"It's More Than a Children's Song"

Jeremiah 32:27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?"

"My God is so BIG, so STRONG, and so MIGHTY there's nothing my God can not do" We used to sing this song all the time when we were kids. We teach it to our own children and grandchildren. It's one of those songs that we have "branded" as a children's song. What a shame.

What a shame that we have allowed that song to only be for kids. Jeremiah was not a child when he penned this verse. He understood (as an adult) that his God was capable of doing anything. I say it is about time that we as adult Christians start believing what we are teaching the next generation.

How big is your God? Is He big enough to solve your problems? There is nothing too hard for Him. Trust Him with your whole heart. You will be thankful when you do.

"Unavoidable Change"

Psalm 71:18 "Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come."

Is this your prayer this morning? As a Christian, is it your desire that everyone around you would know God's goodness, power, and strength? Is it your desire to serve the Lord with the years you have remaining in this life? I know we automatically assume that we will always be doing the same thing we are doing today 20 years from now. We think that we will have the same belief system and that we won't ever change.

The fact of the matter is, is that all people change. Some for the better, some for the worse. Over time we gain knowledge and wisdom that we didn't have in our younger years. There are some things in life that we don't want to change. When it comes to those things we have to be like David and purpose in our heart that we don't want those things to change. If we don't make a conscience decision to remain the same, we more than likely will not.

Change is unavoidable. It's going to happen. Determine to change the things that need to be changed, and the things that you want to remain the same purpose in your heart to get on your knees before God and ask Him for His help. He'll do it for you.

"Just be Quiet and Listen"

Genesis 17:3 "And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him..."

In Genesis 17 God establishes a covenant between Himself and Abraham. I don't think we talk about Abraham enough. He was such a humble man of God. I can't even begin to imagine what was going on in the mind of Abraham during this time. He was a ninety year old man. When God spoke to him, he listened. "He fell on his face, and God talked with him"

What a picture, of humbleness. In the major realms of Christianity today, I feel that as Christians we have tried to hard to bring God down to our level. Abraham understood that God was to be high and lifted up. He understood that when the Almighty God spoke, you stop what your doing and listen. I think that too often as Christians we don't shut up long enough to hear what God is trying to say. We do all the talking, making demands, telling God what we think He ought to with our lives.

You will find in the Scriptures that the men and women that God used in mighty ways didn't tell God how things were going to go on. As a matter of fact, God told them every time, what to do, when do it, and how to do it. And since the Bible still says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, I'd say it's about time we stop trying to tell God what is best for lives. Be quiet and listen, for God often speaks with a still small voice.

"Can you fix it?"

Psalm 108:1 "O God, my heart is fixed, I will sing and give praise, even with my glory."

Two weeks ago I had new brakes put on our families minivan. Brakes all the way around. New brake pads, new rotors, new front calipers the whole kit-n-caboodle. Yesterday while driving the van, I started to hear a grinding noise each time I came to a stop. The longer I drove the worse the sound got. Finally, after coming to resting place, I got out and did some investigating. Boy was I surprised to find my rear caliper hanging off the rotor rubbing the inside of the wheel. I immediately took the van back to where I had the breaks put on only to find out that a bolt had broken (which they said they rarely see happen) on the caliper.

I use this event to illustrate my point this morning. The caliper at one time was fixed in place. It wasn't supposed to move. It wasn't supposed rub around inside the wheel. It was supposed to be fixed in place.

The Psalmist said that his heart was fixed. His heart was firm, happy, resolved, established - fixed. His heart was in its right place. In Psalm 57:7 the Bible says, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed." In the 108th Psalm we see the very same words being written again. I know David didn't write this, but he could have written, "My heart is still fixed." It was fixed back here and praise God it is still fixed today.

Is your heart fixed, or is your heart like a yo-yo? One moment your up, and the next your down. Isiah said, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is STAYED on thee, because he trusteth in thee." We must keep our hearts and minds fixed and stayed, completely focused on God, and God alone.

May I encourage you today to bolt down your heart close to the Word of God. Tighten it down tight so that it is fixed in its place and cannot be moved.

"Get a hold of this"

Luke 9:44a "Let these sayings sink down into you ears..."

