for healing and the child arose from the dead. How awesome is that?

Finally, we pray because in verbalizing our prayers our faith is built and we are encouraged by the answers that come from prayer. We pray! God answers! Our faith is made stronger! While this is true, we must consider another aspect of the purpose of prayer. God desires to have a personal relationship with us. In life, we talk with those with whom we are in relationship. The problem is that we confuse prayer with simply asking God for things but prayer is so much more. Yes prayer involves our personal requests but we also praise God, we thank God for what He is doing and what He has done. We wait to hear from Him because prayer is a two-way street. It is not one-sided.

As we unpack this passage, we see that God invites us to pray but he also warns us about our posture in prayer. Listen to the words of Jesus. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. Jesus counsels us against making our prayers a show case for others to see. He is saying in essence that our prayer should be focused on God and not on others. By way of a reminder, a hypocrite has been defined as an actor on a stage. They play a part. They are not being real but are in fact putting forth a persona so that others will think differently of them. Being a hypocrite is not just a matter of being duplicitous but it carries the idea of seeking the praise and approval of people. Once they are off the stage they live their life as they always have. Nothing changed. This hypocritical mindset has no place in the movement of prayer. Jesus recognized this and he addressed this with those He spoke to during the Sermon on the Mount.

When I was a teenager I loved to watch wrestling and one of my favorite wrestlers was Cowboy Bob Kelly. He was a local wrestler in the Gulf Coast region. One of the wrestlers he would often fight against was Gorgeous George Jr.. We used to sit on Saturday nights and watch the matches live from Mobile and we had so much fun doing so. One evening we were headed to a concert at the Mobile Civic Center. After parking the car we had to walk past the rear entrance to the stage where the wrestling competition took place. Low and behold there was Cowboy Bob Kelly and Gorgeous George standing outside the rear entrance having a cigarette. They were laughing and talking with each other as if they were best friends. My heart sank because I realized in that moment wrestling was fake. They were hypocrites. They were play actors.

The problem with the hypocrites around Jesus is that they would pray in such a way that would elicit comments and reactions from those who would hear their prayers. They would pray to be acknowledged and not so that God would be honored and pleased with what He heard. You see when we pray to receive accolades then we have received our reward and we have had our prayer answered. The fact is God wants us to pray from the heart and use the words we have been given to communicate in every day life. We do not have to use big words or even Elizabethan English. God understands Southern and He understands New York. And He understands those who live in the Delmarva region. In fact, God hears us best when we are praying from a heart that is honest and true rather than the verbiage we are using.

I have witnessed people who pray with flowery words and purposeful flexion in their voice to illicit emotional responses for effect. They move people with their prayer but the reality is that while their prayers were magnificent their hearts were in fact far from God. The words they used were empty and meaningless. They wanted others to recognize their great ability to pray. But that is a hypocritical mode of prayer.

I have witnessed others who at times proclaim answered prayer as if was their prayers were the reason God brought answers. There was a lady in our church in New York who would come into my office or be in a group of people and she would proclaim how she single handedly prayed that God would do such and such and He did it. Her tone and her verbiage was condescending and critical of others. Her words were filled with pride and it seemed she was self promoting her prayer life. She presented herself as if she was not praying the whole world would fall apart. She lived a hypocritical life as she would seldom profess the prayers she had prayed that went unanswered or were answered in way that was contrary to the way she had prayed. In those times she was silent because the result did not place her in the best of lights.

On the other hand, I was asked to do the funeral of an elderly lady that had attended our church for some time. This dear saint’s health precluded her from doing much physically or financially for the church. Upon her death, her family found her prayer diaries which were filled with prayer requests and notes about answered prayer. They showed me page after page where she had being praying for me, my family, and the church. The notes were scribbled on the paper and were barely legible but she had journaled her journey of pray on the pages of the diary. Why do I share this? I share this because this little lady who did not have much in the physical had more than most of us to give in the spirit. She gave what she had. She prayed. And she did so without hypocrisy as no one knew that she prayed the way she did. Most notable I compared dates of the diary to dates where I needed prayer and there was an entry for that day where she had prayed for me. How awesome!

So what do we learn here. We learn that have been invited to pray. We have an audience with God. We learn that God calls us to pray and that He answers prayer. We learn that when we pray from the heart, He gets the glory and the praise. We learn that when we pray we need to be honest and real before God. So pray and pray in such a way that opens the door for God to get all of the praise and the glory. And remember that God answers prayer when we pray according to His will and to His ways.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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February 1, 2016 · 12:02 pm

The Value of Belonging

Peninsula Community Church

January 24, 2016

The Value of Belonging 

1 Corinthians 12:14-20 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

Today I would like to look at a subject that has caused much consternation and debate within the Christian church. There has been and continues to be a plethora of ideas and discussions surrounding the church, what the church is about, and how it is to function. And for sure there has been much debate about the purpose, structure, and implementation of membership in the church. So, with that said, I recognize that not everyone will agree with everything that I will say this morning and that is ok because we will most likely agree to disagree. But we will move forward and remain united in our purpose and our vision to reach this community for Christ.

As we begin our discussion, we find that in the Book of Acts coming to Christ and joining a local church was often an immediate act. For the new believer experiencing salvation without connecting and belonging to a local church was totally foreign to their way of thinking. More than once we find that Scripture shows that individuals repented, believed in Christ, they were baptized in water, and were then added to the church (Acts 2:41, 47; 5:14; and 16:5). With that said, let me be quick to note that joining the local church is not the same as coming to Christ. Neither is joining the local church a requirement for salvation. We must understand that there is the local church made of members of a community of believers and there is the universal church which is made up of every believer in the world whether they are a part of a local church or not.

In the Greek, the key word translated for church is the word “ecclesia” which means “called out ones.” Historically, the term ecclesia was a political term where citizens were called together by the trumpet of the herald. These assemblies were an opportunity for news and information to be disseminated to the citizens of the town or village. It was also an opportunity to engage the assembly in kingdom action. In time, the church usurped the word from secular society and began to use the word ecclesia to define their meetings. Thus they called Christians together to disseminate information and to call believers into action. Additionally, it was a place to unite believes under the banner of Christ.

In terms of our understanding of the church we need to discuss that the church is in essence two churches in one. While we have the local church and the universal church where all believers are participants we also have a visible and an invisible church. The visible church is identified by its buildings, its programs, and the people involved. The places where the church gather may run the gamut from a local coffee shop, a road side gathering, or a large edifice. The visible church is what is visible to anyone and everyone. The fact is however that all who attend physical churches or profess to be Christians are not necessarily true Christians.

On the other hand, the invisible church are those who who have accepted Christ and have committed their ways to His ways. Christianity is not comprised merely of religious patterns, attending of churches, tithing, taking communion, etc. True Christianity is made up of those who have made a conscious decision to follow Christ and have accepted Him through regeneration. These are the redeemed, true Christians. The local church is more than a place. The invisible church is the glorious gathering of the redeemed, the sanctified flock of the great Shepherd, the united household of God, and it is the beautiful body and bride of Christ. Such an exalted picture of the church seems silly as long as we’re content with superficial relationships and shallow connections. The real church is so much more than all of these things.

