Life Lifters | Lakeshore Community Church

Oct 04 8:22 AM

Dealing with Regrets

Oct 04 8:22 AM

Monday, October 4, 2021

1 Corinthians 15:3-10

One of the hardest things, being Christian, is sometimes looking back at your life and just being distressed that 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

Oct 01 8:05 AM

Joy in God's Grace

Oct 01 8:05 AM

Friday, October 1, 2021

Today, I want to talk to you about the joy of God's grace. What is the grace of God?

Friday, October 1, 2021

Philippians 4:23

Today, I want to talk to you about the joy of God's grace, how we find joy in God's grace. Look at Philippians 4:23. It says, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your Spirit. Amen." Amen means "so be it" or "it is so." Paul says, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." He didn't just say be in your life, but be with your spirit. What is the grace of God? When you become a Christian, you become a Christian by putting your faith in Jesus Christ. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you experience His grace. If Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace," meaning God's grace, "you have been saved, through faith. It's the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one can boast."

Grace is, first of all, getting something we don't deserve. So, he says our spirit gets something from God that we don't deserve. What is that? We don't deserve forgiveness. We don't deserve love. We don't deserve a place in heaven. But we get all that through faith in Christ. Another person said this, think of grace as acrostic. G R A C E: God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Grace is God's riches, given to us at Christ's expense when he died on the cross. But there's another meaning of grace that is less popular. Grace also has the idea of not only undeserved favor and our spirit, but divine power and our spirit. When you become a Christian, God gives you his power in your spirit to live out the Christian life, to do good works, to serve other people, to live holy, to change bad habits, to pursue good habits, to desire him more, etc. And Paul prays that we would have more of this grace, more of this divine power to live for Him. I love grace. Where would we be without grace? Where would a funeral service be without Amazing Grace? Of all the funerals I've done, for at least half of them we've sung Amazing Grace at some point. We love grace, we need grace.

Paul says, "May the grace of God in Jesus Christ be with your spirit." Maybe you need little grace today. Maybe you need a little forgiveness from God. Maybe you need a little power from God. Maybe you need a little help from God. Maybe you need something from God. And all I want to say is this: you can only find it through Jesus Christ. If you've never made a faith commitment to Jesus Christ, you have no idea what grace is. You can ask Jesus Christ in your life if you do what Ephesians 2:8-9 says. For those of you who are already convinced, are you still living by grace? Are you still operating by grace? Are you still experiencing God's grace? Are you still extending grace to other people who maybe don't do things right? I hope you're living in grace. But for those of you who have never committed your life to Jesus Christ, let's look at Ephesians 2:8-9 one more time. Take this in, "For it is by grace you have been saved from your sin, through faith in Jesus Christ - and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God - not the result of our good work so that no one can brag or boast." Have you ever put your faith in Jesus Christ? You may say, "I believe in Jesus Christ," but I didn't say "Do you believe in Jesus Christ?" I asked, have you put your faith in Jesus Christ? And there's a big difference. I can believe all I want that there's a tree over there, but until I touch it and feel it and know it and climb it, it doesn't make a difference. I could believe this thing in front of me is a table, but until I put my arms on it and trust it, it does me no good. Believing in Jesus Christ doesn't do us good. You have to trust him and put your faith in him. The devil believes in Jesus Christ, but he doesn't put his faith in Him.

