What do you want? What do you deserve? What do you expect?
The answers may not be the same. Depending on how you consider the questions, they shouldn’t be.
If you believe that what you deserve from God is judgment and punishment, then you consider yourself an unworthy sinner—even if you’ve been forgiven, pardoned by grace. But if you understand that once you accept his salvation, he adopts you, you know you are his child. You also learn that everything he has is yours; you’re a joint heir with Christ. As such, what you deserve is far different from what you once earned.
Furthermore, as a sinner, what you want from God is unattainable. Or so you think. And since you’re unredeemed you doubt you can experience God’s blessing. So you don’t expect it. But you should. And there’s a story in the Bible that illuminates this truth.
A woman, not a Jew, came to Jesus to ask for his help. Being a Greek, she wasn’t entitled to what Jesus termed the children’s bread. She answered that even dogs get fed crumbs. Now, that means neither that she saw herself as unworthy nor that she’d be content with less than what she came for. Jesus understood her intent and commended her. Because of her wisdom and her faith—that is, she expected his help—Jesus gave her what she asked for.
But how many times have you failed to ask? How many times have you expected only what you think you deserve. How many times have you walked away and didn’t get what you wanted?
Until you are pardoned—rescued from your sin, yourself, and your self—you get crumbs. Blessings, but not God’s best. Even when you don’t realize that and even though you may not be aware enough to acknowledge the truth, all that’s good in your life comes from God. You just can’t enjoy all the privileges of an heir, but he blesses you even though you’re not his.
But why would you be satisfied to lick crumbs from the floor when you could feast at his table?
That’s the question Mephibosheth had to answer. And when he did, he realized he could expect what he wanted and want what he expected—because he deserved it.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Happy Father's Day
Worship leader Randy French quipped that when he woke up today, he told God, “Happy Father’s Day.”
God is the father of us all, but unfortunately we are not all his children. One common misconception in the world today is that physical birth makes us part of God’s family. But in truth we must be born again. That’s not new news.
Nicodemus, a religious ruler in Jesus’ day, didn’t understand this. Puzzled, he asked how he could renter his mother’s womb to be born a second time. Jesus explained that the physical could only birth that which exists in this realm. To experience spiritual rebirth requires an act of God. The good news is it's his will to do so.
God loves being a father. So much so that using another analogy he described how Gentiles became part of God’s family. The Jewish people are God’s chosen, but we who were not of the lineage of Abraham can still be among God's heirs.
Today, God still deliberately searches for those who are fatherless—orphans whom he can adopt. When he finds us, he makes us his own. And he treats us no differently than the children of Israel.
He clothes us in the same righteousness. We are granted the same seal of authority as those born into his heritage. And we are given shoes, a symbol that authenticates our status as his children.
He’s given us far more, but on this day we should give him what he wants most—us.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
God is the father of us all, but unfortunately we are not all his children. One common misconception in the world today is that physical birth makes us part of God’s family. But in truth we must be born again. That’s not new news.
Nicodemus, a religious ruler in Jesus’ day, didn’t understand this. Puzzled, he asked how he could renter his mother’s womb to be born a second time. Jesus explained that the physical could only birth that which exists in this realm. To experience spiritual rebirth requires an act of God. The good news is it's his will to do so.
God loves being a father. So much so that using another analogy he described how Gentiles became part of God’s family. The Jewish people are God’s chosen, but we who were not of the lineage of Abraham can still be among God's heirs.
Today, God still deliberately searches for those who are fatherless—orphans whom he can adopt. When he finds us, he makes us his own. And he treats us no differently than the children of Israel.
He clothes us in the same righteousness. We are granted the same seal of authority as those born into his heritage. And we are given shoes, a symbol that authenticates our status as his children.
He’s given us far more, but on this day we should give him what he wants most—us.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Time Is Running Out
Do you have a purpose driven life or just a driven life? What have you accomplished in the past week or month? Or does time keep on slippin’ into the future with little or no significant progress?
Maybe we should measure time in minutes so we’ll value it more by being mindful that time is finite. Otherwise, as we grow older our hope may become bankrupt. With every passing year our regrets will increase and our remorse will be insufficient to fund what little time remains.