To be sure church membership is a formal relationship between the Church and the believers in Christ. This relationship is characterized by mutual affirmation and submission to one another. It is a matter of living out one’s discipleship in the care of the church. The question for us is how is the church to be organized. The beauty of the Bible and the wisdom of God is that Scripture does not always detail how the church should be specifically organized. With that said, the Bible does refer to the fact that the church does organize itself with elders and pastors to lead the church who give guidance to the structure and organization of the church. The founding fathers of this particular church had the foresight to develop and implement just such a means to govern this local church body.

As we look at the church within the culture of the day, we must understand that while we are not of this world, we do live in a world that is litigious by nature. Therefore, we must do all we can do to protect the church against any possible negative outcomes. In essence, we must protect the invisible church from the worst of the visible church. It is for that reason that we do many things that may not be spelled out in the Bible but we still do them. For example, insurance is not in the Bible, but we have insurance to protect the church from loss in case of an emergency or in case of a frivolous law suit. As a leadership team, we have been tasked with establishing the governmental structure within the church to help the church function in a way that is healthy and protects every member and attendee. As most of you know, we have a specific membership process that requires those who desire membership to attend an orientation class, submit their testimony to the church, and upon approval by the leadership team sign a Covenant agreement.

Some have argued against this process and I understand the issue. As a leadership team we are reminded that because we deal with both the visible and invisible church we are tasked with establishing guidelines that protect, guide and empower the church to accomplish its God-given task of evangelism, discipleship, and outreach. As we have stated before, the beauty of the body of Christ is that we have the privilege to organize and operate within the context we believe will best move us forward in terms of God’s will and purpose for our life individually and corporately.

In terms of the Covenant agreement I might remind you that in the Old Testament there were several outward signs of covenant relationship between God and man. Even in Jesus’ day it was common for contracts to be sealed by the exchanging of a shoe or livestock. At times those agreements include cutting animals in two and walking between the pieces (Genesis 15), placing a hand under a thigh (2 Samuel 24), removing and exchanging a sandal (Ruth 4), or instituting and enjoying a ceremonial dinner (Matthew 26:17-29). We do not do that today but we do require the signing of a covenant agreement. For us, we seal the covenant by asking you as members to sign the covenant of agreement. This is not a tool to be limiting or legalistic but rather it is intended to be freeing and orderly.

This brings us to the place where must ask the question “Why join the church?” To begin with, joining a local church counters the independent and go-it-along mindset of society. This culture is committed to consumerism, and if Christians are not careful, even our churches will be nothing more than a semi-sanctified microcosm of the surrounding world. We attend when we want, are accountable to the degree we want, submit to whom we want and only when we want, and give only when it is convenient. That was never the purpose of the church or God’s calling for the church.

Secondly, joining the church counters the results of an uncommitted society. We live in a day that commitment is a rare commodity. For that reason, it should not come as a surprise that church membership has a low priority to so many believers. Sadly, it is not uncommon for Christians to move from church to church, never submitting themselves to the care of elders and never committing themselves to a group of fellow believers.

Thirdly, we understand that we join because when the body of Christ is working together it is a force to be reckoned with. By working together we accomplish more together than as individuals. I am sure that you have heard the fact that two horses can pull more than two individual horses. The story goes that a single draft horse can pull a load up to 8,000 pounds. What they found is that two horses working in tandem can pull up to three times the weight of one individual horse. Together they can pull 24,000 pounds.

The passage before us today is one that shows us the value of being a part of a team. Together we can do more than we can do apart from one another or as individuals. We can pray together. We can study together, and we can grow together. We can unite around the vision of the church and the vision of God through the church. We can reach the community together. There is so much we can do together.

Living out a commitment to a local church involves many responsibilities: exemplifying a godly lifestyle in the community, exercising one’s spiritual gifts in diligent service, contributing financially to the work of the ministry, giving and receiving admonishment with meekness and in love, and faithfully participating in corporate worship. Much is expected, but much is at stake. For only when every believer is faithful to this kind of commitment is the church able to live up to her calling as Christ’s representative here on earth. To put it simply, membership matters.

But here is the deal. We should never let any of the things we have in place be a hindrance to joining. Join because you desire to. Do so because you are called. But don’t refuse to join because we are imperfect and our processes are imperfect. Join because you believe that God is in the midst of the church and you desire to be a part of what God is doing here! Join because you believe it is God’s will to join and connect to the church in a more official capacity. May God direct your steps and guide your decision as we join our hearts in prayer.

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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January 11, 2016 · 11:17 am

The Power of the Word

Peninsula Community Church

The Power of the Word of God

January 10, 2017

Psalm 19:7-11 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

As we have done for the last several years, we have provided you with a read through the Bible guide for you to use as you read through the Bible this year. Today, I would like to share some thoughts on maximizing the effectiveness of your reading time. I have chosen a passage from the Old testament that I believe focuses our attention on the value of the Word of God in our life. The reason I focus on this is that I have learned that we will engage in the things that we value. So today we will focus on the value of the Word of God with a goal of helping us to engage more effectively with our reading.

Before we get into the meat of this passage, I want to make a statement that may seem odd but it is nevertheless true. We must never lose sight of the fact that the Bible is so much more than the printed pages we have before us. We must have an awareness that the words represented on these pages represent God himself. The word is God breathed and represents the very essence of God. Through the pages of Scripture, God is revealed to us. Through the pages of Scripture, the mysteries of life are revealed. Through the pages of Scripture, the great questions of life are answered and we have at our disposal a road map to live life to its fullest.

With that said, let’s look at Psalm 19 for a few moments. In this passage, the Word of God is described by several adjectives. It is the law, the testimony, the precepts, the commandments, the fear, and the rules of God. Each of these adjectives define a significant purpose of the Word for our lives. Notice that this is not just any Word, it is the word of the Lord. It is not just law it is God’s law. It is not just any testimony, it is the testimony of God. So you see it is not just written words, but they are God’s words given to us personally.

The Word is also described as being perfect. It is sure! It is right! It is pure! It is clean! It is true! And it is righteous! Notice also that through this passage, Scripture is not seen as passive but rather it is very active in our lives. How does it do this? Well, the Psalmist tells us that it revives the soul. It changes us from being simple minded to being filled with wisdom. It causes our heart to rejoice. It enlightens the eyes of our hearts so that we can understand truth and righteousness. The word of God also endures forever. Finally, the Word of God is righteous, it can be trusted.

So, let’s look at these phrases. First, the Psalmists says that the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.  We understand the law defines Scripture as God’s law for man’s conduct. His law is the binding standard by which we are to live. Therefore, we gain an understanding as to how we are to live life on earth and in relationship with others. The word defined as perfect is not the same as flawless but it carries more of the idea of completeness. In other words it is all-sided. The Word of God is comprehensive and it is complete. It leaves nothing out. It is perfect! And because it is perfect, it is the perfect resource to restore the soul. That is why the writer of Hebrews penned these words. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two- edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  We can bank on the fact that the Word restores the soul which is the inner person. The law of the Lord is a perfect resource to transform and restore the soul.

The second idea presented here is that the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. In other words the Word is God’s self-revelation to us. By reading the Word of God we come to a greater understanding of who God is. You see a testimony is a personal witness to one’s own experiences. Through Scripture, we find God’s testimony of who He is. Thus, through the Word of God we find the heart, life, and personality of God revealed.