I can remember when I was teenager always hearing my pastor say while he was preaching in church, "You better get a hold of this!" Now, as a pastor myself, I find myself often saying the same thing as I preach. It's kind of funny in a way.

The question we must all ask ourselves this morning is this: how far are we letting the things of God's word sink down into our ears?

It's Monday and most of you attended church yesterday. I know that some of you may not have and that's okay too. How far down did yesterday's sermon penetrate into your spiritual ears? What will you do with what God gave you yesterday?

In Luke 9:44, Jesus is speaking of His own death. He wanted His disciples to get a hold of what He was saying. He knew that one day into their future they would need what He was telling them on that day.

A lot of what we read or hear from the Word of God may not be something that we need right at that moment, but if we get a hold of it when it presents itself to us, how much farther along will we be at that time when we do need it?

Get a hold of this today, you might need it tomorrow! "Let these saying sink down into your ears."

"Keep Standing"

Ephesians 6:16 "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."

Faith is an amazing thing, isn't it? For the Christian, it is faith that either makes or breaks us. When the darts come, make sure your faith is in its proper place, because when the darts are coming at you, they are coming at your faith first.

Keep your faith exercised and make sure you know how to use it, the rest of the armour is dependant upon how strong your shield of faith is.

"Having done all to stand, stand therefore!" Ephesians 6:13b - 14a

"It's a brand new day"

II Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold all things are become new."

Can you imagine if we never went to sleep? No, really, stop for a moment and ponder on that question. Can you imagine if we never had to sleep? Some of you are thinking about the number of things you would be able to accomplish through out your day, aren't you? That we definitely could do. But I want you to think about one of the benefits of a good nights rest.

One of the benefits of a good nights rest is the fact that when we wake up (most of the time) it is a brand new day. A brand new day, with its own challenges, its own victories, and its own losses. If we never slept or got any rest, we would miss out on that feeling we have when we wake up in the morning to face a new day. Now, I know there are those mornings when we would love to just crawl back in bed and sleep the day away. I'm not talking about one of those mornings.

The Bible says that, "all things are become new" when we get saved. Just like a new day, we have a new outlook on life. We must start looking at our lives differently. Living them only for Him. We have been given a brand new day, let's make the most of it.

"Spiritual Weapons"

Ephesians 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

It is very clear from this verse that a war being waged against the saints of God. As Christians, we are the enemy of the devil and those that follow him. They are encamped all around us. They are watchful and stay on alert. They are aggressive and roused to fury!

Don't be too alarmed though, because we have a mighty weapon of faith and prayer. No matter your status on this earth, you can still move the heavenly forces into action. As you utter your words to our heavenly Father rest assured that hears each uttered breath you make.

As you face the opposing enemy today, remember to make good use your weapons of pray and faith.

"Speaking of..."

Romans 1:8 "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world."

I want you to pay close attention to this verse this morning. I know that it is written to the church at Rome, but I want you to notice something that Paul said to them here.

Look at the last phrase, "that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world." Now look at the words, "Your faith". I am being very specific this morning, I know. Just stay with me, the point is coming.

When people speak of you, what do they saying? I have always lived my life as someone who doesn't really care what people think of me. I have thought before, "If they don't like me, tough." Does it really matter what people think of us? Ultimately, I know that the only one that matters is God. However, our faith should be known among other people. I have come to a conclusion this morning, that because of "my faith" it does matter what other people think of me.

When people think about or speak of Aaron Smith, I want them to think of a Godly man that did is best to live his best for the cause of Christ. It does matter what people think.

What is it about you that everyone is talking about? Let's hope it is our faith and our relationship with Christ.

"What do you think about God?"

Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork."

I am convinced that there is nothing more important than what we as people think about God. What we think about God shapes our standards. It motivates us in how we look at fortune, fame, power and pleasure. It develops our strength when we are tempted. It determines how we live our lives and view other people. Our thoughts and how we approach God is the foundation upon which everything rests.

Can you see the value of knowing God? Lift up your eyes. Behold His glory, let it be high and lifted up. His kingdom will not fail. That's the God I serve. What about you?

"What's your schedule look like?"