We can’t undo the past any more than we are guaranteed a certain future. Time is running out and we’d do well to make every moment count. To cherish our families and friends more than we do material goods or accomplishments. No one is likely to wish with their last breath that they could work one more day. But many may regret they didn’t spend their time more wisely.
So, since we cannot do everything we might like, we must, as Senior Pastor Les Hughes says, “choose our guilt.”
Perhaps two questions will help. What is your life worth? And if you will later regret what you did and wish you could live that moment again, why not choose now to do what you will never regret?
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
Maybe we should measure time in minutes so we’ll value it more by being mindful that time is finite. Otherwise, as we grow older our hope may become bankrupt. With every passing year our regrets will increase and our remorse will be insufficient to fund what little time remains.
We can’t undo the past any more than we are guaranteed a certain future. Time is running out and we’d do well to make every moment count. To cherish our families and friends more than we do material goods or accomplishments. No one is likely to wish with their last breath that they could work one more day. But many may regret they didn’t spend their time more wisely.
So, since we cannot do everything we might like, we must, as Senior Pastor Les Hughes says, “choose our guilt.”
Perhaps two questions will help. What is your life worth? And if you will later regret what you did and wish you could live that moment again, why not choose now to do what you will never regret?
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The Beautiful People
Look at an ad for almost anything from cars to cola and you’ll see them. The beautiful people. The ones who live in the nicest homes, have the best jobs, drive the fanciest cars, wear the latest fashions, and have the coolest friends. But there’s a message beyond the one that promises we can be like them.
The more subtle message is that we need to be like them; we should want to be beautiful by their standards. If we buy into this idea, we’ll spend our lives trying to obtain the unreachable—perfection.
We need to be less concerned with what people think and more with how God sees us. We need to look into the mirror of the Bible and discover what he says about us.
When we do we’ll understand our value—our worth to him. Once we realize that we are priceless, that he gave all he had to redeem us, we’ll see others and ourselves differently.
We’ll become less concerned with how people view us and more with whether or not we’re blocking their view. When we become transparent—unafraid to let others see the ugliness of our sins—Christ makes us beautiful.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
The more subtle message is that we need to be like them; we should want to be beautiful by their standards. If we buy into this idea, we’ll spend our lives trying to obtain the unreachable—perfection.
We need to be less concerned with what people think and more with how God sees us. We need to look into the mirror of the Bible and discover what he says about us.
When we do we’ll understand our value—our worth to him. Once we realize that we are priceless, that he gave all he had to redeem us, we’ll see others and ourselves differently.
We’ll become less concerned with how people view us and more with whether or not we’re blocking their view. When we become transparent—unafraid to let others see the ugliness of our sins—Christ makes us beautiful.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Christianity isn’t about personalities; it’s about people. It’s not about rituals; it’s about relationships. Ours with God and with each other.
But often times we don’t like imperfection, in others or ourselves. Consequently, we tend to judge by an impossible standard. The Pharisees did this. They heaped the Law of Moses and their own regulations on the people, but failed to keep these man-made commandments. They made little or no allowance for weaknesses, much less failures.
God isn’t like that. He loves us and exhorts us to love one another in the same way. That’s why we should be patient. We need to love others—and ourselves—long enough for God to change us.
Salvation isn’t a magic wand in the sense that our lives become trouble-free overnight. Change takes time. But grace has the power to change us—when we can’t change ourselves.
Like Mephibosheth, we remain crippled, less than whole and a bit dysfunctional. Yet we are invited to always enjoy dinner with the King. When Jesus walked this earth, he ate with sinners, flawed human beings who needed a savior. He does the same today, and so should we.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
But often times we don’t like imperfection, in others or ourselves. Consequently, we tend to judge by an impossible standard. The Pharisees did this. They heaped the Law of Moses and their own regulations on the people, but failed to keep these man-made commandments. They made little or no allowance for weaknesses, much less failures.
God isn’t like that. He loves us and exhorts us to love one another in the same way. That’s why we should be patient. We need to love others—and ourselves—long enough for God to change us.
Salvation isn’t a magic wand in the sense that our lives become trouble-free overnight. Change takes time. But grace has the power to change us—when we can’t change ourselves.
Like Mephibosheth, we remain crippled, less than whole and a bit dysfunctional. Yet we are invited to always enjoy dinner with the King. When Jesus walked this earth, he ate with sinners, flawed human beings who needed a savior. He does the same today, and so should we.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
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