Life Lifters | Lakeshore Community Church

Dec 26 11:55 AM

Best of 2021: Like a Thief in the Night (Released 04-19-2021)

Dec 26 11:55 AM

Friday, December 24, 2021

Every one of us should live with a strong expectancy of the Lord's return. Do you? It's important. In the church, too few churches talk about the Lord's return.

Friday, December 24, 2021

Originally Published April 19, 2021

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

Through the end of the year, we’ll be rerunning some of the best Life Lifters from 2021. We hope you’ll join us each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning!

One of the great statements, one of the great axioms of the Christian faith is this, "The Lord's coming is near." The Lord is going to come back. The Bible says he will come back. The Apostle Paul expected there was a strong possibility the Lord would come back in his lifetime, even though he didn't. And every one of us should live with a strong expectancy of the Lord's return. Do you? It's important. In the church, too few churches talk about the Lord's return. Not enough churches talk about the importance of what the Bible says about the end times. Now, there are occasional churches that are the opposite. Somebody told me on Easter, "I'm thinking about attending your church because the church I attended, all they ever do is preach from the book of Revelation." Okay, there are worse things, but certainly you can overdo it. Very, very, very, very few churches over-do it, most under-do it. But here's what I want to say to you, the Lord's coming is near and the Lord's coming can be described best by this metaphor: The Lord's coming will be like a thief in the night. A thief wasn't invited in the night, the time you least expect.

Look at 1 Thessalonians 5. We're going to look at verses one to three, but we're going to cover this chapter in the next two Life Lifters, all the way to verse 11. Look at what it says in verses one to three, it says, "Now, brothers, about times and dates, we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."

By saying "times and dates," he means all the things that are going to happen in the prophetic future. He says we don't need to write to you about those things. The reason why he says that is because he already explained this to them in person when he was there visiting them. He says, "For you know very well," referencing what he had explained to them in person about the prophetic scheme. The background of 1 Thessalonians is that they thought they missed the Rapture. It wasn't that they didn't understand the scheme, they didn't understand some of the details. They were told lies that the rapture had already occurred by false teachers. So, he says this, "For you know very well that the day of the Lord..." Let me stop there and explain. The day the Lord is not one 24-hour day. The day of the Lord is the time from the Rapture all the way until the time of Christ's 1000-year-reign ends. It technically covers at least 1007 years. The day of the Lord is not 24 hours, it's a period. Like, you say this, "My day will come." You're not saying your 24 hour period will come, you know there's a season. Paul is talking here about that. It includes the start of the rapture, and then the tribulation, the second coming of Christ, and then him ruling and reigning for 1000 years. So, the 1000 days, plus seven, plus that little bit of time between the rapture and the start of the seven year tribulation, that's the day of the Lord.

Paul says that that day will come like a thief in the night. You won't know it. You won't expect it. That's why Jesus said that no one knows day or the hour of his return. Not even the Son of Man, only the Father. Now that's a mysterious statement because Jesus is God. He's speaking from his humanity, and maybe in his humanity he self-denied knowledge of that date. But in his diety in heaven, he knows it now, or will know it. And Paul says, "While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." See that it's going to come suddenly? Are you ready? And it's interesting that it says when people say, "Peace and safety," as in, "Oh everything's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay." No, it's not. When the Lord comes back, everything will not be okay. The first three and a half years of tribulation look like everything's okay. Even though there'll be judgment from God, the one-world-leader will say it's all going to be okay. It won't. But here's what I want to say: The Lord's coming is like a thief in the night. Are you ready?You don't know when he's going to come. The good news is this, if you are a Christian, even though the day Lord comes like a thief in the night, you will be ready. In other words, the whole point is to be ready all the time for the Lord. How are you ready all the time? By living a holy and godly life, by reading the Bible daily, by praying daily, by going to church weekly, getting in a small group, midweek, serving the less fortunate, tithing, using your gifts in the church and in the world, etc, etc. Then, you're ready. Be ready because the Lord is coming at an hour you do not think, like a thief in the night.