Have you? You can do it right now. Say, "Jesus Christ, I believe that I sin stem to stern, and I know that you're holy. I know there's a problem. The problem is I'm not good enough. I can't be good enough. Your holiness demands perfection and I'll never have that. But I do what Ephesians 2:8-9 says. By your grace, I put my faith in you, Jesus. I trust you. And I put my faith in you that when you died on the cross you took my place on the cross. You bore my sin, you forgave my sin, and you offer me a clean slate, a fresh start, a new life, and total forgiveness, so that I can be seen as righteous by you, and go to heaven." If you say that prayer and mean it with a heart of faith, congratulations, you've experienced the grace of God in Jesus Christ. We celebrate that. Let us know about it and we'll help you grow, even from a distance. And this Sunday, as always, we're talking about some aspect of grace. I hope you'll join us at Lakeshore online, or in person if you're local. Our sevices are at 9 and 11 AM, and we would love to have you.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Sep 29 8:43 AM

Joy in God Getting Glory

Sep 29 8:43 AM

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

When you live your life, when people see your life, do they appreciate God more? Do they see God's greatness in the way you live?

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Philippians 4:20

We have been working through the book of Philippians, focusing on the theme of joy. Today, we're going to talk about joy in God getting the glory. Look at what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:20, "To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen." The whole goal of the Apostle Paul's life was to bring glory to God, to bring attention to God's greatness, to recognize God's greatness, to help other people see God's greatness by the way he lived. His goal was to bring glory to God. In fact, Paul also says, "Whether you eat, whether you drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

What does that mean? It means this, that when you live your life, when people see your life, do they appreciate God more? Do they see God's greatness in the way you live? Does God get attention and glory from others who see your life? Is that what you want from your life? Do you want your life to glorify God? We all fall short. We're all very imperfect, but the ultimate tenor and aim of our life should be to glorify God, to call attention to his greatness, so that others see how great he is. I want to see God's greatness even more my life, but after that, I want others to see how great God is through my life. That's why Paul says, "To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Jesus said when he comes back, he's going to come back in power, and he's going to come back in great glory. When he comes back, he's going to set up His kingdom on earth for 1000 years,which is called the millennium, and he will be glorified by everybody. That's why we want to spend the rest of our days on Earth glorifying God. We glorify God by the way we live, by the way we talk, by our practices, by the way we show love, by the way we distinguish ourselves from the average person, by the way we give generously, by the way we give of our gifts in the church, by the way we help the less fortunate, by the way we serve , and by the way we treat other people (which is different from the rest of the world). There are people that have come to me, and if you've been a Christian long enough and you're striving to glorify God, I'm sure you've had the same thing happen, where people say, "Man, what is it about you? Why are you so nice?" And I get a chance to just say, "It's God in me. I give glory to God, because he's the one who does it in me." That's what life's all about.

So, I have a question for you. Is your life all about trying to bring glory for God? Paul prayed, "To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen." That's what I want from my life, and I think that's probably what you want from your life. Let's glorify God in all that we do so that, in the words of Jesus, we may let our light so shine, that people may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Let's pray. Father, forgive us for those times when we haven't glorified you. Help us to bring glory to your name by the way we live. Help us to have others see it, so that they may glorify you, too. We know that one day you're going to come back in power and great glory, and you will rule and reign on the earth in glory for 1000 years. We want to help as many people as we can be a part of that. Thank you for this in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Sep 27 8:20 AM

Joy in God's Ability to Meet My Needs

Sep 27 8:20 AM

Monday, September 27, 2021

Today, I want to talk to you about perhaps the second most famous verse in Philippians, that is Philippians 4:19.

Monday, September 27, 2021

Philippians 4:19

In one of our previous life lifters, I wrote about the most famous verse in the book of Philippians. Today, I want to talk to you about perhaps the second most famous verse in Philippians, that is Philippians 4:19. And I want to talk to you about joy in God's ability to meet your needs. Philippians 4:19 says this, "And my god will meet all your needs, according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." This verse has been used by a lot of people in a lot of ways that don't really match with Scripture. First of all, who was the Apostle Paul talking to in this verse? He was talking to people who gave to his ministry, people who are trying to live for God, trying to live for Jesus. He said, God will meet all of the needs of those kinds of people. So, sometimes people say, "I don't know why Jesus doesn't meet all of my needs." The question I have to ask back is, "Are you living for Jesus? Is he really the center of your life?" Now, he's gracious, and he does a lot more than we deserve, that's for sure. But I know this, the context of that verse that says God will meet all of my needs comes in response to people who are faithfully doing God's will, giving generously to Paul, and living the Christian life.

