One reason people give up on serving others is that they feel unappreciated.  They give their time and energy to be a blessing.  Then when no one responds, they feel like they are wasting their time.  Perhaps they think that what they are doing is not a blessing or maybe no one even cares.  Often, they try to press on but eventually give up because of a perceived lack of support. 

The Christmas season is a great time to send cards, emails, and texts to a large number of people. When you send your message, be sure and tell the person something you appreciate about them and what they do.  This is the perfect opportunity for you to let someone know you notice their work and are blessed by it. 

Who knows?  It might be the encouragement they need to keep pressing on in the service of the Lord and others in the new year.  You might brighten their holidays simply by recognizing their efforts.  A kind word has never hurt anyone.

Sometimes a statement of appreciation is the fuel we need to shine our lights brightly for the Lord. 

Have you ever seen something happening and thought, “Somebody should do something?”

That could range from something good that is not being completed to some injustice that needs to be stopped.  You know in your soul that somebody should be trying to change this situation. 

What if you are that somebody?

What if God allowed you to see this problem so that you could make a difference?

Maybe you are somebody who can make a positive change, and if you don’t do it, then nobody will. 

The Israelites were returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the city.  Walls were reconstructed, homes remodeled, and worship was being re-established.  The people who had lived in exile were now back in their homeland.  It was an exciting time for the people of God, according to the book of Nehemiah. 

In chapter 8 of his book, Nehemiah tells of the work of Ezra, the priest.  He had brought together all the ancient scrolls of our Old Testament.  He then stands up in front of the people on a wooden platform and reads it starting at the beginning.  Once they saw him above them, all the people stood up and listened closely.  The reading started at daybreak and lasted till noon.   

The Levites and other priests had gathered with the people, and they also had the words of the Old Testament.  As Ezra was reading, it says of these men that, “They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.” (Nehemiah 8:8 – NIV 2011)

This one verse highlights how the Bible is to be taught and read.  Two significant parts follow our reading of the Bible.  First, there is a need to make it clear.  The original word means that it was “translated.” That could refer to taking a foreign language and putting it into the people’s native tongue.  It could also be a rephrasing of the ancient images into modern pictures to make them easier to understand. 

The second part of that verse says they were giving the words meaning.  Once the people knew what was written, they needed to see how that applied to their lives. So each passage was read, made sure it was understood clearly, and then given practical application.  That would mean for them that they need to re-establish the temple and holy days as acts of worship of God. 

That day the people were sad, filled with guilt and shame over the things they had not been doing for God.  Nehemiah then informs the people not to be sad, instead to celebrate with great joy because “they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” (Nehemiah 8:12 – NIV 2011) The people could have been sad about all they disobeyed because they did not know God’s words; instead, they are happy to move forward with new information. 

God has given us his book, and like the men helping Ezra that day, we are to make sure that we know what it says and how to apply it. Then, once that happens, we help others understand what it says and help them live it each day too.  Encountering the scriptures should increase our understanding, change our behavior, and bring joy.  If it doesn’t, then we are probably not using it correctly. 

Jesus instructs his followers not to judge, or we will be judged.  I heard a preacher recently say that he believes this is the most quoted verse in the Bible.  While it requires us to understand the context of what he is saying and total Biblical comprehension of the concept, it is relatively simple.  We are to withhold our judgments about people because that is the way we want to be treated. 

One reason that judging is so dangerous is that it relies on limited experience.  It is easy to take one poor exchange and let that be the determining factor for our thinking.  We say to ourselves, “Their tone sounded angry to me; I bet that is because they are an angry person.” Possibly we think, “They did not do what I desired in this situation, so they are a disagreeable person.”

We never seem to factor in the intangibles.  Maybe that person was going through a crisis.  Perhaps they had not been able to sleep the night before.  They could be stressed about a difficult decision.  It is quite possible that the undercurrents of personal turmoil impacted them so deeply that they became something they never wanted in that situation.

I know this is true because of my own experience.  I am sure I have made people mad and led them to question my faith and personal holiness because of one bad day.  I try not to allow outside influences to adjust my character, but it still seems to happen.  I have been judged as a bad person because of specific days in my life where even I knew I was being a jerk. 

Not judging other people is hard.  It is so easy for us to do.  One way to help you overcome it is by saying to your soul, “Maybe they are just having a bad day.” Hopefully, that will increase your level of grace.  And remember, a day will come when you wish people understood that you were just having a bad day too.  

The sports announcer said, “As a player, you have to develop a short memory.” 

A player in any sport will make a mistake by missing a shot, having a fielding error, or throwing an interception – just to name a few possibilities.  At that moment, they cannot go to the bench and sulk and skip the next few plays. Instead, they are required to keep shooting, catching, and throwing.  It is only in continuing to do their job that they can fix their mistake. 

This is not a bad principle for all of us to learn.  Whenever we make a mistake, we take a minute to learn from it and then get back up and try again. 

Great sports figures have made all kinds of errors in their careers.  What separates them from the average players is their ability to put it behind them and do better next time.  Maybe great people are made the same way. 

