Sacrifice and Surrender

The ultimate example of sacrificial love is the Lord Jesus. He chose to surrender the glory of His heavenly home out of love for each one of us. As followers of Jesus, we should desire to emulate this attitude of self sacrifice.

The apostle John tells us in IJohn 2:6 that "whosoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus walked". The great question this - are you willing and ready to make yourself as nothing? To take on the very nature of a servant, to be obedient?

In Matthew 25, Jesus condemns the people for not caring for Him as they should. When they questioned Him as to when they were negligent in this, He responded "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not". In verse 45 he tells them "You didn't help them and therefore you didn't help me."

Ouch! That is a slap in the face. Think of it this way - how much would our lives change if we actually thought of every person we came in contact with as the Lord Jesus? If we believe, as the Bible teaches, that the two greatest commands are "Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself", shouldn't we behave accordingly?

Conversely, in the same chapter Jesus blesses some of the people for what they have done. Confused, they ask "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in? When did we see you in prison and visit you?" His answer was staggering. "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did unto me."

Matthew 25 is essentially teaching us that by loving others we actually demonstrate our love for God.

Treating those around us like they were Jesus requires sacrifice and surrender. God expects us to live in such a way that demands abandonment to self. He doesn't want us to say how much we love him, He wants us to show how much. As the Lord Jesus Himself charged us in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."

See you on Sunday!
Pastor

The Hungry Crab

Most of you know I am a native of New Jersey. Born and raised on the shore, I spent a great deal of time on the water. After teaching school for seven years in Oklahoma, God lead me back to Maryland and again be the water.

I love summertime. The biggest reason is because of the outdoor activities. One of the most popular in our area is crabbing. I distinctly remember the first time I went out on the Chester River with Bro. Manning and learned how to crab. The procedure was simple. Tie the bait to a trot line, and then drop the line in the water. When you pull up the line, a crab is eating the bait. Remove the crab, and then throw him into the boat.

Later on you throw several of them in boiling water to steam them. Sprinkle on some Old Bay, add some corn-on-the-cob on the side, and talk about good eating! Whoa!

This thought occurs to me whenever I eat steamed crabs; we humans are much like the crab. He becomes so preoccupied with his appetite and so absorbed in the meal that he does not see the impending danger to his freedom. How many people resemble the hungry crab? They are so interested in their own ambitions and desires they fail to realize that life will soon be over. How we need to resist this practice - failing to plan on eternity. Both nationally and individually we are sacrificing our future on the altar of immediate gratification. Don't jeopardize your eternity while yielding to temporary earthly pleasures. Remember the fate of the short sighted crab!

Thank God for last Sunday! Looking forward to a great time this Sunday!

Pastor

Innovation

For years, I have been a fan of mysteries. I have watched all of the Sherlock Holmes stories many times over. By the way, no one can touch Basil Rathbone. I even enjoyed the Alfred Hitchcock stories. For many years he was the Dean of movie-makers. He wrote his own rules. No one created suspense quite like him. It is said that he became bored with his story lines. In an effort to rekindle his passion, he devised an innovative plan to jump-start his movie making. He began making cameo apperances in his movies. In Birds, he's found walking past a pet shop with two white terriers. In North by North West, he is spotted missing a bus. In Psycho, he is seen through a window wearing a cowboy hat. In Rear Window, he is winding a clock in the neighbor's apartment. In Dial M for Murder, he's seen in Ray Milland's class photo. In Topaz, he is being pushed through an airport in a wheelchair.
Innovation: it is the oxygen for the suffocating Nine to Five routine. And to be honest, all of us could use a dose! God's people are better known for their traditions than for innovation. However, when you consider Bible heroes, all of them were innovative. Noah used a boat as a sermon visual. Joshua walking around Jericho was not the norm-but it worked. Solomon's temple was one of a kind. John the Baptist's wardrobe still hasn't caught on. Many of us become bogged down with the same ole, same ole. We often need to be stirred and that means asking God to move us. Maybe it means a fresh prayer life. For others, it may be time on your knees just worshipping God. Often a slight change is needed to enhance our walk with God. Maybe a new sermon or even a new chorus would help us to be fresh. Think of your life spiritually. Are you in a rut? Does your heart ache for God? If so, then change your ways; become biblically innovative and regain your passion. Let Christ be seen in you again. I love you blessed and wonderful people.

See you Sunday!
Pastor

The Real Answer

Praise the Lord for this past weekend. Tim Lee has been our guest many times and is always a blessing. However, this time there seemed to be a renewed freshness about him. We had 16 people trust Christ during the past two days, and we had many other decisions among God's people.

If you personally made a decision in an area of your life, I encourage you to follow through on it. I call those times in my own life when I have recommitted myself in a particular spiritual matter "A personal revival". It is also good to write these dates down as a means of affirming these decisions.

I feel the winds of revival are blowing here at Chestertown Baptist Church. I knew the Lord was preparing us for this fall and slowly we are experiencing His touch. Be faithful to do your part and together we will see great things happen, both on an individual level, and collectively as a church.

