Our world is filled with noise. For many of us, from the time we wake up to our noisy alarm clocks to the time we turn off the noisy TV and go to bed, our lives are filled with the noise of car radios, retail Muzak, jobsite buzz, and wild children. It wouldn’t be much of a problem if we had the chance to get to a quiet place now and then to spend time with God, but we find that once we get to that quiet place, the noise in our heads just keeps going. Worries and concerns of responsibilities yet undone, projects yet unfinished, and decisions yet undecided swirl through our brains. Then, as if that weren’t enough, the “spiritual” noise of competing world philosophies, self-help gurus, and biblical interpretation all enter into the picture too.

What if we could cut through all the noise to get down to the one, two, or more essentials in life? What if we could identify and focus on just a few things well enough that the others would either fall into place or lose separate significance?

Well, that’s exactly what Jesus is talking about here. This week, we’ll consider four “essentials” according to Jesus—four things we simply must give our lives to—and to get us started, today we look at what Jesus calls the most important of them all. Jesus tells us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Elsewhere, Jesus has already said to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”

In summary fashion, the point is that God must come first in every aspect of our lives. All priorities begin with the priority of putting God first. In my heart, my emotional life, God comes first. In my soul, from where intimacy comes, God must be first. In my mind, my thought life, God comes first. In my strength, how I use my resources, God must come first.

In our church, we express this priority by claiming God as our first core value, and this is what we mean by it…

Our number one core value is GOD himself. We put GOD at the top of every list, and we let him speak for himself. If he says something in the Bible, then we believe it and work to follow it. If he doesn’t say something in the Bible then we tread with great caution and do not put words in his mouth that he hasn’t spoken.

More than all other things, we want to get in touch with our creator and experience the real presence of GOD in our lives every day, and we recognize his Son JESUS, who died for us, as the only way to know him.

BIG IDEA FOR THE DAY: What will it take for God to take first place today?

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by Jack Hurless

The Simple Life

The “simple life”. Do these words sound foreign to you? Very few people would disagree that, within today’s culture, distraction and the fast-pace of each day dominate our earthly existence. And, honestly, I would have to agree with some that, these influences upon our lives are “enemies” to “life within God’s Kindgom” as Jesus describes it in the Gospel narratives.

“..No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back…” There is no way that the person, handling an animal-drawn plow in the field, even once looks behind him while plowing, ends up with properly-furrowed ground. His full attention must be directed forward attending to this one purpose–so it may be accomplished productively. In like manner, those who are members of God’s family must live “Kingdom life”, not distracted but with a “single eye”.

W. Glyn Evans comments, “The longer I live the more I realize that the Kingdom of Heaven must be ‘taken by force’. To enter the Kingdom is the easiest thing of all, but to let the Kingdom enter me is the most difficult… Some things I do in the Christian life are effortless–preach a sermon, lead a soul to Christ, write an article. Other things–vastly more important–are so difficult they command my whole strength and time–learn about God, know God, imitate and obey God. Those are the abiding things, like faith, hope, and love.“

“..is fit for the Kingdom of God.” So then, how do I remain “fit” in my journey with the Lord Jesus Christ? I suggest that you and I simplify our lives. You and I need to intentionally move toward a more resolute life, empowered by the indwelt Holy Spirit.

Again, W. Glyn Evans, “God… having begun [this life journey with You], I cannot turn back. That backward road leads to nowhere and to nothingness. To go forward is hard but it promises a reward… Life’s greatest reward is to know Him! The joy of the captured heart! There is no elation like that of knowing I am claimed, I am included, I am purposed…“

Take a moment now to talk with your Heavenly Father and ask Him to help you determine what needs to change in your life to experience a simpler, less encumbered life for the glory of Christ.

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Our sixth message finds us dealing with one of the most fearful of human encounters… personal conflict and confrontation especially in cases where one person has wronged another. Pastor Jeff brings Jesus’ words to life as we explore the truth that we cannot predict or control how others will act, think, or feel, but we can do what’s right on our side of things.

By Quentin Banks

I will never forget the first time I met him. I was sitting outside on the grass enjoying the warmth of the sun when all of a sudden I saw this HUGE intimidating-looking guy walking towards me. He was six foot four, well over 200 pounds, with a beard and long shaggy hair and his arms were covered with tattoos. “Probably a biker or a white supremacist” I thought. And then I noticed he had something tucked under his arm. What was that? Could it be…? No way! Yes! It was a Bible. He sat down on the grass next me and introduced himself. “Hi my name is Gene,” he said as he extended his hand. I sheepishly grinned back and shook his hand and introduced myself. We chatted for a while that afternoon. He showed me pictures of his children and his wife (who was an African-American). As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, Gene and I became the best of friends. We met weekly for prayer and accountability and encouraged one another in our common faith in Jesus.

