The Author of Faith

Hebrews 12:2  - Looking unto Jesus the author ... of our faith. 

Have you ever noticed how prone we humans are to be negative. It is almost as if we were hardwired to believe the worst. We have a pain and think cancer. We hear an odd noise in the car and think the engine is about to blow up. We hear thunder pop and think something has exploded. You get the picture. Our arch enemy, the devil, will spare no expense to make us think things are much worse than they are. It is his job to sow fear, confusion, and doubt into the heart of a child of God. He is constantly looking for a way to cause us to worry.

Jesus, on the other hand, is the author of every good thing in our lives. He fills us with peace, joy, and hope. When we spend time in his word and in prayer we are infused with supernatural strength that gives us courage and makes us bold. We come away from a time of prayer with clarity of mind that often surprises us. We make better decisions after talking to Jesus for just a short while. He hears our prayer and gives guidance when we ask him for it.

Our lives are an open book with a fresh page turned every day. If we give in to worry, fear, and the lot, that days story will be one of misery and gloom. But if we begin the day with God, he will write faith onto the pages of our hearts. No matter what we come in contact with through the day we will have the answer for Jesus always foresees every situation, good or bad. Why not let him write some faith into your heart today? Give Jesus the pen (control) of your life today. Our lives are telling a story and no one can tell a story like Jesus. After all, he is the author (and finisher) of our faith.

In Faith,

Sullivan Jones 

How to Feel Good About Yourself

Matthew 20: 26-27
Whoever will be great among you, let him be your minister . And whoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.

All of us like to feel important. It is important to feel important.  We need to feel like what we do matters. We need to feel like we are an important member of the team. Everyone gets at least some sense of self worth from knowing that he/she is making a difference.

Some people so feel the need to be noticed and appreciated that they become the "class clowns." There is always another joke to be told or prank to pull. As long as someone is laughing the clown will keep acting out. The reason is simple. He feels the need to be appreciated and important.

You can always tell when someone lacks a sense of importance or self worth. That is the person who is always belittling others. The person with little self worth will make others the brunt of his jokes. Many times this person does not even realize why he feels the need to pick on others. Still others find their sense of self -importance in how much money they make, how many degrees they can earn, and the list goes on.

Are you feeling useless and unimportant? Wishing you could be more involved in your church, community, etc? Feeling unappreciated at work? I challenge you to find someone and do something nice for them this week. Maybe a co-worker is going through a struggle. Perhaps a friend or family member needs a bit of encouragement. It could even be a random act of kindness to a stranger in the grocery store. (Often those random acts are not random at all, but God inspired.) Why not try today and see if you can make someone else feel special. You'll feel better for it, I promise.

Abundantly Blessed.

Rev. Sullivan Jones

A Servant in God's House

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psalm 84:10

These words of the great King David have captured our imagination for centuries. It is not everyday that a king would admit to be willing to change places with a servant yet that is what David says in this verse. There have man many attempts to define what the psalmist meant by doorkeeper; let's suffice it to say that he meant servant.  Being a servant in the house of God might sound poetic in this line of scripture but in reality it was everything but picturesque. Servant's cooked meals and washed clothes for the priesthood. Servant's carried water and firewood; servant's emptied the remains of an animal after a sacrifice. You get the picture. In David's day worship to Jehovah required much more than it does today, at least in a physical sense. The position of servant was not the most prestigious in the temple.

Now to dwell in the tents of the wicked, that is another story. When I think of a tent, I think of camping but this is not what David meant. The Ark of the Lord in his time was housed in a tent. (Later Solomon built the temple after the layout of this tent.) The priest were allowed to go into the first section of the tent, called the Holy place. Beyond that, behind a heavy veil, was the Holy of Holies which contained the ark of the covenant. For all intents and purposes, this Holy of Holies was the only place where one could commune with God on a "face to face" basis and it was off limits to everyone but the High Priest of Israel. The high priest could only enter this Holy of Holies once a year.  Even David as King could not go into the Holy Place. The priesthood to Jehovah was limited to the tribe of Levi and the high priest had to be a direct descendant of Aaron, Moses' brother. This certainly excluded David since he was from the tribe of Judah.

Contrast this with being a pagan priest. Almost anyone could become a priest to a religion other than Jehovah. In fact, kings were often the high priest's to pagan religions. Many times pagan tribes worshipped not only the god their king represented but the king himself. No doubt David knew this. He could have become a king-priest to another other god and not have to depend on a priest. But he knew that it would profit nothing because the presence of Jehovah could be found in no other place than the tabernacle of the Lord. In light of this David's words take on much more significance. He was saying that he would rather worship on the outskirts of the temple dedicated to the one true God than to be in a place of honor to a false god.

There are those who love to ridicule Christian worship. It doesn't make sense to bow down to a God I can't see or sing praises to a God I can't physically touch. Many things about our worship style defy the logical mind. It would sometimes seem easier to seek another way to worship, one that leans more to gratification of fleshly desires. It would certainly be more popular,  for in our day fundamental Christianity is less popular everyday. Yet the presence of God is what draws me back to God's house to worship every time. We don't have to have the best choir; the pastor doesn't need to be the most educated or the finest orator. My fellow church members don't have to be the most prestigious in the community. As long as I can feel God's presence as I worship I will say like David, "I would rather be a servant in God's house than to be in a place of honor where His spirit isn't found." Wouldn't you?

In Christ's Service,

Rev. Sullivan Jones