The second misinterpretation is that God will meet all of my needs, and then we turn needs into greeds. "God, I need a new car like that one. God, I need that house. God, I need that pool. God, I need that man or woman. God I need..." And here's the thing, some of the stuff you think you need, it's not a need. It's a greed. The Bible does not say in this verse, and does not teach elsewhere that God will meet all of your needs, as we determine what our real needs are. Sometimes what we think are needs are greeds. Paul says, "My God well meet all of your needs." What do you really need? God will meet it. Now, here's what I do know about God: God meets way more than my needs. I'm sure he meets way more than your needs, but that's not what this verse says. So that's the second thing. First, again, is that it's written to Christians who are already giving generously, already living the Christian life. Second, it's written to meet our needs, not meet our greeds.

The third thing is this. The verse says, "My God will meet all your needs, according to his glorious riches in Christ." Now, how glorious and rich is Jesus Christ? Well, he's God. He has been resurrected from the dead. He has a glorified body.He has returned back to the Trinity in heaven, back to his original glorious abode. And he will come back one day. How glorious and rich is Jesus Christ? If you have a number in mind, it's more. If you have another number, it's more than that. Here's the number: it's infinite. There is no number. It's infinite. That's how rich Jesus Christ is. So, here's what I want to say - let's start with the first two points. Paul said this verse to people who are living for Christ. So, if you have sin in your life, things going on in your life, there's a possibility, you can squelch that. Second, some of the things we think are needs are not really needs, they're greeds. If it really is a need, when it matches those two things, guess what God does? He's rich, so that's when he gives us way more than we need or deserve. He's glorious in his riches in Christ Jesus. That's why we live in America. We are blessed beyond belief. God has blessed us beyond belief. You know, in America, we're the richest nation in the world. We're blessed beyond belief. No other nation has the prosperity we have. And God blesses us to be a blessing, but that's for another message. Here's all I want to say - isn't it an amazing promise that God will meet all of our needs, according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus?

Do you have your needs met? Thank God every day, count your blessings, nam them one by one, as the old hymn goes. Every day, you ought to get up and at least spend 10, 15, 20 moments and just say, "Thank you for this house. Thank you for this bed. Thank you for this food. Thank you for my kitchen. Thank you for my office. Thank you for my car. Thank you for my workplace. Thank you for my paycheck. Thank you for my children. Thank you for my spouse. Thank you for my boyfriend or girlfriend. Thank you for my college degree. Thanks for the teachers I had at my college. Thank you for my neighbors. Thanks that I live in a clean neighborhood. Thanks that I live next to people who are kind. Thanks that I work with good people. Thanks that I'm outside in September." There are a lot of things you can thank God for. God wants us to spend our time thanking him because he's meets all of our needs. I hope that helps you have a heart of appreciation because he meets all of our needs. Father, thank you so much that you meet all of our needs, not our greeds, according to your riches and glory, and according to, in some degree, how we're living for you and how faithful we are to you. Thank you for doing this in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Sep 24 8:17 AM

Joy in Seeing Others Grow

Sep 24 8:17 AM

Friday, September 24, 2021

It's easy to just appreciate what people do for you and think about it from your perspective, but the Apostle Paul has something to add to it.

Friday, September 24, 2021

Philippians 4:17-18

In my last life lifter, I wrote about the joy of getting help from others. It's pretty obvious that if somebody helps you, you should be joyful. And we want to not only be joyful for having friends or people to help us, but we also want to be joyful for God who provided those friends or others to help us. But it's easy to just appreciate what people do for you and think about it from your perspective, but the Apostle Paul has something to add to it. A little bit of background from last time, Paul was appreciating the gift that the Philippians gave him, and said, "No other church supported me, but you did. You supported my ministry when I really needed it the most." He said he was really thankful and finds joy in the help they gave. But now he qualifies it by adding even more commentary to say something beyond the joy he found in being helped.He also find found joy in the growth of those who helped him. So he didn't just find joy in what he received. He found joy in the heart of the people who gave.