Father, this can scare some people. But if we know you, Lord, it assures us. Help us to live godly lives and be found worthy in the way we live when you come. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Dec 17 8:42 AM

Best of 2021: Dealing with Regrets (Released 10-04-2021)

Dec 17 8:42 AM

Friday, December 17, 2021

Originally Published October 4, 2021

1 Corinthians 15:6-10

Through the end of the year, we’ll be rerunning some of the best Life Lifters from 2021. We hope you’ll join us each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning!

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One of the hardest things, being Christian, is sometimes looking back at your life and just being distressed at some of the things you did before you were a Christian. Believe it or not, the Apostle Paul had that same distressed feeling. Read this section from 1 Corinthians chapter 15:3-10, "Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, he was buried, he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures... Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."

When the Apostle Paul looked back over his life, he saw that at a time in his life he persecuted the church of God. Because of that, he didn't think he even deserve to be called an apostle. He also says, "I worked harder than all of them," and I wonder if there was some part of the Apostle Paul that was trying to work out that sin of persecuting the church. But it comes to the conclusion, "I worked harder than all of them - yet not I." As if he is saying, "Not the hard work that I did." Hard work was important, and he worked hard for the kingdom. He tells us at the end of 1 Corinthians 15 that we should give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. But this kind of hard work can't make up for the persecution, or for any sin in our past. He finally gets to the point where he says, "but by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect." Even though Paul worked harder than all of them, it wasn't him, but the grace of God that was within him. The persecution in his past bothered him terribly, and yet he found his freedom in the fact that the grace of God had worked so powerfully in his life. The same is true for you and for me. We can't go back and make up for things that we did in our life. We can't make up for those things, but what we can do is see that the grace of God has set us free to be who he wants us to be. We can live productive lives presently, because of God's grace, no matter what we've done in our past. I hope for you that that will give you the lift for life that you need today.

By Pastor Brian Rathbun

Nov 24 8:57 AM

TOP 10: Joy Killer #1: Complaining (Originally Published 7-26-2021)

Nov 24 8:57 AM

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

How many have ever had joy, maybe you found joy in Christ and what he's doing in your life, and somebody or something came along, and killed your joy. It was a joy killer.

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Philippians 2:14-15

TOP 10 LIFE LIFTERS: For the next few weeks, we'll be re-releasing some of the top Life Lifters we've ever published since we started this devotional series. Join us as we look back at popular topics like prayer, joy, trust, and hope!

So many times we talk about what it takes to find joy. Last week, I talked about places to find joy from Philippians chapter one. During this week's Life Lifters we will look at the most common joy killers and how to overcome them. How many have ever had joy, maybe you found joy in Christ and what he's doing in your life, and somebody or something came along, and killed your joy. It was a joy killer. I want to talk to you about three of the biggest joy killers. Here's the first: complaining. Nothing kills joy faster than complaining. I know sometimes you have to vent stuff, and I'm the kind of guy that has a short account with stuff. So I just get it out. I complain, and it's better to complain a little than a lot, but better not to complain at all. So complaining is tough. And I find the longer I complain, the more I start to sap away my joy.

I get this because Paul gives us that admonition in Philippians 2:14-15. Philippians is Paul's letter of joy. He wrote it from prison, the last place you'd expect somebody to have joy, but joy is not happiness. You can be unhappy in prison and still filled with joy like Paul was. So while he's in prison, still filled with joy, he says this to the Philippians, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault and a crooked and depraved generation,' in which you shine like stars in the universe."

First, he says "Do everything without complaining or arguing." What's arguing? It can be a form of complaining sometimes. "I want this, I want that. I want this. I want that." James says it's competing battle of wills. Paul goes on and says if you do everything without complaining and arguing, then what happens is you shine like stars, you're filled with joy. If you don't, then you are like the crooked and depraved generation around us. How many know the crooked and depraved generation around us, which describes our generation, they're always complaining. They say, "I'm offended. I'm offended that you said that. I'm offended that you did that. I'm offended." Sometimes I just want to say "I'm offended that you're offended." Or people say, "My rights have been trampled." And unfortunately there's a lot of truth to that, but but sometimes their rights are actually their selfish needs. People are always complaining about something. And I'm telling you, I have never seen somebody that complains a lot filled with joy. Have you?

