Life Lifters | Lakeshore Community Church

Jun 09 7:47 AM

Relational Distance

Jun 09 7:47 AM

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Today, I want to talk to you about something that might throw you through a little bit of a loop, but it's really important. It's the concept of relational distance.

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Acts 15:36-40

Today, I want to talk to you about something that might throw you through a little bit of a loop, but it's really important. It's the concept of relational distance. Here's where I'm coming from. First of all, the Bible says that if you are a Christian you must love everybody, you don't get a choice. God loved you unconditionally. We love as he first loved us. If he loved us unconditionally, we have to love people unconditionally. You don't get a choice in this. Unless you want to be disobedient to God, you have to love all people, but not all people are truly lovable. So what's the rub? You have to love all people but not all people are lovable. What's the rub? The rub is this. There are some people you must learn to love from a distance.

I want to talk to you about a passage in the book of Acts. I found it very fascinating. It's the account of the Apostle Paul and Barnabas. They're really good friends and they're getting ready to do a missionary journey. In Acts 15, they have a Christian fight. I'd like to see that on pay per view. Let's get ready to rumble! Paul versus Barnabas the Missionary! Anyway, enough of that. So the Apostle Paul and Barnabas are getting ready to go on a missionary journey, they have a Christian fight, and we are witness to it in Acts 15:36-40. It says, 'Sometime later, Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers and all the towns where we preach the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.'

So, in other words, Barnabas said, "Come on, let's take John Mark." John is also known as John Mark, he wrote the Gospel of Mark. Paul said, "Nah, I tried that already. He deserted us." There are two things happening that maybe you wouldn't read or know from the text. First, they have different personalities. Paul was more of a task achievement guy. He loved people, but he had to get the job done, the mission that God gave him - see Acts 20:24 where he says, "Nothing else, but the mission God gave me." Now Barnabas' name literally means Son of Encouragement. He was a little bit more on the people side. So he asks Paul to give John Mark a second chance, but Paul said, "I gave him a first chance, it didn't work." That's the first thing.

Here's the second thing, John Mark was Barnabas' cousin. So he knew him a little bit better, and there was maybe a little familial pull there. But listen to this, starting in verse 39, "They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord." They didn't even do the missionary journey together. You know, it's interesting, the Bible never says who's right or who's wrong. The Bible never even says if they totally patched things up, although there are some suggestions that they at least were friends. But here's what probably happened, at least, as a result of that occurrence: They were friends from a distance.

Sometimes, you're going to have to learn to be a friend from a distance, to love from a distance. There are some people I really don't want to engage with. They're toxic, they're dark, they're evil, but the God of heaven and earth says I'm called to love them. So, I have to love them from a distance. Is there anybody in your world that you have to love from a distance? Love from a distance. Give that some thought, because you are called to love everybody, and the two errors are either that you think to love means to pretend nothing happened. Wrong. The other error is to believe that love means you're not going to engage them even if they didn't hurt you, and you never can do anything. Wrong. Love from a distance is the answer.

Let's pray. Father, we all have people that drive us nuts, but those are the people who you have called us to love. Help us to learn how to love them. If needed, help us to love them from a distance. I asked this in the strong name of the lover of our soul, Jesus Christ. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Jun 07 8:07 AM

Not Everyone is a Close Friend

Jun 07 8:07 AM

Monday, June 7, 2021

We don't always do relationships so well. If we are great at relationships, then why is the world such a mess?

