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  • Too Much Or Not Enough

    Too Much Or Not Enough
    2025/09/14
    Deep down, all of us want to please God. To do that, we often give of ourselves: our time, our efforts, or our money. We can give all we have and more, but if what we give is not what God wants, what have we accomplished? Is it possible to give too much? When we try to impress God or outdo our neighbors, we may have given too much. The Old Testament is particular about sacrifices. It defines certain animals, in an exact condition, for each type of offering. The law also had allowances for those who could not afford a bull or a ram, to use a dove or a pigeon in place of the more expensive animal. God provided a way for each person to offer and accept an acceptable sacrifice for their sins. Sometimes we try to bargain with God by giving something else in place of the sacrifice He asks of us. It is not about the quantity. It is about the quality. God has no need for our wealth; He is asking a sacrifice from us to demonstrate our reliance on Him. God knows what we can bring. He is not asking us to outdo our neighbor; He is asking us to outdo ourselves. Whatever God is asking of us is what we should give. We should not question what He wants, or how He wants it. God is not trying to trick us. All we have to do is be pleasing to the Lord. Are we pleasing God when we do what he didn't ask us to do? What about the opposite situation? What if we won't give God what He asks? We offer too little when we only offer some. To obey is better than sacrifice. When we only obey part of what God asks, we have rejected all of God. God has shown what He wants from us. If we give more, it is not pleasing to Him, and if we give less, it is a sin. We must find a balance between giving too much and withholding what is required.
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    57 分
  • The Bridge To Your Possibility

    The Bridge To Your Possibility
    2025/08/24
    Life comes with troubles. In the midst of these troubles, it is all too easy to not be able to see anything but the immediate situation. In these times, we must remember that what we see right then is not the end state. God has other plans. God can change our perspective. This change in perspective can change our perception of our future. Getting to see this new perception releases us to praise. The Psalmist encourages us to lift our hands in the sanctuary. To do this, we must let go of all the negative things we are carrying and open our hands to praise. The sanctuary is a place God gives us to come and leave our problems, our hurts, and our disappointments. Let God change our perspective and open the bridge to our possibilities.
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    53 分
  • The Takeaway

    The Takeaway
    2025/08/17
    Our God is a giving God. While He gives, He also takes away. We read many accounts in the Bible where God took something away. However, we also read that after taking away, He eventually gives again, often much better than before. God will not leave us with nothingness. After the storm, God restores the sunshine. God also removes hardships. We like it when he does that. Is it unreasonable to expect that if God gives, He may also take away? Job's wife wrestled with this concept. She enjoyed the increase God provided, but when all was removed, she urged Job to curse God and die. Hearing this, Job rebuked his wife and reminded her that the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Takeaway is also an expression we use to describe a lesson learned from something. We might ask someone for their takeaway from a lesson or lecture, but this principle also applies to situations in life. If we are not careful, we can focus on what we have lost (what has been taken away) and not the lesson learned from the experience (the takeaway). Sometimes God has to take some things from us so He can do more for us. We cannot sing a new song if the old song is still on our lips. Often, the end of something makes way for something better. Do not focus on what was lost, but look expectantly for what God has in the future.
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    50 分
  • God Has Appointed Something Great

    God Has Appointed Something Great
    2025/08/10
    Sometimes we find ourselves needing something from God. Sometimes he responds quickly, and other times he is silent. We struggle with those times when we do not hear from Him. In these quiet times, it is easy to miss the blessings that God has provided as we long for the answer to our need. He does the big things, but He also does the small things that sustain us. God can work immediately, or it may take 20 years to get the answer we want. For Abraham and Sarah, it was 100 years before they saw their miracle. No matter the timing, God is always on time. But when God speaks, things happen. When He speaks, worlds come into existence, people rise from the dead, or the Red Sea parts. The first chapter of Genesis has "God said…and it was so" ten times. Sometimes God speaks to us, other times he speaks through things around us, like a burning bush or a donkey. In Mark 4, Jesus is asleep in the rear of the ship during a great storm. The disciples woke Him in a panic. Jesus did not speak to them at first; He spoke to the great storm, and what followed was a great peace. Just because He is not speaking directly to you does not mean that he is not speaking for you. After running from God, Jonah finds himself in the belly of a great fish. God had a plan. As bad as being in the fish's belly was, it was better than drowning after being thrown overboard. The situation we are in may be bad, but it might be part of something bigger God is doing. If there was ever a time Jonah needed a word from God, it was in this situation, but God did not speak to him. He spoke to the fish. In the time of our most desperate need, God may be speaking to someone else on our behalf. At our worst time, God may be talking to the storm. God has appointed something great.
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    45 分
  • The Middle of a Miracle