The problem is sometimes we look in the mirror and we find somebody who's doing a lot of complaining. Stop complaining. Accept it. Voice your concern, say something's wrong, challenge it, wish it were better, but don't camp out in complaining land. It'll rob your joy. Do less complaining and more contemplating. What does God want to do in your situation? Then, you will not be like the crooked and depraved generation around us, but you'll be, as Paul says, like shining stars. I think of that song by Earth Wind and Fire, "Got to be a shining star." Paul says, be a shining star. What does that mean? When you're a shining star you're filled with joy. So you get the choice: complain or joy? It's like two rabbits. You can't chase two rabbits at once. Get rid of complaining and chase down joy. Father, forgive us for being complainers. I am one who at times struggles with complaining. Help me to choose joy over complaining. Help people listening to choose joy over complaining, and we'll find more joy as a result. We ask you this in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Nov 19 8:52 AM

TOP 10: White As Snow (Originally Published 9-21-2020)

Nov 19 8:52 AM

Friday, November 19, 2021

God gives us many tremendous promises of forgiveness, and today we are going to focus on one of them.

Friday, November 19, 2021

Isaiah 1:18

Today, I'm going to talk to you about how to deal with your past so you can move forward in your life. The number one way you deal with your past is you ask God to forgive you for whatever it is that happened in your past. God gives us many tremendous promises of forgiveness, and today we are going to focus on one of them. God only forgives what we bring to him. I mean, he forgives us for sins that we don't even know about, admittedly, but the best way to deal with your sin is to acknowledge it before God when you get called to attention on it. Then, you can experience His forgiveness. One of God's promises is what I call the white as snow promise. When Isaiah the prophet, speaking for God to Israel some 2700+ years ago about their sin, he made this amazing statement. After talking to the rebellious nation about their sin, he says this in Isaiah 1:18, "'Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'"

Our sins are bold, they're red, they're undeniable. They cannot be hidden. They're visible to everybody. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Imagine that, a big blood stain on your white t shirt, and then God says, "I'll make it white as snow. It's as if it's a brand new T shirt right out of the package and no remnant of that blood stain. Though our sins are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Again, he just goes from red to white. The amazing thing is that if you come to God in your rebellion, like Israel was challenged to do here in Isaiah 1!18, God will cleanse you. The basis of God's cleansing is Jesus Christ's blood. It's interesting to me that in Isaiah the idea of sin is painted as crimson red. The color of our blood is crimson red. It's almost like the blood of Christ, over and dealing with and engaging with the blood of our own guiltiness leads to white. It's like red plus red equals white. It's like the blood of Christ can cleanse any stain, because Jesus loves you that much. He wants to flip the script on your life. He wants to help you go from being a crimson mess to being a forgiven person.

The only difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is whether or not our sins are forgiven. Now, hopefully a Christian lives a more noble life. Hopefully a Christian doesn't flirt around with sin. I would hope so. I know many Christians have had their lives changed and transformed, and they are living a more godly life, but that doesn't mean once you become a Christian, you stop being burdened with sin. The difference between a Christian and non Christian ultimately is what happens with our sin, it can be forgiven. So I want to say this, if you're already a Christian, God has already forgiven you in one sense, but in another sense, you need to turn to him to ask for forgiveness when you sin. And you can thank Jesus for that forgiveness because he provided it through his crimson blood. If you're not there yet, I just want you to know this: Jesus Christ loves you. He loves you so much that he shed his blood so that your crimson-stain-sin can be forgiven. I hope you'll know how much Jesus Christ loves you and I hope you know that one of the benefits of getting right with God through His Son Jesus Christ is that forgiveness is available. It doesn't matter what you've done in the past, it's available and he will turn your red, bloody, messy sin as white as snow is white as well. You want that? White as snow is available to you.