Monday, June 7, 2021

Proverbs 12:26, Proverbs 19:2

Relationships are super important. I have found more and more that people need biblical help on relationships. We don't always do relationships so well. If we are great at relationships, then why is the world such a mess? It's a mess, in part, because people struggle with how to relate to each other. So today, I want to talk to you about this truth. This is a little bit of a challenging truth, it's going to challenge your views on relationships. Here it is: Not everyone is a close friend. You know, there are three levels of relationships. You have acquaintances, friends, and close friends. I would define a friend as somebody who you might see semi-regularly, you can share a little bit with them, and you remember things about each other. Close friends, or companions, are really tight relationships. Here's what I want to say. Sometimes you can treat an acquaintance like a close friend and you get in trouble. Or you can treat a friend like a close friend, or a companion like an acquaintance. You have to know and correctly define your relationships. Not everybody is a close friend. In fact, here's what I want to warn you. I believe this because I have found this to be true. You have fewer close friends than you realize. We tend to think we have lots of close friends, but they're not as close as you think. I think you have less close friends. I think most of us have less super close friends than we think. There are exceptions, of course. Where do I get that from? Here's a couple passages of Scripture that speak to this from the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 12:26, "A righteous man is cautious in friendship." Why is a righteous man cautious in friendship? Because not everybody is a companion or a good friend. They might be a friend, they might be an acquaintance, so you're cautious. Remeber that you have to pace relationships. Don't go too fast. Don't go 10 miles when the first time you meet somebody you should only go 100 yards. Here's another one - Proverbs 19:2 says, "Zeal without knowledge is not good." In other words, you may be zealous for a relationship, but if you don't know that person, it doesn't work out. By the way, that speaks of anything. Zeal without knowledge in any area of life is not good. So who are your closest friends? Are you sure they're your closest friends? Who are your friends, or your acquaintances? You probably have no more than 5 to 10 really, really close friends. I heard one person say that a close friend is someone you call at three in the morning with something you need to talk about, and not one time in that conversation do they say, "Do you know what time it is?" That's when you know you have a close friend. So, just be careful with your close friends. Not everybody is a close friend. Don't expect to have massive numbers of close friends. By definition, a close friend is a small, tight knit group.

Let's pray. Father, it's so important that we understand our relationships. And it's so important that we understand that not everybody is a super close friend. We may wish it, we may want it, but it takes two to form a close relationship. Help us to know who those close relationships are with, and who they are not with. Help us to accept that. Someone we thought was a close friend is just a friend, or someone we thought was a friend is just an acquaintance. God, help us to be pleasantly surprised that a friend was really a close friend who loved us more than we ever realized. Help us to discern that and accept the close friends you've given us, and to do everything we can to be close friends back to them. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Jun 04 8:14 AM

Relationships Are Like Teeth

Jun 04 8:14 AM

Friday, June 4, 2021

Relationships are what life is all about. The people who have the best relationships are always learning how to relate better, and we all can learn to relate better to people.

Friday, June 4, 2021

Proverbs 25:19, Proverbs 17:17

Relationships are what life is all about. The people who have the best relationships are always learning how to relate better, and we all can learn to relate better to people. With the environment we're in, in this world, we need to relate better. So today, I have a profound thought for you about relationships. Ready? Here it is: Relationships are like teeth. What I mean by that is that if you want to have nice teeth, you have to get regular checkups. You know, you're supposed to go every six months to see the dentist. So, first you see the dental assistant, and he goes in there, gets that little metal pick, picks around, flosses you, and then puts the teeth cleaner in there. But then, the worst scary part is when the dentist comes in, because he's looking in your mouth for problems. I've had a few cavities, and as he looks in your mouth, you're praying, "Oh please, Lord, don't let him find a cavity. Even if I have a cavity, don't let them see it." Because if they do, then you have to come back, get it filled, and all that.

Here's all I want to say: If you want to have great teeth, you have to have regular checkups to see if there are any problems. If you want to have great relationships, you have to check up on your relationships. That's why relationships are like teeth. And I didn't just randomly make that up, I get it from the Proverbs. The book of Proverbs has tons of advice on relationships. Look at what Proverbs 25:19 says. It says, "Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble." In other words, if relationships are like teeth, and you want to do checkups, sometimes you think you have a great relationship and it's not. you think that's a strong tooth, but man it's got a massive cavity or a small cavity that you haven't seen. You have to check up your relationships know where your relationship is, do a little trial tests to see how they respond. And you may sometimes find that you have overestimated that relationship.