The testimony of God is also sure. That is, it is reliable and trustworthy. And what is the impact of this? It makes the simple wise. As we have discussed in Sunday School, we know that to be simple is to be ignorant. It also carries the idea of being opened minded. We hear this so much in our society today but this is not a good thing. To be open minded means that one does not control what comes in or goes out of their mind. To be open minded about everything creates an inability to discern, to distinguish, or to separate truth from what is false. That is not something to be proud of. Conversely the Word of God allows us to distinguish what is truth. It assists us to  know what we should allow in and at the same time what goes out of our minds. The word of God teaches discernment and discrimination. That produces wisdom in us.

The third aspect of the word is that the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. Precepts are principles, doctrines, and truths that guide our hearts. The Word of God gives us truths that are to be believed and trusted. The word here says that the precepts of the Lord are right. To understand this, we must understand that the word “right” does not mean right vs wrong as much as it has to do with the direction one is taking. Therefore, the passage teaches us that the precepts of the Lord give us direction for our lives. For that reason we can rejoice. When you walk on the right path you experience a heart of joy. David had this to say in this regard. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105). The Word can and must direct our steps.

The fourth item here is that the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. We must understand that the commandments of God are commands and not suggestions. This is not a book of good thoughts or nice ideas, they are the commands of God. The word “pure” carries the idea of clear. The word is clear to those who seek it. The effect of the Word is that it enlightens the eyes. Because the commandments of the Lord are pure, our eyes are enlightened to the ways and direction that God desires for us to take. The bottom line is that the commandments of the Lord give us clarity to life’s issues and situations.

The fifth item noted here is that the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The word fear carries with it the idea of reverence, awe, or worship. In other words, the Bible shines a light on how we are to worship God in Spirit and in truth. The Bible is in fact a manual on worship. Notice that it says that this worship is clean. It is pure worship. It is undefiled worship. It is true worship. And what does this kind of worship do for us? It endures forever. The music style may change. The buildings may change. The people of worship may change but the truth of worship does not change. The person and object of our worship does not change. The Bible teaches us how to worship God and we can trust it because it endures forever and our worship should endure as well.

Finally, the judgments or the rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. The Bible gives us God’s verdict on everything in life. It is decisive. In a world of lies and in a world of  deception, the word of God is unequivocally true. The word of God produces comprehensive righteousness. This is the one document that sanctifies and purifies our soul. The fact is Scripture will not lead us to wrong or inappropriate decisions or to wrong actions because it is righteous. It will teach us how to live in community with one another.

So how do we apply this to our lives. As you do your reading this year, I encourage you to consider a couple of things. I suggest that you to ask some questions. First of all what is the passage communicating. Is the passage a law and therefore points out a way of living life that protects and guards us? Is it a testimony of God’s grace, His love, and Him just being God? Is there a precept that needs to be understood in order to regulate our behavior or our life’s goals? Is it a commandment that must be obeyed? Is there a rule to be followed? Does it represent the awesomeness of God’s character and His power? As we search for these nuggets, we will see the value of God’s word for us and it will come alive in us.

This is where journaling or taking notes is important. As you read Scripture, note what is being said and understand what it is saying to you, specifically. If you are new to the Word, I suggest that you find someone who is more mature so that you can ask them the critical questions about the passages you read. I would suggest that it is important to be in a small group or attend the Sunday School class on Sunday. It is there that our questions can be asked and discussed.  It is there, in community, that we can grow and become all that God desires for us.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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January 4, 2016 · 10:26 am

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Peninsula Community Church

Looking Back and Looking Forward

January 3, 2016

It is hard to believe that we have turned the page into a New Year. And yet, it seems that it was just yesterday that we turned a new page on the 2015 chapter of our lives. As we have turned the page into anew year, we must remember that the pages of our life for 2016 are relatively blank. Yes, we may have the same problems and the circumstances but the decisions we now make are all new.

Paul in his writings to the Church at Philippi understood this. He stated Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained (Philippians 3:12-16).

As we read this passage Paul says that he forgets what lies behind and he strains forward what lies ahead. We must realize that Paul is not saying that we should not remember the past but that the past must not dictate our present activity or our future responses to life’s issues. We have all been affected by problems and issues. Some of these are larger than life and others are those dripping faucet issues that are irritants more than anything else.

To use the vernacular of the day “Life Sucks.” Life is not fair. Life is filled with both joy and sadness and at times both occur at the same time. Life is filled with the unknown, unexpected, and the unrealized. The problem with life is that we do not know what the future holds, it is the unknown. We also know that life is filled with the unexpected. There are always great surprises both good and bad. And finally, life is filled with unrealized dreams and hopes. But as we enter a new year we can begin with a clean slate and we have the privilege of writing a brand new chapter in our life.

So with that in mind let us look at couple of things this morning. First of all we look back in order to remember what God has done on our behalf and to remember where we have come from. There are some in the church community that would tell you that we should never look back because that is somehow a lack of faith. Now I understand in part why they would propagate such a teaching, as we can be so focused on the past, that we fail to move into the future thus we fail to accomplish God’s will in the present. By being absorbed with the past, we allow the unknown, the unexpected, and the unrealized dreams of our life to determine our current state and the kind of future we will have.

While Paul states that he does not look back, the Bible is also replete with passages that encourage us to remember. To remember, we must look back at what God has done in us and around us. That is the reason I have asked these folks today to share their testimonies about what God has done in and through them in 2015. It is a way to look back and remember. We remember not so much the pain or the problems as much as we remember the grace of God and the power of God at work in our world.

In 1905 George Santayana wrote the following in his book The Life of Reason. “Those who fail to remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This quote has been contributed to Winston Churchill who used a variation of the quote when he stated that “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” The idea here is that when we forget what God has done and the victories that have been won, we can forget the lessons learned in the process. You see there is no experience in life that does not afford us the opportunity to learn and to be instructed. Every experience in life gives us the opportunity to learn more about ourselves, understand those with whom we interact, and to know more about God. This does not diminish the pain, the hurt, or the anger but it does put things into a better perspective for us.

In this regard, let me share a couple of ideas with you about having a fresh start in 2016. First of all stop making excuses and stop allowing past experiences to affect where you are and what you do.  In Proverbs 28:13 Solomon makes an invaluable contribution to this discussion. He states that Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. To not allow God’s forgiveness to flood our hearts is to shut off God’s mercy and grace. Too often we use our past to limit our success in the present. We can use the problems of the past as an excuse to not allow God’s grace and mercy to heal us. We then become stifled and stunted in our growth. How many people do you know seem to live their life looking backward? They count their losses, their regrets, and their failures. No wonder so many  live in defeat.

In the film “The Mission,” Robert DeNiro plays a mercenary who has taken asylum in the local church after killing his brother in a fit of jealous rage. He leaves the church and heads to a mission post located above the waterfalls in a South American jungle. Because of what he has done, and how bad he feels, he ties himself to a several-hundred pound net of items that represents his sinful life. He feels compelled to drag this sack of sin around with him as a way to do penance for what he has done. Have you ever felt like that? I suspect that some of you are tethered to some transgressions this morning. Others of you are gasping under the guilt of things you did several years ago. What do you do when you realize that you’ve messed up? How do you stabilize your life when you experience more ups and downs than the stock market? Do you grab some rope and hitch it up to your sin pile and start dragging it around? Or, is there something better? We can accept God’s forgiveness and let go of the past.

