Terry Mcilvoy, Pastor

Lunch Bite (Second shift)

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18, ESV)

I am coming to the conclusion that there are not many restarts left in my life. There are so many things I hope and pray to accomplish for God before being called home. I know all the replies to that but the truth is I am not likely to have 40 or 50 more years. So that set me to to thinkin about one of my favorite passages 2 Corinthians 4:15-18. By the way I think like Winnie the Pooh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oq91s1fASc)

Even as I age and the outer self is no longer well lets just leave it at that. Inside I feel more alive and vital today than I did at 30. All because of what Jesus has done for me.
The troubles of this life are only momentary.
What is to come is going to be amazing. THIS IS WHERE I WOULD CALL FOR AN AMEN IN CHURCH.
I am so grateful to God that what I see in this world and in this life is transient and the things I can’t see except by faith are eternal.
In this God gives me renewed hope. Hope is the our life energy. Without hope there is little left for life or to exist.

Thank you God.

General

Lunch Bites

“*I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.*” (Romans 12:1)

People in areas along the Appalachian Mountains are familiar with stories, and pictures of miners headed off to work in the mines. They would carry their lunch in pails similar to the one pictured and would be underground for their full shift. These were hard working men who sacrificed for their families just as the women did working to manage the home and children above ground. If you need a short story on the life of a coal miner check out this song from Loretta Lynn (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9eHp7JJgq8)

Sacrifice is not uncommon to many or at least it was not a generation ago. There are many stories of heroic sacrifice from the military, police, fire, and medical fields. These are great examples of sacrifice and not to be diminished, but God is looking for the daily ongoing sacrifice of trust, obedience, and doing all things for his glory. God has created in all people inner, spiritual, traits the primary trait is worship and the second that is fundamental to worship according to Romans 12:1 is sacrifice.

Today as we pick up our lunch pail and head back into the mines of our daily life let us be reminded of the joy and glory that it brings to our Father when we sacrifice daily for those given to our care. When we offer our entire body and being for God’s purposes and glory. There are responsibilities in this week, burdensome tasks, and many times we will need to go beyond serving ourselves and to serve God by serving others.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

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Picnic Bite

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26–28)

The week is done and the work is nearing an end and a time of rest can be had for many. If you will take the rest offered by God I think He has something special for you. Picnics are old fashioned ideas of a simpler times. There is probably nothing more symbolic than a picnic to represent rest, renewal, and restored peace.

The one image from scripture that defines such a time of of love and peace is the last Passover Jesus celebrated with the disciples. The Spirit in the upper room filled the place with love and peace.

Jesus invites all of us into this rest in the Lord’s Supper and to be reminded that everything is going to be okay for the children of God. Think about the love in His body and in His blood that was given for you. Enjoy the a picnic today with Jesus and be reminded that nothing will separate you from the love of God.

If you haven’t be born again into the family of God then Jesus invites you today to believe in faith that He died for your sins and by repenting of your sins and believing in Jesus you can become a child of God by the Holy Spirit to be born again.

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Lunch Bite

“I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.” (Psalm 6:6–9)

Often it can seem that our prayers in the midst of life’s most difficult times are not accepted. Why are all the tears needed? In these times we find the greatest power of faith. Trusting God you say to your troubles depart from me, yes even when the troubles are real and physical threats. Turning to the unseen power of God in faith realizing that the things unseen are more powerful and more real than the things seen.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

In faith then we can say “The Lord accepts my prayer.”

P.S. yesterday we fasted. In fasting our true hunger and need comes forth.

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Lunch Bite

“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:11–14)

How does God see the way you are living. When God looked down on the people of Israel and Judah and the sins the committed. Very grievous sins of idolatry. Worshiping idols, sacrificing children, and given over to sexual immorality they practiced such things ignoring God’s warning of judgment. God used words like whore, adulterer, shameful, and insolent toward Him.

Christians living under grace today act much like Israel in those days. Many present themselves, live in, and accept the unrighteousness of the world. How much different it would be if we considered seriously how we present ourselves before God. When God visited Job to address the state of his life, God said in essence present yourself rightly before me and I will speak to you.

Present yourselves to God this day and sin will not reign over you, control you, or enslave you.

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Lunch Bite

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3–5)

It is natural and of the flesh to try to avoid suffering in life. We try desperately to control the world we live in and when that fails sometimes people find ways to escape the reality of life through life controlling substances, habits, or behaviors. These lead to greater levels of suffering and hopelessness.

What is needed in these times is hope and the way to hope as given in scripture is through suffering. God gives the prescription and the steps to restored hope. It begins by dealing with suffering in a Godly and biblical way. That is to not avoid suffering because this is impossible. To not try to control the circumstances and the world around us, this is impossible and will only lead to greater despair when this fails.

The way God wants us to deal with suffering is to go through it with Him. He will provide the strength we need and the result of that will be a stronger you, one who has the strength to endure, one who is full of biblical character and love for God, and one who is filled with hope. The world is in short supply of hope. God gives us a surplus of hope through this process that we can share with the world.