Here's another one. Proverbs 17:17, "A friend is loyal always, and a brother is born to help in time of need." One of the great tests of a relationship when you're trying to give a relational checkup is to ask, "When I need help, will they help me?" Now, I have to make sure you're not asking for $10,000 worth of help from a $10 relationship. You know what I mean? You can ask way too much from a young relationship, but if you ask a reasonable amount from someone you think is a reasonable friend, their response is really going to tell you where the relationship stands. It's so important that you check up on your relationships. You need to find ways to assess and ask, "Is this a solid relationship? Or is this a cavity relationship?" It's really important because sometimes we make mistakes, and we all will, but you don't want to over-rely on a bad relationship, it can really mess you up. So check up on your relationships. How's your relationship with your family, your neighbors, your children if you have them, your parents, your spouse, etc.? Check up on those relationships. If you need to make some improvements, great. If they need to make some improvements and they can't, understand it and know what you got. If they can make improvements, know you got a really good friend.

Let's pray. Father, thank you for the reminder that relationships are like teeth, and we need to rely on the right ones, not the wrong ones. Help us to know how to give ourselves relational checkups like our dentists knows how to check our teeth for cavities. Help us have the discernment to know who we can rely on, and who we shouldn't in our relationships. In Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

Jun 02 8:55 AM

Easy Does It Relationships

Jun 02 8:55 AM

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Do you think most people go too fast in a relationship or too slow today? The answer is too fast. Most people go way too fast - sometimes, people get into a relationship and they go from zero to 60 faster than a Lamborghini and that's not good.

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Proverbs 25:17 NIV; Proverbs 19:2b NLT

Today, I want to talk to you about relationships like I did last time, and will for the next few times, because relationships are so important. They determine the direction of our life and the satisfaction of our life. With COVID and things opening up, relationships are kind of getting more back to normal, we're seeing more people, we're going to need skills and wisdom on how to manage relationships. So today, I want to talk to you about this principle, you need more "easy-does-it relationships". Easy-does-it, take it easy, calm down, and here's what I mean by that - sometimes, people get into a relationship and they go from zero to 60 faster than a Lamborghini and that's not good. A relationship that moves too fast, is not going to be a reliable, solid relationship. So when you start to make a friend by being a friend, which was our last life lifter, you have to learn how to pace a relationship.
Most people struggle with pacing a relationship. Do you think most people go too fast in a relationship or too slow today? The answer is too fast. Most people go way too fast. They go on a first date, and somebody wants to plan the wedding, it's a little too fast. I know somebody that met someone and got married within two weeks of meeting them, a little too far, too fast. And then sometimes people go way too slow. And so you have to learn how to pace a relationship.

In other words, go a little step, and then wait and then go another step. But don't try to go ten steps in a relationship when you should only take one step at a time. I get that from a couple verses in the book of Proverbs, which speaks so much about relationships with some of these doozies. Proverbs 25:17 says "seldom set foot and your neighbor's house, too much of you, and he will hate you". I have a great next door neighbors. One of my next door neighbors, he's such a great guy and he's really good at everything. So whenever I have something that needs repair, I go "Hey, Mike, can you take a look at this?" and my wife would say "would you stop bugging Mike?". Too much in your neighbor's house and he will be sick of you, not sick of me because I give him little gifts and everything. But you got to be careful not to keep engaging a relationship too fast. Now, if you're really, really super friends, you can do that, but that takes time. There's no substitute for time. You have to pace relationships.

Here's another one. Proverbs 19:2, "A person who moves too quickly, may go the wrong way". And here's what I found, a lot of people that don't pace relationships that move too quickly, who don't have an easy-does-it-view of relationships, they get in trouble. They do things in that relationship they shouldn't do. They share things in that relationship they shouldn't share. They give up things in that relationship that they shouldn't give up. They trust in that relationship, things they shouldn't trust. And it's because you have not learned to take it easy. Take it easy. There's always tomorrow for that relationship.