The second thing we can do is to take an inventory of our lives. Take some time to list the issues you face but also list the successes. I am sure that if you will take some time to do this you will find that there have been more successes than you might imagine. By taking inventory, we can have a picture of the realities of life but we can also have a picture of God’s grace and His mercy.

Thirdly, act in faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. What are you hoping for? What do you need to happen in 2016? What changes need to be made in your life? It all begins with faith. By faith we see mountains moved. By faith we see lives changed. When we walk in faith we do not always see positive movement but we continue to walk in faith. To lose faith is to be condemned to a lifeless journey. To lose faith sets us up to be beaten up by the obstacles, the circumstances, and the people in our lives.

Fourth, we must refocus on what is the reality of our life. When we are confronted with the problems of life we can become distracted and overwhelmed. But, as we begin this new year we must refocus our attention, our dreams, and our hopes on God’s will for our lives. The problem that occurs sometimes is that we have a picture in our mind of what life should be. That is not a bad thing as we need to have a dream. We need to have to things that we hold onto and that we hope for. The problem occurs when the picture in our mind is faulty or is based on a false reality.

Last week I mentioned how I have a dream that some day I will stand on a platform and play the drums or the guitar like a mad man. I would do rifts and drum sets that would cause people to stand and cheer. While this is a dream, I also know the reality of life. I am not musically inclined in that regard. I have taken piano and guitar and I was not successful in either. Sure I can dream about this but my focus must be on what God has called me to do.

The fifth thing we can do is to renew our trust in God. The fact is when life’s issues confront us we can loose hope and our trust in God can be shaken. Out trust in God is impacted because we can believe that God has failed us or He has let us down. We can become angry with God and dissatisfied with the actions that God has taken on our behalf. When that happens we need to refocus our trust on Him.

A number of years ago I was involved in a car accident. On my way home from church late one Friday night I had a pedestrian run out in front of me and they collided with my car. It was a surreal moment. There in my windshield was the face of this young man. My windshield shattered. He slid down the hood of my car onto the ground with no movement. My initial thought is that he was dead. But as I exited the car I began to see movement and then he jumped up to run. That accident effected me more than I imagined as I lost trust in my ability to drive in the sense that any time I saw a pedestrian on the side of the road I tensed up. I felt panic. And I became fearful that they would jump out in front of me. I had to overcome this fear. To do so, I had to trust that I could drive. I had to realize that the accident was a one time event.

You may have faced some uncertainty and difficult issues in your life. Most are probably outside your control or you ability to change and yet they are still real. They still happened. They have shaken your faith so much that you must learn to trust again. How do you do this, you do so by taking one step at a time, one decision at a time, and one problem at a time. We remember that God is still alive. He is still omnipotent. He is still saving. He grace is still amazing and He is still on the throne. We have a new chapter to write. May we do so in a way that we live in freedom and may we be empowered to live not in the past but in the present and with a hope for a new day.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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December 28, 2015 · 8:40 am

After Christmas – What?

Peninsula Community Church

After Christmas, What?

December 27, 2015

Luke 2:17-20 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

After all the gifts have been opened, the food has been eaten, the tree has been taken down, and the family has gone home; the reason for the season still remains. We must never forget that He is the reason for the season and He will always be the reason for our celebration, not just at Christmas but all year long.

In the Christmas story, there was great expectation, hope, and joy. Beyond Mary and Joseph, there was no one more impacted by expectation and joy than the shepherds who were in the field doing what they always did. They were watching their sheep. They were living life as usual and they were doing the ordinary things that ordinary shepherds always did. In the story, we do not see anything that caused them to stand out or a reason why they should be chosen to receive the news of Christ’s birth. The shepherds were certainly not special, but they were chosen and they acted in obedience by responding and acting on the news they received.

As we read the story of the shepherds, we find that when they left the manger, they left with incredible joy and overwhelming excitement. Through this we are reminded that the joy of Christmas does not end in the manger or at Christ’s birth. It is just the beginning. For that reason the spirit of Christmas, the expectations of Christmas, and the message of Christmas should be in our hearts all year long. In the passage before us today we find four ways to keep Christmas alive in our hearts.

The first way to keep Christmas alive in their hearts is to continue proclaiming the good news of what has occurred. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. The point here is that the shepherds were active in retelling the story of what they had experienced. The event moved them so much they could not help but tell the story. They continued to tell their story and they shared the message of Christ’s birth to everyone they encountered. They could not contain all they had experienced.

The message must be shared because the story of Christmas gives us hope and it is a treasure to be shared. It reminds me of a story I recently read about Luigi Tarisio. Most of you probably have never heard of Luigi Tarisio. In fact, I had not heard anything about him until I read his story this week. Tarisio was a collector of very rare exquisite violins. In total, he owned 246 violins which were worth millions of dollars. The problem was that these precious treasures were hidden away and were never shared with anyone else. One of the treasures he possessed was a priceless Stradivarius that “sat speechless for over 147 years.” After his death, these priceless artifacts were found and when the Stradivarius was finally played the beauty of the music overwhelmed the hearers and they wept at the beauty of the sound. The sad thing is that the music had remained silent for so long when it did not have to be.

This story reminds us that we can have the greatest of all treasures in our heart and yet refuse to share that treasure with others. The treasure we posses is the message of Christmas which is a message of hope, of forgiveness, of great grace, and the promise of a new life. It would be so wrong of us to have such a treasure in us and then refuse to share it with others. The music of hope needs to be played. The music of hope needs to be shared. The music of hope needs to be experienced. The Stradivarius violin is at its best when it is played and we are at our best when we share the hope of the Christmas message.

The fact is what the shepherds did, we all can do. You need no authority, no permission, and no special training to witness for Christ. Simply tell what you know to be true. Talk about Jesus. Tell  others who He is and what He has done for you. Share your story and then invite others to come to Christ just as you did. Good news is for sharing. That’s what the shepherds did. That’s what all of us are called to do. This is the first way we can all celebrate Christmas all year long.

The second way we can keep Christmas alive in our hearts is to live with a sense of wonder.  And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. The fact is all who heard the message of the shepherd’s experience were amazed at what they heard. For some, they were filled with awe and wonder at the hope presented through the message of Christ’s birth. Imagine the exuberance they had as they retold the story of hearing an angelic choir in the middle of the night. They received such an elegant announcement only to find the Son of God in a feeding-trough surrounded by cattle and sheep. How amazed everyone was that God chose the shepherds to be the first evangelists? Can you imagine the emotions of the shepherds who found the Christ child sleeping in an environment that was so familiar to them. They knew in that moment that He had come for them.

The kind of wonder that that is expressed here is the kind of awe that comes from seeing God at work in the world. To have the divine stamped upon it causes one to wonder. It can be the most simple of things or it can be the grandeur of God’s creation. The creation of the universe out of nothing causes us to be filled with wonder. To take a hand full of dirt and make man is a thing of wonder. The fingerprints of God cause wonder and amazement all year long. But here is the amazing thing, the wonder of God continues. With all of the amazing storied of Christmas the wonder of Christmas continues and it is still in our hearts.

The third way we keep Christmas alive is to do as Mary did and ponder these things in our hearts. “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Mary pondered the news of Jesus’ birth and the events that followed in her heart. The word “treasured” carries the idea of counting things up, almost like making a check list of things to be remembered. The word “ponder” means to review the events and then to go beneath the surface to understand what it all means and why it happened the way it did.