One of the more challenging aspects of being a pastor is dealing with various personalities that compose a Church community.  This goes beyond the superficial labels of introvert or extrovert.  Honestly, I believe it goes beyond any other types of tests you can use to categorize the way people behave.  Everyone is unique in how they think, act, and feel, along with our one-of-a-kind experiences. 

Where I find this the most complicated is in how people react to different situations.  For example, one person may do a ministry, and I walk up to them and suggest a few changes for improvement.  At this point, I have had people ignore me, cry, get angry, become defensive, and even quit doing ministry altogether.  Then, after the incident, some people will contact everyone they know and complain while others will leave the Church quietly, and still, others will become my friends. 

Add on top of the unique personality we possess; temporary moods factor into people’s reactions.  Sometimes people are having a bad day; other times, they are hungry, angry, lonely, and tired.  I can never know what might endear me to people and what might alienate me. 

Relationships are hard.  No one denies that, but Church relationships are highly complex.  People attend voluntarily, and they can leave at any time.  Those same people can complain and impact dozens of more people simply because I caught them on a bad day or touched a nerve on a sensitive topic.

As a pastor, the spectrum of people who walk through the doors is unlimited.  I hope that the grace of Jesus will touch every person.  It will give them a right relationship with God along with the people around them.  As God works on their hearts, I always hope they develop some grace toward their pastor and his wife, just like we try to do with them. 

Life is full of regular reminders of past events. Annually we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. We pause for a day or an evening and remember something significant that happened on that day. This practice keeps us grounded in our lives and relationships. We note that we are a year older, have been together a year longer, and enjoy the historical significance of events and people.

Personally, I believe God knows our need for regular reminders, and he also knows that annual events are not frequent enough. We need to be reminded weekly. Every Sunday morning, the Church comes together to worship, pray, and learn about God’s word. As a preacher, I hope that people learn and grow because of their time together on Sunday morning. Even when that does not happen, I think their participation in the group will serve as a reminder of the bigger things in life.

Each week our worship together is a reminder of the priority of God in our lives. It forces us to start our week by acknowledging his power and grace. It keeps us grounded in his word as a weekly guide for living. Finally, it reminds us that we are not alone in our faith but share the journey with hundreds of other believers.

Even if you get very little out of your time at worship this coming Sunday, church attendance is a good reminder of your need for Jesus and his work in your life.

Just because someone wrote a book about a topic does not mean they are an expert or right. 

A congregational member once told me about a book he was reading, and immediately a chill went down my spine.  The author had no advanced training in biblical studies and had shown no sign of deep knowledge of the scripture from personal experience. Yet, they were given a chance to write a book about faith because of their success in other areas.  Honestly, it was total garbage. 

I want people to read and grow in their faith, but we must rely on the right voices. 

Writing a book on any topic does not validate the author’s knowledge.  It simply shows us that this person has the discipline to sit down every day at a computer and complete a task.  That is a noble accomplishment but is dangerous when the person is wrong. 

I want to encourage everyone to find out the author’s background before reading a book.  Look at what else they have written, check out who endorsed them, and ask critical questions.  The only thing worse than no information is the wrong information. 

We can be harder on ourselves than anyone else would ever be.

We have these standards we wish to live up to each day. Unfortunately, being a Christian can make it worse as the bar is set higher for us by following Jesus.

Every day we rise, hoping that today will be this perfect day.  Today, our attitude will be positive, our words will be sweet, and our actions will be all God desires from us.

And then we fall short.  We get frustrated and even angry with ourselves. Our minds and souls become filled with regret, shame, remorse, disappointment, and guilt.  Our conscience weighs us down, and it comes out in negative emotions toward the people around us. 

As a follower of Jesus, we believe in God’s grace.  His unmerited favor and forgiveness toward humanity.  But do we believe that this grace extends to us?  This is not an attempt to excuse our sins nor dismiss the need to change and grow.  It is simply allowing the sacrifice of Jesus to be enough for everyone.

Many of us punish ourselves for our failures because we know the right thing to do and yet fail to live up to the standard.  We have intimate details on each mistake and shortcoming.  We understand the depths of our depravity, and it fills us with shame.  The good news of the gospel is that God forgives the sins of everyone, including us.  Often the most difficult person to convince they have grace and forgiveness is ourselves. 

Is there a difference?

That question is essential yet neglected. 

It is critical for a Church and Christians to be doing the Lord’s work above all else. Almost everyone agrees that his work is good.  So believers set out into the world doing all kinds of projects that benefit their neighbors and communities.  And everyone assumes that what they are doing makes God happy.  If people feel good about what they are doing, why overanalyze it?

My definition of good work is doing something that blesses other people.  These actions can range from a conversation to a building project to offering a meal. However, the definition of God’s work adds a significant element.  It is doing something that blesses other people and leads them to greater faith in God.  That last part is easy to overlook but is essential.

While there are many good works we can do, not every one of them leads people to God.  Some of them can make us feel good about ourselves and create positive vibes while having nothing to do with God.  All of God’s work is good, but not all good work is of God. 

The Church is a community of people who go out into the world doing many good deeds, but they fail if it ceases to do God’s work.