Are you pacing your relationships appropriately? Are you moving too quickly in any relationship? Back off, slow it down. You can go too fast in a relationship by sharing too much too quickly, by meeting too often, so many different ways you can go too fast in a relationship. Maybe some of you just need to hear "take it easy". Take it easy. I'm not talking about loving people, I'm just talking about going too fast in a relationship. Relationships are like a fine wine, they only get better with time and I hope you'll do that.

Father, I pray that if there's anybody that may be moving too fast or perhaps even too slow in a relationship give them the wisdom to pace it. Give them the wisdom to know not to move too quickly, not to always be at the person's house or in the person's world, but to pace it, to have an easy-does-it view. Help them to know when to do one or the other. And we ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Hey, easy does it have a great day!

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

May 31 8:27 AM

The Most Important Relational Vitamin

May 31 8:27 AM

Monday, May 31, 2021

Life, it's all about relationships, our relationship with God, and our relationships with people. Today, I want to talk to you about the most important relational vitamin.

Monday, May 31, 2021

Proverbs 3:27-28, Proverbs 27:10

Thank you for joining me for this edition of life lifters. Our whole purpose on life lifters is to give your life a lift, there a five minute blast of encouragement, and scripture. You know, for these next few life lifters, I'm going to talk to you about relationships. Life, it's all about relationships, our relationship with God, and our relationships with people. And through COVID, we learned a lot more about relationships. For these next few life lifters I'll talk to you about relationships. We'll talk about different aspects of relationships to help you in your relationships with other people.

Today, I want to talk to you about the most important relational vitamin. What's the most important relational vitamin? Vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin B complex? What is most important vitamin when it comes to relationships? B one. The most important vitamin when it comes to relationships is B1, or b - e - o - n - e, Be one. The most important thing to do in a relationship, if you want friends, is to be a friend. To make a friend, you must be a friend. That's where the one vitamin B1 comes from. I get that from a few verses in the book of Proverbs. In Proverbs chapter three, verses 27 to 28. It says, "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it's in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don't say 'come back tomorrow, and I'll help you'". What's that saying? Whenever you have an opportunity to be a friend, be one, and you'll make one. Don't pass up opportunities to be a friend. Be friendly with everybody that you possibly can, because that's the most important vitamin.

Here's another one, Proverbs 27:10. It says "never abandon a friend". So the first one is kind of establishing friends. And this one, "never abandoned a friend -- either yours or your father's. Then in your time of need, you don't have to ask your relatives for assistance". So he's saying that whenever you have an opportunity to relate to somebody, be a friend. That doesn't mean you have to be bosom buddies, but I know this, I would rather have too many acquaintances that I have to pick and choose from, to find who my real friends are, then they have almost nobody, you know?

Are you being a friend? Are you friendly? Do you treat people with respect? Are you a good friend whenever you can be to other people? If you are, then you're going to have lots of acquaintances and relationships, and people are going to respect you. And you won't have to be one of those people that worries if there will be six people in this world that love me enough to carry my casket when I die, which is kind of a morbid thought, but think about that you would like to be the kind of person that has such a great relationship with so many people that the funeral home was packed for your memorial service. It's a great thought. And it happens when you're a friend. So to make a friend be one. So be one, be one to your neighbor, be one to somebody at work, be one at the grocery store, at Kohl's. Be a friend.

Let's pray. Father, help all of us remember to make a friend we have to be a friend. Instead of waiting for somebody to be friendly to us, help us to be friendly to them. Not only can we build a relationship, we can also perhaps have an opportunity to share our faith and help them find the God we love, Jesus Christ. We ask all us in Jesus name, Amen. The most important vitamin in relationships. Be one. I hope you'll be one today.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

May 28 8:11 AM

Exalting God

May 28 8:11 AM

Friday, May 28, 2021

The Psalms are so clear in how we are to approach God in worship. And it's always interesting because it's never about us, it's always about him.

Friday, May 28, 2021

Psalm 100

Today I want to talk to you about this idea of exalting God. That sounds lofty, that sounds huge, and it is. But the Psalms are so clear in how we are to approach God in worship. And it's always interesting because it's never about us, it's always about him. I want to read Psalm 100 and draw seven principles from it. Psalm 100 says this, "Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord himself is God; it is he who made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting, and his faithfulness to all generations."