No doubt Mary went back to what happened to Zacharias and Elizabeth and the birth of John the Baptist. I am sure she thought about what Gabriel said, and how Joseph responded to the news she was pregnant. She must have recalled the long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. She recalled all the events of the birth itself, including the surprise visit of the shepherds. She certainly had plenty to think about. There is no doubt that she continued to ponder the thought of why God had chosen her, and I’m sure she pondered what was ahead for her newborn son.

This is the perfect time of the year to ponder all that God has done. There is no better time than at the end of December to ponder what God has been teaching us? What better time to look back over the last twelve months and consider the ways of God in your life? Consider how God has been working in your life this year? How has He been working in the world around you? Continue to ponder the ways that God is at work in you and through you as you journey into the new year. To continue to ponder these things keeps the spirit of Christmas alive in our hearts.

The fourth way to keep Christmas alive in our hearts is to continue to glorify God. “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” The shepherds were profoundly changed by what they experienced. It is amazing what difference a day makes. On the day before Christ was born, the shepherds were in the fields tending their sheep. On the day after He was born, they were back in the fields working, only this time their hearts were filled with praise to God.

The word root word in “glorify” originally meant to have an opinion. Later, it was used to ultimately to estimate the true worth of something. We glorify those things in which we see value. To say the shepherds “glorified” God means that after seeing Jesus in the manger, they were overwhelmed by God’s power, His grace, His goodness, His wisdom, and the amazing miracle of His birth. They simply couldn’t stop talking about what they had seen and heard. Through this experience the value of Christ in their eyes was off the charts.

It is interesting to note where they did this. They did not glorify God in the temple, though that would have been appropriate. No, they returned to what they had been doing. They went back to the tiring and unappreciated work of caring for sheep. Within forty-eight hours of their visit with the baby, they were back doing what they were doing when the angel found them in the first place. It was time to go back to work. And so they did. And so must we. But for the shepherds, life would never be the same. Oh yes, the work was the same but they were different. They went back with a new zeal, a new joy, and a new love for God in their hearts.

We too must go back to what seems to be the humdrum of our daily routines. And as you go back to what is normal for you, glorify God and praise Him in all you do. That is what the shepherds did. Christmas didn’t change their circumstances, but it changed them deeply and profoundly. And because it changed them inwardly, it changed the way they approached their daily work. Yes, they still had to deal with cranky sheep and sometimes they had to step in sheep manure, but that hardly mattered now. Things were different now that they had seen the Christ child.

Have you experience the Christmas miracle? Have you seen the evidence of Jesus in your life this year? If you have, then go back to what you were doing before and take the memory of Christmas with you. Glorify God and praise Him as you go about your daily routine and you will find your days filled with joy. Go back to your job. Go back to school. Go back to what you were doing but go with a praise upon your heart. Go with the awe and wonder of Christ’s birth within you. Your circumstance may not change but your heart will. You will see life from a different perspective and you will witness a change in your heart.

And as you journey through this new year ahead of us, continue to proclaim the good news that Christ is born, be filled with the wonder of the greatness of God. Ponder and think on the things that you have experienced and have seen God do in you. And, finally keep glorifying God the mundane, every old day life experiences. In so doing, others will be touched and you will be changed in the process.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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December 21, 2015 · 10:52 am

Its a Wonderful Life – Part 3

Peninsula Community Church

Its a Wonderful Life – Part 3

December 20, 2015

Luke 2:25-32 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.

Over the last couple of weeks we have been using the movie Its a Wonderful Life as a basis of discussion for our Sunday morning messages. So far we have looked at the question of What if Jesus had Never Been Born. Last week, we looked at how disappointment and discouragement can impact our lives. This week, I would like to close the series by looking at three Biblical lessons that resonate throughout Its a Wonderful Life that exemplify the Christmas story.

One of the lessons we learn is that the story of Christmas teaches us that God chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. You see it is hard to live a wonderful life when we are trying to be something we are not. It is hard to live a wonderful life when we are looking at the successes of others and miss what God is doing in and through us. In preparing for this message I came across a quote by Jimmy Stewart. When he was an old man he was interviewed about his reflections on “It’s a Wonderful Life” and this is what he had to say. “Today, after some 50 years, I’ve heard the film called ‘an American cultural phenomenon.’ Well, maybe so, but it seems to me there is nothing phenomenal about the movie itself. It’s simply about an ordinary man who discovers that living each ordinary day honorably, with faith in God and a selfless concern for others, can make for a truly wonderful life.” How true that is.

Throughout the Christmas story we find that God used ordinary people to accomplish His will. He used Mary, a young teenage girl. He used Joseph a innocent young man. He uses Simeon to bless the family and to bless Jesus the Christ child. You see we don’t have to be exceptional or extraordinary but we have to be available to be used by God. We don’t have to be perfect but we have to be willing to do the best we can. We can be certain of one thing, God chooses the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary. Simeon was an old man who did nothing extraordinary except live a righteous and dedicated life in Jerusalem. And yet we find him positioned to bless the family of Christ. He is directed by the Holy Spirit to go to the temple. There he met the mother and father of Jesus as they fulfilled the ordinary customs of the Jewish law. They brought Jesus to be circumcised on the eighth day of his life. In the intersection of ordinary events, God brought their lives together. The text tells us, “Simeon took Jesus into his arms and he praised God.” Simeon then blessed Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus. The ordinary met the extraordinary.

One of the story lines of Its Wonderful Life is that George Bailey was always focused outside of Bedford Falls. He was discontented with his place in Bedford Falls because he always thought that his success would be achieved outside of Bedford Falls. He felt that only by leaving Bedford Falls could he be successful and complete. What he forgot and we often forget is that God uses us right where are. Listen to what Colonel Potter from the M.A.S.H. television series had to say. “I’ve spent 18 Christmases away from Mildred. It took me 15 of them to realize I was making myself miserable by wishing I was someplace I wasn’t. If you ain’t where you are, you’re no place.”

The idea here is that we can waste our life away wishing we were somewhere else or doing something else. Notice Simeon bloomed where he was planted. By being patience and obedient he witnessed the arrival of the Messiah. In this intersection of lives God blesses Simeon and he had the privilege of blessing the family of Jesus and Jesus Himself. Can you imagine the excitement of Simeon to know that he would have a role to play in the life of the Messiah? He would be the first one to bless this baby. This ordinary man was one of the first people to honor Christ as the Messiah.

The second lesson teaches us that to have a wonderful life we must put others first. One of the overarching qualities in George Bailey’s life is that he continually put others first. He often did this to the point of personal sacrifice. In 1919 when he was twelve years old he was sledding with some of his buddies. His little brother Harry liked to tag along with the older boys. When he took his turn on the ice, Harry’s sled went too far and slipped into a hole in the ice pond. He would have drowned if George had not jumped in to save him. But in saving him it cost George the loss of hearing in his left ear. Through out the movie, we find George putting others first. We see him using his own money to help others and to keep his bank solvent. We see him having to change his plans when his father dies and his brother heads off to college. This is not to say that we have to live in abject failure to be be successful, it is a matter of our attitude and our heart.

