Thursday, May 28, 2009

Its a Heart Thing

 

"These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"   Matt 15:8-9  NKJV

 

One of the saddest things that can happen in the church is when a group of people have a lot of “religiosity” consisting of works, traditions, declarations, and worship activities; but their hearts are far from God.  How sad it must be for God to watch people ‘play church’, and yet not be in love with Jesus!

 

The church in Ephesus had that problem:  They had works, labor, patience, and righteous living.  But they lacked one thing – the most important thing:  A love for Christ.  They had lost their first love!  Jesus told them “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, (Rev 2:5).

 

Yes we want to have a well balanced life:  Worship, reading the Word, prayer, good works, evangelism – all of these things are important.  But the first thing trumps them all:

 

Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'   This is the first and great commandment.

Matt 22:37-38  NKJV

 

 

...till the whole world hears,

 

Pastor Clay

calvaryofwilmington.blogspot.com

 

Friday, May 22, 2009

Storms in Life

And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled...  Matt 14:23-26

 

The other day my boys and I were out riding our motorcycles.  It was a beautiful, sunny day.  Then suddenly, dark clouds rolled over and the wind picked up.  Then the drizzle started, then the downpour.  Lightening struck within a few hundred yards.  After the worst of the storm died down we packed up (getting soaked and muddy in the process!), and headed back into town. Unbelievably, within a few miles the sun was out and the ground was a dry as a bone! It seemed as though the one spot we were in had stormed, and no other!

 

Sometimes life deals us a storm.  Everyone around me can be fine, biking, going to the beach, but I am in the middle of a deluge!  Some believe that once we come into fellowship with God, our lives become “smooth sailing.”  We should never have problems, but this is not true.  God will often allow storms into our lives, sometimes even sending us into the storm.  In the middle of these storms, we might wonder “where is God?   ...why has He allowed me to ride right into this storm?” Storms will always be a factor in our lives.  The question is “to whom will I turn to in the midst of the storm?”

 

The answer is hinted at in Isaiah 43:

 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. Isa 43:2

 

God promises us that no matter what life serves up; storms, floods, fire, that HE will be with us through it!

 

 

...till the whole world hears,

 

Pastor Clay

calvaryofwilmington.blogspot.com

 

Friday, May 15, 2009

I Want

The phrase “I want ____ (fill in the blank) is possibly one of the most often used phrases in our culture.  People seem to have a void that demands to be filled, and they spend tremendous amounts of time and energy trying to fill that void. The problem is that people will often try and fill the void with empty substitutes.  It’s akin to trying to satisfy your hunger with a Twinkie. You get a quick sugar fix, but the hunger is still there.

 

In Matthew 14, Jesus feeds a crowd of 5000 with a few fishes and loaves of bread. But the message is much more than meeting the physical need of the crown.  The event is a sermon in action:  A mass of hungry people, with nothing in sight to fill them.  But there is one, the Bread of Life, who has bread that will satisfy even the deepest spiritual craving.  Our world is spiritually starving, and spiritual Twinkie’s simply wont do.  We have the Bread of Live, ready and available to a hungry world.  Will you help serve it?

 

Join us Sunday as we explore the feeding of the five thousand.

 

 

...till the whole world hears,

 

Pastor Clay

 

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Mothers - God's gift to mankind

What is it about mom's? What makes them special? Think about it for a moment:
  • They are given a desire to carry children - a vessel of human continuity (true story, my wife didnt even like children, until we were married for about a year. Suddenly she wanted four. That's right - four.)
  • They willingly take on carrying a parasite - a large parasite - for nine months. It makes them as big as a house.
  • They go through 1-2 days of the worst pain known to man - like passing a watermelon. Then, inexplicably, they DO IT AGAIN - perhaps several times. Apparently God gives them some sort of amnesia, and they forget what they went through (if I carried the child, it would only happen ONCE).
  • After birthing this child, going through the worst pain imaginable, having their beautiful bodies changed in ways that may never be recovered - they then spend the next 20+ years serving every need of their child. Feeding - changing - bathing - teaching - over and over - every day - a constant nurturing and meeting of endless needs. It makes me tired just thinking about it.
  • For the rest of their lives a mother will think about, care for, and pray for that child.
What could posses a human to take on such a role? What would cause a person to make such sacrifices? I believe that God has programed into the very DNA of a female this purpose. He has given mothers a unique gift -the ability to love with agape love. Love that is one way, not expecting anything in return. Love that esteems the child above her own wants and needs. Even in our mixed up, immoral world, everyone knows that mothers love their children.

I think that today we should thank God for giving the world the gift of motherhood, because without it our world would be a cold and uncaring place.

And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Gen 3:20 NKJV

Pastor Clay

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

A Mothers Love

Mother's Love
Her love is like
an island in life's ocean,
vast and wide
A peaceful, quiet shelter
From the wind, the rain, the tide.
'Tis bound on the north by Hope,
By Patience on the West,
By tender Counsel on the South
And on the East by Rest.
Above it like a beacon light
Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer;
And thro' the changing scenes of life
I find a haven there.

Author Unknown


This coming Sunday is Mothers Day, a day to express our love and appreciation to our moms! We'll have a special recognition for all mothers at CCW, join us as Pastor Mel brings the message!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay
calvaryofwilmington.blogspot.com

 

Friday, May 01, 2009

Tying Gods Hands

Have you ever wondered why God is not more active in your life?  You hear accounts of how God did this awesome work in someone else’s life, how He moved mountains.  But when it comes to YOUR life He seems strangely inactive. Perhaps God has forgotten you, or He doesn’t think you’re that important compared to others.

Or perhaps the problem is not with God at all.  I know this is a radical thought, but perhaps the problem in with your belief. In Matthew chapter 13 we run across an interesting scenario.  Jesus goes back to His hometown of Nazareth, and when He is there, not many miracles happen:

Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Matt 13:58  NKJV

This little statement of thirteen words holds a powerful message:  We can hinder Gods power from working in our lives through our refusal to believe. We can tie God’s hands through our unbelief. 

It would be like me writing you a check for $500, putting it in your hand, and telling you “go cash this, be blessed!”  “Wow” you think, “I could really use $500!  But… what if it bounces, wouldn’t I get a charge?  What if Clay is just joking with me?  Maybe he is just testing me to see if I’ll cash it.  Maybe He’ll give me a bigger check if I don’t cash this one…”  On and on we agonize over the check – and the whole time it sits in your desk drawer, and after a while you forget about it.  You never receive the blessing.  (And my checkbook never balances!)

The point is this:  Don’t agonize over why God works, or how He works, or why He would want to work in your life.  Simply believe, trust Him, and receive what He has for you today! 

Join us Sunday as we look at unbelief!

 

...till the whole world hears, 

Pastor Clay