It’s Your Serve!

When God created the universe, He just spoke and things appeared, but when God created man He got down into the dirt and got His hands dirty. Nothing else in all of creation called for that degree of focus, that depth of involvement by God.  Man was the only creature created in the image of God.  When we see someone get their hands dirty in a project, it means they are involved, they are invested.  From the beginning, God has been invested in the lives of men and women.  Many nonbelievers think we are just evolved dirt.  If that is the case then we have no purpose; we have no real value.   The problem is, many people (even people who believe in God); treat themselves like dirt.  If we do not see value in ourselves we will never reach our purpose or understand what we are supposed to be.  A lack of value for self keeps us from using our talents, from being fruitful, and from serving in kingdom work.  We are made in the image of God; we are made to be like Him, creative beings that work for the good of others.  Isaiah said it best…

“5 This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.  I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Isaiah 42:5-7 NIV

Isaiah says here that we were created with purpose, not to waste our time, resources or talents.  We are to use our talents to live righteous lives that work in the kingdom.  Don’t waste your talents and don’t bury them.  It’s time to put our talents to work!  IT is time we follow the example God and get our hands dirty, that we get involved and serve!

Serving the Master

In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus compares God to a master who gives his servants money to invest.  One servant received five talents, another received two talents, and then another received just one. The servants who received the five and two talents went “at once” and put the master’s talents to work.  Both of them doubled their investment.  They had a healthy and strong relationship with their master, so much so that they knew that their master rewarded bold action and loyalty.  They knew their master’s expectations and His spirit of grace, therefore there was no fear of failure.  However the servant who received one talent had a distorted view of his master; he saw his master as hard and vengeful.  With that distorted view he did nothing but bury his talent.  The master was indeed pleased with the bold behavior of his first two servants, but when it came to his servant who did nothing but hide his talent, he was angry.  It was not so much about the lack of results, the master was angry at the lack of effort and loyalty to his wishes. 

How do you view God?   Our view of God guides our behavior.  Do we see Him as an angry God that waits for us to fail, or do we see Him as a supportive God that rewards faithful obedience? 

When it comes to serving God, which servant are you more like?  Are you using your resources to serve Him and His church, or are you burying your resources in mundane activity?  God wants us to take our resources and serve in His kingdom, but he also wants us to know Him as a loving master who rewards our faithful desire to connect to Him.  So if you are ready to put your talents to work, start by using every resource you have to connect with Him.

one GOD to worship

Imagine being oppressed each day by your slave drivers.  Imagine what it would be like to fear for your children and spouse’s safety as they would go out to build a new temple or pyramid.  The abuse the Hebrew people had to endure at the hand of the Egyptians is almost unimaginable.  With that said, if you were a Hebrew all you have ever known is Egyptian culture and religion.  Of course you have heard the stories of Abraham and the promise his God made to him, some even keep the faith, but most don’t.  Maybe you feel guilty or maybe you don’t give it a second thought, but you have very little connection to the God of your people.  Imagine what it would have been like when Moses arrived with the announcement that God was about to free them from their oppression.  Follow that with ten amazing plagues that destroyed your Egyptian oppressors economically, culturally, and spiritually.  The Egyptians served many gods and each plague was a direct attack on those gods.  The Nile was worshipped as a god, so God turned it into blood.  The sun was worshipped, so the God darkened it.  Scholars believed that Egypt even worshipped the first born; so God destroyed them. 
Imagine witnessing the destruction of Egypt’s gods followed by God’s miracles of provision in the desert.  So would it have been so difficult to understand that God’s first command to His people was simply “You shall have no other gods before me”. Until Moses showed up, I think that the idea of having only one God was a new concept to the Hebrew people.  But ever since that command God has expected His people to throw away the gods of their past so that they would Love Him with all of their heart, soul, and mind.  What gods are getting in the way of your faith?  What gods do you need to throw away so that you can serve the only one true God?   Vic