Let's pray. Lord, I come to you as one who sins and needs tons of forgiveness. I'm sure everybody listening would agree that their own life would be the same. Thank you that you provided this cleansing opportunity that our sins can be white as snow. When we turn to you, like Israel on their rebellion, if we turn to you, we can find this forgiveness. We do that now. Forgive us our sins, Lord. Forgive the specific sins that we think of, that come to mind right now we give to you. Forgive us. Help us appreciate that we are as white as snow when we ask you to forgive us, in Jesus' name, Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Nov 17 8:18 AM

TOP 10: Competence at Work (Originally Published 8-4-2020)

Nov 17 8:18 AM

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Today I am talking about one of the greatest traits you can have as an employee: competence.

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Proverbs 22:29

Today I am talking about one of the greatest traits you can have as an employee: competence. The person who has competence at work is the person who eagerly learns new skills, and they do their work with excellence. So first, they eagerly learn new skills. Some people say, "No, I'm not going to try that." I'll be honest with you, there are certain jobs I had where I didn't want to learn new skills. And guess what? That was not good for me. I just didn't want to do it, and it was wrong. We should be eagerly learning new skills, growing, and expanding. Then second, a competent person works with excellence. When they turn in their work it's thought out.One of the great things about Lakeshore staff is that I often ask them to do something, and then they come back to me with more. I say, "Can you do A?" And they come back saying, "Well, here's A, but I also found B, C, D and E." Guess what? I think they're very competent. And guess what? I also think, "How can I keep this employee? How can I give them a raise?" etc, etc, etc. We love when people are competent.

Where do I get all this from? Look at Proverbs 22:29. It says, "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings he will not serve before obscure men." That word "skilled" is the same as "competent" in the language I'm using here. What's the proverb saying? By the way, proverbs are not promises. There's a difference. A proverb says that this is generally how life works. So, when you are competent and you're skilled at what you do, the proverb is saying that you're going to rise up in the ranks. You're going to start working and showing your skills before higher order people, not the obscure. When you are good at what you do, growing at what you do, everybody wants to keep you. You'll be the last person laid off. When people aren't getting raises, or very few are getting raises, you'll get them. And when people are getting raises, you'll get some of the highest raises, if you work at a good place of employment, because people who are good at what they do are special.

Are you good at what you do? Are you growing in your job? Are you asking your boss to learn new skills, going to new training, trying new things, given assignments and coming back with even more? If you're a stay at home Mom, are you building into your kids? Are you growing new parenting skills? Are you learning new ways to build into your children? Are you learning new ways to get good your profession as a parent? No matter what you do, you're either getting better or worse. It's very difficult to maintain. People who maintain, because the world is getting more complex and more challenging, even when you maintain you're really going down because the world is advancing and growing. Make it a goal to grow in competence. Father, thank you so much for helping the people reading this have more competence in their work. Help us all to eagerly learn new skills and to deliver their work as an excellent example of you and your excellence. We thank you for this in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Nov 15 8:30 AM

TOP 10: To Ultimately Glorify God (Originally Published 7-10-2020)

Nov 15 8:30 AM

Monday, November 15, 2021

Why do people suffer? Today, we are looking at the ultimate reason why you suffer.

Monday, November 15, 2021

1 Peter 4:16

Why do people suffer? Why do you suffer? Let me give you thought five potential reasons any or all of these may be at work in any given time of suffering. I got this list from Chuck Swindoll. I got the list from him, but I'm amplifying it and building on it with my own thoughts and commentary. First, personally, to develop our faith, that comes from James 1:2-4. Second reason might be doctrinally, to expose error in our life in our belief system, if it exists, as First Corinthians 11:27-30. The third reason we may be suffering is vertically, to learn obedience, Hebrews 5:8. The fourth reason on why you may be suffering is horizontally, to cultivate and develop our humility. And that comes from 2 Corinthians 12:7.

Today, we are looking at the ultimate reason why you suffer. All are true, but this is the ultimate reason. Are you ready for it? The ultimate reason you suffer is to have an opportunity to glorify God. The Westminster Confession of Faith says this, "Man's chief end," meaning the chief purpose of human beings, "is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever." Sometimes one of the ways we can glorify God is in how we handle suffering. 1 Peter 4:16 tells us this in this very powerful verse. Peter says,"However, if you suffer as a Christian," as opposed to suffering for doing something silly and stupid, "if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear his name." Isn't that amazing? Praise God that you bear his name. The apostles were beaten in the book of Acts for talking about Jesus Christ. But they did not say, "Oh my gosh, I'm hurting. That hurt. I can't believe Jesus let me go through that," which was something you and I do sometimes. Instead, they left praising God that they were considered worthy by God to suffer for his name.