Look at what he says in Philippians 4:17-18, "Not that I'm looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." Paul is referring to the Philippines giving him a gift to fund his ministry when he was running low on funds, or had no money, and no other church helped him. He says he was not looking for a gift, even though he needed it, but was looking for something to be credited to the Philippians' account. That's a deep statement. In other words, at the end of the day you get money for ministry to help people grow. When you help people grow by having them give to your ministry, it's the same thing. Money is a means to an end, and that's to help people find Christ and grow in faith in Christ. He's saying, "That's what I'm seeing in you. The money is great, but the joy I find is not the money you gave, but the reason that you gave it because you have the right heart." He's talking about them and their heart in giving and how proud he was to see people growing like that.

Then he goes on to say, "I have received full payment and even more. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." Those are the kinds of descriptions that speak more than just about the amount. They speak to the giver. And here's the point: when people help you, you should find joy in getting help from people. That's what we talked about last time. But if you love God, and you love people, you should also find joy from the way people are growing and maturing and being more Christ-like as they give to you. So you should be thankful for the gift and thankful for the giver themselves, and how they're growing and how they're being Christ-like when they help. One of the great things in life is to watch people grow.

At Lakeshore, we sometimes get a knock or a myth that all we want to do is help people who aren't sure about Jesus Christ put faith in Christ. People say that's all we care about. Anybody who has come here knows that's simply not true. The biggest thing is after you come to faith in Jesus Christ, we want to help you grow. It's why we offer things like First Steps, Second Steps, Discover Lakeshore, Discover Your Purpose, Small Groups, Midweek Bible Study, and the like. We do all these things for one reason. We not only want to help people become Christians, we want to help people grow as Christians. That's what brings us joy. It's one thing to see somebody become a Christian, but if somebody becomes a Christian and doesn't really grow, that's not as satisfying as if they did grow. We love that. So the Apostle Paul, he loved that the Philippians gave him a gift, but he loved even more that they were the kind of people that would give gifts. Do you love people for what they do? Or do you love people for who they are, which leads them to being generous and helping you in doing what they do? I suggest that you love people for who they are. Love them, appreciate them. Not only their gift, but appreciate them, because if you love people, you want to see people grow.

We live in a dark world where a lot of people aren't growing, aren't spiritually interested, and we need to celebrate those that are. I find joy in that. I find joy in seeing many of you who come to Lakeshore grow in your faith. It's exciting. I hope you'll do the same. So let's pray. Father, thank you so much for this message on the joy we find in seeing others grow. The apostle Paul found joy in the Phillipians growing, so help us to find joy in seeing others grow as well. We thank you for it in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Sep 22 8:15 AM

Joy in Getting Help From Others

Sep 22 8:15 AM

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

I know that God is our strength, our help, our refuge, and ever-present help in time of need, the Psalms say. But God also ordained people to help us.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Philippians 4:14-16

Sometimes when you're stuck, and somebody comes to help you, there's a lot of joy in that isn't there? I love that I have a next door neighbor that can fix about anything. I remember one time I had this dead tree in my backyard. I need to fell it. And I said, Hey, can you help me fell it, you know, bring it down tomorrow? He said sure. So, he came by in the morning and said, "Yeah, I watched a bunch of videos on I know how to do it." So, we brought down that tree. He did it broken up in segments, and he got the wood. And I thought, "Man, it's sure nice to get help from a neighbor who can help me when I need help." I have lawn mower problems, and I'm going to try to fix the pulley on my lawn mower. But he said, "If you need my help, let me know." I try not to abuse it, but man, it sure is nice to have help when you've got a problem.