These are troubled times, I know. It seems that everyday we are confronted with more bad news in our nation. Record numbers in unemployment, growing numbers of foreclosures, along with a host of other concerns. We seem to move from one crisis to another. Honestly, there are a lot of suffering people. Where will they go to recieve help? As humans we want to care for ourselves, but our problems are often beyond us. There is, however, One greater than any problem. Our heavenly Father. God and God alone spoke this world into existence. He keeps it by the Word of His mouth. It is time for us, the church, to step up to the plate and give hurting people a real solution, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, these are tough times, spiritually challenging times, that may cause many to wonder what the future holds. But while we may not know what tomorrow holds, we do know who holds tomorrow, and we can move forward with confidence knowing He is in sovereign control.

Let's recommit ourselves to the task of building a lighthouse here in this area for all to see.

See you on Sunday!

Pastor

Faithless or Faithful?

The Bible tells us "The fruit of the spirit is love, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law". What is faithfulness? It has often been described as loyalty, dependability, allegience and trust-worthiness. As well as the other fruit of the spirit, it is essential in the life of the believer in Christ.

We often start new projects, programs, initiatives, etc. with great enthusiasm, but then for some reason, this enthusiasm fades. As humans, we are all prone to this. We all start the New Year with resolutions, only to realize in a few months we have stopped pursuing them. The story could be told over and over again of believers that actively followed Christ only to be turned aside for one reason or another. For reasons unknown even to them, their dedication waned, and other interests took the place of their walk with God.

God loves us with a faithful and constant love. He loves us no matter what. However, often the problem is our lack of faithfulness to him.

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds. That is also the ultimate definition of faithfulness. And God demands nothing less from any of us. The scripture says "Moreover, it is required of a steward that a man be found faithful." We should ask ourselves "Are we loyal, dependable, true, and trustworthy to God's purpose?"

As Christians we should not require anyone or anything to motivate us to be faithful. Faithfulness should be a driving force in our lives. Today is a great day to begin anew a life of faithfulness.

Faithfulness is rooted in our belief and trust in God. It should be clearly evident in our lives, and will be visibly demonstrated by our actions. We should be faithful to be in church; we should be faithful in our tithe. Simply put, if we really believe, we will be faithful.

As Lamentations 3:23 tells us of our God, "Great is Thy faithfulness:. He is faithful when we are tempted. He is faithful to keep us He is faithful to forgive us. He is faithful to strengthen us. Second Timothy tells us "if we are faithless, yet He remains faithful". Oh! That we should be faithful to Him!

See you on Sunday and Monday! Be faithful!
Pastor

Battles & Blessings

Over the past years I've met many Pastors. I love preachers. God has given me a heart for these special men. I've met Pastors fresh out of college to those who have been at it for a long time. My favorite ones are those who smile at each new day. Their Bible pages are yellowed and dog-eared, but their spirit is childlike. What a blessing to be around. Nothing is choreographed. They are never surprised when someone finds Christ, yet amazed that God would use them in such a way. They are always fresh. The fire still burns. When they preach, their stuff is new and fresh. They know every hymn in the book but still are moved when they sing them. There is nothing canned about their ministry, it's real and powerful.

I've often wondered, why does the zeal die for some? I believe it's not a blowout rather a slow leak. The demands of the pastorate are many. The clamour for your time is commonplace. It's easy to become weary of trying to please the masses. As Jethro told Moses ,"The thing you are doing is not good, you will surely wear out."

The Bible is full of examples of those who have lost their freshness. Solomon trusted in lesser strength. Saul waffled in obedience. John Mark turned back. The sons of the prophets followed afar off. Peter let Jesus down and became discouraged. Jonah saw the storm but not the Savior. We have all been beat up by the ministry, yet the responsibility is still the same. I want to stay fresh. I often pray "God create in me a pure heart and renew a right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of my salvation." And you know what? He always does!

There are battles and blessings in God's work. We are about to come into a time of blessing. Receive it, and ask God to keep you fresh. Please pray for me.

See you this Sunday!

Pastor

Surviving vs Thriving

When life is going well it's easy to feel hopeful. But when life brings you trouble, feelings of hopelessness seem to follow. It's in these times, however, that we can most experience the presence of God. We can experience Him in any difficult situation; when health fails, the loss of a job, a spouse going to heaven, or any number of other tragedies that may confront us.

What many of us need to do is stop surviving and start thriving.

Don't let difficult circumstances stop you from making the most of each day you are alive. Realize that even when times are tough you can do much more than endure the current situation. You can actually experience life to the fullest, even in the midst of difficulty. When we remeber that life is a gift from God and decide to embrace it, all things change for the better.

This past year has been one of my most difficult as a pastor. If I could stand before the people and explain what I was doing I'm sure they would be sympathetic. However, a leader cannot always do that. You can only trust that you have exhibited integrity and leadership, and hope the people share your vision for the future.

I now see the light at the end of the tunnel. I knew I would, but it was not easy. Everyday for this past year I would thank God for all my blessings. I tried not to see my difficulty. I would repeat the phrase "Today is a gift from God, thank Him for it." And I would. I was reminded of the song "Through It All". One verse says "If I never had a problem I wouldn't know God could solve them. I'd never know what faith in God could do."

The direction of life should always be forward. As the Psalmist said "I will look to the hills from whence came my help; my help cometh from the Lord." I feel today I am on good footing. I didn't think that a while ago, but I trusted and it has paid off. I don't think, I know, great days lie ahead. So in the valley or on the mountaintop, I will always praise you Lord!

I sure do appreciate you good folks! God bless you!
Pastor