The Christmas story is really a story of putting others first. Jesus modeled this as it was Jesus who left the glory of heaven to become a man (John 6:38), who would be subjected to everything a human was subjected to. He was tempted but without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus came to give Himself so we could be free. He came to die so we could live. How awesome is that? He lived as a servant and He came to serve others (Mark 10:45) and not to Lord over them (Matthew 20:25-28). That is selflessness and that leads to a wonderful life.

This leads us to our third lesson. To have a wonderful life we must confront temptation with our values and our integrity. We must settle our moral values because without our values being settled we will be tempted to be diverted from the truth. In the movie, Its a Wonderful Life, on several occasions George Bailey was called upon by Mr. Potter to compromise his beliefs, his character and his values. George could have had the financial blessing of Mr. Potter but in so doing he would have had to give up his rights to who he was and to what he had been called to do. Mr Potter’s motivation was not to help George as much as it was to control George and eventually have control of the whole community.

The struggle presented here is not so much between good and evil, but between good and better. It is a struggle between the ambition to do good and the challenge to do God’s will. Bailey was a man of great ambition, someone who wanted to travel to distant lands, build expansive bridges over large bodies of water, and lasso the moon for his girlfriend. Instead, he would merely give her a drafty old house, four mouths to feed, and a life in a small town with little money. He was tempted with offers to give her a higher standard of living, but that would mean abandoning the call on his life and compromising his integrity.

Think about this the baby Jesus held by Simeon would face severe temptation when he became an adult (Matthew 4:1-11). We learn from the story of Jesus that He was tempted in every way we are, yet without sin. You see, temptation is not a measure of your weakness; temptation is a measure of your strength. You will find that the basis of all temptation is to compromise our integrity and to lessen our trust in God to keep us and guide us. You see, for Jesus to turn the stones into bread was not merely a temptation to satisfy his hunger after forty days of fasting, it was a temptation to abuse the powers God had given him for his own purposes. Jumping off the pinnacle of the tabernacle wasn’t a temptation just to draw a bigger crowd, it was a temptation to build a ministry on miracles rather than on the grace and mercy of God. The temptation to have dominion over the world was a powerful temptation to take a shortcut to glory and power. Jesus was offered short term authority for long term disappointment if he would only bow down to Satan. Jesus was offered something good (food, followers, power), but it was at the price of the perfect will of his Father in heaven. And it should be noted that all that was offered to Him, He already had. He did not have to compromise His beliefs or His values.

Real temptation is the kind that George Bailey faced, and it is the kind that Jesus faced, and it is the same temptation we are faced with. It’s when we are confronted by the devil, only the devil isn’t dressed in a red cape with horns. A wonderful life comes by overcoming the temptations to receive good things when God wants you to have better things. You see, God wants us to look at life and answer the question, “What does God want from me? What is God’s will for my life?” I don’t know what the answer is for you, but I do know that if you’re not deliberate and intentional about asking the question you’re likely to accept any offer that is pretty and pleasing to the eye. God wants you to understand who you are, what you’re all about, and what God’s will is for you. If you can discover those great gifts, you will deliver a death blow to the Mr. Potters in your life who dangle tantalizing trinkets in front of your eyes.

We will always have Potters in our lives. But we can resist the Potters and accept the Christ, the chosen one. He is Messiah and he has a plan. What is yours? If you don’t know what that is then this is the time to find out. Sometimes it is as easy as being faithful to what you are doing now. Be the best at what you do. Be the best administrative assistant. Be the best attorney. Be the best father, mother, sister, brother, or husband. Let God use you. Watch for those opportunities that God provides for you. The fact is we minister best when we don’t even realize it. How does this happen? We seek God! We seek to honor God with our lives! And we seek to be a people of peace, love and grace. That is the message of Its a Wonderful Life and that is the message of Christmas. May we live it and may we make a difference today.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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December 14, 2015 · 7:30 am

Its A Wonderful Life – Part 2

Peninsula Community Church

Its A Wonderful Life – Part 2

December 13, 2015

Isaiah 9:2-7 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Last week we began a series entitled Its A Wonderful Life and we focused on what if Christ had not been born. Today I would like to look at another aspect of this discussion. The key theme that runs through the movie is that George Bailey had reached a point in his life where he believed that the world would be better off without him. For that reason we find George standing on the bridge just outside of time where he he is considering taking the plunge because he wants to end his life. But before he can do so we find Clarence, an angel, jump in the stare first so that George would rescue him.  You see George was his guardian angel and was assigned the task of helping overcome his problems. He gives George the opportunity to visualize what life would be like if he had never lived.

What led him to his decision to take his life in the first place? You see he faced disappointment, discouragement; and he felt he was on a path of failure or at least he thought he was. Let me ask you a question? What kinds of things disappoint you? My guess is what disappoints you may not disappoint someone else. Disappointment is often triggered by unmet needs and desires. There is no doubt that disappointment can be painful, regardless of the magnitude or size of the issue leading to the disappointment. Disappointments cause us to fear and doubt and as a result we can lose hope. The writer of Proverbs reminds us that Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12). You know how it is when disappointment comes we find ourselves sick to our stomachs and life seems to spiral out of control and suddenly we wander around life with doubts and regrets. We begin to live in the “what ifs,” “should haves,” and the “could haves.”

Disappointment can be defined as being not settled. Webster defines disappointment as, failing to meet the expectation of or hope of something. It is being frustrated with an event in your life. To be disappointed is to be defeated in expectation. So, when we say that something is disappointing we are saying that that particular issue failed to meet our expectations.

Discouragement means to cause one to lose confidence or enthusiasm. The literal meaning of the word discourage is to “express reversal.” You know how it works. An event or an action happens to you and it causes a reversal of how we feel. Instead of confidence and safety we feel unsettled and life feels as if it is out of control. We begin to look at life in a totally different way and we begin to look at others differently as well. And way too often we begin to look inwardly and begin to cast doubt on our worth at some level.

Last week we read from Paul’s writings to the Romans where he stated that we know that all things work together for the good of those who are called by God. That is a very real statement and it is a reality but our faith is tested when good does not happen. We question God’s love for us. We feel like a failure and we feel that we have lost hope. Does anyone know what I mean?

If you will let me relate a personal experience with you. It began at Christmas 2004. I was on staff at a Baptist church in Virginia. During a one year period we faced not one but multiple levels of disappointment that resulted in discouragement, fear, and at times anger. The first news was that the senior pastor of our church was resigning and would be leaving the church by the end of the year. We received the news the Thursday before he made the announcement to the church. You see in the Baptist church when a pastor leaves and a new one comes in, most likely the whole staff can be changed. We were devastated because we thought we had a better relationship with the pastor and we were concerned because we thought we might have to find a job within a month at Christmas time.

One week later we received a phone call from our son to let us know that he had been living with his girlfriend, she was pregnant and he could not marry her because he had to get a divorce first. We knew none of this until a 45 minute conversation on the phone. In March they hired the new senior pastor who was the youth pastor. He was 17 years my younger. I had been overlooked and to top it off they asked me to mentor him and help him be a better pastor. I agreed outwardly but inwardly I was devastated, disappointed, and so discouraged. It was only three months later that we found ourselves in the hospital where Michelle stayed for over a week and had every test under the sun ran on her. It was here that the original diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis was made. We felt a darkness overwhelm us and we we so discouraged. Once again outwardly we put on a good front but inwardly we were crushed and devastated. Michelle and I know disappointment and discouragement.