I know that God is our strength, our help, our refuge, and ever-present help in time of need, the Psalms say. But God also ordained people to help us. If that weren't the case, then Paul wouldn't have said what he said in Philippians 4:14-16. I want to talk about joy in getting help from others. Paul says, "Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need." To summarize, Paul said he finds so much joy in what the Philippians did for him, as he says the very beginning, "It was good for you to share in my troubles." He found joy in getting the help he needed when he needed it most. No other churches would help him. We don't know if it was because they didn't know about it, or they didn't have money, or if they didn't want to help. I'm sure there are all kinds of reasons for all the different kinds of churches. But I do know this, that when Paul needed help, God inspired one church to help him.

There's a lot of joy in getting help from others. Just like I get a lot of joy from getting help from my neighbors, Paul took a lot of joy in getting help from his friends, the Philippians. However, we have to be careful that we don't just love people for what they give to us, but also love them for who they are. We don't want to be users. We don't want to be manipulators. I don't want to keep nagging my next door neighbor, I pick and choose my spots. But I also I try to reciprocate and do things back for him. It's the same thing with Paul. He had done so much for the Philippians, and they were simply reciprocating back by financially supporting him, and this brought him so much joy. If you ever had somebody help you when you needed it, man, don't take that for granted. Thank God for friends like that, for people who give to us. Sometimes it could be a surprise gift, it could just be a helping hand, it could be just a word of encouragement. It doesn't even have to be something tangible. But whatever it was, Paul got help from others, we get help from others, and we need to appreciate that.

God is working in your life to get others to help you. He also wants us to help others as well. There's something powerful in that, especially when you need it. We have all had car trouble, and thank God for the people that come alongside to help us. That's what the Philippians did for Paul, and he appreciated it. Do you appreciate the help that others give you? Do you see God's hand in it? Do you take joy in the fact that God causes somebody else to take an interest in you and help you in some kind of way? There's a lot of joy in that. Here's the thing, if there's a lot of joy in getting help from others, maybe we ought to be the one to help others so we can give them joy as well. I'm just thankful that so many of you help encourage me, and you give to me in so many ways. It's by the way you come to church, by the way you encourage, by the way you serve, by the way you're generous, and by the kind words you say. It means a lot and I hope to God that I can do the same for you. That's really why we exist, is to try to do the same and help you in any way we can. So, I hope this message helps you as you appreciate people who help you out in life. Let's pray. Father, thanks for the people that help us out in life. Help us to see every day all the ways you have brought people into our life to help us. Help us to thank them. And thank you, like the Apostle Paul did, for the Philippians who helped him when no one else would help him. Thank you, God, that you use people to help us, and we praise you for it in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Sep 20 7:06 AM

Joy Through the Power of Jesus

Sep 20 7:06 AM

Monday, September 20, 2021

Today, I want to talk to you about the most famous verse in Philippians, the most well known verse, the most popular verse in the whole book of Philippians.

Monday, September 20, 2021

Philippians 4:13

Today, I want to talk to you about the most famous verse in Philippians, the most well known verse, the most popular verse in the whole book of Philippians. It comes from Philippians 4:13. I want to help you understand what it does and doesn't mean. Here's what it says, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Another translation says, "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me the strength." It's an amazing verse. It talks about the power of Jesus. We have joy in the power of Jesus. But it doesn't talk about the power of positive thinking. It doesn't say, I can do all things. It doesn't say, I can do all things that strengthen me. It doesn't say that at all. That's positive thinking. That's Pollyanna. That's what people who don't have Christ in them say. That's the first myth. Paul says, "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me the strength." So, you have to have Christ in your life to give you that strength.