Sometimes you're going to suffer for his name. How does that happen? You go to work, you stand up for what's right, and you're mocked. You're suffering for his name. You're trying to be a witness in your neighborhood, you won't get drunk with your friends, and they ostracize you. You're suffering for his name. You tell somebody about Christ, and they reject you, your faith, and everything about you. You're suffering for his name. Or, sometimes you try to build into your kids and your kids have gone wayward. Don't give up your ground, because you're suffering for his name. I could go on and on. It is very, very possible that God wants to ground you in him more deeply by allowing you to suffer even for doing what's right. The first four reasons people suffer, developing your faith, exposing error in doctrine, disobedience and obedience, and humility are all growth areas. They're all things that are wrong that need improvement or correction. This last one is a reaffirmation of what is right. To glorify God, that is the goal of life. I want my life to glorify God, do you? Do you want everything you do to glorify God? Of course, we're never going to get there completely, but we're going to strive to get there aren't we? Sometimes when you want to live for Christ, the Bible says all who desire to live a godly life will suffer persecution. You cannot live a godly life and expect to not be criticized and mocked for it. Our world is turned upside down. Wrong is right and right is wrong. In terms of sexuality, wrong is right and right is wrong. In terms of morality, wrong is right and right is wrong. When it comes to honesty and so many other things, wrong is right and right is wrong. That's one of the signs of the end times, and we're certainly getting close.

I want to say this: if you're suffering because you're a Christian, glorify God. Say, "Thank You, Lord, that you chose me to be the one to suffer for your name." It's very, very hard to do. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we want to glorify you with our lives. Nobody here wants suffering. Nobody reading this wants to suffer, but we want all of these good things, especially this chief one: to glorify you in our lives. If suffering is what it takes, God, give us the grace to endure suffering and glorify you through it. Let us glorify you by standing up for the truth, glorify you by praising your name throughout (not like Job's friends), and to glorify you when we get through it, and we're a better person and can glorify you even better. Thank you for all of this. I pray that this helps those who read it, in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Nov 12 8:18 AM

Roller Coaster Called Life

Nov 12 8:18 AM

Friday, November 12, 2021

Roller coasters are amazing. However, the roller coaster of our lives isn't as fun as the physical roller coasters.

Friday, November 12, 2021

Philippians 4:11-113

Today, we're going to be talking about probably one of my favorite things: roller coasters. I love roller coasters so much that the first thing that I do when we go to Darien Lake or Seabreeze, is I run to the roller coaster. What I love about roller coasters is it has the ups, it has the downs, you go upsidedown, and you just exhilarating. It's exciting, it's fun, it has the loop-de-loops and everything. I mean, who doesn't love roller coasters? I know for some of you out there me just describing a roller coaster is already sending your anxiety through the roof, but trust me, roller coasters are amazing. However, the roller coaster of our lives isn't as fun as the physical roller coasters. Just like roller coasters, your life has ups, it has downs, it has loop-de-loops, and things don't always look the same way. Things aren't always good, and things aren't always bad. But it's not as fun, like I said, as a roller coaster is.

One person who knew this all too well was the Apostle Paul. Paul had a life that was filled with ups and downs, turns, loop-de-loops, and his life was like a roller coaster. One place we can see that is in Philippians 4:11-13. He tells us how we can get through this roller coaster called life. Starting in verse 11, he says, "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." So, he's saying, "I've learned that in this roller coaster called life with its ups and with its downs, with its left turns and with its right turns, that in whatever situation, I need to be content. So in whatever he's going through, whether it's good or bad, I have learned what the secret is. The secret is, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

What Paul is saying here is that whatever it is that he went through, the good, the bad, the indifferent, all of it, he was able get through it because of Jesus. That's my encouragement to each and every one of you. It's the holiday season. Statistics show that the holiday season is probably the most depressing for people, because you have loss of family, friends that maybe have moved away, and family that have moved away. For a lot of people these bad memories come up around the holiday season. But it's a it's a time of joy as well. So I just encourage you, whatever you're feeling, whether it's a high or a low, whatever is going on in your life during this time, know that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You don't do it alone. Not only does he walk with us, and he says he'll never leave us or forsake us, but he goes before us as well. So that's my encouragement to you, whatever you're going through, whatever situation you may be in today, just know that you can get through it with Jesus if you turn to Him.