How do we exalt God? Well, let me tell you, there are seven things that just jump out of this psalm. The first thing is this that you shout for joy. It says, "Shout joyfully to the Lord." What's interesting about the word 'shout' here is it's actually the word that is used for a battle cry. Now, when we talk about a battle cry, think of that movie, Braveheart, that came out in the 90s. In it you have these massive armies on the field, right? And they're shouting as they're going toward one another. That was a battle cry. It was a cry of triumph. It was a cry that would deafen the ears of anyone listening. He says, "Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth." That's the first thing in exalting God. It's okay to shout and to give him the praise, and do it as a battle cry.

The second thing is "Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful singing." So, if the first is shout with a battle cry of joy, the second is serve him. Serve God, serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him and serve him with gladness. The third is this, "come before him with joyful singing." So, we shout triumphantly, we serve Him, and we sing joyfully, or lift our voices joyfully to him. The fourth is, "Know that the Lord himself is God." Know that he is God, and we are not. Know that he is the one who is in control, and he is the one orchestrating all things. It has nothing to do with us. The fifth, "It is he who made us and not we, ourselves." See what God has done, see what he is doing and see what he has done. The sixth is this from verse four, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise." Enter His gates with thanksgiving. This psalm is a song of thanksgiving. When we say thanksgiving, that means "God we are giving you thanks." We are saying thank you for who you are, for what you've done for us, and how you're working in our lives. And then it says, "Give him thanks, bless his name." What does that mean? Praise him. Give him all the glory, give him all of it, everything because he deserves it. Why? Look at verse five, "For the Lord is good; his loving kindness is everlasting, and his faithfulness to all generations." He alone is worthy, it has nothing to do with what we can do on our own strength, and our own being.

So, let me just recap that. To exalt the Lord, you shout for joy with a battle cry, it's a triumphant shout. You serve Him, you sing joyfully, you know that he is God, know that he is the one who has created everything. You see what he has done, he made us, we didn't make him. You enter His gates with thanksgiving, shouting that thanks to him. And then lastly, you praise his name. That is how we exalt God. That is how we worship Him. And I want to challenge you today. If you're going into church this coming Sunday, or during the week, or whatever that looks like for you, I want to challenge you to worship God with abandon. Worship God and exalt Him as psalm 100 goes through. You shout joyfully, you proclaim it. You serve Him, you sing joyfully, you know that he is God. You see what he has done, you enter those gates with thanksgiving, and you praise his name.

Father, thank you so much for how we can come before you in worship. Thank you that we can praise you. I pray, Lord, that we would just stay laser-focused on who you are, what you've done, your strength, and how you are mindful of us individually. Let us remember how you love us unconditionally. In church this week and even throughout our day, throughout our week, even if we're just driving in our car, let us shout triumphantly for you because of what you've done and who you are. We thank you, in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Brian Pawlowski

May 26 7:41 AM

Knowing God

May 26 7:41 AM

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

The Bible is rich with insight about how to know God. In fact, the Bible IS how we know God, who he is and his characteristics and attributes.

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Psalm 119:9-16

Today, I'm going to talk about a very big topic in a very small amount of time. It's the idea of, "how do I know God?" The Bible is rich with insight about how to know God. In fact, the Bible IS how we know God, who he is and his characteristics and attributes. I want to focus in on one specific area from Psalm 119. I think there are seven principles that we can draw from this, and you can dig into this a little bit more on your own time. We are in Psalm 119:9-16. We don't know who wrote this song, but whoever wrote it knew God. It says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word."