The is the power and the good news of Christ Jesus. The world needs this message of hope.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6–8)

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Lunch Bite

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

We carry a lot of essentials every day that are needed: drivers license, of course a cell phone, keys to whatever we need, and there are I am sure many others essentials. Early on during this plague there was much debate about what is essential and non-essential for everyday life.

This small passages speaks volumes to a child of God about an essential for life. We need God’s word. The King James and NASB use treasure to translate the Hebrew word to store up. That gives more emphasis on what is important, what is essential. Jesus taught us to lay treasures in Heaven not here on earth. Store up, treasure, or hide no matter what the word used it is important that whatever is stored, treasured, or hidden is meant to be used, something essential. Treasure is often lost, things hidden are often forgotten, but what we store up, just like squirrels who store their food for winter it is meant to be used.

Two things then are important to me in this passage. The act of storing up. Requires work everyday to be in the word, yes memorize the word if you can, learning the principles for life from God. If something is stored we are to use it, to apply the knowledge, wisdom, and truths from scripture to live. To live in a way pleasing to God and this is most essential for peace and joy in life.

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Lunch a La Carte

There are a lot of words we just use or hear and never really know what they mean. a La Carte was one of those for me. I thought it was a fancy French way to keep from knowing I was eating snails. Yuck! But thanks to the internet age and searches we can find and learn instantly. a La Carte is simply a menu where you can order individual items and not preset meals.

So today is a La Carte and it comes from a question on Matthew 11:28-30. I referenced this passage in a previous Lunch Bite and someone asked what it might mean that they keep coming to this passage in their Bible reading, devotional reading, or referenced by others.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”” (Matthew 11:28–30)

So lets begin first by stating that any passage in scripture has only one interpretation. You cannot derive different meanings from one passage.

In this case Jesus had just rebuked in woe the unrepentant cities and this passage is followed by the declaration that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. In this passage Jesus states that the true rest that comes only from peace with God is to be yoked, hitched, in bondage to Christ.

Because it would make little sense if we are tired and weary and seeking rest to take up another burden, a yoke that was used to work oxen. Jesus is using a contrast of rest and work to show what one truly needs. The burdens are the burdens of sin, of this life and world, of daily living, and focusing on self. Jesus’ yoke is to focus on what he has done to take away that sin by being completely focused on Him. In a yoke shoulder to shoulder, neck to neck you can get real focused on the other person. Following Jesus’ lead, letting Him guide us, and let His yoke of humility always remind us of God’s grace toward us as sinners.

Once we understand the passage a little better then we are in a position to ask why is God bringing me to this passage. Prayerfully and letting God search you heart let him reveal to you what you need from this passage.

What sin has become a burden? Of course all sins are a burden but we tend to pile on more and more and the weight of our favorite sins cling closely and prevent us from running with endurance the race set before us.

This is real important that we not neglect the sins of self and how we may have tried to do everything our way. In the process we have drifted from God and the rest that comes from His peace.

Let God lead you through life. Jesus being in the yoke means that success is certain if will not fight the yoke but instead live humbly in whatever God shows us. If we are continually encountering this passage it seems certain that God is saying that he sees the burden, knows the fatigue, and is ready to take that from you. Do you know the burden? if not ask God. Are you tired? Ask God. All of this is to come before God seeking to be nearer to God, to experience Him more in life, and letting the joy of God be our greatest desire.

General

Late Lunch Bite

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? …
(Hebrews 12:3–5a)

To grow weary or fainthearted. Have you felt that lately? Seems that that everything these days just saps us from the energy we need. Chaos and anarchy in the world and closer still in our own personal lives is meant to rob us of the peace that is so needed for spiritual growth. The weariness deprives us of hope.

Look at how this passage tells us to handle the weariness of life. It points to not to what we should do but what God has done.

Endured sinners, even our own sin.
Shed blood, He gave us life in His death.
All to make us part of His family.

God certainly seems to want us more than we want Him. The greatest battles have already been won, Jesus said, “It is finished.” So this seems to be telling us that the weariness we are experiencing is because we fighting a battle that has already been won.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”” (Matthew 11:28–30)

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Lunch Bite

“For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

There is a truth that we all want to deny. This truth concerns the inner self. We want to deny and deceive ourselves about the inner hurt, anger, or doubts we have. We try to hide these things from the world, our friends, our families, and even those closest to us. We look inside and we don’t like the struggles that we see between doing what is right (God’s law, our conscience) and doing what is wrong.

So our best option, or what seems to be our best option is to keep these secret things from being exposed. This is not the best option because there is One, our Lord God the Father who knows all things even your secret things. We can try to hide and may be success in hiding these secret things from others but God knows our inner heart nothing is hidden from Him.

“You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:1–4).

These secret things become a load, a burden that will crush us under the weight of trying to hide these secret things. Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” God is already watching you try to carry that load and every day you add more secret things to this load and the burden becomes even greater. Oh, another word that describes these secret things is sin. Jesus died to take your sins, your secret things. This is what God wants to do for you.