I am reminded of my initial experience with Gene as I look at this passage. The Jewish people had been watching and listening to Jesus and began whispering things about Him. Some said He was a good man. Others concluded that He was a deceiver. One crowd accused Him of being demon-possessed. This is surely one of the most misguided statements ever made! Jesus’ response is “Stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment.” (verse 24, NIV) In other words, we are not to judge superficially or at a glance but to look deeper so that we can make a righteous judgment. Other translations are worth noting here, “Stop judging by external standards, and judge with true standards.” (TEV) “You mustn’t judge by the appearance of things but by the reality.” (JB Phillips) “Look beneath the surface so that you can judge correctly.” (NLT)

This call to right judgment is a challenge to each of us, for we are all guilty at times of judging by appearances. The only way to avoid such shallowness is to be united with God of whom it is said,

“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

In Isaiah we are told that the servant of the Lord “will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge…” (Isaiah 3-4a, NASB). As we go about our daily lives may we be mindful of this and not fall into the trap that I fell into in regards to my friend Gene or that the Jews fell into in regards to the Lord Jesus. Before we make a snap judgment about a person or a situation let us first take a moment and ask the Spirit of God for discernment so that we can judge on the basis of true knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.

“Spirit of God forgive us for judging others too quickly. Give us a purity of heart and clarity of vision so that we may see that which lies deeper than our emotions and imaginations and avoid the danger of judging by appearances and instead judge honestly and righteously. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.”

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This week, we’ve been thinking about issues of conflict resolution, and so far, we have covered the situation when one person has committed a sin against another person and how to deal with that biblically. On Sunday, we also talked about the importance of forgiveness and how it is especially important when the conflict is not a result of sin, when the other person is unwilling to change, or when “resolution” and/or “reconciliation” is for whatever reason impossible.

Nowhere is the issue of conflict and conflict resolution more apparent in our society than in the prevalence of divorce and the scarcity of marriage.

It might surprise you to know that in Jesus’ day, divorce and remarriage were considered a reasonable part of every life. Many religious teachers taught specifically that a husband had the right to divorce his wife for just about any reason including a failure to make a good dinner. The idea of marriage being a lifelong commitment wasn’t the prevailing one.

However, when he had a chance to speak about it, Jesus clearly indicated that the culture’s understanding of marriage and divorce wasn’t God’s. In fact, Jesus declares clearly that all divorces involve adultery!

Everyone already understood that “marital unfaithfulness” (the Greek term refers to all kinds of sexual misconduct) was a violation of the marriage bond and could be considered adultery, but Jesus adds that divorcing one person and marrying another is also to be considered adultery. His rationale is that marriage, instituted in the Garden of Eden as the one flesh union of a man and a woman, is something ratified by God wherever it is found, and men don’t have the right to undo something God has done.

In other words, it seems as if Jesus is saying that God doesn’t recognize divorce at all. If a man divorces a woman and marries another, it is adultery because the man is in some sense still married to the first woman. The first woman is the one with whom he was joined in a “one flesh” bond that never gets broken.

It might be societally acceptable. It is certainly forgivable by the blood of Jesus. But it nevertheless is a sinful violation of the institution of marriage.

So what are the options for a believer in an unhealthy marriage? Here’s a quick runthrough of the Bible’s teaching on the matter.

1. Heal the marriage. Biblical imperatives abound about how men and women should behave in marriage, and if we live them out, the promise of God is that our marriages can be healed.
2. If one’s spouse is an unbeliever and wants to sever the marriage, the believer is no longer obligated to that marriage. This comes from 1 Corinthians 7, and I believe, applies to many cases of physical abuse.
3. If one’s spouse violates the marriage covenant through sexual misconduct, the other is no longer obligated to that marriage, but may choose to stay for reconciliation and the healing of the marriage.
4. If one is “divorced” for any other reason, he or she must treat it as only a separation and must remain celibate until the other person dies, violates the marriage through sexual misconduct, or returns for reconciliation.

In light of this teaching, the disciples conclude that it’s better to not get married in the first place. Whatever they were thinking at the time, their conclusion is the standard practice of our world today. People think that because divorce is so bad, they will simply live their promiscuous lives before getting married. People today intentionally avoid marriage and choose instead to live together. The disciples say basically the same thing. “Maybe marriage isn’t the smart choice.”

However, as is common for Jesus, he takes their comment and turns it around by saying, “You guys are right, men are castrated for many reasons…”

Sometimes, Jesus makes me laugh.

Here’s the bottom line: Sexuality is designed for the marriage union between a man and a woman, and once it has begun, they two are united as one flesh. Any time the flesh unites without the bond of marriage, it is adultery, and without adultery (or death), the bond of marriage cannot be broken.

BIG IDEA FOR THE DAY: If you are married, stay faithful. If you are not married, stay pure and purely devoted to God. If you haven’t been pure, receive God’s forgiveness and start now.

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