Neither does it say I can do all things, and Jesus will help me do all things. That's another myth. It's not that YOU can do all things. Neither is it that you can do ALL things. You can't do everything. You have to do all things through Christ, which means that not everything that you want to do is something you are going to do, unless it is through Christ. So that's the balance. And here's what I want to say: I'm really joyful, that I can do all things through Christ, who gives me the strength. I'm really glad I can't do all things through myself, because then I'd work a steadfastly independent life of God. I wouldn't want that. And I'm sure glad it's not "I can do all things by using Christ to do anything I want," because some of the stuff I really want, I don't really need. The beautiful balance is this: you can do all things through Christ. This means two things. Number one, I can do all things only through Jesus Christ. Number two, since it comes through Jesus Christ, he only strengthens us for what is good for us. I find joy in that. Aren't you glad for that?

No matter what problem you're facing, Jesus Christ will give you the strength to overcome it. Maybe not overcome it the way you want, not overcome it in the time you want, but he gives you the strength to overcome it. You can do anything that God wants you to do, because he'll give you the strength. A trial, achievement, something in your family, something personal, whatever it is, Jesus Christ can give you the strength. He gives you the strength to accomplish exactly what he wants done. I like that, too. He never lets you get too far from him because it's only through Christ. Have you ever tried to do things on your own? You don't have the strength. Do you ever think something is good for you, you try to pursue it, and you try to think that it is Jesus's will, but it doesn't happen? Probably because it's not his will. The great thing is you can do all things through Christ who gives you the strength. Thank God that Jesus Christ gives us the strength to do things in life.

Life is tiring, exhausting, it saps me. Here at Lakehsore we're trying to fix a drain problem. It's nonstop. We have backed up water in our sewage pipes. We've looked at it and had different people look at it, and there are all kinds of problems. But I know that through Jesus Christ, he wants his church's parking lot not to flood. So, I'm trusting him to give me the strength, give Sal Mejia our facilities guy the strength, and to give our staff the strength to find the solution, even if it costs us some money, which it already has. Here's the thing, whatever's going on in your life, Jesus Christ will give you the strength. Isn't that a great promise? If God calls you through something, you will accomplish it through Jesus Christ, and that ought to fill you with joy. So, whatever is causing you to wonder and doubt, just give it to Jesus Christ. Say, "Jesus, take it. I can do all things through you." Then watch what he does in his perfect way, in his perfect time. Father, thank you for this great promise, this great key verse in the book of Philippians. Help us to understand it appropriately. It's not our own strength, and it's not everything we want, but it's through you. This means it's through your strength, and it's only in accordance with your will. We asked this in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Sep 17 8:09 AM

Joy Through Contentment

Sep 17 8:09 AM

Friday, September 17, 2021

Today, I want to talk to you about something that every commercial will find aggravating, every advertiser will be upset with, and every company that's trying to sell you something will not like.

Friday, September 17, 2021

Philippians 4:10-12

Today, I want to talk to you about something that every commercial will find aggravating, every advertiser will be upset with, and every company that's trying to sell you something will not like. We live in a world that is constantly promoting itself and its products, so that you will be discontented. Today I want to talk to you about contentment. Contentment is the feeling, or the confidence that you have inside that what you have is enough. Those are not musical lyrics to an advertiser's ears because advertising is basically built on this concept that your life could be better if you buy what I'm selling. Your life will be richer, fuller, you'll have more this, more that, more dates, more likes on social media, more convenience, more money, if you'll just buy my product. What they're trying to say is you shouldn't be content until you have my product. But God says you should be content, whether you have their product or not.

I get that from Philippians 4:10-12. Take what the Apostle Paul has to say to heart, because this man knew contentment. He says, "I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Let me summarize. Apparently, the Philippians hadn't expressed concern for Paul. Well, they at least lost touch for whatever reason. They reconnected and then they were able to express to Paul the concern that they always had. Paul was not saying to them, "I'm glad you're concerned about me because I have a need, and now I need to leverage you for some of my need to be met." Not that that would be wrong, but he's saying that that wasn't even the purpose. Rather he, he says that he has learned to be content, at ease inside, at peace inside with what he has.