    The Middle of a Miracle
    2025/08/03
    Construction projects all begin with some destruction and messiness. Before there can be any reconstruction, some demolition must occur. Before there can be healing, there must be sickness. Before restoration, there must be some loss. Miracles can be messy. Lazarus came out of the tomb still wrapped in the burial clothes and smelling like death. Your messy situation may look bad now, but it is part of a miracle in the making. God will restore what the enemy tried to destroy. Jesus raised Lazarus after four days of being dead. God is not constrained by time. Be it four days or forty years, God will move when His timing is right. God is not finished. If you are still breathing, there is still hope. The mess does not repel God; it attracts him. It is not over. He is not done. We are in the middle of a miracle.
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    36 分
  • Let The Dead Bury The Dead

    Let The Dead Bury The Dead
    2025/07/27
    It is easy to draw a crowd when you are giving away free food. Jesus routinely had a multitude of people following Him. Most of them were focused on what He would do for them. When He was giving out healing or providing loaves and fish, people clamored to see Him. But when He began to require hard choices or sacrifice from people who followed, many fell away, unwilling to pay the price. The rich young ruler, who didn't want to sell all he had, went away sad. Our text describes another encounter with someone who wanted to follow Jesus, but first asked to bury his recently deceased father. Jesus responds with: "Let the dead bury the dead." Brother Kelley unpacks this curious, seemingly uncompassionate statement and its deeper meaning that has application to our lives today.
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    58 分
  • Father Abraham Had Many Sons

    Father Abraham Had Many Sons
    2025/07/27
    Nothing God does is by accident. Nothing catches God off guard. He had it all planned from the beginning. We often think of the New Testament as modern and the Old Testament as the former. In some respects, that is true; however, today, Brother Kelley shows us that the Old Testament is a collection of pointers, types, and shadows of the prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament. God has had a plan from the beginning. We are not stumbling through life; we are on a journey of faith.
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    53 分
  • Trophies or Crowns

    Trophies or Crowns
    2025/07/20
    What are we pursuing? What are we after? Would your answer to this question match the answer of your spouse or your children? The world prioritizes wealth, power, and fame. The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal and are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Often, we twist that last part to mean that we can do what makes us happy. To the founding fathers who penned those words, happiness was family, opportunity, and freedom to govern themselves in a way that had not been known under colonial rule. If we pursue happiness in the way the world defines it, we are governed by emotions that will eventually disappoint and leave us wanting. The things the world defines as happiness are temporal. We award trophies for accomplishments. Sports, The Art, cook-offs, and many other activities present awards, certificates, plaques, and trophies for being the best or coming in first in a competition. Awards are fine, and the temporary recognition for an accomplishment is nice, but if that becomes the goal in life, what have we accomplished? If you win the county fair apple pie contest, you have the blue ribbon to commemorate that, but what will that mean many years later? The blue ribbon mattered in the moment, but over time, that will be forgotten, and someone else will win the prize. Trophies do not last forever. We must chase after things that are worth it. Some will ask, "Don't I deserve to be happy? Can't I pursue winning the prize?" Sure, you can, but at what cost? The Bible has many stories of people who pursued what made them happy, but at a high price: Eve, Lot, Saul, David, Esau, and Judas all traded much for a very temporary reward. Our text asks, "What does it profit a man to win if it costs him his soul?" If we win awards, but neglect Jesus, it is all for naught. Trophies are temporal, but crowns are eternal. Trophies represent moments, but crowns represent a lifetime.
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    47 分