Now, there's a lot there. We're going to quickly draw seven principles and answer the question, "How can I know God?" First thing is Keeping the Word. He says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word." In other words, by keeping the word of God, keeping the teachings of the Scriptures, holding on to them. The second thing he says is, "I will seek you with all of my heart, do not let me stray from your commands." Seek God, go after him. You search out for him, you go with everything that you are. He says, "I seek you with all of my heart." That means with all of my mind, with all of my understanding, I'm going to pursue you, God. Then he says, "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." So the third thing is this, Hide the Word. Now, that's a strange way to say it, but think of it this way: treasure it. When you have something that you deeply love and treasure, maybe it's a family heirloom, or maybe it's something that is significant or valuable, you hide it away. You keep it separate to keep it safe, and to keep it preserved. That's what he's saying. Hide the word, treasure the word of God, keep it in a safe place. Then he says, "Praise be to you, O Lord, teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth." So, the fourth thing is to Proclaim. When he says recount, we think of remembering, but the word actually here means to proclaim with my lips. I will shout, I will proclaim all of the laws that come from God's mouth. Proclaim the truth. That's the fourth thing.

The fifth thing is this, he says, "I rejoice in following your statutes, as one rejoices in great riches." The fifth is Rejoice in How Just God Is. "I rejoice in following your statutes," or following your instructions and your laws, "as one rejoices in great riches." So, rejoice in how just God truly is. The sixth thing is this, "I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways." This is Meditate on God's Call for You, specifically. He says "precepts and ways," meaning his instruction. Meditate on it. Think about it. When you're going throughout the day, it's not just about opening the Bible and seeing a couple words, it's meditating on it, thinking through what that means. He says to meditate on the precepts, the instructions, the path that God is setting you on. The seventh thing is this, "I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Delight in His Word, find the joy and satisfaction in His Word to us.

So, let me answer that question that I started with. How do we truly know God? It's by knowing his word, and let me just recap the seven things. I know God by keeping his word, by seeking God with all that I am, by hiding his word in my heart and treasuring it, and by proclaiming the truth. I had a pastor friend tell me if you really want to understand something, you teach it. Proclaim it, proclaim the truth. Number five, rejoice in how just God is. Number six, meditate on how God calls us and what He has called us for. Seven, delight in His Word with joy and satisfaction. I don't know where you are today. I don't know what you're wrestling with. I don't know what your day looks like or what you're walking into. But know this, that God is with you. And God is for you. The way that you can be sure of that, the way that you can truly know him, is by the seven things that we talked about today.

Let me pray for you. Father, again, thank you so much for the Bible. Thank you so much for how you speak to us through it. I pray that we would remember these seven steps on how we can truly know you, so that there's no question, no hesitation. For that person who's watching or listening right now and they're just not sure, let them be encouraged. Lord, let them open that book and let them walk through those steps to understand, truly, who you are. We thank you for how you've clearly revealed yourself to us through your word. And we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Brian Pawlowski

May 26 7:28 AM

How to Worship

May 26 7:28 AM

Monday, May 24, 2021

Worshiping God is a lifestyle. Worshiping God is is how we conduct ourselves and what we're allowing God to do in our own lives.

Monday, May 24, 2021

Psalm 51:10, 12, 15-17

Today, I want to talk to you about worshiping God. How do you actually worship God? When we talk about worship, it's usually associated with the music portion of the service. When you come in, everyone's singing a song of praise, hands are being raised, things are going on, etc. It is a great experience, but worshiping God is not always just about that experience for 20-30 minutes on a Sunday morning. Worshiping God is a lifestyle. Worshiping God is is how we conduct ourselves and what we're allowing God to do in our own lives.

Today, I want to look at a psalm that I think really is a great starting point for how we are to worship God. It's written by David, it's Psalm 51. And I'm going to read some select verses from Psalm 51. Starting in verse 10, he says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." And then verse 12, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit." And then jumping ahead to verses 15-17, "Oh, Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare your praise. For you do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise, I would give it; You are not pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, Oh God, you will not despise."