Paul said, "I have learned the secret of contentment." What is the secret of contentment? It is that whatever you have before God is enough. You might say, "Oh, but God doesn't understand. I need this." God does understand. You don't need this. "Yeah, but if I had that I'd be happier." God says that will not make you happier. You and I must remember that whatever God gives us is right, and whatever we have, if we're living right and we're not squandering away through sinful living (That's a whole 'nother subject), but for striving to live for God, whatever we have is what God wants us to have. In that we should be content.

Can you be content with what you have? Paul said another place in the Bible that if we have food and clothing we should be content. He didn't even mention shelter. How many of us have food, clothing, and shelter? Almost all of us here in America. You must learn to be content. The secret to being content is to say, "God, you give me what I need." Here's another secret to being content: "Jesus, you're enough." Could it be that God is keeping things from us because he wants us to realize that Jesus is enough? Jesus is enough. He's everything we need. Everything else is gravy, or, as they say in New Orleans, lagniappe, which means extra. It's all gravy. Can you be content in Jesus Christ, or do you need something to be content in Jesus Christ? If we need something to be content in Jesus Christ, we're not fully content in Jesus Christ. I want to encourage you to find your contentment in Christ. Then, everything else is lagniappe, gravey.

Father, help me, help all of us reading this life lifter to remember that our contentment is in you. Help us to learn the secret of contentment when we have, and when we don't have. When we're in need, and when we have plenty. Whatever it is, help us to learn contentment, that our contentment is found in seeing life through your eyes and remembering that Jesus Christ is enough. I pray that for me and for all my friends reading this life lifter in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Sep 15 8:16 AM

Joy Through Right Thinking

Sep 15 8:16 AM

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Have you ever heard the old saying, garbage in garbage out? It's true. Whatever garbage is in your head is going to come out of your life. What are the right thoughts?

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Philippians 4:8

The best thing you can do for your life and the direction that it goes, is to change the way you think. Have you ever heard the old saying, garbage in garbage out? It's true. Whatever garbage is in your head is going to come out of your life. If you have pure thoughts, you'll have a pure life. If you have impure thoughts, you'll have an impure life. If you have negative thoughts, finish it with me, you'll have a negative life. If you have worrisome thoughts, you'll have a worried life. If you have constant thoughts about wanting more money, you'll have a greedy life. So what's really important is that you have the right thought life. If you want to have the right thought life, you have to filter out the wrong thoughts, and only allow in the right thoughts.

What are the right thoughts? I'm so glad you asked. Philippians 4:8 gives us eight thought filters. These are the eight things you should allow in your mind only, and everything else you should not. Paul tells us that we can find joy through right thinking. He says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." What is Paul saying? I don't know that it's exactly limited to these eight things, but these are eight filters. Paul is saying we should only think about these things, and not the opposite of them. Not ignoble things, but noble things. Not impure things, but pure things. Not things that are horrible, but things that are excellent. Not things that are praise-un-worthy, but praise worthy. Think on these things. What's he saying? You have to filter your mind and make sure you're thinking the right thoughts.

If you want to have joy in your life, it starts right here, it's the battle of the mind. You have to filter out the things that are going to tilt your life in a negative direction. Only allow yourself to think about things that tilt it in a positive direction. I'm not talking about the name-it-claim-it stuff, because they take that crazily. What I'm talking about is the right kind of holy, godly thinking through these eight metaphors, and having that shape how you think about God, yourself, and life. Do you do that? Can you do that? For some of you, you may need to write down these eight things. You just need to get an index card and write down, "true, noble right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy." Then, you need to say, "Am I thinking these things?" It's going to take time because guess what? It took you as many years as you're alive to start and keep thinking the way you're thinking. But if you think the way God wants you to think with these eight filters, it will slowly but surely change your life. You'll have more joy in your life. Filter your thinking with these eight great filters.