By Pastor Antoine Evans

Nov 10 8:33 AM

Work of Art

Nov 10 8:33 AM

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

There were beautiful sculptures in there, beautiful pictures, photography, everything. And as I was looking at it and just admiring how beautiful all of this was, it reminded me that we are all considered masterpieces in God's eyes.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Ephesians 2:10

Today we're going to talk about art. I have a little story before we jump in. This past summer, we went to the Adirondacks, my family and I. It was amazing, except for one day, it was just downpouring rain, and we had absolutely nothing to do. So, we decided to go to an art museum. As we were walking around the art museum, I thought a couple things. First, I thought, "Man, I really hope my youngest doesn't bump into anything, because I definitely don't have enough money to pay for any of this art." The second thing I thought, though, was, "This is some beautiful art." There were beautiful sculptures in there, beautiful pictures, photography, everything. And as I was looking at it and just admiring how beautiful all of this was, it reminded me that we are all considered masterpieces in God's eyes.

So today, we're going to look at Ephesians 2:10. It says, "For we are His workmanship, or his masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." The encouragement fro m here is that we are considered masterpieces in God's eyes. The world will tell you that you have to look this way, you have to do this, you have to do that, etc. if you want to be accepted, if you want to be considered beautiful, intelligent, athletic, or anything like that. The world says if you want to be accepted you have to be a certain way, but God tells us that we are his masterpieces, we are perfectly made in his eyes. There's nothing wrong with us. So, the encouragement right there is that you don't have to listen to the world when it says that you're not created perfectly, or that you're not put together the way that you should be. How you were created is how you were created. God did it with a purpose and with a plan, and he looks at you and he loves every part of you. So, just know that you are a masterpiece in his eyes. Just as a piece of artwork is loved and cherished by the artist, just as a sculpture is loved by the person who sculpted it, you are loved and cherished by the Creator that created you. So take that with you today and know that God loves you immensely.

By Pastor Antoine Evans

Nov 05 8:34 AM

Play to Your Strengths

Nov 05 8:34 AM

Friday, November 5, 2021

I use this phrase all the time, and I really believe it's true. I believe it's biblical. It's called "playing to your strengths." How do you play to your strengths?

Friday, November 5, 2021

Romans 12:6

I use this phrase all the time, and I really believe it's true. I believe it's biblical. It's called "playing to your strengths." How do you play to your strengths? When you look around you, when you look at your spouse, you look at your kids, you look at your environment, the people that you're with, you realize that you're all so different. I have many friends who, when I will look at them, I realize I have nothing in common with that person. Our interests are so different. For example, I am not a sports person. Many of you know that. I don't like sports. So when this comes up in conversation, I really can't contribute anything. Then, you kind of get this feeling like, "Wow, I really don't have anything in common with some of these people." But the fact is that we're all created this way. It's all intentional that we're all different.

I want to talk about how we play to our strengths. The apostle Paul writes this in Romans 12:6 he says, "We all have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." Here's what I love about this verse, I think this is so cool. He says, "we have different gifts," and when we hear the word "different," we understand it's not the same as something else. But the word "different" here in the original text means "more excellent." You see, we all play a very specific role. We have to understand that we don't need to look down on somebody or look differently at someone because they are gifted in a different way than you. In fact, we don't want everyone to be the same, because life would be pretty boring if we were all just like one another. God has created us this way, and it was all intentional according to the grace that He has given to each of us. So let me just encourage you with that today.