David wrote this at a very difficult time in his life, when he was filled with grief. He was completely humbled and ashamed because he had just committed adultery, and he comes back to God, and he's begging through this prayer for forgiveness. He's doing a couple different things here. First, he says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a steadfast spirit within me." He's like, God, I know, I screwed up. I know, I screwed up, God cleanse my heart, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Then, he says, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, sustain me with a willing spirit." He is longing for what God's going to do in his life, how God is going to continue to pull him through. Then, he says, "Lord opened my lips, that my mouth may declare your praise. For you do not delight and sacrifice, otherwise, I would give it. You're not pleased in a burnt offering."

He's saying, God, I know that I'm going to give you offerings, but that's not what you want. That's not what you care about in this moment. He says, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, Oh, God, that you will not despise." God is looking for our humility. But he's also looking for us to be able to admit that we're broken, for us to be willing to take a step to surrender to Him. Then, ultimately, we're going to follow him through obedience. God is not looking for you to do something. Maybe you're struggling with a sin in your life. Maybe something's going on in your life that you just feel absolutely guilty about because you know it is against God. Please understand, God has already forgiven you through the blood of Jesus Christ, but God is not looking for you to do something to to pay him back, so to speak. He's looking for you to admit that you're broken, and that you can't do this without Him. God does not ask us to ever be perfect, especially when we worship Him. He asks us to come to him, realizing it is not about us. It is about him. It is not about how strong we are. It's about how strong he is.

I want to close with these words from 2 Corinthians 12:8. Paul is speaking and says, "Concerning this, I implored the Lord three times, that it might leave me." He had something that he was really struggling with, and he asked God to take it away from him three times. And this is what God's response was, " 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I [Paul] will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell within me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, I am strong." Why? Because God shows up in our weaknesses. And that's only when he can do it, not on our own strength. So wherever you are, and if you're trying to consider this whole thing, asking how do I worship God? It's coming to him broken, realizing that he's the only one that can do it. And then realizing that it is your weakness that makes you strong, because God shines through that, and Christ's righteousness comes through that. So, I don't know where you are today. I don't know what you're wrestling with. I don't know what you're struggling with. But as your first step, your action of worship for today, just recognize that you are broken, and come to God like that. He will honor it, and he will be made known because of it.

Let me pray for you. Father, thank you so much for the gift of your word, and just how clear it is that we don't need to be perfect. Lord, we just ask that you give us that clean spirit, the willing spirit, that we would recognize we are broken. We surrender to you, and pray that we would be obedient. Whoever's reading right now, whatever they're struggling with right now Lord, I pray that they would just have the courage to say, "God we know that we are broken and we give it to you." In Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Brian Pawlowski

May 21 8:02 AM

A Reminder of God's Greatness

May 21 8:02 AM

Friday, May 21, 2021

It's important that you remind yourself of appointments, dates, holidays, etc. But even more importantly, you need to find a plan to remind yourself of the greatness of God.

Friday, May 21, 2021

Psalm 63:2-3

How do you remind yourself of important information? People do lots of different things. I have different reminders all the time. Sometimes, I'll have a reminder on my phone, and my administrative assistant sets reminders to pop up on my phone calendar. Sometimes, when I get in the office, events like somebody's birthday or a holiday pop up on my computer screen. I'm kind of old fashioned, I have a day timer with paper pages, and I write things in there as a reminder. Sometimes, I have little scraps of paper where I write notes. We have all different ways to try to remind ourselves, and here's what I want to tell you: It's important that you remind yourself of appointments, dates, holidays, etc. But even more importantly, you need to find a plan to remind yourself of the greatness of God.

So I want to talk to you about a brief reminder of God's greatness from Psalm 63:2-3, Listen to it, take it in, and think about how great God is. The Psalmist says, "I have seen you, God, in the sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself, how I praise you." He talks about God's power, glory, and love. Think about the power of God - he's omnipotent. Think about the glory of God and the unfailing love of God. God is great. He loves us when we don't deserve it. He glorifies himself through us, and we get some of the credit sometimes. He's all powerful. He's over your life, over this world, and over everything that happens, even if it doesn't make sense. For that, we need to be reminded of God's greatness. Maybe you need to put that verse on your phone every day when you wake up. God is great. Maybe you need to write yourself a note and put it on your mirror for when you shave, or put on makeup, or whatever you do in the mirror. You need to remind yourself of God's greatness.