The Battle Vs. Sin

The battle for Jericho was a sure thing, God delivered the city into Israel’s hands. It was simple, God spoke, the people listened and served, and the victory was secured. After the battle was won, the Israelites were to gather the treasures of Jericho and bring them before the Lord as an offering. As we know, that didn’t happen completely. An Israelite named Achan and his family decided to keep some of the plunder for themselves, in Joshua 7, Achan said “it was too much to resist”. So he took some of the treasure, and in effect stole from God. The battle for Jericho was a military victory, but was it a spiritual victory? The lost battle against sin. In Ephesians 6 Paul said our battle is not with flesh and blood, but against the dark forces of this world that tempt us to disobey God. Sometimes the activities of serving God can be the easy battle to win, the bigger battle is with the secret sin that so easily entangles us. Whatever battle you are going through, remember that our greatest battle occurs in our hearts each day. So when your heart tempted, that is when more than ever you need lean upon, for with Him the battle will be won! Vic

Find God First!

One of the ugliest events in Biblical history was followed by one of the most beautiful acts of humility. The ugly event I am referring to happened when Moses had been gone from people on Mount Sinai. The people grew impatient and demanded that Aaron make a golden calf for them to worship. The people gave up on the God who saved them from the Egyptians. The events recorded in Exodus 32 are the epitome of adultery and sinfulness. Moses pleaded God, so He did not destroy Israel, but He was still angry because of their rebellion. What happened? They tried to go to the Promised Land without God. It was a costly mistake that had severe consequences. So in Exodus 33 God told Moses, “take the people to Canaan, and I will send an angel to lead them to victory.” Then God said “but I’m not going with you, I don’t want to be with them anymore.” The people along with Moses were heartbroken and overwhelmed with the idea that God wasn’t going to be with them anymore. Moses pleaded with God saying, “we need you, without you we are no different than the rest of world; the best thing we have going is you.” Of course I paraphrased some of that, but you get the idea; without God they were lost. Being with God was the goal, that was their purpose and it did not matter how much land or blessing they had. The promise land was always secondary to that which was primary, being with God is our designed purpose; without Him nothing else matters.


Are we guilty of doing the same thing today? Are we trying to get to the Promised Land without God? We all want to go to heaven, but do we all want to be with God? What makes life, church, and heaven so special is our eternal, powerful, and loving God. Without Him what’s the point? It is God who created us, who loved us, died for us, and forgave us. What makes us special is our relationship with God, because when we are with Him we become more like Him; we too begin to love, sacrifice and forgive. Don’t try to get to Heaven without God, first of all it’s not possible, secondly it’s a destructive way to live. So if you want to get to Heaven, find God first!

Giants Vs. Partiots

Today is the Big Game, two sides trying to occupy the one title of champion.  Who do you think will win, will it be the Patriots or the Giants?  Who knows?  Being a Texans fan I might just say “who cares?”  I only say that because I wish my team had made it this far.  So who will win?  Patriots or Giants?  Maybe we can look to the Bible for the answer?  You might not know this but in the Old Testament there is an epic story of a battle between patriots and giants that was filled with drama and uncertainty, in this story it was the patriots that were outmatched and it was the giants who were overconfident.  And if it hadn’t have been for a last second throw by a rookie, the Giants would have prevailed.  You know the story I’m talking about right?  In 1 Samuel the Israelites were fulfilling their patriotic duty and fighting for their country against the Philistines who were led by their champion, a giant named Goliath.  Israel seemed outmatched in every way possible, the Philistines were technologically more advanced, better funded, and confident; they were also led by a real life giant?  For some reason Israel was weary and afraid, their heart just wasn’t in the upcoming battle; patriotism was just not enough.  Things got worse, the giant demanded a challenger who would settle the battle once and for all between the two sides.  No one from Israel stepped up.  It looked like the Giants were going to win that day, when all of a sudden a young shepherd boy reminded the king of Israel of the real reason why they were fighting the Philistines.  They were not there to just honor their country, they were there to honor their God.  The shepherd boy named David went up to face the giant armed with only a sling shot and five stones.  When David slung the rock, the giant had no chance against it, because on that day it wasn’t a rock, a sword, or an army of patriots that won the battle, it was the power of God working in the life of a young  man who chose to honor His God above all else.  So, in the bible the Patriots beat the Giants.  Whatever giant struggle you are facing, don’t give up, and just remember that the greatest strength comes when we choose to honor our God above all else.