Listen, you're gifted in a different way than the people around you. It's supposed to be that way because we build into one another, we strengthen one another, we make each other better. So if you see somebody who's different, don't break them down. Don't beat them up about it. It's supposed to be this way. Let's find that common ground so we can complement one another. Father, I want to thank you again, please help us understand that we are all different and gifted by your grace. Lord, let us understand that we're different. That doesn't just mean "not the same," but it means to be "more excellent," that we have a gift that is more excellent. I pray that we would really hold that true, and if we're struggling with that today, I pray that you would encourage us through it, that we may be able to see how we complement one another. We thank you and we lift this to you in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Brian Pawlowski

Nov 01 8:35 AM

Apologizing is Hard

Nov 01 8:35 AM

Monday, November 1, 2021

Today, I want to talk to you about something that I have personally struggled with for many years. I know many other people have as well. It's the idea of apologizing.

Monday, November 1, 2021

Romans 12:3

Today, I want to talk to you about something that I have personally struggled with for many years. I know many other people have as well. It's the idea of apologizing. We've all done something that we knew was wrong, and then you have to muster up that courage and swallow your pride to go apologize. Or, maybe sometimes we don't apologize when we should. Maybe you're even in a moment where you know you were right, but the way that whole interaction played out just wasn't up to par. So now you find yourself in a position where you know you probably should apologize, but maybe you don't want to. Here's the fact: apologizing is hard, regardless how you do it. This is because it all comes to ourselves, it all comes down to our pride and how we're going to work through that.

There's a scripture passage that I want to look at just to give you some encouragement, because maybe you're struggling with this today, maybe there's something going on in your life, where you really need to deal with this. And I know this is a daily thing that I have to struggle with and work through, especially as a parent and as a husband. But in Romans 12, verse three, Paul writes, "For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." Here's what's interesting, he says the word "think" twice. In the English language, we have one definition of that, but in the original text, it means something completely different. He says, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you should." That first word "think" literally means don't be overly proud. Don't have a big ego, don't go in like you rule the universe. He says, don't think of yourself more highly than you should or more highly than you ought. Don't think of yourself in a highly proud manner. That's the first thing.

But then he says the word think again. He says, "but rather think of yourself with sober judgment." Okay, but the word "think" here means be understanding. Have a little compassion. Don't think too highly of yourself. Don't be too proud. But instead, go into the situation with understanding. Put yourself in the other person's shoes, whether they're right or wrong. It's all in how we carry ourselves and approach one another. He says in the last part of that, "but think of yourself with sober judgment." What does that mean? It means to be of sound mind, it means to be sensible. So what Paul is saying here is that in those moments where we know an apology is going to be needed, maybe for what we said, or maybe it's simply for how we said it, he says don't be overly proud. Don't go into this thing thinking you rule the universe, but think of it and approach it in a way of understanding where that person is coming from. And be sensible, be somebody who can really take to heart what is happening in the situation.

I know this is hard, but but some of us are parents, we can implement this with our spouses, with other family, maybe people that we work with. The fact is, is apologizing is hard. But he says, "Do this in accordance with the faith that God has distributed to each of you." In other words, do this with the faith that God has given you. It is by grace that we have been saved, but it's also by grace that God has given us a sensible spirit. So if you're feeling heated, you feel like you have a conflict with somebody, or if you think "maybe I said something that really turned somebody the wrong way," I want to encourage you, and I want to challenge you today. Go apologize to that person. I know how hard it is. Oftentimes with my boys something comes up, or they say something, or I come in and I'm like, "Yes, I got this, right." And I realized I just broke them down in the process. I didn't mean to do that. So I want to just challenge you today. Maybe there's that person that you need to call or text and start that conversation to apologize. Don't be too proud. Be understanding, be sensible. Father, I want to pray for everyone right now who's dealing with this and we know how difficult it can be to apologize because it all comes down to our pride. I pray that we'd be able to swallow that and to make right with whoever we need to, whether it's our children, or our spouse, or family members, friends, co-workers, whoever that may be. Give us the courage to do so, so that we can follow what your Word says, and that we would distribute the faith that has been distributed to us. We thank you in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Brian Pawlowski

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