Let's pray. Father, help us to think along the lines that you want us to think. Help us to think through these eight things in our life so that they become filters. Let them filter out everything that's not that and filter in only what these are. We'll find more joy there. Our world always wants to bring us down. Like crabs in a bucket, people want to bring us down with them into the bucket. We want to crawl out and we can crawl out of the bucket when we practice the right kind of thinking. Biblical thinking. Help us to find joy in that, God. Help us to not give up if it doesn't work in one day, because it takes a long time to change your stinking thinking. And I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Sep 13 8:10 AM

Joy Through Anxious Times

Sep 13 8:10 AM

Monday, September 13, 2021

The Bible says you can find joy through your anxious times. Whatever times you're going through that are leading to anxiety, you can replace your anxiety with joy.

Monday, September 13, 2021

Philippians 4:6-7

Boy, these are anxious times. Between world events, COVID, our economy, jobs, etc., there's so much to be anxious about. If we focus on the things of this world, a lot of anxiousness. Maybe you feel anxiety because of some personal things going on in your own life, some family things, some marriage things, or some things with your kids. It's so easy to get anxious, nervous, and discontented inside. The Bible has an answer to that. The Bible says you can find joy through your anxious times. Whatever times you're going through that are leading to anxiety, you can replace your anxiety with joy. How do you do that? Let's look at Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

So, he says, "Do not be anxious about anything." It's like, "Oh, thanks. Just don't be anxious." But then Paul explains, "but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." What's Paul saying? The way you avoid being anxious about anything is to pray about everything. Whenever you feel anxiety, pray on it. Whenever you feel anxious about this, that, or the other, pray for this, that or the other. Anxiety and prayer to God cannot coexist. Prayer will always bring a defeat of anxiety. Why? Because of the rest of the verse. Paul says, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." That's the result. When you are anxious about anything. You pray about everything, and the peace of God will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus. First, it'll guard your hearts. The word guard means to establish a century guard, a powerful protective guard that is virtually impenetrable. He'll guard your heart. What is your heart? It is your emotions, the seat of your emotions. In the Hebrew Old Testament, the heart was considered a seat of the human emotional system. It will guard your emotions.

God's peace will also guard your mind, because where does anxiety start? In the mind. We have thoughts that we just rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. We replay them, rehearse them, replay them, rehearse them, replay them, rehearse them. We ask ourselve, "What am I going to do? How am I going to get out? How am I going to do it?" And it's all about anxiety. If you pray when you're anxious, your heart or your emotions, and your mind and your thoughts will be kept at peace in Christ Jesus. Try it. Pray. If we did as much praying as we did worrying, we would have an awful lot less to worry about. Pray every time you're anxious. Catch it early. It's like a disease, the earlier you catch it, the likelier It is to be resolved quickly. The minute you're feeling self anxious, say, "God help me not be anxious about that. You've got it." If your job is stressful, say, "God help me not be anxious about my job, you control everything." Your family is mess? Don't be anxious about it, say, "God help me to do the best thing I can do for my family. Help me to control my controllables and realize that I'm only one person. Everybody else has to do whatever else they're going to do." I'm telling you right now, if you want joy, you can have joy through times of anxiety if you'll pray and experience God's peace in your heart and in your mind. Are you willing to do that? Every time you're anxious, pray.

Let's pray. Father, I pray right now that whatever is bothering me and whatever is bothering anybody watching this life lifter, I pray that they would lift it up to you, God. I pray right now to just give it to God. Say, "God, I'm anxious about such and such. I'm anxious about this. I'm anxious about that." Tell him tell him in your own words. Pour out your heart to him. He's a God of refuge. God, as they pour out their prayers to you now and throughout the day, week, month, year, and throughout the rest of their life, give us the answer to this promise that you'll give us a peace that guards our heart and our minds in your son Jesus Christ. I claim this for them. I claim this for me, in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

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