As we dig into our text this morning we find that the Israelites were also in a state of darkness and discouragement because they had faced great disappointment. The nation had walked in sin which led them into captivity. They were being brutally assaulted by their captors. The future hope of being great nation was lost. Their discouragement and disappointment was being revealed as darkness. Their emotions and their life was now darkened. But Isaiah gave them hope and that is the hope we have today.

When we consider disappointment and discouragement we must consider a couple of factors. First of all disappointment happens. It occurs when our expectations are not met or we receive news that is not expected. Disappointment is a reality of our lives. It can be minor or major disappointments or it can be a series of disappointments that negatively impact us. These disappointments lead us to discouragement and fear. Disappointment comes as well when we work hard at something and the results are not what we expected.

Disappointment can be self inflicted because we have false expectations and an over confidence in the action of others and our own ability. If you are alive today, you have faced disappointment. Our children, our parents, our friends, our employers, our co-workers, and our bodies can disappoint us. They fail to live up to our expectations or they do dumb things that cause us to react negatively to their actions. The circumstances of life can also cause us to reach this level of disappointment.

One of the reasons that disappointment effects so much is that we fail to understanding that life is  not always fair. Life will deal us lemons. We also live with the misconception that people will treat us the way we want to be treated and do things the right way. It doesn’t matter whether you are born with a silver spoon, plastic spoon, or no spoon at all. It’s not the circumstances by which you come into this world, but what you make of them once you arrive that really matter.

In connection with this we must know that all of us are impacted by disappointment. It happens to the best of us. It rains on the just and the unjust. Here is the truth, bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. Matthew 5:43-48 “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Secondly, we must understand that our disappointments and discouragements can lead us into darkness. Disappointment can blind us to the realities of life. Disappointments can cause our hearts to be closed off and our minds to be shut off from truth. Disappointment can cause us to focus so much on the problem that we miss the bigger picture. One of the problems with disappointment and discouragement is that we become myopic in our vision for life because disappointment overwhelms us. In essence, our emotions and dreams can be darkened and the light of hope can be extinguished.

In all of this we must remember that Christ has come. As we see in our text today, Christ came to shine his light into our hearts. The Israelites were led into captivity. The Assyrians were rising in power and many of their leaders had died. They were living in a turbulent time and they were filled with disappointment and failures. They did not have an easy life. They were in turmoil and they were disappointed with their circumstances and they were discouraged by the events of their life. But they had a promise. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. A child has been born and the world’s problems are on His shoulders. Know this, He is not surprised by the things that you are experiencing today.

For us today that promise has been fulfilled. He has come. He is here. Therefore we need to turn to the one who is the wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, and the prince of peace. He has it all under control. He is at work and when we turn to Him a light is shone into the darkness. We receive hope. We receive life. It reminds me of a familiar hymn written so many years ago, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

How are you doing today? Has your heart been darkened by disappointment or discouragement? You can rise again from the darkness of ruined lives. If you hang in there the light of God’s love will shine brightly again, so that while the circumstance of your life may not change, your heart can. Your outlook on life can. You purpose in life can be reestablished. And as George Bailey realized life is worth living and your life has value because you are a child of God and the light of hope has been shined into your life.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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December 7, 2015 · 3:22 pm

Its A Wonderful Life – In Christ

Peninsula Community Church

Its A Wonderful Life

December 6, 2015

Luke 4:16-21 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

I love Christmas and one of the things that I love most is the variety of Christmas movies during this season. Some of my favorites are The Grinch that Stole Christmas. I love both the cartoon version and the one with Jim Carey. I love the Muppets Christmas. I also love all of the great movies on the Hallmark channels. I also love the movie Elf and the Miracle of 34th Street but one of my all time favorites is the movie Its a Wonderful Life.

I am sure that most of you have seen the movie, but if you have never seen it or it has been some time since you have seen it let me give you a quick overview. The movie stars Jimmy Stewart who plays the role of George Bailey who lived in the small town of Bedford Falls all of his life. He has always had aspirations of leaving the town and going to college and then becoming a success somewhere, anywhere but Bedford Falls. Unfortunately, life dealt him one blow after another and he never saw his dreams fulfilled. George was well loved by everyone in the community. He was a giver and cared about others so deeply that he sacrificed his own desires for his family and for the community.

After his business partner loses $8000 from the bank they ran, there is a real possibility that he could be arrested and their could be a major scandal in the town. In a desperate move, George goes to the other banker in town. This banker owned and therefore controlled much of Bedford Falls. Mr Potter was an old frustrated man who always had a disdain for George’s way of doing business. But in an effort to save face, George asked Mr. Potter to borrow $8000 and to use his life insurance policy as collateral. But with about $500 worthy of equity on it Mr. Potter’s response was to say that George was worth more dead than alive. The feeling of despair overcomes George and he begins to imagine what life would be like if he had never been born. In his desperation, he goes to a bridge outside of town where he attempts to take his life. But an angel intervenes and shows George what his life would have been like if he had never been born. Of course as the movie goes on we find that George realizes that things around Bedford Falls would have been quite different if he had not been born.

As I thought about this, I began to imagine what it would be like today if Jesus had never been born. Think about it “What if He had Never Come?” First and foremost, if Christ had not been born we would not know God. Secondly, we would not have access to God and we would continue to be dead in our trespasses and sin. Thirdly, we would have no hope and no future.

Also imagine with me for a moment what this season would look like if we no longer celebrated Jesus’ birth. There would be no Christmas decorations. There would be no Christmas Music. There would be no Christmas gifts. There would be no holiday. To top it off the world would be so different. You see many of our hospitals were begun by Christian organizations. Most of your Ivy league universities began as theological seminaries. It has been churches that fed the poor and cared for the homeless. We find it was pastors who fought against slavery. The fact is even from a social mindset, Christ had an impact greater than we would ever imagine.

But, the reality is He did come. And He came as the light of the world. He came to fulfill the promise that a Messiah would come and set us free from the power of sin. One part of this and it is a big part was that Christ bridged the gap between man’s sin and God’s holiness. Have you ever wanted to get close to someone but could not because you did not have the right connections. Through the years I have had the privilege of meeting so many in the church world that were pretty awesome. Each time it seemed that I had someone that was a go between that helped that to occur.

You see before the birth and death of Christ there was a wall of sin that separated God and man. Because of man’s sin there was no human means to achieve a relationship with God. But because of Christ, the wall of sin has been removed. Jesus bridged the gap between God and man. Through his birth and death the great question of life has been answered. How could a holy God who never sinned reach a unholy man who sinned and broke fellowship with Him? After the fall of man in the Garden, God never came to walk with man again, the way he did before the fall. Man’s sin had separated them and now there was a need to bridge that gap. Man needed a solution. He needed an answer. That answer was Jesus.

Prior to the coming of Christ you may remember that to have forgiveness you had to go through a mediator, the priest assigned to offer sacrifices on your behalf. And as we saw in Jesus day, the very act of forgiveness had been decimated by those who were caught up in the sin nature themselves and thus they began to charge exorbitant rates for the sacrifices to “help” people out. The whole act of forgiveness was based in man’s sinful response to issues of life.