When you do look at what the psalmist says, when you remind yourself of God's greatness, he says, "Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself." In other words, the Psalmist says he would rather have God's love than be alive. In fact, God's love is what gives us life. Are you in love with God? Have you remembered his greatness? Have you forgotten? Have you let the distractions of this world pull you away? I think of the great hymn, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full into his wonderful face. And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." I would even add greatness there.

Maybe you need to have a little heart-to-heart with God, spend a little time with God. A little reflection about God's greatness. Because I know this, when you acknowledge God's greatness, God will bring greatness into your life. Think about how good he's been to you. Think about all the things he's done for you. If you're a Christian and if he did nothing more than forgive your sins, put you in right relationship with Him, and promise that you don't need to do anything more, that would be enough. And yet, he does so much more. So, let's thank God for his greatness.

Father, you are so great. Your glory, your power, and your love are better than life itself. Remind us today, tomorrow, and every day that you're great. Whatever greatness we think you are, you're greater than that. Then, when we think you're greater than that, you're still greater than that. Every time we grasp a little more of your greatness, we realize there's infinitely more greatness to grasp. Help us to make you great in our lives as well. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

May 19 8:02 AM

I CAN Get Some... Satisfaction!

May 19 8:02 AM

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

...today I want to talk to you about how you can get some satisfaction.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Psalm 63:5-7

I'm going to go back a little bit. There are no old people at Lakeshore, only middle aged. I don't feel like I'm old, and whatever your age is if you come to Lakeshore, you will not feel old, you will be middle aged. So, I say that because I want to go back in time to the Rolling Stones. Yep. A life lifter involving the Rolling Stones. And they had a great hit song called, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." I heard that they are going on tour one last time and they're calling the tour, "I Can't Get No Circulation." Haha!

Anyway, so they had a song called, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," and today I want to talk to you about how you can get some satisfaction. If any of you know Mick, Keith Richards, and the other guys, maybe you could send them this. Then, maybe they can get some satisfaction. This idea comes from Psalm 63:5-7, where the psalmist says this about God. He says, "God, you satisfy me more than the richest of foods. I will praise you with songs of joy. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings."

Think about an amazing dinner. What's your favorite food? Have you had to go to an amazing white-linen restaurant and have an amazing dinner. When you leave, you're not too full, not too empty. The psalmist goes on, saying, "I will praise you with songs of joy" because he's so satisfied. He lies awake thinking of God, meditating on him through the night. Those are pleasant thoughts. "I think how much you have helped me." That's satisfying. "I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings." What is the psalmist saying? He's saying, "Every time I think about you, God, I get excited. You're better than than an amazing meal. I think about you at night. You help me when I have needs." How can you get some satisfaction? Start thinking more accurately about God. Start thinking about how good he is. Another kind of meal related metaphor is when the Bible says, "Taste and see, that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).

Have you reflected on the greatness of God? If you do, and if you appropriate it in your life, you will get some satisfaction. What do you need to do to think more deeply about God? Maybe you need to read the Psalms. Maybe you need to read a book about the character traits of God. Whatever it takes, fall in love with God by reading more about who he is, and you'll be satisfied. I know this: the most satisfying times of my life are when I really see God for who he is, and I really see myself for who I am. I thank God that out of this whole world, he chose me and chose you if you're a Christian. It's an amazing thought. Find satisfaction in God. Stop drinking from other wells that don't satisfy. Stop drinking from dry wells, contaminated wells, and drink from the living water. Jesus said, "I am the living water and whoever drinks from me will never thirst again." Let God satisfy you.

Let's pray. Father in heaven, you are the most satisfying person in the universe. Forgive us for trying to find satisfaction in people, places, and things. Help us to find satisfaction in you, in thinking about you, falling more deeply in love with you. Help us to be satisfied in you. And everything else that we get in life is gravy. I asked this in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

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