I remember when I first got married, I heard a preacher say something like this, "You young preachers need to learn to live your life by a schedule. If you don't schedule your time so you don't waste it. . . Schedule time with your family and your wife." I thought that sounded great. I bought myself a day-timer calendar book and started scheduling everything. I think I may have even written down shower times. One time I wrote down, "Spend time with Rachel." I thought I was doing a great thing, scheduling time with my wife. Boy was I wrong! When she saw that in my day-timer that I had scheduled time to be her, she told me that I she was my wife not an appointment. And she didn't like being scheduled into a day-timer. She wanted to know that I wanted to spend time with her because I wanted to, not just because It was a scheduled thing that I had to do.

Our relationship with God shouldn't be any different. I am all for scheduling time for prayer and Bible reading. If the only reason we are doing it is because we have scheduled it, we are not going to get the most out of our relationship with God.

Being a Christians needs to be more than just what we do, it needs to become who we are.

Spend time with God today, not because you have to, but because you want too.

"What do you look like?"

Romans 8:29 "...to be conformed to the image of His Son."

A sculptor was going to make a horse out of a huge block of marble, and as he was just beginning his work on it, someone came along and asked, "How are you going to do that?"

The sculptor replied, "It's simple. I just start chipping away, and I chip away anything that doesn't resemble a horse."

And so it ought to be so in the lives of Christians today. God starts out with the big block of our lives. He begins to chip away at them. What is He molding us into to? As He chips, He is trying to rid the rough and ragged edges off our lives and mold us into an image that would resemble His Son.

In order to for God to begin chipping away on our lives we must first surrender our lives to Him. To often we submit our lives and God begins the chipping process. Then it gets uncomfortable so we remove ourselves from the process because we don't like how it feels. Then we go back, then we leave again, then we go back, then we leave again. What a process we go through! Would it not be easier to let God just finish what He began in our lives? Let God continue what He began in you - conforming you "to the image of His Son."

The Day Star

II Peter 1:19 "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; where unto ye do well that ye take heed...until... the day star arise in your hearts."

In the book of John, we read: "In Him was life and life was the Light of men." We have the sure Word of God. It is a lamp to our feet and light unto our path. (If we want it to be.) Our hearts are darkened with the sinful nature that rests with in us, but when Jesus come into our hearts He lights up the Word of God and shines with the fullness of His glory. Every day is a good day and the eternal glory awaits us in Heaven.

May his Light shine in our hearts and may we live each day reflecting on His glory! Amen.

(ps. Sorry I am so late getting this one in today.)

"Understanding the Scriptures"

Luke 24:44-45 "And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures"

When Jesus left this earth to return to Heaven, He left a command to us that we are to be witnesses for Him. We are to strive to fulfill this command, and I believe that we can fulfill if we choose to.

However, you and I cannot be witnessing about the Bible if we haven't witnessed what the Bible can do in our own lives. Have you memorized any Scripture? Have you hidden God's word in your heart? The Bible says that, "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."

How can expect to have boldness in witnessing if we don't have an understanding of the Scriptures? How can expect to understand the Scripture if we don't first read the Scripture? We must be constantly in the Word of God, striving to have a better understanding of the Scriptures if we ever want to fulfill the command of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

"Back to School"

II Timothy 2:2 "And the things thou has heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."

It's back to school time. Kids everywhere are disappointed that they have to go back, while mom's and dad's are relieved and more than ready. Teachers have one of the most important jobs there is. They also have one of the most difficult tasks there is as well. Teachers don't only have to teach those who want to learn, but they also have to attempt to teach those who don't want to learn.

I was a horrible student through my elementary through high school years. I was one of those students that didn't want to learn. (Mostly because I thought I knew all I needed to know) Boy how difficult I was. I wish I could go back and tell each of my teachers that I am sorry for what I put them through. Teachers are to be commended. They are a special breed of people, and they put up with a tremendous amount of things no one should have to.

As Christians, we are given the task of teaching as well. We must teach and pass on the things that we learn through out our Christian lives. If the carpenter never teaches how to do carpentry work, his craft will die. If the doctor does not teach medicine, not only will that art die, but patients will die too. I could go on and on. What I am trying to say is this, teach someone else what it means to be a Christian. It's time to go back to school.