Because of Christ’s work, the wall that separated man from God was broken down. Ephesians 2:11-22 – For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister

Jesus made a way for our forgiveness so that we did not have to rely on someone else’s faith or their ability to stand in the gap. We can now have direct access to the father. Have you ever felt unworthy to speak to God? Have you ever felt that your sin is too great and that God would refuse you based on the condition of your heart and your soul? God recognized that condition and He sent Christ to cover that sin, take that sin on as His own, and to receive us in spite of our sin.

Look at our passage this morning. And this is where it gets personal for us. This is where the rubber meets the road. Jesus came to proclaim good news to the poor. He came to proclaim liberty to the captives. He came to recover the sight to those who were blind. He came to set at liberty those who are oppressed. He came to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He came to give us the greatest gift of all times.

I don’t know how you came to Jesus. Different people come for different reasons. Some of you came because it just made sense to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It just seemed right.

Some of you came because you got into a difficult problem, and the only way out was up: you found him there waiting for you. Some of you came because you felt so burdened by guilt and sin and the past that you reached out and found Jesus there with mercy and compassion ready to forgive you. To God be the Glory! He came!

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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November 30, 2015 · 12:03 pm

The Power of a Grateful Heart

Peninsula Community Church

The Power of a Grateful Heart

November 29, 2015

Psalms 92:1-4 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

In perusing the internet I came across a blog by James Ryle that spoke to my heart in this season of thanksgiving. This blog led me to meditate on the power that comes from having a grateful heart. To grasp this we must understand that a grateful heart is one filled with thanksgiving and gratitude. To fully grasp the concept we must look at the Scriptures to understand what this means to us as the Bible is replete with texts that encourage us toward having a grateful heart.

When we have a grateful heart there is an unmistakable power that begins to work on our behalf. When looking at the passage before us today we see that it begins with a grateful heart. The fact is if we do not have a grateful heart we will fall short and not want to sing praises, declare his love or his faithfulness. We will become blind to the works of God in our lives and we will miss seeing His hand at work in us, through us, and around us.

When considering this subject, Tony Dungy stated that a thankful heart and an attitude of contentment is only possible when you start with a grateful heart. This is not some token of gratitude, but it is the realization that the Lord has blessed us with everything we need. It is having a gratitude for all of the blessings God has bestowed upon us. Dungy went on to say that it is tough to be content when all we ever think of is what we imagine everyone else has and what we do not have. The Apostle Paul suggests that we approach everything in our lives with an attitude of gratitude. As you begin to live and experience gratefulness you will find that contentment and gratitude is contagious. (Tony Dungy from Maximizing Your Influence).

From a nonChristian viewpoint the benefits of gratefulness are many. According to Forbes magazine gratefulness opens the doors to more relationships. Gratitude improves physical health as those who live with a grateful heart experience fewer aches and pains and they report feeling more healthy than less grateful people. Gratitude improves psychological health as it reduces toxic emotions which range from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression. Grateful people sleep better and their self-esteem is improved. And finally, gratitude increases mental strength. That is from a nonChristian magazine but lets see what God’s word tells us.

We will look at four things that happen when we live with a grateful heart. First, a thankful heart increases our awareness of God’s purposes. When we live in gratitude we are more open to the prospect that we can know with a calm assurance that God is working for our good. Paul understood this when he penned these words. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

This is one of the most misquoted and misinterpreted Scriptures of all of the Bible. There are many who would have you believe that because we love God and God loves us that no bad thing will happen to us, but that is not the truth of this passage at all. God’s love goes much deeper than that. God’s grace in our life is not a matter of never facing bad things but rather it is the sustaining grace of God through every circumstance. Therefore, it is not a matter of being immune to difficult times but it is how we navigate these times that matter most. That is why we are reminded that we are to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It is of note that this not a matter of settling for the worse or denying or role but it means that everything in life is approached with a heart of being gratefulness.

Secondly, a thankful heart keeps us from the destructive influence of bitterness. To live with ingratitude causes one to become bitter and will cause one to be filled with anger, judgement, criticism, and blame. I am sure that we could all share a story of someone in our lives that has been impacted by a bitter heart. The destructive forces of bitterness have negatively impacted churches, businesses, and families. The writer of Hebrews was keenly aware of the power of  bitterness when he warns his readers not to allow any root of bitterness to spring forth. Listen to the words of Scripture. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal (Hebrews 12:15).

The problem with bitter roots is that they begin to absorb nutrients and they take life away from what is good and right. You see bitterness destroys life rather than sustaining life. Listen to the voice of Job in this regard. “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul (Job 7:11). Think about what he is communicating. He recognizes that if he does not get his anguish under control then he might respond with bitterness and anger which comes from the depths of his soul. He recognized the potential for bitterness to control him and to become a part of his psyche. If you remember, Job had lost it all. He lost his business. He lost his family. He lost respect. And yet this is the same Job who had a greater sense of who God was than what Job had lost. For this reason, Job could powerfully proclaimed that Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face (Job 13:15). If you remember the story, because of his faithfulness, he received a double portion of what he had lost.

A third thing that happens when we have a thankful heart is that it prevents us from falling into pride. Matthew Henry was a great theological Bible Scholar. He was once accosted by thieves and was robbed. In response to this act, he penned these words in his diary. “Let me be thankful that I was never robbed before; second that although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took it all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed another.” That is a heart of thanksgiving and gratefulness.

He could have become bitter. He could have closed his heart toward others. He could have complained to the Lord about his situation. He could have carried an offense that would have caused him to cast a suspicious eye on those who traveled into his town or he might have encountered on his journeys. Instead, he turned to God with a heart of humility and he gave thanks. Thus he was saved from the pit of pride and anger. Thanksgiving and humility go hand in hand and God is pleased with both.

Fourth, a thankful heart permeates our circle of influence with faith. Think about it for a moment. Thanksgiving is the highest expression of faith there is. This is especially true during the times we walk through desolate times and things are not going well for us. Our faith is based in what has been done for us and what He is doing on our behalf but it is also focused on what is yet to come on our behalf. Paul understood that this was an eternal perspective. We hear the tone of this perspective in the following passage. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). This does not mean that we deny the existence of problems but rather we recognize that the problems we face today are no way to be compared to the future that is ours in Christ.

In this regard, we will see that a grateful heart is focused on God while an ungrateful heart is focused on one’s problems. Thankfulness lifts our vision and builds our faith. It causes us to be an influential encouragement to others who are struggling with life’s difficulties. Once again Philippians speaks to this subject when Paul stated that we are to Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain (Philippians 2:14-16).

2 Corinthians 2:14-16  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

As we consider this passage and others we have read, we understand that gratefulness changes us, effects our life, and it causes us to exude joy and promise. In Paul’s words, when we live in gratefulness we exude a odor of grace and love. So let me ask you? What do you smell like?

I came across an illustration that bears repeating this morning. In the Peanuts cartoon, Snoopy is getting his usual ration of dog food for Thanksgiving Day dinner. He stares at the bowl and begins to talk to himself. “How about that? Everyone is eating Turkey today, but just because I am a dog I get dog food.” He then trots away and positions himself on top of his doghouse and concludes, “Of course, it could have been worse, I could have been born a turkey.”

So let me ask you. How is your heart? Do you have a grateful heart? As a result do you live in expectation? It is your choice and it is not based on your circumstances or your problems. It is in spite of our circumstances that we can live with gratitude. That is God’s desire and that is our calling today. Let us pray!

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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