Enjoying the Journey
Posts Tagged ‘faithfulness’
This Is Not The Time To Rob God
First let me say that I am not a pastor. I do not have the responsibility of shepherding one flock and overseeing the needs of a local church. As an evangelist I spend much of my time trying to encourage pastors and help churches advance the gospel in many places. I love pastors and local churches. Most of all, I love the Lord. Our generation of Christians has never seen anything like the current state of emergency in our world. Many people are frightened and all of us are unsure of some things. Yet as a Christian there is one thing I know: God is with us and we must continue to obey His Word. Truth always endures. In times…
Read MoreNo Time To Change
This week I am preaching for a dear friend and wonderful pastor in south Florida. Tom Odom pastors the First Baptist Church of Southwest Broward in Cooper City. God is using him and his beautiful family and the work is being especially blessed of God. One of the joys in the ministry God has given us is in seeing former students and friends from Crown College. I meet them all over the country. This morning as I prayed my heart rejoiced in the fact that so many are staying true to Christ and to God’s Word. Pastor Sexton and a host of other Bible teachers gave us something that does not fade with time: a high view of God and…
Read MoreGUEST POST: “Finish Strong”
Kurt Copeland has been a faithful youth pastor at the Franklin Road Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for many years. God has used he and his wife to make a difference in the lives of countless young people. His faithfulness is an example to me and his friendship an encouragement. You will enjoy these thoughts from his heart. It has been my goal since the day I started preaching to reach teenagers for Christ. Now, nearly twenty-seven years later, that goal has only gotten stronger. How can we effectively reach teenagers for Christ in today’s society? I have heard it said, “It’s not how you start the race, but how you finish that really makes the difference.” I do agree…
Read MoreThank God For Faithful Church Members
American culture has invaded American churches. The desire for novelty, the tendency to boredom, the love for entertainment – all are now very prominent in the average local church. One by-product of this is the frequent migration of church members from one church to another. It is common for churches to “trade” members with some regularity. This concept is foreign to the New Testament. In the first century church believers were just happy to have a local body of believers with which to fellowship. In the midst of a pagan society they were grateful to be part of a church, however imperfect and inconvenient it may have been. Like everything else in our world it is easy to begin to…
Read MoreThe Difference Between Faithfulness And Routine
“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). We all want to be faithful…but what does that mean? Faithfulness is not a schedule; it is a spirit. There are many people who are present but not present. Fathers who are at home but not really with their family. Church members who are in the meetings but not truly engaged. Preacher’s who are going through the motions but have lost heart. There is a difference between faithfulness and mere routine. Vance Havner once observed, “A rut is just a grave with both ends knocked out of it!” Routines can become ruts. Ruts are death. Here is the real issue: faithful to what? Many a…
Read MoreMy Shortest Post Ever – 2 Words to Help You Today
This is the time of year when so many people become sluggish. Schedules are hectic. The newness of the new year has worn off and the freshness of spring has not yet arrived. Weather is wearying. Illness is rampant. Christmas vacation has long since vanished and summer vacation seems far in the distance. For all of you who have such thoughts and feelings (like we all do at times!) I share two simple words: PRESS ON. That’s it. Sometimes the greatest thing you do is simply put one foot in front of another. Be faithful. As the old retired marine in our church used to say, “Stay at your post of duty.” PRESS ON. God has His eye on you.…
Read MoreTribute to An Encourager
There are a few men who are admired by believers of all backgrounds. These are special men. Men who make an impact far outside their immediate realm of influence. They are the encouragers. People who do not agree on many things often agree that these men helped them along the journey. Preachers and churches of varying sizes and circles of fellowship all want to lay claim on such men. When they are gone they are missed by everyone who was blessed to cross their path. For sure, God gives every man a different kind of ministry. Some men, like the Old Testament prophets, are called on to wound. Others are called on to heal. Some are notable for their pulpit…
Read MoreA Devotional Truth for the Evening
Every close to the day is a reminder that God has not failed or forsaken us. Weariness should remind us that His strength was sufficient. Memories should remind us that His wisdom was perfect. Quiet hours should remind us that His presence was real in the busiest hours of the day. Evenings are a time to think. To pray. To give thanks. One of the Old Testament patriarchs had a divine appointment in the evening hours. It was then that the promise came to fruition and he met the wife God had chosen for him. I believe that it is no accident that the blessing came as he meditated alone… “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at…
Read MoreA Tribute to Pastor Sexton on His 50th Ministry Anniversary
Along the journey God brings people across your path who will forever affect your life. He did that for me in August of 1994. In the good providence of God I enrolled as a freshman at Crown College in Powell, Tennessee. Little did I know the lasting influence that Pastor Sexton would have on me and my entire family. Like so many other students I listened, watched, and learned from Pastor’s example and exhortations. His “fireside chats” were the favorite. The powerful statements he repeated to us now flow freely from my own heart and mind nearly every day. When I graduated in 1997 he invited me to stay, work on a master’s degree, and help him with a few…
Read MoreIntegrity: Standing True In a Shifting World
Many years ago I was driving through the town I grew up in with my mother in the front seat and my sister in the back seat. I was driving too fast. My mother (the “prophetess”) spoke evil into my life! As soon as the words came out of her mouth, “You are going too fast,” the blue lights came on behind us. My sister thought it was the greatest moment of her life! I didn’t. The officer took my license and registration. When he came back to the car he asked me one question: Are you Roger Pauley’s son? For a moment I wondered if he knew my dad before he came to the Lord or after. “Yes sir.”…
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